Science

LANL: Perseverance Rover Takes New Mexico To Mars

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An illustration of NASA’s Perseverance rover landing safely on Mars, scheduled for Feb. 18. Los Alamos National Laboratory has several critical roles on the mission. Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech

An illustration showing the seven scientific instruments on board the Mars Perseverance rover, including SuperCam and SHERLOC, both of which were developed in part at Los Alamos. Courtesy/NASA-JPL/Caltech

LANL News:

When NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover touches down on the surface of Mars Thursday, Feb. 18, a bit of New Mexico will land along with it, thanks to work done at Los Alamos National Laboratory. 

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LANL: New Virtual Platform Shows Students The Science Behind Everyday Objects

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In 2018, Harshini Mukundan’s team at LANL was a finalist for R&D Magazine’s R&D 100 Award for their Universal Bacterial Sensor, a diagnostic tool for doctors to detect any and all infections in minutes. It could be a public-health game-changer in the world’s resource-poor regions. Mukundan also is an AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador, a high-profile role model for young women and girls, and a visionary behind See the Science. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

What makes bread rise? Why does hand sanitizer keep you from getting sick? How does a microwave oven heat your food? These are just a few of the concepts Read More

Los Alamos Medal Winners Recognized For Revolutionary Contributions

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Los Alamos Medal recipients Fred Mortensen and Bette Korber. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

  • Fred Mortensen and Bette Korber were selected for their profound scientific achievements in weapons design and vaccine design

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) announced today that two scientists have been awarded the Los Alamos Medal, the Laboratory’s highest honor, for revolutionary scientific contributions to national security and science. Fred Mortensen and Bette Korber are recognized for their distinguished achievements that have enhanced the success of the Laboratory. 

“Throughout Read More

Science On Tap: Space Detective Talks Tools Of Her Trade

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LANL Scientist Suzanne Nowicki leads the virtual talk in Science on Tap  5:30-7 p.m. Feb 8. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

How did the Mars Odyssey orbiter identify the elements present on Mars? How do scientists understand not only what planet’s environment is like now, but also what it was in the ancient past? The answer is by detecting gamma rays.

Suzanne Nowicki, a manager in the Space Science and Applications group at Los Alamos National Laboratory, leads the virtual conversation “Exploring Our Solar System through Gamma Ray and Neutron Detection”, the latest in the Science on Tap conversation Read More

Los Alamos Historical Society Lecture Series: Rebecca Ullrich, ‘Spinning Off From The Manhattan Project’ Feb. 9

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Sled track. Courtesy/Sandia National Laboratories

Los Alamos Historical Society News:

Join the Los Alamos Historical Society online at 7 p.m., Feb. 9 for a lecture on the origins of Sandia National Laboratories from historian Rebecca Ullrich … how was the Manhattan Project’s Z Division formed, and how did it grow into today’s Sandia National Laboratories?

Historical Society lectures are free, but registration is required to provide you with the Zoom link. To register, visit www.losalamoshistory.org/lecture and follow the links to our EventBrite page.

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Kirtland AFB Air Force Research Laboratory Holds Directed Energy Wargaming, Modeling And Simulation Event

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Major Daniel Liu, an F-15E weapon systems officer from Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., participates in the Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Utility Concept Experiment held Jan. 11-15 at Kirtland AFB. AFRL’s Directed Energy Directorate held the capstone event to evaluate the capabilities of directed energy for the future battlefield. Photo by Todd Berenger/USAF

AFRL held its capstone Directed Energy Utility Concept Experiment to assess the capabilities of directed energy for the future battlefield Jan. 11-15 at Kirtland AFB. Photo by Todd Berenger/USAF

AFRL News:

KIRTLAND Read More

Heinrich Welcomes Biden-Harris Commitment To Tackle Climate Crisis, Create Jobs, Restore Scientific Integrity

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From the Office of U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, issued the following statement on President Joe Biden’s recent executive action to combat the climate crisis and restore scientific integrity across the federal government:

“We have known for decades that we need to act aggressively to confront the climate crisis that threatens our land, our water, and our children’s future. The science of what we are facing—and what we must do—is unequivocal. New Mexicans can’t wait any longer Read More

Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Dana Dattelbaum Wins Prestigious 2020 E.O. Lawrence Award

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Dana Dattelbaum is a recipient of DOE’s prestigious E.O. Lawrence award for 2020. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

Dana Dattelbaum of Los Alamos National Laboratory is a recipient of the Department of Energy’s prestigious E.O. Lawrence award for 2020.

Dattelbaum is honored for “several transformative scientific and intellectual achievements, including her pioneering work providing physical insights into shock and detonation physics, her innovations in the development of the Equations of State of a spectrum of energetics and polymers, and providing critical data for hydrodynamic simulations Read More

UbiQD Publishes Initial Results Of NASA-Funded Agriculture Study, Optimizing Spectral Quality For Growing Plants On Space Missions Using Quantum Dot Films

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Artist’s rendition of UbiQD’s quantum dot-enabled greenhouse film, UbiGro™, installed in a lunar greenhouse growing tomatoes. Courtesy/UbiQD, Inc.

UbiQD News:

 …The peer-reviewed study presents collaborative research with the University of Arizona’s Controlled Environment Agriculture Center, validating the importance of light color on crop productivity

UbiQD, Inc., a Los Alamos-based advanced materials company, announced today that it has published the groundbreaking results of the first phase of its NASA-funded plant trials in the open-access Nature Research journal, “Communications Read More

AGU: Study Shows Reaching Zero Net Carbon Emissions Surprisingly Feasible And Affordable

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Infographic details way U.S. can reach carbon neutrality by mid-century. Photo by Jenny Nuss/LLLNL

AGU News:

WASHINGTON—Reaching zero net emissions of carbon dioxide from energy and industry by 2050 can be accomplished by rebuilding U.S. energy infrastructure to run primarily on renewable energy, at a net cost of about $1 per person per day, according to new research.

In a new study in AGU Advances, which publishes high-impact, open-access research and commentary across the Earth and space sciences, researchers created the first published roadmap specifying how to achieve carbon neutrality Read More