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Ebola As ISIS Bio-Weapon?

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ISIS may already be thinking of using Ebola as a low-tech weapon of bio-terror, says a national security expert, who notes that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria andterror groups like it wouldnt even have to weaponize the virus to attempt to wreak strategic global infection.

Such groups could simply use human carriers to intentionally infect themselves in West Africa, then disseminate the deadly virus via the worlds air transportation system. Or so says Capt. Al Shimkus, Ret., a Professor of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College.

Ebola virus virion. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And with a significant portion of West Africa now in an open epidemic, it arguably wouldnt be difficult for a terrorist group to simply waltz in and make off with some infected bodily fluids for use at a later time elsewhere.

They wouldnt even have to isolate it, says Shimkus, who teaches a course in chemical and biological warfare. He says that if ISIS wanted to send half a dozen of its operatives into an Ebola outbreak region and intentionally expose themselves to the virus, they very well could. The idea is then once they had intentionally infected themselves, they would try to interact with as many people in their target city or country of choice.

The average fatality rate from Ebola, classified as a hemorrhagic fever, is 50 percent; but without medical treatment, that figure can range as high as 90 percent, reports the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO also notes that although there are two potential vaccines undergoing evaluation, at present none are licensed.

The virus was first documented in humans in 1976 during two simultaneous outbreaks, one in Sudan and the other in the Congo, in a village near the Ebola River. The WHO reports that a type of fruit bat is thought to act as the virus natural host.

The virus apparently spreads into the human population via direct contact with infected animals ranging from chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines; as well as the fruit bat itself be they found ill or dead in the rain forest. According to the WHO, Ebola can then be spread via contact with the infecteds bodily fluids; even bedding and clothing contaminated with such fluids.

The idea of using human carriers to intentionally spread deadly pathogens has been around for centuries. As Shimkus points out, in the Middle Ages, adversaries threw infected corpses over their enemys city walls in order to spread the deadly Bubonic Plague.

If ISIS or another terrorist actor were to use Ebola in a similar manner today, Shimkus says the possibility of identifying those infected as they enter and leave the country is excellent but not 100 percent.

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Ebola As ISIS Bio-Weapon?

Astronomy – Ch. 5: Light & E&M Radiation (18 of 30) Stefan-Boltzmann’s Law – Video

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Astronomy - Ch. 5: Light E M Radiation (18 of 30) Stefan-Boltzmann #39;s Law
Visit http://ilectureonline.com for more math and science lectures! In this video I will explain the Stefan-Boltzmann #39;s Law of the relationship of intensity ...

By: Michel van Biezen

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Astronomy - Ch. 5: Light & E&M Radiation (18 of 30) Stefan-Boltzmann's Law - Video

Class notes

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The Family Science & Astronomy Festival + Makerspace takes place 2 p.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4 at College of San Mateo, 1700 W. Hillsdale Blvd. It will be a day of astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology and physics lectures, demos, workshops and planetarium shows.

There will also be food trucks and a book sale at the schools library.

For more information go to collegeofsanmateo.edu. Events are free and on a drop-in basis.

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The Mustang Stampede and Pancake Breakfast for Center Middle School in San Carlos is 8 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 5.

Sign up at eventbrite.com/e/2014-mustang-stampede-registration-12781972223.

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Burlingame High School will be partnering with Free the Children from Oct. 6-Oct. 31 tohost a canned food drive called We Scare Hunger. All donations of non-perishable foods can be dropped off at the school and will be donated to Bay Area families in need through Second Harvest Food Bank. For more information contact Sue Glick atsglick@smuhsd.org, or call 558-2873.

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Rollingwood Elementary Schoolwas full of happy and heart healthy kids during this weeks Teaching Gardens Planting Day in San Bruno.In attempt to fight against childhood obesity and encourage health education, theAmerican Heart Associationin partnership with Microsoft, held a Teaching Garden Planting Day where local students learned how to plant and harvest produce, make healthy choices and stay active.Pro volleyball star and childrens health advocate, Gabby Reece, as well asKelly Meyer, founder of the Teaching Gardens Program, were also present to encourage students and speak at the schoolwide assembly.

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Class notes

Astronomy – Ch. 5: Light & E&M Radiation (10 of 30) Differences: Transparent vs Opaque Atmosphere – Video

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Astronomy - Ch. 5: Light E M Radiation (10 of 30) Differences: Transparent vs Opaque Atmosphere
Visit http://ilectureonline.com for more math and science lectures! In this video I will explain how the atmosphere are sometime transparent and sometime opa...

By: Michel van Biezen

Link:

Astronomy - Ch. 5: Light & E&M Radiation (10 of 30) Differences: Transparent vs Opaque Atmosphere - Video

Register Now to Enter NameExoWorlds Contest

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IAU Invites Astronomical Organizations to Join Directory for World Astronomy

The IAU invites all public organizations with an interest in astronomy to register on the IAU Directory for World Astronomy website for the NameExoWorlds contest, where they will in early 2015 be able to suggest names for exoplanets and their host stars. For the first time in history the public will then be able to vote for the official names of stars and planets.The deadline for registration for the contest is 31 December 2014. Details of the registration procedure can be found on the websitehttp://directory.iau.org. Eligible organizations include planetariums, science centers, amateur astronomy clubs, and online astronomy platforms, but also non-profit organizations such as high schools or cultural clubs interested in astronomy.The updated schedule for the IAU NameExoWorlds contest is as follows:1. A list of 305 well-characterized exoplanets, discovered prior to 31 December 2008, has been selected for naming by the IAU Exoplanets for the Public Working Group (http://www.iau.org/science/scientific_bodies/working_groups/211), and the list was published in July on thehttp://www.NameExoWorlds.orgwebsite. These exoplanets belong to 260 exoplanetary systems comprising one to five planets and their host stars.2. The IAU Directory for World Astronomy website (http://directory.iau.org) is launched today, and astronomy clubs and non-profit organizations interested in naming these exoworlds are invited to register. The IAU has the capability to handle the registration of thousands of such groups.3. In January 2015, these clubs and organizations will be asked to vote for the 20-30 exoworlds they wish to name out of the list provided by the IAU. The actual number will depend on how many groups have registered.4. From February 2015, registered clubs and organizations will be able to send proposed names for the planets and host stars of these selected exoworlds, based on the rules in the IAU Exoplanet Naming Conventions (http://www.iau.org/public/themes/naming_exoplanets), together with a detailed supporting argument for their choice. Each group will be allowed to name only one exoworld. More details on this stage will be given later.5. From April 2015, the general public will be able to vote on the proposed exoworld names. The IAU and Zooniverse (https://www.zooniverse.org) are ready to handle a million votes or more worldwide.6. Starting from July 2015, the IAU, via its Public Naming of Planets and Planetary Satellites Working Group, will oversee the final stages of the contest and will validate the winning names from the vote.7. The final results of the selected names for the exoplanets and their host stars will be announced at a special public ceremony held during the IAU XXIX General Assembly in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA (http://astronomy2015.org), 3-14 August 2015.In order to adapt to local requirements, the IAU is calling for volunteers worldwide to help with translation -- interested volunteers please contact us atoutreach@iau.org.Registration for the NameExoWorlds contest is just one of the planned functions of the IAU Directory for World Astronomy website. The sites scope is much wider as it will function as a platform for the global astronomical community to meet, and it will act also as an information portal for the public to learn about astronomy activities internationally and locally.The second phase of the IAU Directory for World Astronomy will be launched later this year, and will include an event calendar, which astronomical organizations can use to publish and promote their events easily through this one-stop service for the general public.Contacts:Sze-leung CheungIAU International Outreach CoordinatorTokyo, Japan+81 (0)422-34-389, cell: +81 (0)80-9274-2454cheungszeleung@iau.orgThierry MontmerleIAU General Secretary / Institut dAstrophysique de ParisParis, France+33 1 43 25 83 58montmerle@iap.frLars Lindberg ChristensenIAU Press OfficerGarching bei Mnchen, Germany+49 89 320 06 761, cell: +49 173 38 72 621lars@eso.orgThe IAU is an international astronomical organization of more than 10,000 professional astronomers from more than 90 countries. Its mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in all its aspects through international cooperation. The IAU also serves as the internationally recognized authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and their surface features.IAU Directory for World Astronomy website:http://directory.iau.orgNameExoWorlds:http://nameexoworlds.orgIAU Exoplanets for the Public Working Group:http://www.iau.org/science/scientific_bodies/working_groups/211/IAU XXIX General Assembly in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA:http://astronomy2015.org/

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Register Now to Enter NameExoWorlds Contest

Astronomy – Ch. 5: Light & E&M Radiation (11 of 30) Relationship: Radiation, Wavelength, and Opaque – Video

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Astronomy - Ch. 5: Light E M Radiation (11 of 30) Relationship: Radiation, Wavelength, and Opaque
Visit http://ilectureonline.com for more math and science lectures! In this video I will look at the relationship between radiations and their specific wavel...

By: Michel van Biezen

More here:

Astronomy - Ch. 5: Light & E&M Radiation (11 of 30) Relationship: Radiation, Wavelength, and Opaque - Video


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