Los Alamos National Laboratory (DOE)
Scientists get inside look at how AIDS virus grooms its assault team
April 1, 2013 1:20 pm | News | Comments
A new study by a team of scientists defines previously unknown properties of transmitted HIV-1, the virus that causes AIDS. The viruses that successfully pass from a chronically infected person to a new individual are both remarkably resistant to a powerful initial human immune-response mechanism, and they are blanketed in a greater amount of envelope protein that helps them access and enter host cells.
Scientists get inside look at how AIDS virus grooms its assault team
April 1, 2013 1:20 pm | News | Comments
A new study by a team of scientists defines previously unknown properties of...
End of the line for Roadrunner supercomputer
April 1, 2013 11:00 am | by Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press | News | Comments
Still among the 25 fastest supercomputers in the world, the $121 million Roadrunner at...
Quantum cryptography put to work for electric grid security
February 15, 2013 11:25 am | News | Comments
Recently, a Los Alamos National Laboratory quantum cryptography (QC) team successfully completed...
Sequoia supercomputer transitions to classified work
April 18, 2013 8:05 am | News | CommentsThe National Nuclear Security Administration announced that its Sequoia supercomputer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has completed its transition to classified computing in support of the Stockpile Stewardship Program, which helps the United States ensure the safety, security, and effectiveness of its aging nuclear weapons stockpile without the use of underground testing.
Antibody evolution could guide HIV vaccine development
April 6, 2013 3:25 pm | News | CommentsObserving the evolution of a particular type of antibody in an infected HIV-1 patient has provided insights that will enable vaccination strategies that mimic the actual antibody development within the body. Spearheaded by Duke University, the multi-institution study included analysis from Los Alamos National Laboratory and used high-energy X-rays from the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory.
Metamaterials provide active control of slow-light devices
February 13, 2013 10:49 am | News | CommentsWireless communications and optical computing could soon get a significant boost in speed, thanks to “slow light” and specialized metamaterials through which it travels. Researchers have made the first demonstration of rapidly switching on and off “slow light” in specially designed materials at room temperature. This work opens the possibility to design novel, chip-scale, ultrafast devices for applications in terahertz wireless communications and all-optical computing.
New process speeds conversion of biomass to fuels
February 8, 2013 8:57 am | News | CommentsScientists made a major step forward recently towards transforming biomass-derived molecules into fuels. The team led by Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers elucidated the chemical mechanism of the critical steps, which can be performed under relatively mild, energy-efficient conditions.
Laser research shows promise for cancer treatment
August 20, 2012 9:25 am | News | CommentsScientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have observed, for the first time, how a laser penetrates dense, electron-rich plasma to generate ions. The process has applications for developing next generation particle accelerators and new cancer treatments.
ChemCam laser sets its sights on first Martian target
August 17, 2012 10:08 am | News | CommentsMembers of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover ChemCam team have received the first photos from the instrument's remote microimager. The successful capture of ChemCam's first 10 photos sets the stage for the first test bursts of the instrument's rock-zapping laser in the near future.
Research provides new insights into actinide electronic structure
August 10, 2012 5:20 am | News | CommentsA team of researchers studying the fundamental properties of the actinide elements has significantly advanced the understanding of the electronic structure of elements that have electrons occupying f-orbitals.
HIV immunity study could pave way for vaccine development
July 17, 2012 9:33 am | News | CommentsTwo Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists are among the team recently funded to explore ways to create the precise immune factors needed for effective vaccines against HIV. The Duke University-led consortium will largely concentrate on inducing broadly neutralizing antibodies that can prevent HIV-1 infection, as well as on generating protective T-cell and innate immune system responses.
World record neutron beam
July 11, 2012 5:51 am | News | CommentsUsing a one-of-a-kind laser system at Los Alamos National Laboratory, scientists have created the largest neutron beam ever made by a short-pulse laser, breaking a world record. To create the neutron beam the scientists used the TRIDENT laser to focus high-intensity light on an ultrathin plastic sheet infused with an isotope of hydrogen called deuterium.
Scientists observe electrons become both heavy and speedy
June 14, 2012 3:42 am | News | CommentsA Princeton University-led team of scientists has shown how electrons moving in certain solids can behave as though they are a thousand times more massive than free electrons, yet at the same time act as speedy superconductors.
Research identifies precise measurement of radiation damage
June 5, 2012 6:42 am | News | CommentsLawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers have for the first time identified a precise measurement of the amount of radiation damage that will occur in any given material. With a full understanding of the early stages of the radiation damage process, researchers are provided with better knowledge and tools to manipulate materials to our advantage.
Manhattan Project scientist Cowan dies at 92
April 23, 2012 8:29 am | by Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press | News | CommentsOne of the few people to know the various components of the first atomic bombs, George Cowan would become one of the leading nuclear researchers in the country and a fixture at Los Alamos National Laboratory for nearly 40 years. Still working with nonprofit science institute he helped found, he died Friday as the result of a fall at his home.
Cyber security exercise puts laboratories to the test
April 13, 2012 4:40 am | News | CommentsRecently, Los Alamos National Laboratory hosted an information security exercise dubbed "Eventide" that put more than 100 participants from around the country into a maelstrom of sensitive data leaks and cracked network security. It’s hoped such trials by fire prepare the Department of Energy’s facilities to cope with eventual compromises of cyber integrity.
Magnetic field researchers achieve hundred-tesla goal
March 23, 2012 8:58 am | News | CommentsDuring a six-experiment pulse this week, the previous world record for laboratory-produced magnetic fields was broken by Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers. The hundred-tesla field, about 2 million times Earth’s magnetic field was produced with the help of a 1,200-MJ motor generator.
Oxygen detected in atmosphere of Saturn's moon Dione
March 5, 2012 3:40 am | News | CommentsLos Alamos National Laboratory scientists and an international research team have announced discovery of molecular oxygen ions in the upper-most atmosphere of Dione, one of the 62 known moons orbiting the ringed planet. The research was made possible by instruments aboard NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which was launched in 1997.
LEDs go ultraviolet with nanocrystal core
February 27, 2012 3:49 am | News | CommentsA multinational team of scientists has developed a process for creating glass-based, inorganic light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that produce light in the ultraviolet range. If successfully integrated into biomedical devices, these would be the first robust, cheap to produce, and chemically stable LEDs to operate in the medically-useful UV spectrum.
Mysterious electron acceleration explained
February 27, 2012 2:48 am | by David L. Chandler, MIT News Office | News | CommentsA mysterious phenomenon detected by space probes has finally been explained, thanks to a massive computer simulation that was able to precisely align with details of spacecraft observations. The finding could not only solve an astrophysical puzzle, but might also lead to a better ability to predict high-energy electron streams in space that could damage satellites.
Tiny quantum dots hold promise for future source of lighting
January 12, 2012 3:25 am | News | CommentsUniversity of Texas at Dallas researchers are making strides in understanding the workings of quantum dots. These nanosized particles could be used in a variety of ways ranging from illuminating the human body in high-tech medical imaging to increasing the efficiency of energy sources.
Nanotube 'glow sticks' transform surface science tool kit
January 11, 2012 3:48 am | News | CommentsMany physical and chemical processes necessary for biology and chemistry occur at the interface of water and solid surfaces. Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory have now shown that semiconducting carbon nanotubes have the potential to detect and track single molecules in water.
Economy, Energy, and Entrepreneurship
December 15, 2011 4:13 am | by R&D Editors | Articles | CommentsFederally funded research can be a solution to some of the nation's top challenges, say government laboratory executives.
Economy, Energy, and Entrepreneurship: Los Alamos National Laboratory
December 15, 2011 3:54 am | by R&D Editors | Articles | CommentsLos Alamos National Laboratory's David Pesiri speaks on topics including funding, peer review, entrepreneurship, nanotechnology research, and communicating research missions in a social networking environment.
Proton beam experiments open new areas of research
December 5, 2011 3:34 am | News | CommentsBy focusing proton beams using high-intensity lasers, a team of scientists have discovered a new way to heat material and create new states of matter in the laboratory.
Christmas burst reveals neutron star collision
December 2, 2011 3:14 am | News | CommentsA strangely powerful, long-lasting gamma-ray burst on Christmas Day, 2010 has finally been analyzed to the satisfaction of a multinational research team. Called the Christmas Burst, GRB 101225A was freakishly lengthy and it produced radiation at unusually varying wavelengths.
Los Alamos instrument to shine light on Mars habitability
November 29, 2011 4:51 am | News | CommentsWith the successful launch of the Mars Science Laboratory on Saturday, Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers and scientists from the French space institute IRAP are poised to begin focusing the energy of a million light bulbs on the surface of the Red Planet to help determine whether Mars was or is habitable.
Is sustainability science really a science?
November 28, 2011 4:07 am | News | CommentsThe idea that one can create a field of science out of thin air—just because of societal and policy need—is a bold concept. But for the emerging field of sustainability science, sorting among theoretical and applied scientific disciplines, making sense of potentially divergent theory, practice, and policy, the gamble has paid off.
