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Texas to Accelerate Opening of Sterile Fly Facility to Combat New World Screwworm Outbreak

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that, in response to the New World screwworm (NWS) outbreak already detected in Texas and New Mexico, the sterile fly facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas, will open early next spring, approximately seven months ahead of the original schedule. Construction on the facility began in April of this year, and once completed, it will produce sterile flies to support outbreak control efforts using the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). Under the plan, the facility will reach full operational capacity by the end of 2028, producing approximately 300 million sterile flies per week. The Sterile Insect Technique works by releasing sterilized flies into the environment to mate with wild screwworms, thereby interrupting the reproductive cycle and reducing the risk of continued parasite spread...

2026-08-12

French city of Illkirch plans to test sterile insect technique to combat tiger mosquitoes

Thibaud Philipps, Mayor of Illkirch-Graffenstaden in France's Bas-Rhin department, hopes to pilot the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT/TIS) locally, sterilizing male tiger mosquitoes through radiation and releasing them regularly to curb population growth. According to local authorities, tiger mosquitoes have been officially established in Illkirch-Graffenstaden since 2019. In recent years, the local tiger mosquito population has continued to increase, significantly impacting residents' daily lives. The municipal government has previously implemented multiple control measures, including launching the "Tiger Team" project in 2024 to educate the public on mosquito prevention and control methods, as well as providing subsidies of up to 50 euros per household for purchasing mosquito traps. To date, approximately 400 households have received relevant traps...

2026-08-12

University of Tokyo and University of York Successfully Validate Positronium Ratio Imaging Principle for the First Time

A research team from the Graduate School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo and the University of York in the UK established a novel geometric imaging principle utilizing positron three-photon decay. Using a gamma-ray measurement system comprising scintillators and silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), along with the existing PET radiopharmaceutical ^18F-FDG, they successfully visualized the positronium three-photon decay ratio for the first time, completing the proof-of-principle for Positronium Ratio Imaging (PRI). The findings were published in *Communications Physics*. Current clinical nuclear medicine PET examinations primarily utilize gamma rays generated from two-photon annihilation between positrons and electrons to visualize drug accumulation in the body. While this method provides quantitative information on metabolism or drug uptake, it offers limited insight into microenvironmental features such as tissue hypoxia, which are closely related to disease malignancy. In recent years, researchers have attempted to obtain additional tissue information through the average lifetime of positronium formed during positron annihilation, but this approach typically requires the introduction of special nuclides or agents, limiting its practical application.

2026-08-12

Korea Fusion Energy Institute Launches Design and Manufacturing of ITER Tritium Storage and Supply Vessels

The Korea Fusion Energy Institute (KFE) announced on August 12 at its headquarters in Daejeon that it has signed a contract with a consortium comprising Iljin Power and Aizen Core to undertake the design and manufacturing of the tritium storage and supply vessels for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). ITER is currently the world's largest fusion experimental device, being jointly constructed by seven parties—Korea, the United States, the European Union, Japan, China, Russia, and India—in Cadarache, southern France. Under the procurement agreement signed between KFE and the ITER Organization in March 2025, Korea...

2026-08-12

University of Missouri Receives $1 Million Grant to Research New FLASH Radiotherapy System

On August 11, researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine received a $1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study a new technology in cancer radiotherapy—the TheryQ FLASHKNiFE system. The project is funded through June 2027. A long-standing challenge in cancer treatment is how to kill tumor cells while protecting surrounding healthy tissue as much as possible. Existing radiotherapy can already achieve millimeter-level precision, but radiation damage and related side effects still limit the dose patients can safely receive. Unlike conventional approaches, FLASH radiotherapy does not primarily alter the direction of radiation beams, but instead delivers irradiation in an extremely short time at an ultra-high dose rate...

2026-08-12

"High-Precision Analysis Technology and Engineering Application of Multi-Physics, Multi-Scale, Strongly Coupled High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor" Passes Scientific and Technological Achievement Appraisal, Reaching Internationally Leading Level

On August 7, the China Nuclear Energy Association organized a scientific and technological achievement appraisal meeting in Beijing for the high-precision analysis technology and engineering application of multi-physics, multi-scale, strongly coupled high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. Ye Qizhen, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, served as the leader of the project review panel. The expert group unanimously agreed to pass the achievement appraisal, recognizing it as reaching an internationally leading level. Xu Weiqiang, General Manager of the Nuclear Energy Research Institute, attended the meeting, and Liu Wei, Director of the Reactor Engineering Institute, delivered a special report. This achievement was completed through five years of joint research by Huaneng Nuclear Energy Technology Research Institute and Xi'an Jiaotong University, targeting world-class challenges such as strong multi-physics coupling in the core of pebble-bed high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, limited in-core temperature measurement points, and complex bypass flow paths. For the first time internationally, it established...

2026-08-12

Budapest Launches Feasibility Study for Long-Distance Heat Supply from Paks Nuclear Power Plant

On August 11, 2026, Budapest Public Services Company (BKM), in partnership with the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, launched a feasibility study to explore the delivery of thermal energy from the Paks Nuclear Power Plant to the city's district heating system via a hot-water pipeline of approximately 125 kilometers. The study focuses on the technical, economic, and construction feasibility of the project. The Paks Nuclear Power Plant is located about 100 kilometers from the capital, and the current heat load of Budapest's district heating system is approximately 100 MWth in summer, peaking at 1,000 MWth in winter. The core significance of this concept lies not only in providing a low-carbon heat source for the city but also in improving the efficiency of waste heat utilization at the nuclear power plant. The Paks Nuclear Power Plant currently...

2026-08-12

Urenco in Almelo, Netherlands accelerates expansion, ninth centrifuge hall enters planning

Urenco in Almelo, the Netherlands, is continuing its large-scale expansion. Before a new large facility has even been completed, the company has already begun advancing its next expansion project, with a ninth production hall housing thousands of centrifuges now in the preparatory stage. This signals a clear acceleration in the pace of the company's uranium enrichment capacity expansion. Urenco's core business is supplying fuel for nuclear power plants, namely enriching uranium through centrifuges. In recent years, tight global energy supply, fluctuating natural gas prices, and heightened energy security concerns have brought nuclear energy back into focus for many countries. As demand for nuclear power rises, the importance of the nuclear fuel supply chain has also grown, and Urenco...

2026-08-12

Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant Launches Environmental Monitoring System, Recording Ecological Data to Build a "Digital Memory"

On August 10, the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant under construction in Mersin Province announced that its deployed high-tech environmental monitoring system has been put into operation, which will digitally record and track ecological environment changes around the plant site. The operator stated that the system not only serves the plant's own environmental compliance but also sets a new standard for environmental management in Türkiye. In terms of marine ecological monitoring, the modern chemical analysis laboratory activated on site is monitoring seawater quality in real time, regularly measuring multiple parameters such as water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen levels, and fish diversity. Through these data, the plant's impact on the marine ecosystem will be transparently documented. Particularly noteworthy...

2026-08-12

Syria Confirms IAEA Delegation to Visit Damascus for Talks on Nuclear Material Handling and Peaceful Use Cooperation

The Syrian Atomic Energy Commission issued a written statement confirming that a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will arrive in Damascus in the coming days to discuss progress in Syria's nuclear energy sector and international nuclear cooperation. The visit was announced following reports that the IAEA is preparing to remove nuclear materials from secret facilities in Syria. The statement said Syria is cooperating with the United States and friendly countries on addressing the nuclear legacy left by the former regime, and is committed to promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy in fields such as health, food, and scientific research. The statement noted that Syria is working to activate its full membership status in the IAEA, and emphasized that Syria, after liberation, has...

2026-08-12

US Oak Ridge National Laboratory Restarts Tungsten-188/Rhenium-188 Generator Production to Support Targeted Cancer Therapy Research

The US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) recently restarted and upgraded its tungsten-188/rhenium-188 (W-188/Re-188) generator manufacturing operations to meet the demand for the rare medical isotope rhenium-188 in targeted cancer therapy research. The laboratory last manufactured such generators in 2011. Radiochemist Becca Hores demonstrated the assembly process of the W-188/Re-188 generator. Depending on radioactivity levels, these generators must be assembled in gloveboxes or hot cells. Image credit: Maggie Gregg/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, US Department of Energy. Rhenium-188 is produced by the radioactive decay of tungsten-188. ORNL irradiates tungsten-186 in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) to produce tungsten-188...

2026-08-12

Brazil's IRD Radiometric Metrology Laboratory Receives CTBTO Certification, Joins International Nuclear Test Monitoring Network

The Radiometric Metrology Laboratory of Brazil's Institute of Radiation Protection and Dosimetry (IRD/ANSN) has recently received certification from the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), officially qualifying it to join the international verification system. The certification was granted following an on-site audit conducted by the CTBTO in Rio de Janeiro from June 16 to 25, marking the Brazilian laboratory as the 15th certified unit among the 16 treaty-designated radionuclide laboratories. The certification primarily confirmed that the laboratory meets CTBTO requirements in high-precision analysis, result reliability, data traceability, and standardization of technical procedures. The audit covered sample reception and preparation, equipment calibration, result interpretation,...

2026-08-12

CT "5-Star" Image Quality Scoring May Help Reduce Radiation Dose

A multinational study involving the International Atomic Energy Agency and Massachusetts General Hospital in the United States shows that a standardized 5-star scoring system that considers both radiation dose and CT image quality can produce relatively consistent evaluations across different radiologists and help identify opportunities to reduce patient radiation exposure. This retrospective study included 2,737 adult CT examinations performed at 6 hospitals across 5 European countries, including 1,247 chest CTs and 1,490 abdominal CTs, involving 13 CT scanners. At each hospital, 3 radiologists independently evaluated the examinations using the 5-star framework. Unlike traditional image quality assessments that may favor lower noise...

2026-08-12

Bulgaria's Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant Faces Shutdown Risk Due to Low Danube Water Levels

On August 11, Bulgaria's Ministry of Energy warned that the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant is facing the risk of reduced output or even shutdown due to the continuously declining water level of the Danube River. The plant relies on the Danube to provide cooling water for its two 1,000 MW reactors. If the water intake capacity continues to be constrained, it will directly affect the safe operation of the reactors and the stability of power supply. Bulgaria's Ministry of Energy stated that measures have been taken to ensure water supply to the cooling system, including dredging the channels connecting the Danube to coastal pumping stations to maintain the necessary flow. This summer, the Danube's water level has dropped to historic lows due to prolonged drought. Near Ruse, Bulgaria, the river's flow is already more than one meter below the safe navigation level, and it has continued to decline over the past 24 hours...

2026-08-12

California Governor Says He Will Not Push for Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Life Extension During His Term

California Governor Gavin Newsom said he will not push to extend the operating life of the state's only commercial nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon, during his final months in office. This means the plant's fate after 2030 will be left at least to the next state administration to decide. Located in San Luis Obispo County, California, the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant has two units and is owned and operated by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). Under an arrangement PG&E reached in 2016, the two units were originally scheduled for phased retirement. However, after California's high temperatures in 2022 triggered power supply strain and blackouts...

2026-08-12