EARLY NERDS

BOMB SQUAD

Moldovan police seize enriched uranium

Authorities in Moldova detained six men and seized a quantity of Russian-enriched uranium valued at nearly $29 million.

The six men are accused of trying to sell at least a kilo to a Muslim national from an unnamed African country.

The container, 20cm long and 40cm in diameter, contained uranium-235, which can be used in nuclear weapons.

[The uranium is therefore worth about $1.5million per litre.]

ITS ELEMENTARY

Two new elements added to periodic table

Two new elements are being added to the periodic table after they were discovered through a collaboration between U.S. and Russian scientists, a top U.S. chemistry expert said.

The elements are the first to be added since copernicium in 2009. They have not yet been named, but are known for now as 114 and 116.

HACKING ... COUGH!

RSA offers to replace all SecurID tokens after hack attack

"We recognize that the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyber attacks generally, and the recent announcements by Lockheed Martin, may reduce some customers' overall risk tolerance," RSA wrote in a letter posted on its website.

A 'very serious' attack: SecurID tokens use a "two-factor" authentication method, meaning they require two separate, unique bits of secret data for a successful login. In addition to their username, users must enter a password or PIN number that they have memorized, plus the six-digit number currently displayed on their SecurID. The tokens display a new number every 60 seconds.

"This is a very serious hack," said Josh Daymont, principal at Securisea. "It's not known exactly what was compromised, but SecurIDs control a significant portion of access [for corporate America]. It's not just Lockheed that should be concerned."