National Laboratory

Photo: Observations made with NIST’s Electron Beam Ion Trap indicate that in ions with a strongly positive charge, electrons can behave in ways inconsistent with quantum electrodynamics (QED) theory, which describes electromagnetism. While more experiments are needed, the data could imply that some aspects of QED theory require revision. Courtesy/NIST

NIST News:

A cornerstone of physics may require a rethink if findings at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are confirmed.

Recent experiments suggest* that the most rigorous predictions based on the fundamental Read More

Staff Report

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Inspector General has identified millions of dollars in “Questioned, Unresolved and Potentially Unallowable Costs” incurred by Los Alamos National Laboratory during Fiscal Year 2010 ending Sept. 30, 2010. 

In a memorandum released this month to the National Nuclear Security Administration, Rickey R. Hass of the Office of Inspector Geneneral reported specific problems uncovered by an audit of LANL’s FY 2010 financial reports.

Here are excerpts from the memorandum:

We identified approximately $50,000 in Read More

Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

• Transforming the chemistry of catalysis

Cobalt, a common mineral, holds promise as an industrial catalyst with potential applications in such energy-related technologies such as the production of biofuels and the reduction of carbon dioxide.

That is, provided the cobalt is captured in a complex molecule so it mimics the precious metals that normally serve this industrial role.

In work published Nov. 26 in the international edition of the chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie, Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists report the possibility of replacing the Read More

John Bounds of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Advanced Nuclear Technology Division makes final adjustments on the DUFF experiment, a demonstration of a simple, robust fission reactor prototype that could be used as a power system for space travel. DUFF is the first demonstration of a space nuclear reactor system to produce electricity in the United States since 1965. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

• Joint DOE and NASA team demonstrates simple, robust fission reactor prototype

A team of researchers, including engineers from Los Alamos National Laboratory, has demonstrated a new concept Read More

Courtesy/BSM

Strengthening Global Security

The central mission of Los Alamos National Laboratory is to ensure the safety, security, and reliability of the U.S. nuclear deterrent while reducing the global threat of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.

As part of that mission, the Laboratory provides the necessary expertise and technology developed here to help the nation respond effectively to significant threats of broad scope and to help make the world a safer place.

Bradbury Science Museum Exhibits:

• Replicas of Little Boy and Fat Man, the first nuclear bombs
• Understanding Nuclear

Barbara Natterson-Horowitz, left, and Kathryn Bowers. Courtesy photo

SFI Colloquium

Zoobiquity: How Jaguar Breast Cancer, Dolphin Diabetes, and Flamingo Heart Attacks will Transform Human Medicine

Tuesday, Nov. 27 • 3:30 p.m. • Noyce Conference Room, 1399 Hyde Park Road in Santa Fe.

Barbara Natterson-Horowitz, Clinical Professor of Medicine, UCLA Division of Cardiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Kathryn Bowers University of California, Los Angeles.

Abstract: Dinosaurs suffered from brain cancer, arthritis and gout. Koalas catch Chlamydia. Reindeer seek out narcotic Read More