World

Promising New Wildfire Behavior Model May Aid Fire Managers In Near Real Time

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NASA Global Fire Map. Courtesy/NASA

HSNW News:

Wildfires continue to scar California beyond the normal fire season in what’s been a particularly catastrophic year for natural disasters across the U.S. But a new big-data solution for predicting wildfire spread is also heating up, and it may become a useful tool in the firefighters’ arsenal, according to wildfire researchers attending the 2017 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting.

The more readily available updates of wildfire behavior are, the more informed the decisions of fire managers, according to the researchers. Fire Read More

AGU: Scientists Engineer Microbes To Form ‘Memories’ Of Their Environment

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Inserting chemically sensitive genes into the DNA of bacteria can produce lasting ‘memories’ of their environment and show scientists how they communicate. Courtesy/Pixabay
 
AGU News:
By JEREMY REHM
 
Microbes like bacteria aren’t conscious enough to form memories, but a group of scientists in Texas developed a new way for them to do so at the genetic level.
 
Researchers report they’ve successfully engineered microbes to report on their environments and form genetic “memories” of the event. It’s a tool that could help scientists better understand chemical cycling on
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LAHS Graduate Major Kyle Trottier Arranges Special Visit By Vice President Mike Pence To Afghanistan

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From left, Vice President Mike Pence, J3 Future Operations Chief Major Kyle Trottier and Sergeant Major Delarosa, J3 Operations. Courtesy photo

COMMUNITY News:

Los Alamos High School Graduate Major Kyle Trottier together with his planning team successfully completed arrangements for the recent surprise Christmas visit by Vice President Mike Pence to Afghanistan.

Trottier is the J3 Future Operations Chief for the 3rd Infantry Division stationed in Afghanistan. He and his team also arranged recent visits with the troops by the Secretary of the Army, Secretary of the Navy, Chief of Staff Read More

Communication 3: Possibility Of Miscommunication

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By SONYIA WILLIAMS
Los Alamos World
Futures Institute
Student Intern

In the last column we explored the advantages and disadvantages of mechanical translation. One of the major disadvantages is that a mechanical translator does not account for the connotation of words, but rather the denotation.

This leaves a lot of room for error. As stated in the last article, it makes it difficult for mechanical translators to keep up with the perpetually evolving nature of languages.

Along with this, not accounting for the connotation of words can lead to misinterpretation and thus ineffective communication. Read More

Seasonal Flu Death Estimate Increases Worldwide

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CDC News:

According to new estimates published this week, between 291,000 and 646,000 people worldwide die from seasonal influenza-related respiratory illnesses each year, higher than a previous estimate of 250,000 to 500,000 and based on a robust, multinational survey.

The new estimate, from a collaborative study by CDC and global health partners, appears this week in The Lancet. The estimate excludes deaths during pandemics.

“These findings remind us of the seriousness of flu and that flu prevention should really be a global priority,” said Joe Bresee, M.D., associate director for Read More

AGU: Algae Growth Reduces Reflectivity, Enhances Greenland Ice Sheet Melting

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AGU News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. — New research shows algae growing on the Greenland ice sheet, the Earth’s second-largest ice sheet, significantly reduce the surface reflectivity of the ice sheet’s bare ice area and contribute more to its melting than dust or black carbon.
 
The new findings could influence scientists’ understanding of ice sheet melting and projections of future sea level rise, according to the study’s authors.
 
Glaciologists have long known materials such as mineral dust and black carbon can darken the surface of large ice sheets. Scientists study these impurities
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DeBenedittis Calls For New Mexico Governor And Legislators To Lead On Net Neutrality

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Peter DeBenedittis

From the Office of gubernatorial candidate Peter DeBenedittis:

Stating that “The new Federal Communications Commission appointees have shown their true colors and sold out Internet users, small businesses, and free speech by eliminating net neutrality,” Progressive Democratic candidate for governor, Dr. Peter DeBenedittis, is calling on Gov. Susana Martinez and the New Mexico State Legislators to take the lead where regulators in DC have failed.

The new rules passed by the FCC allow internet service providers to block or charge more for any content they choose.

“Is Read More

Reporters Without Borders Round-Up: 65 Journalists Killed In 2017, 326 Kept In Prison, 54 Held Hostage

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RSF News:

The number of women journalists murdered in 2017 has doubled…

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is releasing its annual round-up of violence and abuses against journalists throughout the world. A total of 65 journalists were killed in 2017, 326 are in prison and 54 are held hostage. 

The 65 journalists who were killed were either fatally injured in the course of their work (for example, in an artillery bombardment) or were murdered because their reporting angered someone. The murdered reporters were the majority – 60 percent of the total figure.

Although these figures

Read More

Europe Coffee And Cocoa Sale At LANB Dec. 20-21

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COMMUNITY News:
 
Love coffee? Looking for last minute meaningful gifts? Stop by LANB for a free cup of coffee as you finish your holiday errands Wednesday and Thursday afternoon and support amazing Los Alamos students and educational travel.

The Europe 2018 Holiday Coffee and Cocoa Sale is 1:30-5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 20 and Thursday Dec. 21 in the lobby of LANB at 1200 Trinity Dr.

 
Coffee is $13 for a 10 oz. bag, whole bean or ground, freshly roasted in French Roast, Dark Roast, Medium Roast, and Decaf. Coffee
Read More

Nephews Of Venezuela First Lady Each Get 18 Years In Prison For Conspiring To Import Cocaine Into US

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DEA News:

  • Efrain Antonio Campo Flores and Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas conspired to import more than 800 kilos of cocaine into the US

MANHATTAN, N.Y. – Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Raymond Donovan, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Special Operations Division, announced Friday that Efrain Antonio Campo Flores (“Campo Flores”) and Franqui Francisco Flores De Freitas (“Flores De Freitas”) were each sentenced to 216 months in prison for conspiring to import cocaine into the United States.  Read More