World

Amateur Radio Operators ‘Field Day’ June 27-28

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EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT News:

This weekend beginning at noon Saturday and running to noon Sunday, Amateur Radio Operators worldwide will be performing “Field Day”. This is equivalent to a public safety exercise.

The purpose of this field day is to test equipment and operational status of the Amateur Radio operators. This is normally conducted on HF frequencies without the use of repeaters. An operator may choose: Voice operations, Digital Data operations or morse code operations. The goal is multi fold: contact as many other operators in the 24 hour period and see what distance you can achieve. Read More

International Scientific Society Responds To Pope Francis’ Encyclical On Climate Change

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AGU Executive Director/CEO Christine McEntee
 
AGU News:
 
Washington, D.C. — The American Geophysical Union (AGU) represents more than 60,000 Earth and space scientists worldwide and AGU Executive Director/CEO Christine McEntee issued the following statement on behalf of the organization in response to Pope Francis’ recent encyclical.

“The scientific community has long agreed that climate change is one of the most profound challenges facing our global society, and as AGU outlined in our position statement on climate change, there is no question human activity is

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General Leslie R. Groves’ Grandson Visits Los Alamos

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At Thursday’s gathering from left, Mark Rayburn, Fuller Lodge/Historic Districts Advisory Board Chair; Nancy Bartlit, WWII author and former President of the Los Alamos Historical Society; John Bartlit, advocate for Los Alamos Historical Society and environmental columnist; Nina Johnson, Executive Director of Cornerstones Community Partners; Dick Groves, Grandson of General Leslie R. Groves; Paul Millar, friend and business partner of Dick Groves Photo by Tom Sandford, Los Alamos Historical Society board member and historical district tour guide. Photo by Tom Sandford/Los Read More

Alaska Glaciers Contribute To Global Sea Level Rise

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AGU News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― Alaska’s melting glaciers are adding enough water to the Earth’s oceans to cover the state of Alaska with a 1-foot thick layer of water every seven years, a new study shows.
 
The study found that climate-related melting is the primary control on mountain glacier loss. Glacier loss from Alaska is unlikely to slow down, and this will be a major driver of global sea level change in the coming decades, according to the study’s authors.
 
“The Alaska region has long been considered a primary player in the global sea level budget, but the exact details
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U.S. Energy Secretary Moniz Remarks On Papal Encyclical On Climate Change

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U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz
 
DOE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz released the following statement regarding the release of a papal encyclical on climate change by Pope Francis.
 
“Pope Francis’ call to action on climate change is an important milestone in the global effort on this issue. His is not just a powerful moral voice, he also graduated as a chemical engineer and understands the consensus of climate scientists that accumulating man-made pollution endangers our planet and people around the world.
 
As
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Aquatic Center Joins World’s Largest Swim Lesson

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Today at 10 a.m., pools, waterparks and other aquatic facilities around the world hosted the Worlds Largest Swimming Lesson (WLSL) in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record. Children of all ages attended the event at the Los Alamos Aquatic Center. Photo by Chris Clark/ladailypost.com
 
Photo by Chris Clark/ladailypost.com
 
Photo by Chris Clark/ladailypost.com
 
Photo by Chris Clark/ladailypost.com
 
Photo by Chris Clark/ladailypost.com
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NASA Agreements Advance Mars Exploration, Los Alamos Rover Instrument A Key Component

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SuperCam builds upon the successful capabilities demonstrated by ChemCam aboard the Curiosity Rover during NASA’s current Mars Mission. SuperCam will allow researchers to sample rocks and other targets from a distance using a laser. In addition to harnessing Los-Alamos developed Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) technology—which can determine the elemental composition of the target from more than 20 feet away—SuperCam adds another spectrum to its laser for Raman and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

  • SuperCam’s body to be built at Los
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Detecting Nukes Through Underground Explosives Tests

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Two workers oversee the emplacement of the canister that contained the chemical explosive charge for Source Physics Experiment-4 Prime at the Nevada National Security Site. Courtesy/LLNL

HSNW News:

Three weeks ago, a National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) led-team successfully conducted the fourth in a series of experiments designed to improve the U.S. ability to detect underground nuclear explosions.

The Source Physics Experiment (SPE-4 Prime) is a fundamental step forward in the U.S. effort to improve arms control verification, and will eventually be used to assure compliance Read More

LANL: Project ATHENA Creates Surrogate Human Organ Systems

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Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

  • Surrogate human organs could revolutionize the way biologists and medical personnel screen new drugs or toxic agents

The development of miniature surrogate human organs, coupled with highly sensitive mass spectrometry technologies, could one day revolutionize the way new drugs and toxic agents are studied.

“By developing this ‘homo minutus,’ we are stepping beyond the need for animal or Petri dish testing: There are huge benefits in developing drug and toxicity analysis systems that can mimic the response of actual human organs,” said Rashi Iyer, a senior scientist Read More

Global Samples From Nuclear Contamination Sites Reveal Unpredicted Uranium And Plutonium Behavior

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Workers on a cleanup site at DOE’s Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State, one of several sites sampled for uranium and plutonium variations. Courtesy/DOE

LANL News:

  • Los Alamos Analysis Shows Elements Not Acting In Nature As Previously Modeled

Knowing how a chemical in soil reacts and transforms over time in response to neighboring elements, weather and heat is essential in determining whether that chemical is hazardous.

This is especially important when that chemical is radioactive.

In a collaborative, international effort led by Los Alamos National Laboratory, researchers Read More