Back
Physical and Life Sciences
Mapping cosmic shear to illuminate dark energy
Gravitational lensing often evokes images of a cosmic funhouse mirror: duplicated galaxies, dramatic arcs and distorted shapes. But the web-like, large-scale structure throughout the universe also bends light in a weaker, less obvious way. This phenomenon, known as cosmic shear, can provide clues about the role of dark energy in shaping the universe. In a recent study…
Mimicking nature’s biological membrane channels
Researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the University of Washington (UW) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have successfully designed and tested de novo (from the beginning) synthetic protein channels that mimic the natural precision of biological membrane pores. Their research, appearing on the front cover of the January 2025 issue…
‘Science on Saturday’ heads to Tracy in March
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL's) popular outreach series, “Science on Saturday,” will continue its programming in 2025 with the theme “Up in the Air” at the Grand Theatre Center for the Arts in Tracy, California. Designed to engage middle- and high-school students, the event will take place on Saturday, March 22, starting at 10 a.m. and lasting for one…
Mapping immune cell response to Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus
Researchers in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) Bioscience and Biotechnology Division have made significant progress in understanding how our immune systems respond to the Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), a highly infectious pathogen and weaponizable biothreat that causes neurological disease in humans. The research, published in Frontiers in…
Order to disorder: a closer look at icy surfaces
Much like a tongue freezes to a frigid metal pole, ice can cause speed up the adsorption, or stickiness, of molecules. An icy surface can also cause molecules to degrade in the presence of light, releasing trace gases. Before researchers can measure these reactions and incorporate their impacts in global atmospheric models, researchers first need to understand the…
Sizing up the ever-elusive neutrino
About 100 trillion neutrinos are passing through your body at this very second. The particles are the second most abundant form of matter in the universe (behind light), but they interact very, very rarely. That property makes them ideal objects for studying the fundamentals of quantum mechanics; however, it also complicates measurements. For example, neutrinos were…
Breaking down corrosion to predict failure and design stronger materials
You’ve seen the movie scene: dilapidated skyscrapers, collapsed bridges, and empty, shell-like cars in a post-apocalyptic city. While Hollywood imagines fictional causes for this decay, in reality, the culprit is far more mundane: corrosion. Corrosion costs trillions of dollars globally, with up to three percent of the U.S. GDP spent on failing materials. New research from…
Research provides insights into aluminum’s optical properties
Aluminum is an important material for a variety of scientific and technological applications, including plasma physics, astrophysics, semiconductor photolithography, and instrumentation for short wavelengths (ultraviolet [UV], extreme ultraviolet [EUV], and x-ray). Despite this common use—and a wealth of experimental data about aluminum—there is still a lack of accurate…
LLNL to examine exoplanet atmospheres with high-performance computing
The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the largest, most powerful and most complex telescope ever launched into space. Three years into its operations, JWST is revolutionizing our understanding of planets beyond our own solar system by collecting rich datasets on the atmospheres of these far-away worlds. However, data alone is not enough to understand our…
Big Ideas Lab unlocks the secrets of drug discovery through supercomputing and AI
In the world of medicine, the journey from ancient practices to modern pharmaceuticals is both fascinating and complex. The latest episode of the Big Ideas Lab podcast delves into the evolution of drug discovery, and how cutting-edge computing technologies and industry partnerships are transforming the way we develop life-saving medications. Historically, the quest for…
Assessing groundwater contamination risks near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
As the war in Ukraine continues, the risk of environmental disasters grows, particularly around critical infrastructure like the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). LLNL and collaborators recently conducted a study, published in ACS EST Water, to assess the vulnerability of groundwater contamination in the region surrounding the nuclear power plant, using a model…
Four LLNL teams to attend Energy I-Corps Cohort 20
In a record setting year for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), four teams of LLNL researchers will attend the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy I-Corps (EIC) Cohort 20 this spring. The EIC is a key initiative of the DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions, and facilitated at LLNL by Hannah Farquar from the Innovation and Partnerships Office (IPO). Established…
Quantum computers successfully model particle scattering
Scattering takes place across the universe at large and miniscule scales. Billiard balls clank off each other in bars, the nuclei of atoms collide to power the stars and create heavy elements, and even sound waves deviate from their original trajectory when they hit particles in the air. Understanding such scattering can lead to discoveries about the forces that govern the…
New program aims to fast-track energetic materials education for researchers
More than 80 physicists, chemists, material scientists and engineers participated in a new educational program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) during 2024, developed and delivered by the Lab’s energetic materials experts. As hiring at LLNL accelerated in recent years, Lab leaders recognized the growing need to provide specialized training for newer members…
Assessing adverse neurological effects of wildfire smoke inhalation
Following the devastating fires that swept through Los Angeles in January, concerns are on the rise about the long-term health impacts of smoke inhalation. In a study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the Environmental Protection Agency seek to close the knowledge gap on how…
LLNL researchers quantify metal strength uncertainty in high-explosives models
For the first time, a team of researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) quantified and rigorously studied the effect of metal strength on accurately modeling coupled metal/high explosive (HE) experiments, shedding light on an elusive variable in an important model for national security and defense applications. The team used a Bayesian approach to…
LLNL supports CO2 storage in California’s delta
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) has awarded $6 million to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers, as part of a $45.2 million award to a team led by Pelican Renewables LLC, to develop a regional CO2 storage hub in California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in California. The funding came through FECM’s…
Identifying material properties for more efficient solid-state batteries
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have developed a novel, integrated modeling approach to identify and improve key interface and microstructural features in complex materials typically used for advanced batteries. The work helped unravel the relationship between material microstructure and key properties and better predict how those properties…
LLNL hosts Nuclear Science and Security Consortium workshop
Once a year, a community of university professors, students and national lab researchers who focus on nuclear science and security gather to share research updates and develop collaborations, among other tasks. The group — known as the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium (NSSC) — recently held its workshop at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The NSSC…
Big Ideas Lab Podcast takes on earthquakes and nuclear explosions
What do an earthquake, a mine collapse and a nuclear explosion have in common? Learn the answer to this question and more on a new episode of the Big Ideas Lab Podcast from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The episode provides insights into how Lab scientists monitor seismic activities such as earthquakes and nuclear explosions to ensure the safety of people…
