Science

Fatal Attraction: Bats With White-Nose Syndrome Prefer Suboptimal Habitats Despite Consequences

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Bats with white-nose syndrome roosting in the warmest sites have been hit particularly hard, according to a new study by researchers at Virginia Tech. Courtesy/Virginia Tech

A research team uses a swab to measure the fungal loads on each individual bat and a laser thermometer to measure the roosting temperature of the rocks next to each bat. Courtesy//Virginia Tech

By KENDALL DANIELS
Virginia Tech

Since 2006, a fungal disease called white-nose syndrome has caused sharp declines in bat populations across the eastern United States.

The fungus that causes the disease, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, Read More

Los Alamos High School Senior Named Top Scholar

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Karin Ebey

LAPS News:

Karin Ebey, a senior at Los Alamos High School, has been named one of the top 300 scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2021, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.

“I am really excited to be named one of the top 300 finalists,” Ebey said.

Her project title is Climate Change on Crocodilians: Modeling the Effects of Variations in Rainfall on Crocodilians and Their Ecosystems. On Jan. 21, 40 of the 300 scholars will be named Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists and compete for more than $1.8 million in awards Read More

DOE/NNSA: Los Alamos Field Office Proposes Facility For Isotope Production Used In Cancer Therapies

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DOE/NNSA News:

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Los Alamos Field Office has issued a categorical exclusion (CX) determination to construct and operate a Light Manufacturing Facility to support DOE/NNSA’s Isotope Production Program.

The Light Manufacturing Facility will be used to for the processing of alpha emitting isotopes that will be shipped throughout the country and be used for varying cancer therapies.

The CX is available here. Read More

LAHS Senior Karin Ebey Among Society For Science Top 300 Scholars In Regeneron Science Talent Search 2021

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SFS News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Society for Science (the Society) Thursday announced the top 300 scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2021, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.

Los Alamos High School senior Karin Ebey is among the winners for her project  Climate Change on Crocodilians: Modeling the Effects of Variations in Rainfall on Crocodilians and Their Ecosystem.

The 300 scholars and their schools will be awarded $2,000 each.

The Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars were selected from 1,760 applications received Read More

Amateur Naturalist: Eroded Rock, Grinding Stone, Or Sacred Stone?

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By ROBERT DRYJA
Los Alamos

Rocks of all shapes and sizes can seen while exploring the slopes of the Jemez Mountains. But some create puzzles when looked at closely.

Consider a slope rising gently through a wooded landscape toward a mountain peak. The trees are spread apart and the grass is short as a result of the shade.

It is easy to see relatively small boulders that are two to three feet across, have relatively flat surfaces and are grey in color. A different appearing boulder then appears, (Picture A).

Picture A: How did this pattern of holes develop in the boulder? Photo by Robert Dryja

This particular Read More

Rotary Hosts Dr. Sandy Farmer Of Pfizer Pharmaceutical

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By LINDA HULL
Vice President
Rotary Club of Los Alamos

Dr. Sandy Farmer of Pfizer Pharmaceutical was the featured speaker via Zoom at the Jan. 5 meeting of the Rotary Club of Los Alamos. 

In his presentation, How the COVID-19 Vaccine Came to Be: A Confluence of Innovation Along Many Dimensions, Farmer outlined the evolution of vaccine development. He explained that although the world’s first vaccine was administered in 1798 to reduce the spread of smallpox, it wasn’t until the late 1960s and into the 1970s that purified forms were steadily developed to eliminate use of live viruses which can generate Read More

Air Force Research Laboratory Engineer Award Winner Dr. Odell Reynolds Proclaims A First For U.S. Space Force

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Air Force Research Laboratory engineer Dr. Odell Reynolds speaks at the ceremony where Air Force Chief Scientist Dr. Richard Joseph presented him the 2019 Harold Brown Award. The ceremony was Dec. 16, 2020 at AFRL’s Starfire Optical Range on Kirtland AFB. U.S. Air Force photo by A1C Ireland R. Summers

AFRL News:

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE — Air Force Research Laboratory Senior Engineer Dr. Odell Reynolds received the 2019 Harold Brown Award from Chief Scientist of the Air Force Dr. Richard Joseph, in a ceremony Dec. 16, 2020 at AFRL’s Starfire Optical Range (SOR) on Kirtland Air Force Base.

The Harold Read More

Learn About The Sunrise Movement Of Northern New Mexico With PEEC’s Young Adult Advisory Group Sunday Jan. 10

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Join Zoe Hemez from the Sunrise Movement of Northern New Mexico and PEEC’s Young Adult Advisory Group for an introduction to the local chapter of the Sunrise Movement, 4 p.m. Sunday. Courtesy/PEEC

PEEC News:

Join the Pajarito Environmental Education Center’s (PEEC) Young Adult Advisory Group at 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 10, to learn about the local chapter of the Sunrise Movement.

Zoe Hemez from the Sunrise Movement of Northern New Mexico will give a brief overview of the Sunrise Movement’s mission and share some examples of work that has been done by the Northern New Mexico chapter at this event.

After Read More

Deepfakes: How They Deceive Us … How We Detect Them

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Science on Tap: Can you tell if a photo or video is generated by artificial intelligence? The Bradbury Science Museum invites the community to join Juston Moore virtually at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11 to learn about potential approaches to reduce the risks of AI-generated misinformation. To register, click here. Courtesy/BSM

Read More

Ghost Town In Playas Provides High-Tech Testing For AFRL

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AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate researchers setting up test equipment overlooking the Playas Research and Training Center in southern New Mexico. Courtesy/AFRL

AFRL NEWS:

KIRTLAND AFB — In a dusty ghost town in southern New Mexico, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is conducting some of its most important testing.

Located in Hidalgo County, Playas was once a bustling “corporate town” built by the Phelps Dodge Corporation to house the workforce of a copper smelter built in 1971.

The boom town was all but abandoned when copper prices fell in 1999, the smelter was closed, and most of its Read More