Science

New Mexico Chapter Of The Society Of Catholic Scientists To Host Gold Mass, Public Talk, Conference Sept. 26-27

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By LUCY FREY
President
NM Chapter Society of Catholic Scientists

The New Mexico Chapter of the Society of Catholic Scientists invites Catholic scientists and all those interested in the relation between science and the Catholic Faith to a Gold Mass, public talk, and conference this weekend.

Friday, Sept. 26
Gold Mass, dinner, and public talk

5:30 p.m. Mass, celebrant Fr. John Daniel, pastor, homilist Deacon Jim O’Hara.

The Mass will be offered for the repose of the soul of Deacon Ray Alcouffe, who was one of the first members of our NM SCS Chapter.

Dinner and public talk immediately following Read More

Los Alamos National Laboratory Seeks Commercialization Partners For Plasma Liner Experiment

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PLX forms imploding plasma liners using a spherically symmetric array of 36 plasma guns, shown here fully assembled at LANL. The system enables studies of plasma-jet-driven magneto-inertial fusion by compressing a central plasma target without relying on lasers or massive magnets. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

  • Partnership proposals are due Oct. 4

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is seeking commercialization partners for the Plasma Liner Experiment (PLX), an advanced research platform designed to explore fusion energy and other high-energy plasma applications.

“The Plasma Liner Read More

New Mexico Museum Of Space History Launch Pad 49 & Counting On Origins Of NMMSH Oct. 3

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New Mexico Museum of Space History Launch Pad Lecture (LPL) 49 and counting is Oct. 3, by Education Director Michael Shinabery. Courtesy/NMDCA

NMDCA News:

ALAMOGORDO — The community is invited to attend the presentation by Education Director Michael Shinabery of the New Mexico Museum of Space History, whose animated style and deep knowledge make history come alive.

Shinabery will discuss the origins of the museum. It all began with Dwight Ohlinger’s dream to create a museum dedicated to space, inspired by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Within three years, that dream became reality with Read More

NM Museum Of Natural History & Science & Smithsonian Researchers Discover Prehistoric Plant Near Socorro

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Rendering of prehistoric plant discovered by NMMNHS and Smithsonian researchers in Socorro County. Courtesy/NMMNHS

NMDCA News:

ALBUQUERQUE — A team of researchers from the Smithsonian and New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science (NMMNHS) have unearthed a new species of plant that lived before the age of dinosaurs in rural Socorro County.  

This new species, Socorropteris cancellarei, lived roughly 290 million years ago during the Permian Period, and provides vital insight into what the landscape that’s now southern New Mexico may have looked like at that time.

The research, Read More

LANL: Quantum Computers Tackle Century-Old Math Puzzle

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A Los Alamos scientist has shown that quantum computers can be used to ‘factorize’ group representations, a mathematical concept used in particle physics, engineering and many other fields. Image created in GPT-4o

LANL News:

A Los Alamos scientist has shown that quantum algorithms can be used to factor group representations — a problem central to particle physics and many other fields — that was thought to be infeasible for computers at any practical scale

Los Alamos National Laboratory researcher Martín Larocca and Vojtěch Havlíček, a researcher at IBM, have shown that quantum computers Read More

Enjoy A Night Of Stars At NNMC Sept. 25

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NNMC News:

ESPAÑOLA — Northern New Mexico College’s (NNMC) Math & Physical Sciences Department is partnering with the Universities Space Research Association’s (USRA) Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) to host Sky Fest, a free community astronomy event, from 5–9 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, at NNMC’s Nick Salazar Center for the Arts. The community is invited to this free event, which will include hands-on activities and viewings through telescopes (weather dependent).

The evening’s immersive experiences include guided tours through space in Northern’s new planetarium. The Read More

Los Alamos National Laboratory Launches Frontier AI Models On Venado Supercomputer

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The Venado supercomputer is now running the latest OpenAI reasoning models on its NVIDIA Grace Hopper GPUs to accelerate national security-related science. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

After moving to a classified network earlier this year, the Venado supercomputer at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is now running OpenAI’s latest o3 reasoning model to accelerate national security research. Venado, which uses NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips, is the 19th-fastest supercomputer in the world and serves as a shared resource for researchers at the National Nuclear Security Administration Read More

Spaceport America To Hold Open House Sept. 21

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Spaceport America on County Road A021 in the Jornada del Muerto desert basin, 20 miles southeast of Truth or Consequences and 45 miles north of Las Cruces. Courtesy photo

Spaceport America News:

LAS CRUCES – Spaceport America is hosting a free open house event, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 21, during the Las Cruces Space Festival. 
 
Attendees of all ages are welcome to visit the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport to learn about the site, its tenants, and its operations.
 
Vendors (food and non-food), static aircraft displays, exhibitors, STEM-related activities, and guest presenters, Read More

Experience Pure Awe: The Universe And Beyond In Ultra HD

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NMDCA News:

ALAMOGORDO — Get ready to journey across the stars with infinite, bolder sights and resonant sounds. The New Horizons Dome Theater and Planetarium at the New Mexico Museum of Space History has unveiled a dazzling upgrade to its projection system, ensuring every visitor experiences the cosmos in spectacular detail!

To provide our museum goers with a world-class experience, we have invested in upgrading the planetarium. The latest upgrade includes high-performance computers with advanced graphics cards and Digistar software, which seamlessly integrates with our 4K laser Read More

Connect With The Sun And Moon At Jemez Historic Site’s Astronomy Programs Saturday Sept. 20

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Learn about NASA’s PUNCH program Sept. 20 at Jemez Historic Site. Courtesy/NMDCA

NMDCA News:

Learn about NASA’s PUNCH program, along with past and modern perspectives of astronomy at Jemez Historic Site during two programs held Saturday, Sept. 20.

At 11 a.m., Jim Greenhouse, from the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science in Albuquerque, will share images and discuss details of the NASA PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission during the “Looking to the Skies: Modern and Ancient Astronomers” program. He will share images and offer visitors a chance to view Read More