ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOTS

 Killer robots have been a staple of science fiction and dystopian writing for decades. A new UN report suggests that reality has now caught up with what has been mere fantasy until now, in the form of lethal autonomous drones unleashed in Libya last March.

Striking video of a swarm of Kargu drones in action

Credit: STM/YouTube

As reported in New Scientist, a just-published UN report details an attack on retreating partisan forces in a Libyan civil war by autonomous Kargu-2 quadcopters programmed to identify their targets, including humans, home in on them and explode. The 7 kg (15 lb) Kargu drones are designed to fly in swarms too numerous to be defended against. According to the anonymous source for the UN report, these kamikaze drones were "highly effective" in hunting down and killing retreating soldiers.

The New Scientist story about this apparent first actual use of fully autonomous weapons in warfare underlines the urgency of forging an international agreement concerning (and hopefully outlawing) their use.

Unfortunately, in advance of any such agreement, yet another malevolent genie has been unchained.

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REA 5-28-21

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Predictably, the use of a drone swarm in warfare described above was not a one-off. In it's 30 June, 2021 edition, New Scientist reports that Israel used an AI-guided drone swarm to target Hamas militants in Gaza. Given that both China and the US are reportedly developing drone swarm technology, we're almost sure to see more use of these autonomous or semi-autonomous killer swarms in the near future. New Scientist quotes Zak Kallenborn, a terrorism and counter-terrorism expert as pointing out that larger and larger swarms can be expected. “A handful of swarming drones is probably not a big risk, but what about 10,000? We may be looking at the emergence of a new weapon of mass destruction”

You can read more at: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2282656-israel-used-worlds-first-ai-guided-combat-drone-swarm-in-gaza-attacks/#ixzz6zQILCcZr

BEWARE OF SYMPTOMLESS SUPERSPREADERS

A just-published research article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) reveals some striking new information about how the coronavirus spreads. A study testing thousands of people at the University of Colorado, Boulder, found that the distribution of virus particles among symptomless individuals matched the distribution among people hospitalized for Covid-19, with a few individuals in both groups carrying enormous numbers of virus particles and so having the potential to act as COVID-19 superspreaders. In other words, some people with no COVID-19 symptoms at all can spread the disease as easily as the most contagious hospitalized patients.

Virus loads in asymptomatic people matched those in hospitalized patients

Credit: Yang et al., University of Colorado, Boulder

The researchers found that, regardless of symptoms, just two percent of people who test positive for the coronavirus carry 90 percent of the virus particles circulating in a given population. "The highest observed viral load was over 6 trillion virions [complete, infective virus particles] per Ml, which was only observed in one individual," they write. "It is remarkable to consider that this individual was on campus and reported no symptoms . . .." 

They add that just 10 percent of symptom-free people who test positive for the virus, plus 14 percent of hospitalized Covid-19 patients account for 99 percent of circulating, active virus particles. 

In addition to such potential super-carriers, the researchers estimate that 50 percent of symptomless individuals who test positive for the coronavirus carry enough virus particles in their saliva to spread COVID-19 to to others.

These finding have several important implications. One is that being symptom free does not guarantee that someone isn't a COVID spreader or super-spreader. As more people get vaccinated and people become more relaxed about mask-wearing social distancing and avoiding groups and crowds indoors, it's very likely that we'll see continuing outbursts of Covid cases seeded by such symptomless but highy contagious non-vaccinated individuals. 

Anyone concerned for their own safety or that of their family, friends or contacts should probably not be in a hurry to stop wearing a face mask to minimize their own risk and the risk they potentially pose to others.

A second, public-health implication is the importance of continued, widespread screening, including of people without any COVID symptoms. ". . . it is imperative that we find virus supercarriers, and inform them of their infection status in a way that is fast, easy, and accessible," the researchers write. "Finding viral supercarriers will have a disproportionately large impact on curbing new COVID-19 infections."

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REA/5-10-21