Advanced Studies Institute Promotes Creative Problem Solving Los Alamos National Lab 2026-09-21 | Advanced Studies Institute Promotes Creative Problem Solving
Life in Northern New Mexico Los Alamos National Lab 2023-11-01 | Los Alamos National Laboratory is located in beautiful northern New Mexico. See why employees have chosen to live here.
Welcome to RASS: Robotics and Automation Summer School at Los Alamos National Laboratory! Los Alamos National Lab 2023-10-06 | Join us on an exciting journey into the world of robotics, automation, coding, and practical engineering at the renowned Los Alamos National Laboratory! The Robotics and Automation Summer School (RASS) is a dynamic program designed to provide students with hands-on experience, fostering a passion for cutting-edge technology and innovation.
Challenge: Tomorrow - A STEM experience for teens in Northern New Mexico Los Alamos National Lab 2023-09-29 | Challenge: Tomorrow is a STEM experience for middle and high school teens that approaches Los Alamos National Laboratory science in a practical and engaging form. There are a variety of hands-on stations that demonstrate scientific research and/or mechanisms including a glove box, a mechanical arm and radiation detectors. The trailers have visited and continue to visit middle and high schools in northern New Mexico.
J. Robert Oppenheimer: Legacy (Part 3) Los Alamos National Lab 2023-09-11 | The National Security Research Center, Los Alamos National Laboratory's classified library, presents the second part of its documentary: "Oppenheimer: Science, Mission, Legacy." LA-UR-23-28460
J. Robert Oppenheimer: Mission (Part 2) Los Alamos National Lab 2023-09-11 | The National Security Research Center, Los Alamos National Laboratory's classified library, presents the second part of its documentary: "Oppenheimer: Science, Mission, Legacy." LA-UR-23-28460
J. Robert Oppenheimer: Science (Part 1) Los Alamos National Lab 2023-09-11 | The National Security Research Center, Los Alamos National Laboratory's classified library, presents the second part of its documentary: "Oppenheimer: Science, Mission, Legacy." LA-UR-23-28461
Asteroids named after two Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists Los Alamos National Lab 2023-08-23 | The planets bear the names of Roman gods, which puts Cathy Plesko and Wendy Caldwell in exalted company, as each of these Los Alamos National Laboratory planetary-defense scientists now has an asteroid named after them.The Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature published the names June 21 on behalf of the International Astronomical Union, dubbing asteroid 32105 “Plesko” and asteroid 32110 “Wendycaldwell.” Both were discovered in 2000.Plesko is the principal investigator for Planetary Defense and the program manager for Advanced Simulation and Computing Verification and Validation at the Laboratory. In her work, she models asteroid impacts and deflection techniques and leads a team that tests the accuracy of physics simulations done on the Laboratory’s supercomputers. A mathematician and planetary scientist, Caldwell leads the Lab’s modeling of 16 Psyche, an asteroid that will be visited by a NASA research mission in 2026. Caldwell’s expertise includes modeling impact and explosion craters in rocky and metal targets.'LA-UR-23-29617'
Why we are testing autonomous drones in the Arctic to improve future Mars research Los Alamos National Lab 2023-04-26 | A team from Los Alamos National Laboratory recently went to the Haughton Impact Crater on Devon Island, Canada. It is the largest uninhabited island in the world. Nina Lanza and her team tested autonomous drones in the frigid environment that is similar to Mars. 'LA-UR-23-24401'
Oppenheimer: Science, mission, legacy (trailer) Los Alamos National Lab 2023-04-19 | The Lab's National Security Research Center presents a documentary about J. Robert Oppenheimer. Coming July 2023.LA UR 23 23831
Continue your career at Los Alamos Los Alamos National Lab 2023-04-18 | A career at Los Alamos National Laboratory offers the best of work-life balance with fulfilling careers in support of national security on the backdrop of mountains and canyon mesas in Northern New Mexico.LA-UR-23-23998
Feb. 27 public town hall: Thom Mason and Ted Wyka Los Alamos National Lab 2023-03-08 | Viewers from around the region tuned in for this virtual public town hall featuring Laboratory Director Thom Mason and special guest Ted Wyka, manager of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Los Alamos Field Office.
Scientists disprove 100-year-old understanding of color perception Los Alamos National Lab 2023-02-23 | A new study corrects an important error in the 3D mathematical space developed by the Nobel Prize–winning physicist Erwin Schrödinger and others and used by scientists and industry for more than 100 years to describe how your eye distinguishes one color from another. discover.lanl.gov/news/0810-color-perception'LA-UR-23-21654'
A Conversation: Los Alamos + Black History with James Hollins Los Alamos National Lab 2023-02-23 | In honor of Black History Month, Laura McGuiness, a librarian at the Los Alamos National Security Research Center, talks with James Hollins about his experiences as one of very few Black staff working in nuclear weapons testing in the 1980s. Hollins shares his memories, talks about adversity, and explains his calling to serve his country in a technology-driven career in support of national security.'LA-UR-23-21650'
Predicting sea level rise caused by the accelerating Greenland ice sheet melt Los Alamos National Lab 2022-12-06 | Rising sea levels from melting glaciers and ice sheets pose an increasing threat to coastal communities worldwide. A new analysis of high-resolution satellite observations takes a major step forward in assessing this risk by confirming theoretical predictions and computational models of sea-level changes used to forecast climate-change-driven impacts.“Using sea-surface-height observations from satellites, in the way we have, independently verifies observations of Arctic and Greenland ice-mass loss and allows us to tease apart contributions to global sea-level rise from individual ice sheets and glacier systems," said Sophie Coulson, a postdoctoral researcher in fluid dynamics and geophysics at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Coulson is lead author of a paper in the journal Science on detecting the “fingerprint” of sea-level change attributable to the melting of the Greenland ice sheet. “Accurately predicting regional patterns of sea-level change is absolutely central to understanding the impacts of future climate change and forecasting hazards.”Read the news release here. discover.lanl.gov/news/0929-sea-level-changeLA-UR-22-32255'
Veterans continue their missions at Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos National Lab 2022-11-12 | Veterans add tremendous value to the Laboratory in all capacities including leadership, mission focus, determination and experience getting things done. Our Veterans Employee Resource Group shares in this video.LA-UR-22-29968
Can a new type of breathalyzer measure a persons fatigue level? Los Alamos National Lab 2022-11-09 | Imagine showing up for work and being checked for fatigue. It might sound like an inconvenience, but if you’re a soldier, a surgeon, a first responder or a truck driver it could be life-saving for you or for others. Chronic fatigue can slow a person’s reaction time and reduce their alertness — resulting in workplace errors and injuries.Los Alamos scientists and collaborators at the University of New Mexico were recently awarded a grant from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and are working to make this kind of screening possible.'LA-UR-22-28703'
How monitoring beer with sound can produce better brew Los Alamos National Lab 2022-10-18 | Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory met with craft breweries in the Denver area in 2021 and asked what problems they faced. What would make brewing easier and more efficient? The ability to monitor fermentation stood out as a key issue.The solution? An acoustic sensor system, SoniView, that uses sound waves to monitor the fermentation process. A transducer attached to one side of the vat sends sound waves to a sensor attached to the opposite side. Converted into an electric signal and fed into an oscilloscope and computer, the data allows beer brewers uninterrupted monitoring of their batch, with no interruptions.For more information on SoniView:lanl.gov/projects/feynman-center/deploying-innovation/SoniView.php'LA-UR-22-30798'
NASAs DART spacecraft nudges small asteroid to test deflection method Los Alamos National Lab 2022-09-22 | NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission is underway! On September 26th, 2022 a kinetic impactor will strike Dimorphos, a small asteroid orbiting a larger asteroid, Didymos. The goal is to change the orbital path of Dimorphos. Cathy Plesko, a Planetary Defense Scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, explains the method they are testing to deflect the asteroid. If successful, Dimorphos' orbit around Didymos should change by about 10 minutes. 'LA-UR-22-29749'
Why prescribed burns are still necessary Los Alamos National Lab 2022-08-19 | Adam Atchley, a Hydrologist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, explains why prescribed fires are still necessary. Fire is a natural part of certain ecosystems and removing fire from them is like removing rain from a rain forest. Climate change is altering how prescribed burns are approved and makes it more tricky, but at the same time, more necessary.'LA-UR-22-27839'
New study overturns 100-year-old understanding of color perception Los Alamos National Lab 2022-08-15 | A Los Alamos team corrects math that has been used by scientists, including Nobel Prize-winning physicist Erwin Schrödinger, to describe how your eye distinguishes one color from another. DETAILS: discover.lanl.gov/news/0810-color-perceptionLA-UR-22-28330
10 years on Mars: The Curiosity rovers journey Los Alamos National Lab 2022-08-05 | It has been 10 years since the Curiosity rover landed on the surface of Mars. Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists Nina Lanza (principal investigator for ChemCam) and Sam Clegg (co-principal investigator on ChemCam) talk about the purpose and accomplishments of the ongoing Curiosity mission.'LA-UR-22-28138'
When Wildfire Meets Water: Its Complicated Los Alamos National Lab 2022-07-08 | Adam Atchley, a hydrologist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, explains the after-effects of a wildfire in terms of hydrological impacts. Monsoon season immediately after a wildfire increases chances of flooding and runoff. Adam explains why that is.'LA-UR-22-26379'
How a particle accelerator works Los Alamos National Lab 2022-06-10 | In early June 1972, the world’s most intense proton beam was delivered through nearly a mile of vacuum tanks at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, or LANSCE. As the facility has evolved over five decades, that proton beam is now delivered to five state-of-the-art experimental areas, including the Isotope Production Facility. The Isotope Production Facility excels in the basic science and applied engineering needed to produce and purify useful isotopes that can then be produced at scale in the marketplace. In the fight against cancer, recent and current clinical trials are yielding promising results with the short-lived isotope actinium-225, which delivers high-energy radiation to a cancer tumor without greatly affecting the surrounding tissue.'LA-UR-22-25259'
Monitoring air quality around the Cerro Pelado fire Los Alamos National Lab 2022-05-26 | Los Alamos National Laboratory has 25 stations around the perimeter of the site that continuously monitor the air, making it among the most thoroughly monitored air in the world. During events such as wildfire, the Laboratory conducts extra sampling in order to perform specialized analyses or more rapid evaluations. The Lab has about 10 high-volume sample locations; three of which are currently running to characterize the nearby wildfire smoke. Three additional sites will go operational if the Laboratory and Los Alamos County evacuate. These look for radioactive and other potentially hazardous airborne releases. These monitors have detected no hazardous airborne release as of a result of the Cerro Pelado Fire. 'LA-UR-22-24530'
Fire mitigation efforts at Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos National Lab 2022-05-24 | Building on lessons learned from the Las Conchas fire, Los Alamos National Laboratory's Wildland Fire team has actively managed the forest around the Lab property for many years. Fire mitigation efforts greatly increased during the last three years. Those efforts have continued during the Cerro Pelado fire in order to protect facilities and the surrounding communities. LA-UR-22-24637
Using x-rays to analyze New Mexico state artifacts Los Alamos National Lab 2022-04-12 | The Coronado Historic Site in Bernalillo, NM received a Community Technical Assistance grant from Los Alamos National Laboratory. Two New Mexico state artifacts were provided to the laboratory to be analyzed. X-ray analysis techniques were used to study the morphology, shape, composition and atomic information. One of the artifacts was a copper quarrel (arrowhead) that provides evidence of Coronado's presence in the area.More information on the Community Technical Assistance grant and how to apply:lanl.gov/community/cta.php'LA-UR-22-23181'
Pursuing a green energy future with carbon capture and storage Los Alamos National Lab 2022-03-31 | As the urgency increases to head off the worst effects of climate change, the airwaves and internet are buzzing with talk about how carbon capture and storage support various strategies to keep excess carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. What’s often missing from the discussion, though, is the science of how it works and how capturing and storing CO2 can make a huge difference as the economy shifts from dependence on oil and gas to renewable alternatives. 'LA-UR-22-22362'
Simulating Impact Craters on Asteroids Los Alamos National Lab 2022-02-10 | A few billion years ago, a rogue object slammed into the asteroid called 16 Psyche, gouging out a crater roughly four miles deep and 33 miles wide. A new visualization by Los Alamos National Laboratory brings the impact to life, helping planetary scientists study the asteroid’s composition, learn more about how the planets were formed, and refine methods for knocking an asteroid off-course if it were headed toward Earth. 'LA-UR-22-21066'
A Common Goal Los Alamos National Lab 2022-02-09 | Los Alamos National Laboratory brings together some of the greatest minds to solve some of the biggest challenges.LA-UR-22-21122
New world record megaflash Los Alamos National Lab 2022-02-02 | Michael Peterson at Los Alamos National Laboratory has detected two world-record lightning “megaflashes.” The longest-distance flash was detected in the southern United States on April 29, 2020 and spanned more than 477 miles from Mississippi to Texas. The longest-duration lightning strike was detected over Uruguay on June 18, 2020 and lasted 17.1 seconds.'LA-UR-22-20726'
Time-lapse: LANL parking garage construction Los Alamos National Lab 2022-01-20 | A new parking garage at Los Alamos National Laboratory opened in summer 2021. The structure features 450 new parking spaces on three floors, and includes charging stations for electric vehicles and designated spots for motorcycles. This fun time-lapse shows as its built from the ground up — all in less than 2 minutes.LA-UR-22-20414
HPC Makes National Security Possible Los Alamos National Lab 2022-01-18 | High Performance Computing enables Los Alamos National Laboratory to deliver unsurpassed solutions to complex problems'LA-UR-21-32228'
Determining asteroid 16 Psyches material composition Los Alamos National Lab 2022-01-13 | A few billion years ago, a rogue object slammed into the asteroid called 16 Psyche, gouging out a crater roughly four miles deep and 33 miles wide. A new visualization by Los Alamos National Laboratory brings the impact to life, helping planetary scientists study the asteroid’s composition, learn more about how the planets were formed, and refine methods for knocking an asteroid off-course if it were headed toward Earth. Supercomputer simulations aid in predicting the composition based on the shape of a large impact crater observed by radar. The simulation shows an impactor striking Psyche modeled as a hexagonally packed rubble pile. Square packing of the rubble pile material failed to accurately reproduce the actual crater shape observed on Psyche, but hexagonal packing was a very close match. 'LA-UR-22-20275'
Los Alamos National Laboratory assists in locating local subsurface spring Los Alamos National Lab 2022-01-05 | 'LA-UR-21-30132'
Studying Climate Change in the Arctic Los Alamos National Lab 2021-10-29 | In the Arctic, climate shifts are rapidly changing ecosystems, resulting in large feedbacks between snow, vegetation, and permafrost. Thicker snow leads to warmer permafrost because a deeper snowpack will insulate the ground from the frigid Arctic winter. Because shrubs tend to capture and hold snow, researchers find the warmest temperatures beneath the shrubs, along with warming permafrost. In fact, underneath the shrubs and deep snow, windows—called taliks—into the permafrost will develop, allowing more water, energy, and nutrients to flow into the permafrost, speeding up the rate of warming and thawing. 'LA-UR-21-30501'
3D models reveal hidden process in X chromosome inactivation Los Alamos National Lab 2021-10-14 | Using new, supercomputer-driven three-dimensional (3D) dynamic modeling, researchers can now probe the process that turns off one X chromosome in female mammal embryos. This new capability is helping biologists understand the role of RNA and the chromosome’s structure in the X inactivation process, leading to a deeper understanding of gene expression and opening new pathways to drug treatments for gene-based disorders and diseases.LA-UR-21-29378
Conversations Podcast: Hispanic Heritage Month with Dimas Chavez Los Alamos National Lab 2021-10-04 | Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with stories from Dimas Chavez, who moved to Los Alamos as a child in 1943 when his father got a job at what is today Los Alamos National Laboratory.In his conversation with archivist-historian Madeline Whitacre, Chavez shares his memories of living in wartime Los Alamos, including selling newspapers at one of the Lab’s technical areas to Director J. Robert Oppenheimer, who was a regular customer and always gave Chavez a nickel or dime tip, and how his mom traded cooking lessons for his English lessons from the scientists’ wives.'LA-UR-21-29680'
How DARHT Works - the Worlds Most Powerful X-ray Machine Los Alamos National Lab 2021-09-30 | The Dual Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test (DARHT) facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory is an essential scientific tool that supports Stockpile Stewardship at the Laboratory. The World's most powerful x-ray machine, it's used to take high-speed images of mock nuclear devices - data that is used to confirm and modify advanced computer codes in assuring the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear deterrent. 'LA UR 19 30233'
Breaking the Cycle of Plastic Pollution, Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos National Lab 2021-09-30 | The plastic we use today in staggering amounts takes more than 400 years to degrade, but imagine if it could be replaced with a sustainable, environmentally friendly version?Los Alamos National Laboratory’s biochemist Taraka Dale believes it’s possible - and soon. Dale will explore how the Lab and its partners are using R&D 100 award-winning smart microbial cell technology to upcycle today’s plastic trash and design degradable plastics for the future. This groundbreaking work is part of the Department of Energy’s new Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment, aka the BOTTLE program.'LA-UR-21-29567'
LANL Machinist Apprentice Program Los Alamos National Lab 2021-09-24 | See how a special program provides participants with unique on-the-job training using precision machining on specialized equipment. Graduates acquire all the skills they need for employment as machinists at the Laboratory. LA-UR-21-28305
Securing the food chain with microbiomes Los Alamos National Lab 2021-09-20 | A plant, in its natural environment, is part of a rich ecosystem that includes microorganisms called microbes. These microbes include bacteria and fungi that are paramount to a plant’s growth and performance. But in northern and central New Mexico, the soil tends to be thick and clay-like, lacking in diverse microorganisms, and one of the reasons rain water infiltrates the soil so poorly. (If you’ve tried planting flowers in this type of soil, you’ve no doubt watched the flower quickly wilt.) This is one reason why it’s critical to develop methods to improve soil and drought tolerance of plants. discover.lanl.gov/news/stories/0917-microbiomes 'LA-UR-21-28333'
The Hazmat Robot keeps workers safe Los Alamos National Lab 2021-07-28 | LANL’s Emergency Response Hazmat team uses a new robot to approach hazardous material. The robot has a mechanical arm that can reach out and grab items and even open doors. Since the user operates the robot from a distance, the team stays safe!'LA-UR-21-27100'
The Blowfly: Pest or scientific asset? Los Alamos National Lab 2021-07-01 | Researchers at Texas A&M and Los Alamos National Laboratory are studying whether blowflies can be used as environmental monitors.LA-UR-21-26191
Quantum machine learning hits a limit Los Alamos National Lab 2021-06-30 | Entanglement is a unique feature of quantum mechanics. With entanglement, atomic-scale particles are interconnected. Actions performed on one particle similarly affect their entangled partners. That happens even if they’re far apart. And even if some go into a black hole. The Hayden-Preskill thought experiment says that if someone has a system entangled with the black hole, they should be able to recover the information from it. But a new theorem by researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory says restoring that data is going to be very difficult or even impossible, after all. 'LA-UR-21-26067'
Meet the American Indian Employee Resource Group Los Alamos National Lab 2021-06-28 | Members of the American Indian Employee Resource Group talk about their work and experiences at Los Alamos National Laboratory.LA-UR-21-25487
A quick bike ride in Northern New Mexico with Lab Director Thom Mason Los Alamos National Lab 2021-06-19 | LANL's director is also an avid cyclist! Join Thom Mason for a short video ride, in which he muses about his 17-year biking gap, how cyclists can channel their inner car drivers during June’s #NationalSafetyMonth (and always!), and why Northern New Mexico is the among the very best places to ride.LA-UR-21-25218
Mapping the Heliosphere for the first time Los Alamos National Lab 2021-06-10 | For the first time, the boundary of the heliosphere has been mapped, giving scientists a better understanding of how solar and interstellar winds interact. The heliosphere is a bubble created by the solar wind, a stream of mostly protons, electrons, and alpha particles that extends from the Sun into interstellar space and protects the Earth from harmful interstellar radiation.Dan Reisenfeld and a team of other scientists used data from NASA’s Earth-orbiting Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) satellite, which detects particles that come from the heliosheath, the boundary layer between the solar system and interstellar space. The team was able to map the edge of this zone —a region called the heliopause. Here, the solar wind, which pushes out toward interstellar space, collides with the interstellar wind, which pushes in towards the Sun. LA-UR-21-25385
