Researchers at University of Maryland's Institute for Advanced Computer Studies create SOMA Terror Organization Portal (STOP) to analyze and forecast terrorist organization behavior. The technology allows analysts to query learned rules, network with other experts, and test theories using data-driven forecasting capabilities.
Researchers discovered that young birds' first winter environment plays a crucial role in determining their lifetime breeding grounds. The study suggests that access to water in the winter habitat is a critical factor in shaping their future migrations.
A new study by the University of Maryland and colleagues found that touch screen voting systems are easy to use and pass voter confidence tests, but voters still make mistakes and need help. The study recommends improving ballot design, training, and educational campaigns to enhance user-friendliness.
California's Central Valley faces significant risk of floods with extensive loss of life and billions in damages. The University of Maryland engineers recommend a comprehensive flood-risk abatement strategy focusing on land-use planning and ecosystem restoration.
The Deep Impact spacecraft is using its flyby of Earth to calibrate its instruments for the EPOXI mission, which will study comet Hartley 2. The team made observations of the moon to test the spacecraft's pointing and commanding systems.
A study of 136 abandoned Romanian children found that those placed in foster care had significantly better intellectual development than those remaining in institutions. The research suggests that early intervention can help prevent long-term developmental problems.
The University of Maryland researchers have developed a 2D invisibility cloak that refracts visible light around an object, making it invisible. The cloak is created using a thin, transparent acrylic plastic layer with a gold film and can be integrated into a conventional optical microscope to view nanoscale details.
The EPOXI mission will use the Deep Impact spacecraft to search for Earth-sized planets around five stars and conduct an extended flyby of Comet Hartley 2, studying its surface and composition. This new mission aims to better understand how solar systems form and evolve.
Researchers found a small but significant amount of oxygen in the oceans and atmosphere 2.5 billion years ago, with oxygen nearly undetectable just before that time. The discovery provides compelling evidence for a shift in the oxidation state of the surface ocean 50 million years before the Great Oxidation Event.