The Pentagon is hurrying to find new explosives
Most of America’s existing ones date from the second world war
America’s wars are high-tech affairs. Many of the bombs and missiles with which it has attacked the Houthis in recent days, as part of an effort to protect shipping in the Red Sea, were guided to their targets by lasers or signals from satellites.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “More bucks, bigger bangs”
From the January 20th 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
Elon Musk is causing problems for the Royal Society
His continued membership has led to a high-profile resignation
Deforestation is costing Brazilian farmers millions
Without trees to circulate moisture, the land is getting hotter and drier
Robots can learn new actions faster thanks to AI techniques
They could soon show their moves in settings from car factories to care homes
Scientists are learning why ultra-processed foods are bad for you
A mystery is finally being solved
Scientific publishers are producing more papers than ever
Concerns about some of their business models are building
The two types of human laugh
One is caused by tickling; the other by everything else