Saturday’s supermoon shines bright and large above Los Alamos. A supermoon is a new or full moon, which occurs with the moon at or near (within 90 percent of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit. There are four to six supermoons a year on average and 2014 will have five. They are the two new moons of January, and the full moons of July, August and September. The full moon of Aug. 10, will present the closest supermoon of the year at 221,765 miles from Earth. Source: earthsky.org. Photo by Leland Lehman/ladailypost.com Read More
World
Santa Fe Council on International Relations: Champagne Brunch & Film July 22
CIR News:
Santa Fe Council on International Relations (CIR) is hosting a Champagne Brunch and viewing of the film “Welcome,” 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 22 at the CIR’s new location at 413 Grant Avenue, Suite D in Santa Fe.
Join the Council on International Relations for a delightful champagne brunch and film entitled: Welcome, directed by Phillippe Lioret on Tuesday, July 22 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at CIR’s new location: 413 Grant Avenue, Suite D in Santa Fe.
The multi award-winning new film from writer/director Philippe Lioret, WELCOME is a compassionate Read More
LANL: Ribosome Research in Atomic Detail Offers Potential Insights into Cancer, Anemia, Alzheimer’s
The newly discovered rolling movement shown in (A) three-dimensional cryo-electron microscopy image of ribosome, and (B) computer-generated atomic-resolution model of the human ribosome consistent with microscopy. A). Arrows indicate the direction of movement during transition between the two different states. B). Ribbons represent backbone of RNA and protein molecules within the ribosome. Color bar indicates the amount of motion during rolling. Courtesy/LANL
LANL News:
- New movement during decoding occurs in humans, not in bacteria
A groundbreaking study of the human ribosome Read More
LANL: Scientists Ignite Aluminum Water Mix
LANL chemist Bryce Tappan ignites a small quantity of aluminum nanoparticle water mixture. In open air, the compound burns like a Fourth of July sparkler. Courtesy/LANL
When dry, aluminum nanoparticles look like simple dark gray dust. Courtesy/LANL
LANL News:
- Combustion mechanism of aluminum nanoparticles and water published in prestigious German chemistry journal
Don’t worry, that beer can you’re holding is not going to spontaneously burst into flames, but under the right circumstances aluminum does catch fire, and the exact mechanism that governs how, has long Read More
LANL: Probing Fukushima With Cosmic Rays Should Speed Cleanup
Los Alamos National Laboratory postdoctoral researcher Elena Guardincerri, right, and undergraduate research assistant Shelby Fellows prepare a lead hemisphere inside a muon tomography machine, which can peer inside closed containers and provide detailed images of dense objects such as nuclear materials or other items of interest. The detector, developed at Los Alamos, uses muons — tiny particles generated when cosmic rays interact with Earth’s atmosphere — to do its work, providing a simple, passive system that can be used to thwart nuclear smugglers or look inside Read More
New Los Alamos Approach May Be Key to Quantum Dot Solar Cells With Real Gains in Efficiency
Core/shell PbSe/CdSe quantum dots (a) and a carrier multiplication (CM) pathway (b) in these nano structures. (a) Transmission electron microscopy image of thick-shell PbSe/CdSe quantum dots developed for this study. (b) A hot hole generated in the shell via absorption of a photon collides with a core-localized valence-band electron, promoting it across the energy-gap, which generates a second electron-hole pair. In thick-shell PbSe/CdSe quantum dots this process is enhanced due to slow relaxation of shell-localized holes into the core.Courtesy/LANL
LANL News:
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Nanoengineering
The Internet’s Next Big Idea: Connecting People, Information and Things
Image Courtesy/NIST
NIST News:
By Chris Greer, Senior Executive for Cyber-Physical Systems
National Institute of Standards and Technology
In the early 1990s, a Web page consisted of crude, rainbow-colored, text-filled boxes that “hyperlinked” to more text. Today, your Internet-enabled smartphone not only gives you access to libraries’ worth of information, but also helps you navigate the physical world.
Cyber-physical systems, also called the Internet of Things, are the next big advance for our use of the web. They allow complex systems of feedback and control that can help a robot coordinate Read More
United Church of Los Alamos Mexico Mission Volunteers Construct Homes For Families
United Church of Los Alamos and Unitarian Church members at a home building trip in April in Puerto Peñasco. Courtesy photo
During their April trip to Puerto Peñasco, the group built a double size home for a family of six previously living in a one room home. Courtesy photo
By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post
A profound sense of fulfillment experienced by Los Alamos youth and adults who build homes for Mexican families living in dreadful circumstances draws many to volunteer year after year.
Laura and Randy Erickson have participated in 32 of these annual week-long trips and helped build the
LANL: Desert Scientists Turn to Rainforest for Climate Answers
Heath-Powers: Los Alamos scientist Heath Powers, foreground, and on-site technician Vagner Castro work on field equipment for measuring carbon dioxide and water vapor near areas of human habitation in Brazil.Courtesy/LANL
LANL News:
- Work in Brazil’s Amazon Basin Should Improve Climate Prediction
Nearly a quarter of the way through their two-year project, a team of scientists deployed to Brazil’s Amazon Basin is unraveling the mysteries of how land and atmospheric processes affect tropical hydrology and climate. Their work will go far toward improving the climate-prediction computer Read More
UN Mulling Rules to Govern Autonomous Killer Robots
A mock ‘killer robot’ is pictured in central London April 23, 2013 during the launching of against lethal robot weapons. Courtesy. Carl Court/AFP HSNW News:
On Tuesday, delegates from several international organizations and governments around the world began the first of many round of talks dealing with what some call “lethal autonomous weapons systems” (LAWS), and others call “killer robots.”
Supporters of LAWS say the technology offers life-saving potential in warfare, as these robots y are able to get closer than troops to assess threats without letting emotions