World

Tree Death Impact Studied In Forests Worldwide

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Large trees suffer more than small trees during and after droughts, and while theories had suggested this should be a globally consistent pattern, a new study confirms the concept with a worldwide survey of 38 forests. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

In forests worldwide, drought consistently has had a more detrimental impact on the growth and survival of larger trees, new research shows.

In addition, while the death of small trees may affect the dominance of trees in a landscape, the death of large trees has a far worse impact on the ecosystem and climate’s health, especially due to the important role

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NASA Confirms Evidence That Liquid Water Flows On Present Day Mars

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Courtesy/NASA
 
NASA News:
 
New findings from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provide the strongest evidence yet that liquid water flows intermittently on present day Mars.

Using an imaging spectrometer on MRO, researchers detected signatures of hydrated minerals on slopes where mysterious streaks are seen on the Red Planet. These darkish streaks appear to ebb and flow over time. They darken and appear to flow down steep slopes during warm seasons, and then fade in cooler seasons. They appear in several locations on Mars when temperatures are above minus 10 degrees

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NNSA Partnership Successfully Removes All Remaining HEU From Uzbekistan

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NNSA News:
 
WASHINGTON, DC ― Today, the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) announced the successful return of the final 5 kilograms (approximately 11 pounds) of highly enriched uranium (HEU) spent fuel from the IIN-3M “Foton” research reactor in Tashkent, Uzbekistan to Russia.
 
This is the eighth shipment of HEU from Uzbekistan since 2004 and marks the removal of all HEU from the country.
 
Since the Russian Research Reactor Fuel Return program began in 2002, DOE/NNSA has collaborated with the Rosatom State Atomic Energy
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Los Alamos Residents Share Blood Moon Photos

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Residents in Los Alamos joined stargazers around the world this evening to view the blood moon – a full lunar eclipse where the moon, Earth and sun line up, with Earth’s shadow totally obscuring the moon. When a full moon makes its closest approach to Earth, it appears slightly bigger and brighter than usual and has a reddish hue. This celestial event has not occurred since 1982 – and will not be repeated until 2033. Photo by Jenn Bartram

Photo by Greg Kendall

Photo by Aria Villareal

Photo by Aria Villareal

Photo by Aria Villareal Read More

Live Webcast Of Total Lunar Eclipse Sunday

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Events for the total lunar eclipse Sept. 27-28. This version is labeled for Eastern Daylight Time. Due to the Moon’s slightly off-center path through Earth’s umbra, the southern half of its disk should look slightly brighter during totality than the northern half. Sky & Telescope illustration

 

By KELLY BEATTY
Sky & Telescope
  • A total lunar eclipse occurs in prime time for U.S. skywatchers Sunday night, Sept. 27. Sky & Telescope is providing a high-definition webcast of the entire event.

Kelly Beatty. Photo by Craig Michael Utter/S&T

Sunday evening, skygazers Read More

Atmospheric Research Lab Bound For Antarctica

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An advanced cloud and aerosol instrumentation platform is about to have a one-year run at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. Courtesy Photo

Mobile facility managers Kim Nitschke and Paul Ortega scouted Antarctica with the Antarctica experiment co-investigator Johannes Verlinde to determine the ideal locations and infrastructure. Courtesy photo

By ROGER SNODGRASS
Los Alamos Daily Post

A big production is about to take place in a remote part of the world starting in November. A team of logistics specialists assembled from Los Alamos National Laboratory and several other national science Read More

NIST Team Breaks Record For Quantum Teleportation

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Image by K. Irvine/NIST

NIST News:

BOULDER, Colo.—Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have “teleported” or transferred quantum information carried in light particles over 100 kilometers (km) of optical fiber, four times farther than the previous record. 

The experiment confirmed that quantum communication is feasible over long distances in fiber. Other research groups have teleported quantum information over longer distances in free space, but the ability to do so over conventional fiber-optic lines offers more flexibility for network Read More

NNSA Removes U.S.-Origin HEU From Jamaica, Makes Caribbean HEU Free

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Anne Harrington

NNSA News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) has removed approximately 1 kilogram of U.S.-Origin highly enriched uranium (HEU) from Jamaica’s “Safe Low-Power Kritical Experiment” (SLOWPOKE) research reactor and returned the material to the United States, making the Caribbean region completely free of HEU.  

“Cooperating with Jamaica and Canada in completing this HEU removal is an outstanding example of how regional cooperation can support global efforts to minimize the civilian use of HEU, while Read More

Heading Into The Unknown…

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NASA astronaut Scott Kelly takes a selfie with the Bahamas from 250 miles above Earth aboard the International Space Station. Courtesy/NASA
 
By SCOTT KELLY
NASA Astronaut

Almost everything we know about living in space ends at six months. Now that I am at the midpoint of my mission, heading into the second half of one year in space aboard the International Space Station, I am looking forward to exploring the science of this uncharted territory and stepping into the unknown.

My Russian colleague Mikhail Kornienko and I are living in space for one year to push the edge of our scientific understanding. Read More