World

Ice Particles In Earth’s Atmosphere Create Glints

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One million miles from Earth, a NASA camera is capturing unexpected flashes of light reflecting off Earth. Courtesy/NASA
 
AGU News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. — One million miles from Earth, a NASA camera is capturing unexpected flashes of light reflecting off Earth.
 
The homeward-facing instrument on NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory, or DSCOVR, launched in 2015, caught hundreds of these flashes over the span of a year. NASA’s Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) instrument aboard DSCOVR is taking almost-hourly images of the sunlit planet from its spot between Earth
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Nuclear Security Training Center Opens In Kazakhstan

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NNSA News:
 
The Republic of Kazakhstan, in cooperation with the United States Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA), opened its Nuclear Security Training Center (NSTC) May 12 in Alatau, Kazakhstan.
 
The training center allows Kazakhstan to train personnel from local, regional, and international nuclear facilities and organizations. It will focus on fundamental and advanced nuclear security topics and provide a venue for discussing best practices.
 
“This training center demonstrates the Republic of Kazakhstan’s commitment
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Experts Expect Surge In Ransomware Attacks … This Time Without ‘Kill Switch’

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WannaCry image. Courtesy/systweak

HSNW News:

A second version of the disruptive WannaCry ransomware – a version which does not contain the “kill switch” used by a young security analyst to shut down many of last week’s cyberattacks – is set to be released by the same group of hackers.

Costin Raiu, of cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab, told Hacker News that his firm had already seen versions of the malware, which did not contain the website domain name used to shut down the program.

He later backtracked, saying this was not actually the case. 

Hacker News quotes other experts Read More

World Futures: Data / Information / Knowledge

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By ANDY ANDREWS
Los Alamos World Futures Institute

For a 30 day period, every day at precisely 10 a.m. (or 10:00 or 1000 hrs.) Greenwich Mean Time, you record the temperature on the same thermometer at precisely the same location in both degrees Celsius and degrees Fahrenheit. You now have 30 data points.

On a piece of graph paper you label the bottom, horizontal axis from zero to 31. On the left side at the zero point you create a vertical Celsius scale and on the right side (at the 31 point) you create a Fahrenheit scale precisely synchronized to the Celsius scale. Then you plot the data.

Next you draw Read More

Nature Center Talk: Unusual Wildlife Of Madagascar

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This leaping lemur, diademed sifaka, is endemic to specific regions of eastern Madagascar. Photo by Martin Cooper

PEEC News:

Local photographer Martin Cooper will share photos from his three-week visit to Madagascar, which covered four ecosystems and gave him the chance to capture images of wildlife including lemurs, chameleons, and endemic birds that are unique to the island. This free talk, organized by Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC), is 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 16 at the Los Alamos Nature Center, 2600 Canyon Road.

Madagascar has been biologically isolated from Africa Read More

LANL: Data Analysis Could Trigger New Shale Gas Revolution

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Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

  • Manipulating ‘tail production’ could yield huge long-term gains while minimizing environmental impacts

Extensive data mining and analysis of 20,000 shale gas wells has revealed how “refracturing” existing wells with new technology could transform them from diminished producers into high-performers long after their initial peak production period has ended.

“Our analysis could potentially aid in reducing the number of new wells to be drilled,” said Richard Middleton, lead author of the study by a team of Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists. “In addition, Read More

Magdala Stone Goes On Exhibit In Rome May 15

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The original Magdala stone will be on exhibit May 15 until July 23 in Rome. Courtesy/magdala.org

MAGDALA PROJECT News:

The original Magdala stone, the most important archaeological discovery in modern Israel, is going to Rome for an exhibition held by the Jewish Museum and the Vatican.

It is the first time the piece will be exhibited publicly. The exhibition is May 15 until July 23.

The General Director of the Magdala Project, Father Juan Solana, is attending the May 15 opening event. The piece was requested by the Jewish Museum of Rome to the Israel Antiquities Authority and will be arriving Read More

Help Spread Blessing Of Creativity To Rusinga Island In Kenya

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Local retired teacher, Sharon Allen, is traveling to Rusinga Island at the end of May with Project Humanity as part of their educational outreach, which also is focusing on creating school libraries. She is looking for help from the Los Alamos community to collect lightly used and new art supplies for these artists. Courtesy photo

 

Courtesy photo

 

COMMUNITY News:

Project Humanity launched a new initiative Nov. 14, 2016 on Rusinga Island, Kenya – Rusinga Island Artists’ Guild. Rusinga Island is in Lake Victoria, Kenya, an area hard hit by AIDS. 

Christopher Gomzy, Read More

It’s OK To Ask: Hand Hygiene As A Frontline Defense Against Infection

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By JOYCE RICHINS, RN, Infection Control Specialist
Los Alamos Medical Center

Wash your hands. How many times have we heard that oft-repeated refrain over our lifetimes? Since we were children, we’ve been encouraged to wash our hands after playing outside, before eating, after using the restroom and any one of a number of other occasions.

And not without reason. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 80 percent of infectious diseases are transmitted by touch. And the simplest, most effective way that we can combat the spread of germs is via the same missive Read More