Weapons are tools or devices designed specifically to inflict harm or damage to beings, structures, or systems. Historically, weapons have been developed for personal protection, hunting, and warfare. They range from simple implements like knives and clubs to complex machinery like firearms, missiles, and nuclear bombs. The evolution of weapons is closely tied to technological advancements and has significantly influenced the course of human history and warfare. Modern weapons can include conventional arms, such as guns and bombs, as well as more strategic ones like chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons. The development, possession, and use of weapons are subject to national and international laws and agreements, which aim to control proliferation, ensure safety, and maintain peace and security. Ethical and moral debates often surround the development and use of increasingly destructive weapons, highlighting concerns about humanitarian impacts and global stability.
New research on a 300,000-year-old throwing stick reveals advanced woodworking techniques among early humans, suggesting communal hunting practices involving the whole community. The artifact, demonstrating…
As Russia has suffered unexpected battlefield losses in eastern Ukraine, Tactical nuclear weapons have burst onto the international stage. Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened that…
On March 18, 2022, Russia launched a hypersonic missile against a Ukrainian arms depot in the western part of the country. That may sound frightening,…
The U.S. has been warning for weeks about the possibility of Russia invading Ukraine, and threatening retaliation if it does. Just eight years after Russia’s…
Some of the cases of the mystery ailment that has afflicted U.S. embassy staff and CIA officers off and on since 2016 in Cuba, China,…
In a horrendous accident, a cinematographer has died and a director has been injured after Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun while filming in New…
The latest episodes of the so-called Havana syndrome, a series of unexplained ailments afflicting U.S. and Canadian diplomats and spies, span the globe. They include…
First used for battle in China in about 900 A.D., gunpowder spread throughout Eurasia by the end of the 13th century, eventually revolutionizing warfare as…
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have developed a new, versatile antidote to counteract exposure to nerve agent poisoning. The work, appearing in the…
From engineered pandemics to city-toppling cyber attacks to nuclear annihilation, life on Earth could radically change, and soon. Scientists forecasted the fate of the planet…
An invention from Purdue University innovators may provide a new option to use directed energy for biomedical and defense applications. The Purdue invention uses composite-based…
The mystery ailment that has afflicted U.S. embassy staff and CIA officers off and on over the last four years in Cuba, China, Russia and…
Additively manufactured fractal structures with closely spaced voids dissipate shockwaves five times better than solid cubes. Tiny, 3D printed cubes of plastic, with intricate fractal…
In January, SpaceX became the operator of the world’s largest active satellite constellation. As of the end of January, the company had 242 satellites orbiting…
Recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the use of chemical weapons in the Syria conflict have provided a stark reminder of the plethora…
Southwest Research Institute has received funding from the Medical CBRN Defense Consortium (MCDC) administered by Advanced Technology International to develop a nerve agent antidote for…
To deter attempts to disable U.S. electrical utilities and to defend U.S. nuclear weapon systems from evolving technological threats, Sandia National Laboratories has begun two…
Soot from firestorms would reduce crop production for years. The concept of nuclear winter — a years-long planetary freeze brought on by airborne soot generated…