Science

LANL: Public Lectures Explore Powering Space Missions On Mars Begin April 2

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Artist’s illustration of the umbrella-like heat radiators of four Kilopower nuclear reactors casting shadows on the Martian surface. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

  • Patrick McClure and David Poston will discuss their Kilopower nuclear reactor project during three Frontiers in Science lectures

Artist’s illustration of the umbrella-like heat radiators of four Kilopower nuclear reactors casting shadows on the Martian surface.

Los Alamos nuclear scientists Patrick McClure and David Poston will discuss the small nuclear reactor developed at the Laboratory to power missions Read More

LANL: Self-assembling, Tunable Interfaces Found In Quantum Materials

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Marc Janoschek, left, and David Fobes discuss features of quantum materials. Courtesy/lanl

LANL News:

A potential revolution in device engineering could be underway, thanks to the discovery of functional electronic interfaces in quantum materials that can self-assemble spontaneously.

“This illustrates that if we can learn to control and exploit the remarkable properties at the interfaces of quantum materials, this will likely result in a new generation of devices beyond our current imagination,” said Marc Janoschek, a physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory who, with David Fobes, Read More

I Love Life: Celebrating Biodiversity Through Art And Science April 13-14

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NMHM News:
 
I Love Life: Celebrating Biodiversity through Art and Science is a weekend symposium at the New Mexico History Museum hosted by Biocultura Santa Fe April 13 and 14 to celebrate biological science and biodiversity with a unique ecosystem of national and local artists, scientists, educators and historians.
 
The main symposium is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, April 13 and Saturday April 14 at the NMHM.
 
Admission is $15 per day, $25 for both days, and free for current UNM students with ID. Advanced registration is strongly encouraged (https://goo.gl/shZVQi
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AGU: Arctic Sea Ice Becoming A Spring Hazard For North Atlantic Ships

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A crab fishing boat trapped in the multiyear sea ice off the Newfoundland coast. Courtesy/David G. Barber
 
AGU News:
 
WASHINGTON D.C. — More Arctic sea ice is entering the North Atlantic Ocean than before, making it increasingly dangerous for ships to navigate those waters in late spring, according to new research.
 
The new research finds ocean passages typically plugged with ice in the winter and spring are opening up. Sea ice normally locked in the Arctic then can flow freely through these passages southward to routes used by shipping, fishing and ferry boats.
 
The
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NIST: ‘Hard Rock’ Standard Reference Material Makes Identifying Chemicals In Mine Waste Easier

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USGS chemist Steve Wilson collects hard rock mine waste for Standard Reference Material 2780a from the Silver Crown Mine, near Silverton, Colo. Courtesy/Mike Thompson/USGS
 
NIST News:
 
Across the American West’s Rocky and Sierra mountains, miners dug for gold, silver, zinc and lead to make their fortunes in the Gold Rush of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
 
As they burrowed into the mountains seeking thick veins of valuable ore, they tossed tons of rock waste outside their mine entrances.
 
Now, beautiful mountain vistas are marred by mine waste dumps that have turned
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Liver Cancer Caused By Alcohol Consumption May Have Worse Prognosis Than Other Forms

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WILEY News:
 
A new study indicates that patients with alcohol-related liver cancer often do not live as long as patients with liver cancer that is not associated with alcohol consumption, mainly due to diagnoses at later stages.
 
Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings indicate that efforts should be made to improve both screening for early signs of liver cancer and the management of alcohol abuse.
 
Liver cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with hepatitis B and
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AGU: August 2017 SpaceX Rocket Launch Created Large Circular Shock Wave

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AGU News:
 
The unusual trajectory the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket took when delivering a Taiwanese satellite into orbit last August created an atmospheric shock wave four times bigger than the area of California, a new study finds.
 
All rocket launches create shock waves, which are atmospheric disturbances traveling faster than the speed of sound. They can’t be seen by human eyes but can be detected by GPS receivers monitoring the atmosphere and space.
 
Most rocket-induced shock waves are V-shaped when viewed from space because rockets tend to follow a curved trajectory
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Los Alamos National Laboratory Releases File Index Product To Software Community

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The Trinity supercomputer. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

  • Grand Unified File Index (GUFI) hits GitHub for users

Resolving the supercomputer challenge of searching and retrieving files could now be far simpler, with a tool developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory and released today to the GitHub open-source software site.

The Grand Unified File Index (GUFI) is designed using a new, hierarchical approach to storing file metadata, allowing rapid  parallel searches across many internal databases. Queries that would previously have taken hours or days can now be run in seconds.

“We anticipate Read More

LANL: Innovative Detectors Pinpoint Radiation Source

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A small, fast and accurate novel radiation detector developed at Los Alamos. Courtesy photo
 
LANL News:
 
Innovative “lighthouse” detectors that use a sweeping beam to quickly pinpoint a radiation source in seconds are reducing radiation exposure for workers and opening up new areas for robotic monitoring to avoid potential hazards.
 
“It’s easier to find a needle in a haystack if the haystack is small,” said Jonathan Dowell, a Los Alamos scientist and inventor of the detector. He was referring to the detectors’ ability to hone in on an area while eliminating background noise
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SFI: Public Lecture By Chris Kempes March 20

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‘Stellar Radiance’ (1970) courtesy of David A. Hardy – astroart.org
 
SFI News:
 
A Santa Fe Institute (SFI) community event “Life on Earth and Beyond” with Chris Kempes is 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 20, at The Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W. San Francisco St. in Santa Fe.
 
Though scientists have yet to find life beyond our own planet, the universe is rife with possibilities. Where to look, and how to recognize it when we find it, are questions physical biologist Chris Kempes 
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