Quantum network secretly running for 2 years

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  Microwave apparatus used in quantum computing experiments by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).Y. Colombe/NIST

A national laboratory has been running a quantum network that could make perfectly secure Internet communications a reality.

Though the new technology, described May 1 in the preprint journal arXiv.org, is still being run in a test network, the technology could be the first economical and scalable quantum cryptography that could be used with existing fiber-optic networks, specifically on the networks that run electrical grids and other critical infrastructure.

Unbreakable codes
In cryptography, computers send coded messages that require a key to decipher. But existing encryption techniques aren't perfectly secure with enough computational power and time, they can be hacked.

Enter quantum cryptography.

The idea relies on one of the bizarre consequences of quantum mechanics namely, that when a photon of light travels from one point to another, it travels in an indeterminate state. An observer can't know it's orientation, or polarization, without disturbing the photon and changing its outcome. [Wacky Physics: The Coolest Quantum Particles Explained]

Thus, if a secret message gets encrypted with a quantum key encoded in a photon's initial state, then any outsider trying to intercept the message would disturb the particles, thereby changing the key.

Although quantum cryptography is perfect in theory, it doesn't work with existing networks because the quantum key needs to be shared with every node, or connected point in a network, and that requires big, costly photon detectors at each node. So, as a network gets bigger, the system gets rapidly cumbersome.

"It's expensive, and it doesn't fit into the normal architecture of optical fiber networks," said study co-author Richard Hughes, a physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

Practical solution
But for more than two years, Hughes and his colleagues have secretly been running a small test network that may surmount those problems.

Instead of connecting every node to every other one, the nodes in the test network are connected to a central hub, like spokes on a wheel. A quantum key is used to encrypt messages sent from the spokes to the hub and back out again. As long as the hub is secure, the rest of the system is as well.

In the new scheme, only the hub can read the quantum keys. The cost and size savings come from the fact that the outer points in the network don't read the keys with costly photon detectors, but instead send the quantum keys using tiny laser transmitters. (The spokes can read classical messages, just not quantum messages).

To send a message from one point to another (say, from A to B), both nodes will separately send a quantum key to the hub. Node A will then send along its encrypted message, which the hub decrypts, and then sends it along to B using the encryption scheme that B deciphers using the quantum key B sent to the hub.

The new approach is more economical, and because it uses a hub-and-spoke architecture, as many optical fiber networks do, it can easily be plugged into existing infrastructure, Hughes said.

The researchers say their new system could be used to protect critical infrastructure, such as electrical grids. For those applications, "we think this could be the solution," Hughes told LiveScience.

Next year, they plan to test the system on the electrical system at the lab.

They also envision a more distant future where people dock their laptops or tablets into a secure network, storing quantum cryptographic keys to be used for securing phone calls or emails made later, outside the network.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Ashley Judd not running for Senate

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  March 18, 2013: Ashley Judd arrives at the LA premiere of "Olympus Has Fallen" at the ArcLight Theatre in Los Angeles.AP/Invision

FRANKFORT, Ky. –  Actress Ashley Judd announced Wednesday she won't run for U.S. Senate in Kentucky against Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, saying she had given serious thought to a campaign but decided her responsibilities and energy need to be focused on her family.

The former Kentucky resident tweeted her decision.

"Regretfully, I am currently unable to consider a campaign for the Senate. I have spoken to so many Kentuckians over these last few months who expressed their desire for a fighter for the people & new leader," Judd wrote.

"While that won't be me at this time, I will continue to work as hard as I can to ensure the needs of Kentucky families are met by returning this Senate seat to whom it rightfully belongs: the people & their needs, dreams, and great potential. Thanks for even considering me as that person & know how much I love our Commonwealth. Thank you!"

Her publicist Cara Tripicchio confirmed Judd's decision.

Judd had hinted last week that she was nearing a decision about the race.

Now living in suburban Nashville, Tenn., Judd has said little publicly about her intentions. However, she has been meeting with several Democratic leaders, including Gov. Steve Beshear, to discuss a possible run.

Defeating McConnell would be the Democrats' biggest prize of the 2014 election. His seat is one of 14 that Republicans are defending while Democrats try to hold onto 21, hoping to retain or add to their 55-45 edge.

Judd, known for liberal political views, would have been running in a largely conservative state where Republicans hold both Senate seats and five of the six seats in the U.S. House.

Former State Treasurer Jonathan Miller, a Judd supporter, said she would have been a strong candidate.

"As a Kentuckian and someone who was really enthusiastic about her as a candidate, this wasn't the news I was hoping for," Miller said. "But as her friend, from the first time we talked about the race last summer, I was very candid about the grueling nature of politics. It's become a very unpleasant business and running against Mitch McConnell would be an extraordinarily difficult and grueling experience."

McConnell had already been taunting would-be Democratic challengers in a comical online video intended to raise second thoughts about taking on a politician known as brawler. The video plays on the fact that Judd lives in Tennessee.

Republican-leaning group American Crossroads in its own online video also plays on the Tennessee angle and ties her closely to President Barack Obama, who is unpopular in Kentucky.

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American West running out of room for wild horses, officials weigh options

There are 10,000 more horses and burros in the wild than their habitat can support, according to the Bureau of Land Management. 

But, the agency says, there will soon be little they can do about it. 

The overpopulation problem is now putting a big strain on the agency as it tries to figure out how to keep the spiraling population from harming the ecosystem. 

The current conundrum can be traced in part to 1971. At the time, Congress passed the Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, which tasked BLM with preserving the wild animals in the 10 western states where they roamed. As with any grazing animal, though, the absence of predators caused the population to boom. After their numbers doubled in five years, Congress passed the Federal Land Policy and Management Act which made BLM responsible for keeping wild horse and burro populations in check. 

Fran Ackley, who runs BLM's Wild Horse Program holding facility in Canon City, Colo., said that since there are no predators, federal officials "act as predators in that we remove horses (from the wild)." This, he said, "kind of serves as a similar act in controlling the population." 

Rounded up animals are placed in long- and short-term holding facilities and put up for adoption. Adoptions, however, especially in the recent recession, have been far lower than the number of horses taken off the range. The result is that there are now some 50,000 "wild" horses and burros in BLM holding facilities around the West. 

That's compared with roughly 37,000 currently in the wild, a number BLM says is 10,000 more than it should be. The agency says room in its holding facilities will reach capacity this year. 

"The growth rate 'in the wild' is about 20 percent," Ackley explained. "So that means we're going to have another 7,400 horses this summer after foaling season. And right now it looks like we cannot remove all of them, maybe between 5,000 and 6,000 animals." 

Each coming year, the population in the wild will increase, and if something isn't done, the BLM will be unable to remove any of them, according to Ackley. "If we don't manage them they're going to eat themselves out of house and home and destroy the habitat that supports -- not only them but, you know, endangered species, other plant and animal species and wildlife." 

Currently the Wild Horse and Bureau Program spends about $50 million a year just to feed the animals held in captivity. That's around 70 percent of its annual budget, and horses in captivity live up to 25 years. When it comes to other grazing animals like deer, elk and bison, hunting acts as a substitute for natural predation. 

Hunting horses, though, is prohibited. 

And while horse meat is consumed by humans in much of the world, selling any of the horses to slaughter houses is a public relations nightmare the Bureau is determined to avoid. 

"We'd like to see reproduction targeted as part of a solution," said Karen Herman, owner and operator of the Sky Mountain Wild Horse Sanctuary near Santa Fe, N.M. She said it's obvious to everyone the current system for managing wild horses is broken. "I think we need to be much more creative and innovative, and I think PZP is a science-based solution that's also ecologically and economically sound." 

PZP, porcine zona pellucida, is a birth control drug that can last up to two years. Longer lasting fertility drugs are being developed. Herman has been involved in PZP trials in the Carson National Forest in northern New Mexico where mares are darted in the wild to inject the drug. 

"It limits their reproduction so they can stay free, they can be wild." Herman said. "And yet their numbers aren't exceeding the capacity that the land can hold. There's 20 years of data that shows it's totally safe, it's 90 percent effective (and) it doesn't change their family behavior, their social behavior." 

Many wild horse advocates oppose fertility control but Herman says the alternatives of roundup or overpopulation are far less attractive. "There's nothing humane about starvation -- it's a long, cruel, slow death. I respect other peoples' right to their perspective. Mine is that we have the means to help horses stay healthy and free. Why not use it?" 

Ackley also feels that PZP is promising and points out that the BLM is also conducting trials. He agrees, though, that fertility control is only part of the solution. 

"I'm going to guess there's in the neighborhood of 15 to 20 herds that we can actually do that: approach the horses on foot with a dart gun and put the drug into them. But you know, in Utah, Wyoming, California and Nevada, their horses are a lot more wild ... so that's really not practical in those populations." 

Recently, Kathleen Mussetter came to the BLM Canon City holding facility to adopt one of the mustangs removed from the wild. "They're just so amazing. Just completely honest," she said. 

Mussetter said she also worries about what will happen to the mustangs still roaming wild. "They reproduce out there, but the range is not reproducing. So I believe the BLM is kind of between a rock and a hard place. They're trying to do the right thing for the horses but what can you do? It's hard for a horse lover, it's a hard subject."

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Obama says 'still time' for diplomacy with Iran, Netanyahu suggests time running short

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  March 20, 2013: President Obama, accompanied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, gestures as he speaks during their joint news conference in Jerusalem, Israel.AP

President Obama, while seeking to reassure Israel that America has its back in the face of a nuclear Iran, said Wednesday he believes there's "still time" to resolve the stand-off diplomatically -- as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested time is running short. 

Both leaders, in a joint press conference on Obama's first trip as president to Israel, stressed that their goal is to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. But the two appeared to diverge on the effectiveness of diplomacy. 

In his opening remarks, Netanyahu said sanctions and diplomacy "so far have not stopped" Iran's ambitions. 

"Diplomacy and sanctions must be augmented by a clear and credible threat of military action," he said. 

Later on, Obama said: "We prefer to resolve this diplomatically, and there is still time to do so." 

Still, he added that "all options are on the table" if diplomacy falls short. "The question is, will Iranian leadership seize that opportunity," he added. The president said Iran's past behavior indicates that "we can't even trust yet, much less verify." 

The meeting, and the two-day swing through Israel, was a chance for both leaders to reaffirm their ties, and for Obama to try and boost his image in the country after avoiding it for the last five years. Though Obama visited as a presidential candidate, this is his first visit to Israel since taking office in 2009. 

In Israel, Obama stopped briefly in Tel Aviv before flying to Jerusalem for meetings with senior leaders including Israeli President Shimon Peres. Peres praised Obama for an "impressive record of answering our needs," and welcomed the message that "no one should let skepticism win the day" when it comes to the peace process. 

Pressed during the press conference with Netanyahu on the lack of progress toward an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, Obama said he's certain he could have done things differently when it comes to the Mideast. 

But he said bringing peace to the region is "a really hard problem" to solve -- one that's lingered for more than 60 years. Obama also suggested that failure to reach an agreement in his first term between Israelis and Palestinians doesn't mean that he "screwed up somehow." 

The conversation turned repeatedly to the civil war in Syria and Iran's nuclear program. 

Obama started out his remarks with the prime minister by stressing that the security of Israel is "non-negotiable." The president said America's commitment to Israel's security is a "solemn obligation." 

Netanyahu, thanking Obama for his statements, stressed that: "Today we have both the right and the capability to defend ourselves."

Associated Press contributed to this report.

View the original article here

Obama says 'still time' for diplomacy with Iran, Netanyahu suggests time running short

• 

  March 20, 2013: President Obama, accompanied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, gestures as he speaks during their joint news conference in Jerusalem, Israel.AP

President Obama, while seeking to reassure Israel that America has its back in the face of a nuclear Iran, said Wednesday he believes there's "still time" to resolve the stand-off diplomatically -- as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested time is running short. 

Both leaders, in a joint press conference on Obama's first trip as president to Israel, stressed that their goal is to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. But the two appeared to diverge on the effectiveness of diplomacy. 

In his opening remarks, Netanyahu said sanctions and diplomacy "so far have not stopped" Iran's ambitions. 

"Diplomacy and sanctions must be augmented by a clear and credible threat of military action," he said. 

Later on, Obama said: "We prefer to resolve this diplomatically, and there is still time to do so." 

Still, he added that "all options are on the table" if diplomacy falls short. "The question is, will Iranian leadership seize that opportunity," he added. The president said Iran's past behavior indicates that "we can't even trust yet, much less verify." 

The meeting, and the two-day swing through Israel, was a chance for both leaders to reaffirm their ties, and for Obama to try and boost his image in the country after avoiding it for the last five years. Though Obama visited as a presidential candidate, this is his first visit to Israel since taking office in 2009. 

In Israel, Obama stopped briefly in Tel Aviv before flying to Jerusalem for meetings with senior leaders including Israeli President Shimon Peres. Peres praised Obama for an "impressive record of answering our needs," and welcomed the message that "no one should let skepticism win the day" when it comes to the peace process. 

Pressed during the press conference with Netanyahu on the lack of progress toward an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, Obama said he's certain he could have done things differently when it comes to the Mideast. 

But he said bringing peace to the region is "a really hard problem" to solve -- one that's lingered for more than 60 years. Obama also suggested that failure to reach an agreement in his first term between Israelis and Palestinians doesn't mean that he "screwed up somehow." 

The conversation turned repeatedly to the civil war in Syria and Iran's nuclear program. 

Obama started out his remarks with the prime minister by stressing that the security of Israel is "non-negotiable." The president said America's commitment to Israel's security is a "solemn obligation." 

Netanyahu, thanking Obama for his statements, stressed that: "Today we have both the right and the capability to defend ourselves."

Associated Press contributed to this report.

View the original article here