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Physical and Life Sciences
Speeding up detection of climate change response to emission reductions
If humans decrease their greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere, how quickly would we detect a slowdown in global warming? In a recent study published in Nature Communications, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) climate scientist Mark Zelinka and collaborators developed a novel approach to more quickly see the temperature response to strong emissions…
LLNL garners 'A' grade in OPCW environmental test
Even after taking highly stressful exams in college, grades can still be important. Just ask researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) Forensic Science Center (FSC). Every fall, chemists and other researchers from the FSC spend two weeks of long days undertaking the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) environmental proficiency…
Americans move to more solar and wind power in 2021
The national economy is reenergizing, quite literally. In 2021, Americans used 5% more energy than in 2020, according to the most recent energy flow charts released by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Each year, LLNL releases flow charts that illustrate the nation's consumption and use of energy. In 2021, Americans used 97.3 quads (quadrillion BTU) of energy,…
Three Lab postdocs selected to attend the 71st annual Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting
Three Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) postdoctoral appointees have been selected to attend the 71st annual Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting in Germany this summer thanks to the University of California President’s 2022 Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings Fellows Program. The three selected to attend are Magi Mettry, Johanna Schwartz and Dane Sterbentz. The Lindau…
A Watery Detective Story
As with most mysteries, this one starts with a puzzling scene: a waterlogged field situated near Lawrence Livermore and Sandia national laboratories in Livermore, California. The property belongs to Wente Vineyards, a winery in the region, whose establishment predates the Laboratory by nearly 100 years. How the water got there and why was unclear, but the most likely…
Science on Saturday lectures break down the CO<sub>2</sub> problem
Throughout the month of February, scientists from the Physical and Life Sciences (PLS) directorate virtually participated in three of the four 2022 Science on Saturday (SOS) lectures, presenting on the theme “Energy and the Environment.” The SOS lecture series is an annual collaboration between scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and staff members…
Hydrogen storage reactions reveal a complex dance toward faster uptake
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have simulated the hydrogen storage reactions in a promising material and discovered why hydrogen uptake slows as the material absorbs hydrogen, providing insight that could be used for improvements. Improving hydrogen storage in solid-state materials depends on a better understanding of multistep chemical reactions…
White House summit celebrates fusion milestones, discusses 'bold' 10-year plan for commercialization
Recent scientific advancements in fusion, combined with increasing private investments and the urgent need to address climate change, mean the “time is now” for accelerating fusion energy commercialization, fusion experts said at a White House summit on March 17. Hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE…
Paving the way to tailor-made carbon nanomaterials and more accurate energetic materials modeling
Carbon exhibits a remarkable tendency to form nanomaterials with unusual physical and chemical properties, arising from its ability to engage in different bonding states. Many of these “next-generation” nanomaterials, which include nanodiamonds, nanographite, amorphous nanocarbon and nano-onions, are currently being studied for possible applications spanning quantum…
LLNL study on tumor/immune cell interaction could impact cancer immunotherapies
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists exploring the interaction between cancer cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) — the “scaffolding” of organs — found that proteins in the ECM can dramatically impact the immune system’s ability to kill tumors. Researchers said the findings, published online in the journal Biomaterials, could represent a novel…
Holographic plasma lenses for ultra-high-power lasers
In the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the world’s highest-energy laser system, a complex series of glass optics — including amplifiers, mirrors, wavelength converters and focusing lenses — strengthens and guides the laser light to its destination. Over the years, researchers have developed and refined these optics so they can withstand the intense energies generated by…
LLNL constructing high-power laser for new experimental facility at SLAC
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s decades of leadership in developing high-energy lasers is being tapped to provide a key component of a major upgrade to SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory’s Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). Over the next several years, LLNL’s Advanced Photon Technologies (APT) program will design and construct one of the world’s most powerful…
Machine learning model finds COVID-19 risks for cancer patients
If a cancer patient tests positive for COVID-19, are they more likely to become hospitalized from the disease? That depends on certain risk factors, according to a new study by researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), who looked to identify cancer-related risks for poor outcomes from COVID-19…
NIF helps unravel mysteries of heat conduction in galaxy clusters
An international team led by scientists from the University of Oxford Department of Physics, the University of Rochester and the University of Chicago turned to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) National Ignition Facility (NIF) to help unravel the inner workings of heat conduction in clusters of galaxies — the largest structures in the universe. These…
LLNL scientists confirm thermonuclear fusion in a sheared-flow Z-pinch
In findings that could help advance another “viable pathway” to fusion energy, research led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) physicists has proven the existence of neutrons produced through thermonuclear reactions from a sheared-flow stabilized Z-pinch device. The researchers used advanced computer modeling techniques and diagnostic measurement devices…
Dead or alive: microorganisms in soil shape the global carbon cycle
Whether dead or alive, soil microorganisms play a major role in the biogeochemical cycling of carbon in the terrestrial biosphere. But what is the specific role of death for the bacteria, fungi and microfauna that make up the soil microbiome? That is the topic of a new review by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and collaborators. The article,…
Study finds new biomarkers that could assist in identifying deep-space flight risks
An international team of scientists has found new biomarkers that can be used for diagnostic purposes and potentially as predictive tools of the risks associated with deep-space flight. In their study, the team, including three researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), examined approximately two-decade-old blood samples from space shuttle astronauts…
GEOSX Simulates Carbon Dioxide Storage
Since the Industrial Revolution, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels have continued to rise. While oceans, plants, and soils can sequester some of this CO2 naturally, they cannot capture and remove it all, causing the excess to make its way into the atmosphere. Long-term storage solutions are needed to address the surplus—a contributor to climate change—and help the…
Mission Fulfillment with Exponential Impact
The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Early Career Research Program (ECRP) aims to bolster the nation’s scientific workforce by providing support to exceptional researchers at U.S. academic institutions and DOE’s national laboratories during their early career years. Annually, ECRP provides research funding to full-time staff in their first 10 years post-doctorate.
Understanding hot-spot conditions in experiments at the National Ignition Facility
Research conducted at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) describes a validation exercise for simple models used to understand hot-spot conditions reached in an implosion, which find good agreement when compared to a set of simulations. Progress toward ignition requires accurately diagnosing current conditions and assessing proximity metrics for implosion…
