Subject News Releases
Approaches to renewable energy storage focus of Frontiers in Science talk
August 21 — The science of renewable energy storage and how nanotechnology can benefit that science is the subject of the Laboratory’s next Frontiers in Science Lecture beginning August 26.
Lab Scientists Shed Light on Heavy Electrons, Suggest New View of Superconductivity
July 30 — Scientists from the Laboratory, the University of California, Irvine, and the University of California, Davis have proposed a new characterization for the bizarre behavior of certain super-cooled materials.
Ancient Galactic Magnetic Fields Stronger than Expected
July 23 — Mining the far reaches of the universe for clues about its past, a team of scientists including Philipp Kronberg of the Laboratory has proposed that magnetic fields of ancient galaxies like ours were just as strong as those existing today, prompting a rethinking of how our galaxy and others may have formed.
Lab Partners with Local Company to Market Protein Technology
July 14 — Scientists who study how proteins assemble and fold into distinct shapes may soon see shape-shifting in the very methods they use, thanks to a partnership between Los Alamos National Laboratory and Theranostech Inc., an Albuquerque-based biotechnology company.
Electronic Structure of Superconductivity Refined
July 10 — A team of physicists, including Neil Harrison and Charles Mielke from Los Alamos National Laboratory, propose a new model that expands on a little understood aspect of the electronic structure in high-temperature superconductors.
Astronomy Days lectures begin July 8 at Bradbury Science Museum
July 2 — A series of six evening lectures that focus on astronomy and the space sciences begins Tuesday, July 8, at Los Alamos Laboratory's Bradbury Science Museum.
Roadrunner supercomputer puts research at a new scale
June 12 — Less than a week after Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Roadrunner supercomputer began operating at world-record petaflop/s data-processing speeds, Los Alamos researchers are already using the computer to mimic extremely complex neurological processes.
Turning fungus into fuel
May 4 — A spidery fungus with a voracious appetite for military uniforms and canvas tents could hold the key to improvements in the production of biofuels, a team of government, academic and industry researchers has announced.
Supercomputing Challenge April 21-22
April 17 — More than 250 New Mexico middle- and high-school students will be at LANL next Monday and Tuesday (April 21-22) for judging and awards in the 18th annual New Mexico Supercomputing Challenge.
Los Alamos Technology to be Featured on CSI: NY
March 27 — A state-of-the-art, multipurpose sampling device developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory will be used in an episode of Crime Scene Investigation-New York (CSI: NY) scheduled to air at 9 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time April 2 on CBS.
Los Alamos Technologies Help Scientists Detect, Record & Interpret 'Monster' Burst of Gamma Rays
March 21 — On the ground and in space, Los Alamos National Laboratory’s science tools provided early information on the first gamma ray burst so powerful that it could be seen with the naked eye. The burst was detected March 19 by NASA's Swift satellite, thanks to software on Swift’s Burst Alert Telescope, which was the first instrument to detect the sudden rise in gamma rays.
Language of a fly proves surprising
March 10 — A group of researchers has developed a novel way to view the world through the eyes of a common fly and partially decode the insect's reactions to changes in the world around it.
Saturn's Moon Rhea Sports a Dusty Halo
March 6 — Who'd have guessed that Saturn has its own moon-sized vacuum cleaners, circling the ringed planet and sucking up electrons from the plasma at the orbit of the icy moons. Or that one of Saturn's moons has its very own vacuum in the form of a hitherto-unknown dust halo, not quite visible as a ring, around the midsection of Rhea, discovered by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. Cassini is carrying among its instruments a pair of ion-mass and ion-beam spectrometers built by Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Synthetic Fuel Concept to Steal CO2 From Air
February 12 — Los Alamos National Laboratory has developed a low-risk, transformational concept, called Green Freedom™, for large-scale production of carbon-neutral, sulfur-free fuels and organic chemicals from air and water.
Laboratory Disputes Citizens' Lawsuit
February 7 — Los Alamos National Laboratory officials today expressed surprise to a lawsuit alleging noncompliance with the federal Clean Water Act filed today by citizens groups against Los Alamos National Security LLC and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Los Alamos National Laboratory to Begin DARHT 2 Operations
January 29 — The Dual Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test (DARHT) facility has officially become "dual" with authorization to begin full power operations of Axis 2, adding both new capability and higher energy to the unique accelerator facility.
Earthquake 'Memory' Could Spur Aftershocks
January 3 — Using a novel device that simulates earthquakes in a laboratory setting, a Los Alamos researcher and his colleagues have shown that seismic waves - the sounds radiated from earthquakes - can induce earthquake aftershocks, often long after a quake has subsided.
Science Satellites Scour Skies for Santa
December 20 — International audiences (young and young-at-heart) will be closely eyeing the Santa-tracking satellite technology of Los Alamos National Laboratory in the coming week.
The Quest for a New Class of Superconductors
December 20 — Fifty years after the Nobel-prize winning explanation of how superconductors work, a research team from Los Alamos National Laboratory, the University of Edinburgh, and Cambridge University are suggesting another mechanism for the still-mysterious phenomenon.
Collaboration Yields 'The Right Glasses' for Observing Mystery Behavior in Electrons
December 13 — In collaboration with the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies at Los Alamos, an international team of researchers has, for the first time, viewed on a nanoscale the formation of mysterious metallic puddles that facilitate the transition of an electrically insulating material into an electrically conducting one.
A One-Two Punch That Makes You See Stars
November 15 — A Los Alamos National Laboratory astrophysicist and his colleagues have discovered that a superbright supernova observed last year might have exhibited an unusual one-two punch.
Immunodeficiency Virus More Prolific than Previously Thought
November 13 — A Los Alamos National Laboratory mathematical model has helped an international research team understand for the first time the number of offspring produced by a single Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV), the first-cousin of the virus that causes AIDS in humans.
ASPECT plane deploys to Southern California wildfires
October 26 — At 6:30 (Mountain Daylight Time) Thursday morning, the ASPECT plane – a one-of-a-kind emergency response tool operated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and supported by Los Alamos National Laboratory – deployed to the wildfires of Southern California.
Plethora of Papers Proves Crashed Mission a Success
October 23 — Despite a resounding crunch into the Utah desert floor in 2004, scientists have mined a treasure trove of data from the Genesis mission.
Cancer Treatment Gets Software Boost
October 16 — Nearly a million cancer patients will undergo radiation therapy this year in the United States, and now a new software application, Acuros®, based on the Los Alamos National Laboratory-developed Attila® radiation-modeling software, will enable physicians to focus their beams more precisely on specific tumor sites.
Grand Plans for a Dawn Launch
September 25 — NASA's Dawn mission, ready for launch Thursday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carries an instrument ready to determine the elemental composition of the asteroid belt.
Facility upgrades will facilitate repackaging and shipment of 'hotter' waste from Los Alamos to WIPP
September 20 — Los Alamos National Laboratory has completed much-anticipated upgrades to its transuranic waste repackaging facility.
Test of Through-The-Earth Communication System Exceeds Expectations
August 6 — Rigorous testing at the Lake Lynn Experimental Mine last month proved the viability of Vital Alert Technologies' system,Through-The-Earth Communication system, for emergency warning, evacuation, and rescue communications.
Understanding Killer Electrons in Space
July 10 — Settling a long-standing scientific debate, Los Alamos scientists have demonstrated conclusively how electromagnetic waves accelerate ordinary electrons in the belts of radiation outside Earth's atmosphere to a state where they become "killer electrons," particles that are hazardous to satellites, spacecraft, and astronauts.
Local company gets Laboratory environmental remediation contract
June 27 — Accelerated Remediation Company, a local small business with offices in Los Alamos, received a contract from Los Alamos National Laboratory to begin remediation of an historic waste site known as Material Disposal Area B.
Mars Rover Laser Tool Ready for Testing
June 21 — Mars mission Job One: Get there. Job Two: Find rocks and zap them with your laser tool.
Laboratory Sponsors Science Weekend in Albuquerque
June 20 — Los Alamos National Laboratory is sponsoring a one-day science carnival on Saturday, June 23, at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
Scientists Model Hepatitis C Virus
May 24 — One of the most common life-threatening viral infections in the United States today is hepatitis C virus (HCV). The standard treatment is successful in only about 50 percent of treated HCV chronic patients, with no effective alternative treatment for those who fail to clear the virus.
Frontiers in Science Lecture Series Mixes it Up
May 17 — Robert Ecke, a Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist, will discuss “The Turbulent World: How Nature Mixes Things Up” at a Frontiers in Science Public Lecture Series, beginning Monday (May 21).
Tracking a deadly bacillus
May 17 — Recently, Los Alamos scientists devised an improved method for distinguishing Bacillus anthracis (the bacterial cause of anthrax) from its close cousins Bacillus cereus.
Solar Wind Slowed by Helium, Researchers Suggest
May 16 — Like a sea anchor slacking the pace of a wind-driven ship, helium may be the drag that slows the solar wind in its million-mile-per-hour rush across the cosmos.
Genome Institute Reaches Milestone with a Mighty Microbe
May 8 — Los Alamos scientists working as part of the Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute (JGI) recently finished the genetic code of Shewanella baltica OS185 as its 100th genomic sequence.
Los Alamos Recovery Team Sets New Record
May 7 — With the delivery of a batch of radioactive pellets from a company in California, a Los Alamos team has now recovered 15,000 unused or unwanted radioactive sources.
Laboratory installing 'sentinel well'
May 3 — The Laboratory has taken the next step toward protecting Los Alamos drinking water from byproducts of a chromium-based corrosion inhibitor that was discharged into the environment more than three decades ago.
Scientists discover vast intergalactic plasma cloud
April 19 — A team of researchers have discovered a new giant in the heavens, a giant in the form of a previously undetected cloud of intergalactic plasma that stretches more than 6 million light years across.
Sue Stiger to manage environmental cleanup at Los Alamos National Laboratory
April 19 — Sue Stiger has been named associate director for environmental programs at Los Alamos National Laboratory, announced Laboratory Director Michael Anastasio.
Scientists discover the roots of the fast pace of life in big cities
April 16 — Humanity has crossed a historic threshold where a majority of people worldwide now live in cities. Yet, even as the debate on how humans impact the natural environment grows, urbanization and its consequences remains poorly understood.
Los Alamos scientists take genome science to the streets
April 13 — Late last year, the Los Alamos arm of the Joint Genome Institute organized an outreach team dedicated to taking genome science activities to students in Northern New Mexico. This spring, the team created presentations about genome sequencing as well as hands-on activities for junior high and high school students.
GRaND science instrument moves closer to launch from Cape
April 10 — A mission back in time is nearing the launch pad minute by minute. The Dawn spacecraft, NASA’s mission into the heart of the asteroid belt, arrived at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida, today for final processing and launch operations.
Scientists develop ecological early warning device
April 9 — Working with collaborators from around the globe, scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a method for constantly measuring climate change impacts at ecosystem scales using the stable isotope composition of atmospheric CO2 in plants.
Risky business highlighted in symposium
March 21 — Los Alamos National Laboratory is hosting its second annual symposium on “Risk Analysis in Homeland Security and Defense: Theory and Application,” March 26-28 at the La Fonda Hotel on the Plaza in Santa Fe.
Contemplating the far away future of computing
March 20 — An unprecedented and multidisciplinary group of world-renowned scientists will gather this week in Santa Fe looking far into the future for the most promising ideas about what computers and computing may be like many decades from now.
A more complex HIV family tree discovered
March 15 — Adding another component into an already complicated effort to identify weaknesses within HIV, a team of Los Alamos scientists discovered that HIV variation in the human population is driven by more than a person's immune response.
'Software glasses' clarify view of lunar thorium
March 15 — Using a novel approach to data analysis, a sharper pair of “software glasses,” scientists are taking a closer look at spectroscopic Moon images to better understand how that body was formed.
Scientists develop new terahertz material
March 14 — Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory have created a device for manipulating terahertz (THz) radiation. The device could be the basis for novel electronics and photonics applications ranging from new imaging methods to advanced communication technologies.
Newest radiation detectors in development
March 12 — Development and commercialization of a new generation of multiplicity shift registers - devices used to better detect plutonium and other radioactive materials - are now underway.
NNSA satellite launched on Atlas-5 rocket
March 9 — A small-but-smart satellite experiment, the Cibola Flight Experiment (CFE) developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), launched at 10:10 p.m. EST last night aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas-5 rocket and was successfully placed in orbit 350 miles above Earth.
Director announces management change
March 6 — In a message to Los Alamos National Laboratory employees, Director Mike Anastasio announced that he has reluctantly accepted a request from Andy Phelps, Associate Director for Environmental Programs, to be reassigned to other duties.
Storms and society: where things go wrong
February 26 — Tying images of a powerful ice storm to scenes of downed power lines and darkened homes does not take a great leap of imagination - but the science of their interrelationships is more complex.
Radioactive liquid waste treatment facility upgrades completed
February 26 — Los Alamos National Laboratory has completed refurbishments to its high-level Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility waste tanks and collection system at Technical Area-50.
Laboratory sponsors Santa Fe Neural Computation conference
February 16 — Understanding the computational power of the brain is the focus of a conference in Santa Fe next week sponsored by Los Alamos National Laboratory's Center for Nonlinear Studies and the New Mexico Institute for Advanced Studies (NMIAS).
Los Alamos National Laboratory deploys climate station in Germany
February 13 — From the tropical islands of the Western Pacific to the lush forests of Southwest Germany, Los Alamos National Laboratory is taking global climate research by storm as an integral player in the U.S. Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM).
Los Alamos scientists announce quantum cryptography advance
December 21 — Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder have demonstrated unconditionally secure quantum key distribution (QKD) over a record-setting 107 kilometers of optical fiber.
Avian influenza subject of Frontiers in Science talk
December 4 — Los Alamos National Laboratory has uniquely capable scientists eyeing the coming risk of a pandemic flu, and several of them have agreed to serve on a panel for the first of an upcoming Frontiers in Science lecture.
Nine Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists honored as American Physical Society Fellows
December 1 — Nine Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists were selected as Fellows of the American Physical Society (APS).
Detecting explosives with honeybees
November 27 — Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a method for training the common honey bee to detect the explosives used in bombs.
Bradbury Science Museum talk 'shakes things up'
November 21 — Los Alamos National Laboratory researcher Emily Schultz will talk about earthquake hazards during a presentation November 27 at the Laboratory's Bradbury Science Museum.
Learning the magnetic ropes
November 16 — At the Sun's edge, in a region called the heliosphere, magnetic fields and electrical currents align and twist themselves in massive three-dimensional structures called "magnetic flux ropes."
Sudbury Neutrino Observatory wins first Polanyi Award
November 15 — Scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory are part of an international collaboration of researchers at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) receiving the inaugural John C. Polanyi Award for its groundbreaking research on neutrinos.
Biosafety committee to hold meeting November 14
November 13 — Los Alamos National Laboratory's Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) will hold its quarterly meeting starting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, November 14.
One-of-a-kind magnet open for science
October 24 — The world's most powerful pulsed, nondestructive magnet is now ready to explore the frontiers of high magnetic field science - after 10 years of research, major instrument development, and construction.
New computer model to track contaminants
October 17 — A powerful new massively parallel computer model for studying subsurface processes in the Earth will be developed by a team of Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists.
Los Alamos licenses avian flu modeling and simulation software
October 12 — Santa Fe-based CIVA (The Company for Information Visualization and Analysis) signed an agreement to license Los Alamos National Laboratory's epidemiological modeling and simulation system, called EpiCast.
Less expensive fuel cell may be possible
October 3 — Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a new class of hydrogen fuel-cell catalysts that exhibit promising activity and stability.
Los Alamos scientist to speak about optical refrigeration
September 18 — Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist Richard Epstein will describe the unusual and counterintuitive practice of using lasers to cool certain materials at a "Frontiers in Science" series lecture in Albuquerque.
Supercomputing satellite hits the road
August 31 — A satellite smaller than an armchair is departing Los Alamos National Laboratory this week, heading for a last phase of testing before its December launch.
Laboratory sets high magnetic field records
August 31 — Scientists at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory's Pulsed Field Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory have set a pair of world records.
Plasma assisted engines fuel efficient, cleaner
August 29 — Gasoline, diesel, and turbine engines could soon burn cleaner or be more fuel efficient through the application of Plasma Assisted Combustion, a technology originated and developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and now poised to enter the marketplace.
Los Alamos National Laboratory's hurricane response wins medal
August 24 — The Environmental Protection Agency this week recognized members of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Integrated Reachback Center.
Los Alamos partners with CNT Technologies to commercialize SuperThread(tm) carbon-nanotube fiber
August 21 — Los Alamos National Laboratory has licensed its carbon nanotube technology to a new commercial partner, Seattle-based CNT Technologies Inc. (CNT Tech).
Seeing the unseen universe
July 31 — A new method for incorporating astronomical observational data into computer simulations promises to be a significant advance in enabling future cosmological surveys aimed at understanding dark energy and dark matter.
Making a safer bang for the buck - Los Alamos Research Team Identifies Replacements for Mercury and Lead in Primary Explosives
June 30 — Four ground-breaking families of environmentally friendly primary explosives under development at Los Alamos National Laboratory are featured this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Astronomy Days kicks off Tuesday at Bradbury Science Museum
June 16 — The Bradbury Science Museum's ninth annual Astronomy Day lectures begin on Tuesday (June 20).
Biosafety committee to hold meeting June 13
June 8 — Los Alamos National Laboratory's Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) will hold its quarterly meeting starting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 13.
Scientists predict pulsar starquakes
June 5 — Scientists have discovered how to predict earthquake-like events in pulsars, the dense remains of exploded stars.
Raiders of the lost dimension
June 1 — A team of scientists working at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory's Pulsed Field Facility at Los Alamos has uncovered an intriguing phenomenon while studying magnetic waves in barium copper silicate.
Anthrax relatives non-friendly but non-lethal
May 10 — A Los Alamos National Laboratory team working as part of the U. S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute has explored the genomes of non-lethal bacteria closely related to the cause of anthrax, Bacillus anthracis.
Space-based supercomputer in design at Los Alamos
April 26 — Los Alamos National Laboratory today announced funding of a new space payload which dramatically increases on-orbit computational capabilities.
Mathematical code for inverses wins top prize for Manzano High student team at Los Alamos Supercomputing Challenge
April 25 — A pair of budding mathematicians from Albuquerque Manzano High School who wrote mathematical codes typical of those used in cryptography and mathematical error correction captured the top prize in the New Mexico Supercomputing Challenge.
Avian flu modeled on supercomputer, explores vaccine and isolation options for thwarting a pandemic
April 3 — Using supercomputers to respond to a potential national health emergency, scientists have developed a simulation model that makes stark predictions about the possible future course of an avian influenza pandemic, given today’s environment of world-wide connectivity.
Scientists observe solitary vibrations in uranium
March 30 — Los Alamos scientists, working with collaborators from around the world, recently observed experimental evidence of solitary vibrations (solitons) in a solid.
Laboratory receives latest data on chromium in regional aquifer
March 17 — Los Alamos National Laboratory has just completed a comprehensive groundwater sampling effort to test for levels of chromium in the groundwater.
Cassini measures geysers of Saturn's moon Enceladus
March 10 — Cassini data obtained during a close flyby of the Saturn moon Enceladus support an observation that large amounts of water are spewing into space from the tiny moon's surface.
Research reveals hidden magnetism in superconductivity
March 7 — While studying a compound made of the elements cerium- rhodium-indium, researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have discovered that a magnetic state can coexist with superconductivity in a specific temperature and pressure range.
New gallium nitride film method beats the heat
February 21 — A team of Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists have developed a method for growing crystalline gallium nitride films at lower temperatures than industry standards.
Los Alamos, LSU Hurricane Center, join forces
February 13 — Understanding hurricanes and their effects is a specialty for the Louisiana State University's Hurricane Center, and now they will have an additional set of tools and scientific expertise with which to work.
New technologies enhance quantum cryptography
February 2 — A team of Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists, in collaboration with researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colo., and Albion College, in Albion, Mich., have achieved quantum key distribution (QKD) at telecommunications industry wavelengths in a 50-kilometer (31 mile) optical fiber.
The little beam that could: Laser-driven ion beams offer multiple uses
January 31 — Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Nevada, Reno, Ludwig-Maximilian-University in Germany, and the Max-Planck-Institute for Quantum Optics in Germany, have developed a new method for using a laser beam to accelerate ions.
Tiny crystals promise big benefits for solar technologies
January 4 — Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists have discovered that a phenomenon called carrier multiplication, in which semiconductor nanocrystals respond to photons by producing multiple electrons, is applicable to a broader array of materials that previously thought.
High energy gamma rays may emanate in the Milky Way
December 14 — Los Alamos scientists have evidence from the Laboratory's Milagro telescope that TeV (one trillion electron volts) gamma rays, the most energetic form of electromagnetic radiation known, can originate in the plane of the Milky Way galaxy.
Fault expansions on Pajarito Plateau subject of talk Wednesday at Bradbury Science Museum
December 2 — A Los Alamos National Laboratory technical staff member will talk about fault expansions on the Pajarito Plateau of the Rio Grande rift in north central New Mexico at a talk Dec. 7 in the Bradbury Science Museum.
Talk at Laboratory's Bradbury Science Museum Tuesday on Cerro Grande Fire impacts to vegetation, elk population
December 1 — Los Alamos National Laboratory technical staff member Susan Rupp will speak about the effects of the 2000 Cerro Grande Fire on elk and vegetation in Bandelier National Monument at a talk Tuesday (Dec. 6) in the Bradbury Science Museum.
Los Alamos-led team to sequence entire NT biological database on greengene distributed supercomputer
November 18 — Award-winning Los Alamos National Laboratory-developed software is helping researchers here and elsewhere better understand a database of biological information and enable a plethora of biological studies from organism "barcoding" to gene function and evolution.
Math contest encourages students to Go Figure
November 15 — Budding mathematicians are invited to compete in Los Alamos National Laboratory's seventh annual Go Figure Mathematical Challenge Saturday (Nov. 19) in Santa Fe, Los Alamos and Española.
Journey to inside the sun: talk Tuesday at Bradbury Science Museum
November 9 — That bright shining star in the sky, the sun, vibrates like a giant bell with its acoustic modes measured to develop general notions of its interior structure with a high degree of precision.
Los Alamos tracks influenza genetic codes
November 4 — In the same way that the FBI archives the fingerprints of criminals nationwide, Los Alamos National Laboratory archives the genetic codes for influenza strains worldwide.
Bradbury Science Museum talk focuses on getting people to Mars
November 4 — Los Alamos National Laboratory technical staff member Elizabeth (Betsy) Cantwell will talk about some of the critical risks for ambitious manned flights beyond Earth's low orbit in a talk Nov. 9 at Los Alamos' Bradbury Science Museum.
Los Alamos, UC, Santa Cruz to form partnership for scientific data management
November 1 — The University of California, Santa Cruz and Los Alamos National Laboratory have agreed to establish a new collaborative institute for research and education in the area of scientific data management.
Largest computational biology simulation mimics life's most essential nanomachine
October 19 — Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory have set a new world's record by performing the first million-atom computer simulation in biology. Using the "Q Machine" supercomputer, Los Alamos computer scientists have created a molecular simulation of the cell's protein-making structure, the ribosome.
Drought, heat and bark beetles a deadly trio
October 11 — Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory, working in collaboration with scientists from the University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University, the U. S. Geological Survey, and four additional universities, believe that severe drought, coupled with high temperatures and a bark beetle coup de grace, was the cause of death for millions of piñon pines throughout the American Southwest.
Bradbury Science Museum talk focuses on getting people to Mars
September 6 — Los Alamos National Laboratory technical staff member Elizabeth (Betsy) Cantwell will talk about some of the critical risks for ambitious manned flights beyond Earth's low orbit in a talk Sept. 13 at Los Alamos' Bradbury Science Museum. The talk begins at noon and is free and open to the public.
Los Alamos scientist to speak on gamma ray bursts
September 2 — A few times a day a special type of massive star transforms itself into a black hole, simultaneously collapsing and ejecting material in a jet that moves very close to the speed of light. During their fleeting existence, these jets flood much of the universe with an enormous burst of gamma rays.
Bioforensics Analysis Research and Development Center created at Los Alamos
August 29 — In October 2001, "anthrax- letters" laden with B. anthracis bacteria spores appeared in various locations around the nation. To help authorities trace the source of the deadly letters, bioforensic analysts, Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists among them, worked diligently to pinpoint the specific strain of bacteria used.
Using computers and DNA to count bacteria, measure effects of metal toxicity in soil
August 26 — Don't call them the Dirt Doctors, or Sultans of Soil, they're just clever Lab guys. A team from Los Alamos National Laboratory has a paper in this week's Science Magazine with a new way to count bugs in dirt. Bacteria, that is, in the highly complex world beneath our feet.
Sealed sources leave the Hill, destined for WIPP
August 17 — In the first shipment since May 2003, fourteen 55-gallon drums of radioactive sealed sources were shipped from storage at Los Alamos National Laboratory to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) on Thursday, July 28.
Who goes there . . . Species flourishing is feather in Lab cap
July 28 — For the first time since the Cerro Grande Fire, Laboratory ecologists have spotted three Mexican Spotted Owl chicks on Laboratory property. The Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) was listed as a threatened species in 1993.
Two Laboratory technologies receive nanoscience awards
July 21 — Two technologies developed by University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have been named winners in the 2005 Nano 50(tm) Award competition by Nanotech Briefs, a digital publication from the publishers of NASA Tech Briefs.
Math summer school may help with information overload
July 15 — A small band of mathematicians are working on life rafts and flotation devices that just may help the millions who are drowning in the stormy seas of too much information.
Los Alamos to host international accelerator conference
July 11 — Los Alamos National Laboratory will host an international conference on particle accelerator technology that could draw up to 1,500 scientists and engineers from all over the world.
Los Alamos to host Mars talk
July 11 — Members of the media are invited to a talk on Mars exploration at Los Alamos National Laboratory, beginning at 9:30-10:30 a.m. Wednesday (July 13).
Innovative protein-analysis center funded at Los Alamos
July 11 — The Bioscience Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory has a new center dedicated to the study of the molecular machines in our cells -- proteins. Because proteins are integral to most cell functions, as well as to cell-cell communication, they are a valuable component in medical research.
Los Alamos executes successful hydrotest for W76 maintenance
June 30 — Staff from Los Alamos National Laboratory's Dynamic Experimentation Division, supported by hundreds of scientists, engineers, technicians and others from many Laboratory divisions, have successfully executed a major stockpile stewardship experiment.
Los Alamos experts' book explores advances in reconfigurable computing
June 22 — The field of computing has been transformed by the concept of widgets called Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), integrated circuits combining logic and memory, that can process digital information.
Scientists put the squeeze on electron spins
June 15 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a novel method for controlling and measuring electron spins in semiconductor crystals of GaAs (gallium arsenide). The work suggests an alternative--and perhaps even superior--method of spin manipulation for future generations of "semiconductor spintronic" devices.
Robotic telescope discovery sheds new light on gamma-ray bursts
May 18 — A new type of light was detected from a recent gamma-ray burst, as discovered by Los Alamos National Laboratory and NASA scientists using both burst-detection satellites and a Los Alamos-based robotic telescope.
UC San Diego and Los Alamos National Laboratory establish engineering institute
May 18 — The University of California, San Diego and Los Alamos National Laboratory have forged a partnership for education, research and technology advancement that builds on a research-focused education initiative with the UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering.
Scientists develop novel multi-color light-emitting diodes
May 17 — A team of University of California scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed the first completely inorganic, multi-color light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on colloidal quantum dots encapsulated in a gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor.
Talk on reducing the global nuclear threat May 17 at Laboratory's Bradbury Science Museum
May 13 — Reducing the global nuclear threat is the subject of a talk May 17 by Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist Sara Scott. The talk is at noon in the Bradbury Science Museum downtown and is free and open to the public.
Laboratory to provide technical assistance to Valles Caldera National Preserve
May 10 — Los Alamos National Laboratory will provide technical expertise to assist the Valles Caldera National Preserve with environmental and geological research that will lead to a greater understanding of the Preserve.
Cancer study earns top honors for ABQ Academy's Baca, Shah at Los Alamos Supercomputing Challenge
April 26 — A pair of budding computer geniuses from Albuquerque Academy who designed software to probe how cancer develops captured the top prize Tuesday during awards ceremonies for the New Mexico High School Adventures in Supercomputing Challenge held at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Nuclear physics for stockpile stewardship focus of talk April 26 at Laboratory's Bradbury Science Museum
April 21 — Nuclear physics for stockpile stewardship and homeland security is the subject of a talk April 26 by Los Alamos National Laboratory physicist Anna Hayes. The talk is at noon in the Bradbury Science Museum downtown and is free and open to the public.
Adventures in Supercomputing Challenge awards at Los Alamos on April 26
April 20 — More than 120 New Mexico high-school students will be at Los Alamos National Laboratory Monday and Tuesday (April 25-26) for judging and awards in the 15th annual New Mexico Adventures in Supercomputing Challenge Expo.
Scientists propose new method for studying ion channel kinetics
April 18 — Scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a new method for the study of ion channel gating kinetics.
Scientists model physics of stellar burning
April 14 — A University of California scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory working with astronomers from around the world recently validated a computer model that predicts the rebirth and stellar burning and mixing processes of evolved stars.
Study uncovers bacteria's worst enemy
April 14 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have found that the successful use of bacteria to remediate environmental contamination from nuclear waste and processing activities may depend more upon how resistant the bacteria are to chemicals than to how tolerant they are to radioactivity.
Airborne Los Alamos instruments test for toxins from fires
April 12 — A unique hazard-detecting plane, supported by scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory and operated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was on duty to warn first responders and residents with information about potential chemical hazards during a recent Houston oil refinery disaster.
Los Alamos developing new eclipse-based tools for high-performance parallel computers
April 12 — Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Eclipse Foundation today announced the Parallel Tools Platform Project, a new Eclipse Technology project aimed at creating better open source software tools for parallel computers.
Los Alamos helps Texas schools remove radioactive gammators
April 12 — Crews hired by the state of Texas and advised by Los Alamos National Laboratory have recovered three large radioactive sources from high schools in San Antonio, the latest success in the Laboratory's nationwide effort for the National Nuclear Security Administration's program to reduce security and other risks associated with radioactive material.
Successful Los Alamos experiment supports weapon maintenance
April 4 — Using the world's most powerful flash X-ray machine, Los Alamos National Laboratory on Friday successfully detonated and captured a high-resolution X-ray image of a mock-up of imploding nuclear weapon components.
Researchers bridge superconductivity gap
March 31 — University of California scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory working with a researcher from Chonnam National University in South Korea have found that magnetic fluctuations appear to be responsible for superconductivity in a compound called plutonium-cobalt-pentagallium (PuCoGa5).
Researchers develop fingerprint detection technology
March 21 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a novel method for detecting fingerprints based on the chemical elements present in fingerprint residue. Known as micro-X-ray fluorescence, or MXRF, the technique has the potential to help expand the use of fingerprinting as a forensic investigation tool.
Snow brings green machining to Laboratory
March 16 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a novel machining technique that uses a jet of solid carbon dioxide (CO2) to cool/lubricate the surface of metal parts and remove the cut material during machining. Called Snow-Machining, the process could someday eliminate the use of oil-based or synthetic chemical fluids for metal cutting and metal parts cleaning in industry.
Los Alamos and UNM begin medical isotope collaboration
March 7 — Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Pete Nanos will participate in a signing ceremony with representatives from the state of New Mexico, including Governor Bill Richardson, and the University of New Mexico, including UNM President Louis Caldera, to establish the New Mexico Center for Isotopes in Medicine (NMCIM), a partnership between the Laboratory and the UNM Health Sciences Center College of Pharmacy.
Wallace named Strategic Research Directorate leader
March 4 — With the interim approval of the University of California Regents, Los Alamos National Laboratory's Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES) division leader Terry Wallace has been named Associate Director of Strategic Research (ADSR).
Los Alamos muon detector could thwart nuclear smugglers
February 19 — Trillions of cosmic rays that constantly bombard Earth could help catch smugglers trying to bring nuclear weapons or materials into the United States.
Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of New Mexico collaborate on tech-transfer education
January 18 — Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of New Mexico have created a program in UNM's Center on Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) that will give graduate students the opportunity to assist in the transfer of technologies from the Laboratory to the private sector.
Scientists develop split green for tagging protein
January 3 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a new protein tagging and detection system based on a process for "splitting" a green fluorescent protein.
Scientists "PAD" their way to new metal-oxide film technology
December 14 — University of California scientists working with a researcher from Washington State University at Los Alamos National Laboratory's Superconductivity Technology Center have developed a novel method for creating high performance, inorganic metal-oxide films using polymer-assisted deposition, or PAD. The breakthrough could pave the way for a greater use of metal-oxide films into the electronics manufacturing industry.
Los Alamos quantum cryptography team is co-winner of prestigious European research prize
December 7 — Los Alamos researchers and other members of a multi-nation collaboration that is developing a revolutionary technology for information security have captured half of the European Union's Descartes Prize for Research.
Scientists explore atomic mysteries of ancient pigment
November 18 — University of California scientists from the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Pulsed Field Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory, working with colleagues from Tokyo Metropolitan University, the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina, the National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics in Estonia, the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee, Florida and the University of Tokyo, have discovered an ideal candidate for Bose-Einstein condensation in the ancient Chinese pigment, Han Purple.
ChevronTexaco and Los Alamos National Laboratory to establish an alliance for advanced energy solutions
November 18 — Los Alamos National Laboratory, operated by the University of California, and ChevronTexaco Corporation today announced plans to establish an alliance to develop a range of mutually beneficial technologies. This alliance will assist Los Alamos in its Department of Energy mission to advance the national, economic and energy security of the United States and to promote scientific and technological innovation in support of that mission.
Los Alamos software key to new Swift satellite mission
November 16 — "Swift," a new NASA satellite, will head for the heavens Nov. 17, designed to detect gamma-ray bursts and whip around to catch them in the act. And the trigger software that makes the flying observatory smart enough to do this comes from the Space Science team at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Los Alamos computers map hurricane utility impacts
November 10 — Predicting with uncanny accuracy the effects of recent hurricanes, Los Alamos National Laboratory computer models are helping the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Assurance, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other organizations plan for future disasters. For those in the paths of hurricane devastation, tools such as the Los Alamos infrastructure models could mean their lights and gas return to service hours or even days more rapidly.
New climate education resource for teachers, students is online
November 8 — Students, teachers, parents and the general public can access information about climate, weather and atmospheric science online through a program offered by Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Department of Energy.
Los Alamos wizardry to aid new Mars science laboratory
December 22 — Having analyzed Mars from afar via orbiting satellite, Los Alamos National Laboratory instruments will next be on their way to get out and play in the Martian dirt. Two of the eight instruments aboard NASA's planned Mars Science Laboratory rover, scheduled for launch in 2009, include Los Alamos technology.
Math contest encourages students to Go Figure
October 25 — Budding mathematicians are invited to compete in Los Alamos National Laboratory's sixth annual Go Figure Mathematical Challenge Oct. 30 in Santa Fe, Los Alamos and Española.
Backgrounder: Los Alamos studies nerve activity to improve artificial retina
October 14 — Los Alamos National Laboratory is supporting the Department of Energy's artificial retina project by developing better ways to visualize and interpret the patterns of neural activity that result when the retina is stimulated. Employing new and existing techniques, a team from Los Alamos' Biological and Quantum Physics Group has produced movies of the dynamic responses that characterize the function of the ganglion cells that make up the optic nerve.
New NASA IBEX mission to carry Los Alamos instrument
January 28 — A new NASA mission, IBEX, will probe the very edge of the solar system, capturing the quiet hum of a vast, distant shock wave. One of its two instruments is a compact Los Alamos device called the High Energy Neutral Atom Imager.
Los Alamos instrument yields new knowledge of Saturn's rings
October 13 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have begun to analyze data from an instrument aboard the joint U.S.-European spacecraft Cassini. Although Cassini has only been orbiting the planet Saturn since July 1, data from the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) has already begun to provide new information about the curious nature of Saturn's space environment.
Telling a salty tale of martian water
October 7 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory, along with a scientist from Indiana University have devised a method for determining whether sulfate salts can account for evidence of water on Mars. The work could pave the way to a better understanding of the martian environment and the history of water on Mars.
A traveling-wave engine to power deep space travel
September 16 — A University of California scientist working at Los Alamos National Laboratory and researchers from Northrop Grumman Space Technology have developed a novel method for generating electrical power for deep-space travel using sound waves. The traveling-wave thermoacoustic electric generator has the potential to power space probes to the furthest reaches of the Universe.
Beason takes top threat reduction post at Los Alamos
January 27 — Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Peter G. Nanos this week announced the selection of J. Douglas Beason as associate director for Threat Reduction. Beason's appointment was approved by the University of California Board of Regents Jan. 20 and became effective Jan. 24.
Optical fibers and a theory of things that go bump in the light
September 14 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a theory describing light pulse dynamics in optical fibers that explains how an interplay of noise, line imperfections and pulse collisions lead to the deterioration of information in optical fiber lines. The theory will help to enhance the performance necessary for high-speed optical communication systems like video on demand and ultra-broadband Internet, and the research has helped establish a new field of inquiry -- the statistical physics of optical communications.
Laboratory grows world record length carbon nanotube
September 13 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory in collaboration with chemists from Duke University have recently grown a world record-length four-centimeter-long, single-wall carbon nanotube.
Nanotechnology leads to discovery of super superconductors
September 9 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory with a researcher from the University of Cambridge have demonstrated a simple and industrially scaleable method for improving the current densities of superconducting coated conductors in magnetic field environments. The discovery has the potential to increase the already impressive carrying capacity of superconducting wires and tapes by as much as 200 to 500 percent in certain uses, like motors and generators, where high magnetic fields diminish current densities.
Exploring the noisy nature of atoms
September 2 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have demonstrated a way to use the random fluctuations that exist naturally in all magnetic systems to perform magnetic resonance studies without disturbing the system's natural state.
Laboratory advances the art and science of aerogels
August 25 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have recently demonstrated a novel method for chemically modifying and enhancing silica-based aerogels without sacrificing the aerogels unique properties. Aerogels are low-density, transparent materials used in a wide range of applications, including thermal insulation, porous separation media, inertial confinement fusion experiments and cometary dust capture agents.
Detecting the spin of a single electron
August 10 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory and at the University of California, Los Angeles have demonstrated the ability to detect the spin of a single electron in a standard silicon transistor. The advance could help facilitate the direct, rather than theoretical, study of the physics of electron spin decoherence, which is a critical step toward manipulating and monitoring the spin of a single electron.
Mapping the Evolution of a Virus
July 16 — A University of California scientist working at Los Alamos National Laboratory with collaborators from the University of Cambridge (England) and the World Health Organization National Influenza Center at Erasmus Medical Center, (Rotterdam, Netherlands) have developed a computer modeling method for mapping the evolution of the influenza virus. The method could soon help medical researchers worldwide develop a better understanding of certain mutations in influenza and other viruses that allow diseases to dodge the human immune system.
Los Alamos pressure process makes pure zirconium glass
July 15 — Zirconium may not be a girl's best friend, but by squeezing the metal with roughly the same pressure needed to make diamonds, scientists at the University of California's Los Alamos National Laboratory made a pure glass that may prove nearly as valuable as real diamonds.
Los Alamos computers probe how giant planets formed
July 13 — Nearly five billion years ago, the giant gaseous planets Jupiter and Saturn formed, apparently in radically different ways.
Laboratory Captures Five R&D 100 Awards
July 6 — Scientists at the University of California's Los Alamos National Laboratory have captured five of R&D Magazine's 2004 R&D 100 Awards. The latest winners bring the Laboratory's total to 83 awards over the past 17 years. The projects recognized this year span a diverse range of scientific and technical areas - from innovative imaging techniques and advances in computing to revolutionary new materials. This year, Los Alamos was tied with its sister laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, for the largest number of awards received by a Department of Energy laboratory.
Scientists study carbon exchange in Valles Caldera grasslands
June 30 — Over the past nine months, University of California scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have been working as part of the AmeriFlux carbon exchange research project with researchers from the Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP) and Colorado State University using sophisticated eddy monitors--monitors that detect minute changes in wind flow--to study carbon dioxide flow variations and grassland carbon cycle dynamics in a small section of the Valles Caldera. From these wind and moisture eddy current studies, the team hopes to help climate scientists and policy makers around the world gain a better understanding of the surprisingly complicated role that grasslands play in ecosystem carbon exchange.
The Space Simulator - Modeling the universe on a budget
June 22 — For the past several years, a team of University of California astrophysicists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have been using a cluster of roughly 300 computer processors to model some of the most intriguing aspects of the Universe. Called the Space Simulator, this de facto supercomputer has not only proven itself to be one of the fastest supercomputers in the world, but has also demonstrated that modeling and simulation of complex phenomena, from supernovae to cosmology, can be done on a fairly economical basis.
Scientists demonstrate quantum teleportation with atoms
June 17 — Researchers at the University of Innsbruck in Austria, in collaboration with a scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, announced today the first demonstration of the teleportation of a quantum state from one trapped atom to another located 8 microns -- slightly less than a thousandth of an inch -- away.
Pumping energy to nanocrystals from a quantum well
June 10 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory with a colleague from Sandia National Laboratories have developed a new method for exciting light emission from nanocrystal quantum dots.
Scientists provide new understanding of manganites
June 3 — University of California researchers working at Los Alamos National Laboratory recently unveiled a new theory explaining the strange coexistence of metallic and insulating phases in the crystals of a mineral called perovskite manganite.
Laboratory creates hydrogen and fuel cell research institute
May 19 — Building on more than 25 years experience in the area of fuel cells, Los Alamos National Laboratory announced today the creation of the Institute for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Research (IHFCR) to better address technical issues and provide solutions for enabling key aspects of the hydrogen economy and broadening the use of fuel cells
Scientists model the dynamics of DNA transcription
May 18 — In a collaboration with colleagues at Harvard Medical School, University of California researchers working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a model and diagnostic tools to simulate the dynamics of DNA.
Scientists model disease outbreaks in urban social networks
May 13 — University of California researchers working at Los Alamos National Laboratory with colleagues at the University of Maryland and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a method for modeling disease outbreaks in realistic urban social networks.
Scientists explore complexities of sea ice from high desert venue
May 10 — For nearly a decade, University of California researchers working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have been upgrading and fine-tuning a sea ice modeling program created at the Laboratory.
Los Alamos helps industry by simulating circuit failures from cosmic rays
May 6 — Life today runs more and more on circuits. Electrons racing through increasingly tiny transistors now control our airplanes, deposit money in our checking accounts and keep our houses warm.
Researchers untangle complex network systems
May 5 — By exploring the tangled nature of complex network systems, researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of Houston may have found a way to help scientists and engineers better understand dynamic processes on complex networks, such as the spread of infectious diseases, cascading massive electrical power failures, sources of vehicle traffic congestion on metropolitan roadways and information flow on the Internet. "
NIH chooses Los Alamos to model urban epidemics
May 4 — An emergency room physician sees a patient with a high fever and a trace of a rash and admits her to the hospital. The next morning, three more patients with similar symptoms come in, then more until lab tests confirm the initial hunch: an outbreak of smallpox has begun. How to keep the outbreak from becoming an epidemic, and recommending the best responses to public health officials, could be revealed through computer simulations under development at the University of California's Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Ultra-cold neutron source at Los Alamos confirmed as world's most intense
May 3 — Some slow, cold visitors stopped by Los Alamos National Laboratory last week, and their arrival could prove a godsend to physicists seeking a better theory of everything.
Squeezing more juice out of solar panels
April 28 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have experimentally demonstrated a phenomenon in which semiconductor nanocrystals respond to photons by producing multiple electrons. The innovation has potential applications in a new generation of solar cells that would produce as much as 35 percent more electrical output than current solar cells.
Scientists announce cosmic ray theory breakthrough
April 28 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have proposed a new theory to explain the movement of vast energy fields in giant radio galaxies (GRGs). The theory could be the basis for a whole new understanding of the ways in which cosmic rays -- and their signature radio waves -- propagate and travel through intergalactic space.
Los Alamos Supercomputing cluster software wins prize
April 28 — University of California researchers in Los Alamos National Laboratory's Advanced Computing Laboratory have been honored for their advances in connecting thousands of computers together to create clusters with much of the power of traditional supercomputers at a fraction of the cost.
Los Alamos part of new Center for Chemical Hydrogen Storage
April 27 — University of California scientists working at Los Alamos National Laboratory have joined with scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to create a new national Center for Chemical Hydrogen Storage. The new center is a step toward the development of a "hydrogen economy" -- an economy based not on the fossil fuels we use today, but on clean, abundant hydrogen fuels.
New Mexico students at Los Alamos National Laboratory April 26-27 for Adventures in Supercomputing Challenge
April 22 — More than 200 high-school students from throughout New Mexico will be at Los Alamos National Laboratory next Monday and Tuesday (April 26-27) for the 14th annual New Mexico Adventures in Supercomputing Challenge Expo and awards ceremony.
Hot dry rock goes supercritical
April 21 — By proposing a method for using carbon dioxide under high pressure to extract energy from geothermal reservoirs, a University of California scientist working at Los Alamos National Laboratory has put a new twist on a historic Laboratory project. The proposed invention has the potential to take global geothermal energy science in new and exciting directions.
Talk at Laboratory's Bradbury Science Museum Thursday on impacts of area's growing elk population
April 20 — The Rocky Mountain elk, a native to the Jemez Mountains, was thought to have disappeared early in the 20th century. All that changed around 1948, when the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish released several cows, calves and bulls back into the Jemez.
Superdiamonds? - Scientists discover superconductivity in diamond
April 1 — Scientists working at the Russian Academy of Sciences and Los Alamos National Laboratory announced today the discovery of superconductivity at ultracold temperatures in cubic diamond. The discovery offers the potential for a new generation of diamond-based device applications and even suggests that superconductivity in silicon or germanium, which also forms in the diamond structure, may be possible.
Desert varnish shines as environmental monitoring tool
March 31 — A University of California researcher working at Los Alamos National Laboratory, in collaboration with earth scientists from the University of Nevada and Eastern Washington University, has discovered that desert varnish may be an ideal passive environmental monitor for atmospherically-deposited heavy and potentially toxic metals, including radionuclides.
Is he here yet? Lab scientists keep tabs on Santa
December 23 — Los Alamos National Laboratory's Space Data Systems (ISR-3) is keeping an eye out for Santa. Beginning at 6 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 24, ISR-3 will track the jolly old elf on his whirlwind travels around the world and give hourly updates via its Web site at http://santa.lanl.gov on Santa's progress toward Northern New Mexico.
Plasma combustion technology could dramatically improve fuel efficiency
December 22 — Imagine a jet engine able to cleanly burn cheap, plentiful diesel fuel, or a car able to run on gasoline very efficiently and produce practically no emissions. Three Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers are imagining just these things and are embarking on a new experimental roadway that may someday arrive at this reality.
Los Alamos and business partner ZECA Corporation recognized by ScientificAmerican
December 3 — Los Alamos National Laboratory and ZECA Corp. have been recognized in Scientific American's December issue as providing one of the most significant "path-breaking developments that have taken place in recent months in laboratories, corporate suites and the halls of government," according to the article.
Lab featured as tech transfer role model
November 20 — Los Alamos National Laboratory has been recognized as a leader in technology transfer practices and regional economic development in a recently issued Department of Commerce report. The URL to access the report is http://www.technology.gov/reports.htm online.
Los Alamos radiation detector cited in technology awards
November 17 — A unique, handheld radiation detector developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory has been named a winner in both the "2003 InfoWorld 100" and IDG Computerworld's "Best Practices in Mobile & Wireless" Awards programs. The detector, called the CZT Spectrometer, detects both gamma rays and neutrons — signatures from nuclear materials that are of concern because of their potential for use by terrorists — and uses handhelds from palmOne Inc. for quick computer uploads.
Vast nitrogen reserves hidden beneath desert soils
November 7 — A University of California scientist working at Los Alamos National Laboratory in collaboration with researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, the University of Nevada, the University of Arkansas and Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nev., has recently found evidence that there may be significantly more amounts of nitrogen, in the form of nitrates, than previously estimated in desert landscapes. The discovery of these vast subsoil nitrate reservoirs could have implications for groundwater quality in arid/semi-arid environments worldwide, as mobilization of the nitrates could adversely affect drinking water supplies.
Media Advisory: Robots, scientists and Pueblo school kids
November 3 — Continuing its all-star annual series of robot-building workshops, scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory will bring the cold, hard, hand of science to bear in the classroom this week. Armed with a box of robot kits and a cumulative 100-plus years of professional experience, Los Alamos scientists will do a show-and-tell that should turn some heads at Jemez Valley Elementary School, Jemez Valley Middle School, San Diego Riverside School, Walatowa High and Jemez Valley High School.
Los Alamos part of team establishing baseline procedures for emergingfield of bioforensics
September 24 — Following the 2001 anthrax mail attacks it became clear to law enforcement and forensic scientists that high-quality procedures for the handling of bioagents used in alleged criminal activity were not standardized across the research labs that were asked to respond.
Nanoscale spectrometry probes the nanoplasmonics of gold
September 22 — In experiments using a device dubbed the "nanoscale flashlight," a team of Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists have applied a new nanoscale spectroscopic technique to studies of the collective oscillations of electrons in individual gold nanoparticles and their assemblies. A deeper understanding of these oscillations and their interactions will not only provide a foundation for research in the new and emerging field of nanoplasmonics, but may have practical applications in the ultrasensitive detection of chemical and biological molecules.
Building a "nanoscale flashlight" to explore the nanoscale world
September 22 — In the nanoscale world, nanoparticles are measured in billionths of a meter, which often make them only a little bit larger than the size of atoms. Because these nanoparticles are typically smaller than the wavelengths of visible light––which varies from 700 nanometers for red light to 400 nanometers for violet light–– they are literally invisible to even the most powerful optical microscopes.
Backhaus named top young innovator by Technology Review magazine
September 15 — The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Technology Review magazine today announced that Los Alamos National Laboratory staff member Scott Backhaus is one of the world's 100 Top Young Innovators for 2003.
Los Alamos team develops rapid procedure for radioactivity in dirtybomb debris
September 10 —
One nightmare scenario: a terrorist dirty bomb is detonated in a major metropolitan area. Everyone's first question is "Who did it?"
One piece of the puzzle that would give law enforcement officials a head start in their search for potential suspects would be an accurate description of what radioactive materials are contained in the bomb debris. Standard isotope identification technology is relatively slow; the process can take 24 hours or more. Now a team of Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists has developed a new quick screening methodology to identify isotopes in dirty bomb debris, a procedure that can yield initial data in as few as six hours.
Los Alamos hosts Gamma-Ray Burst anniversary conference
September 8 — Scientists from around the world are convening this week to debate and share their latest research at the Gamma-Ray Burst 2003 Symposium in Santa Fe, September 9 – 12, 2003. Los Alamos National Laboratory is sponsoring the symposium, the largest of its type to date.
Laboratory licenses environmental monitor
September 4 — Los Alamos National Laboratory has licensed an environmental monitoring tool to Advanced Realtime Technologies (ART) LLC.
Los Alamos at work -- science and technology initiatives for counteringnuclear and radiological threats
September 5 — In an American Chemical Society presentation on Sunday, Sept. 7 Los Alamos staff member Tammy Taylor will talk about some of the latest work being done at Los Alamos in the area of nuclear and radiological threat mitigation.
Director announces newest Laboratory Fellows
August 26 — Los Alamos National Laboratory Director G. Peter Nanos has selected seven Los Alamos staff members as Laboratory Fellows, the Laboratory's highest scientific honor. The honor is given yearly to technical staff members who have sustained a high level of excellence in programs important to the Laboratory's mission, made important scientific discoveries that lead to widespread use, or been recognized as leaders in their fields both within and
