Science

AI Boom Drives Demand For Power … New Mexico Asks: Who Pays?

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A rendering of the planned Hermes 2 facility near Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where Kairos Power will build a molten‑salt‑cooled small modular reactor to help fuel Google’s expanding data centers. Source: Kairos Power

By MARLENE WILDEN
Los Alamos Daily Post
marlene@ladailypost.com 

New Mexico is racing to keep up with a surge in electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and data center expansion. State officials are increasingly focused on making sure residential and small-business customers aren’t left footing the bill.

The tension surfaced Read More

What AI Can Do — And What It Can’t: Share Your Thoughts!

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Los Alamos Daily Post News:

Is AI actually helpful? Scroll to see…

• What generative AI does well
• When it can meaningfully support your work
• When it’s the wrong tool to rely on

AI is most effective when it amplifies human expertise—not when it tries to replace it.                                                                                                             

Did this help you feel more informed? Take our short survey and share your perspective. Read More

National Academies: DOE Should Develop AI-Based Foundation Models Fused With Traditional Computational Methods To Bring Paradigm Shift To Scientific Discovery

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National Academies News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine examines how the U.S. Department of Energy could use foundation models for scientific research, and finds fusing these models with traditional computational methods could bring a paradigm shift to scientific discovery. The report makes recommendations for how the agency can pursue increased use of such models in research. 

Foundation models are large-scale AI neural networks that are trained on vast amounts of data—often trillions of individual data points—and Read More

NMNSH Announces Annual Volunteer Recognition Awards

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Jonah Dawson receives Outstanding Student Volunteer award. Courtesy/NMNSH

NMNSH News:

ALBUQUERQUE — The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History is proud to announce Steve Moskal as the recipient of the prestigious Maydew-Jeblick Volunteer Award, Jonah Dawson as the winner of the Outstanding Student Volunteer Award, and Brad Irwin as the inaugural recipient of the Rising Star Volunteer Award. These awards were presented recently at the Museum’s annual Volunteer Holiday Party, an event that honors the dedication and contributions of the Museum’s more than 40 volunteers.

Maydew-Jeblick Read More

Enabling Precise Predictions With Proton Radiography

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Members of the Proton Radiography high explosives use a crane to install an explosive experiment assembly into the confinement vessel. Courtesy/LANL

By LEVI NEUKIRCH 
Scientist at the Proton Radiography facility
Los Alamos National Laboratory

Being able to see inside an object is essential to understanding how it works. X-rays revolutionized medicine by giving doctors a noninvasive way to look beneath the skin — to spot broken bones, identify problems in vital organs and detect diseases such as cancer. Now, scientists are pushing diagnostic imaging to new levels of precision with a technique Read More

Walsh Welcomes Energy Secretary Chris Wright To Hanford

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Secretary of Energy Chris Wright tours the Waste Treatment Plant at Hanford with the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Environmental Management Tim Walsh. Courtesy/DOE

Assistant Secretary for the Office of Environmental Management Tim Walsh speaks with the Hanford workforce. Courtesy/DOE

DOE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Assistant Secretary Tim Walsh welcomed U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright to the Hanford Site last week.

“I was honored to show U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright the tremendous progress on full display at Hanford,” Assistant Secretary Walsh said. “I congratulate Read More

Los Alamos National Laboratory’s New Plutonium Science Laboratory Serves Critical National Security Missions

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Deputy Director for Science, Technology, and Engineering Pat Fitch cuts the ribbon at a recent celebration of the PluS Lab, which was completed ahead of schedule and under budget. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

  • New center prepares for 2026 operations

Los Alamos National Laboratory’s (LANL) Plutonium Science Laboratory (PluS Lab) has received its first plutonium shipment and is poised to begin operations, marking a pivotal milestone in the Laboratory’s fundamental plutonium science capabilities. The achievement reflects years of planning, investment and mission-focused program development. Read More

Call For Nominations Into International Space Hall Of Fame

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The deadline for nominations to be considered for Induction into the International Space Hall of Fame is Jan. 15, 2026. Courtesy/ISHFF

NMDCA News:

ALAMAGORDO — The International Space Hall of Fame Foundation (ISHFF) is now accepting nominations for induction into the International Space Hall of Fame at the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo.

Working under the direction of the Governor’s Commission to the Museum of Space History and in close collaboration with the museum, the ISHFF is leading the effort to identify remarkable individuals whose contributions have advanced Read More

Ice Age Mammal Identified By NM Museum Of Natural History & Science Researcher In Carlsbad Caverns

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Rendering of Ice Age muskox relative Speleotherium logani. This new species was identified from fossils collected in Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Courtesy/NMMNHS

Speleotherium logani gen. et sp. nov., holotype skull, USNM 598576, Muskox Cave, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Eddy County, New Mexico in (A) dorsal, (B) ventral, (C) right lateral, (D) left lateral, (E) posterior, and (F) reconstructed view. Note that most surfaces are encrusted with flowstone from 3 to 12 mm in thickness. Scale bar = 10 cm. F drawn by Lloyd E. Logan, Courtesy/NMMNHS

NMMNHS News:

ALBUQUERQUE — A New Mexico Read More

On The Job In Los Alamos: UbiQD CFO Tony Beams

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On the job in Los Alamos is UbiQD Chief Financial Officer Tony Beams, left, chatting last week with UbiQD CEO Hunter McDaniel at the company’s headquarters at 134 Eastgate Drive. Beams joined the global quantum dot technology company as Director of Finance in December 2024 and was promoted to CFO last June. In speaking about his position, Beams said, ‘What excites me most about the CFO role at UbiQD is the opportunity to draw on my prior senior finance leadership in technology-driven agriculture and optical manufacturing to help advance the company’s work in sustainable farming and clean-energy
Read More