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Physical and Life Sciences
Association between virus, bladder cancers detected using Lawrence Livermore technology
A Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)-developed biological detection technology has been employed as part of an international collaboration that has detected a virus in bladder cancers.The research, performed in conjunction with scientists from the University of Split in Croatia, LLNL and the University of Jordan in Amman is believed to be the first study to…
Early solar system garnet-like mineral named for Livermore cosmochemist
A recently discovered mineral appears to be clear but may have a tinge of light blue. No matter its color, you won't be able to make earrings from it.For one, you can't see the material with the naked eye. Hutcheonite, recently named after Lawrence Livermore meteorite researcher Ian Hutcheon, can be seen only with high powered scanning electron microscopes.Known also by…
Lawrence Livermore scientists make new discoveries in the transmission of viruses between animals and humans
Outbreaks such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS) have afflicted people around the world, yet many people think these trends are on the decline.Quite the opposite is true.The efforts to combat this epidemic are being spearheaded by a team of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists. Led by…
Lab researchers achieve record pressure for solid iron
Iron is the most abundant element in Earth's core and the sixth most abundant element in the universe. As a key component of terrestrial planets and exoplanets, iron has been one of the most studied materials under extreme conditions.In a series of campaigns led by the Lab's Yuan Ping using the OMEGA laser at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) at the University of…
Microbial who-done-it for biofuels
One of the keys to commercialization of advanced biofuels is the development of cost-competitive ways to extract fermentable sugars from lignocellulosic biomass. The use of enzymes from thermophiles -- microbes that thrive at extremely high temperatures and alkaline conditions -- holds promise for achieving this development. Finding the most effective of these microbial…
Lawrence Livermore celebrates 25 years of carbon dating
From developing the first accelerator mass spectrometer for use in the biology field to tracking radionuclides from the Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster, the Laboratory's Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (CAMS) has spent 25 years in the spotlight of not only dating ancient artifacts but solving global challenges.CAMS is celebrating its 25th anniversary this…
Carbon dating impacts non-proliferation, drug research and climate change
Research conducted at the Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (CAMS) spans the universe, the depths of time and everything in between. Although not all elements and isotopes are able to be utilized by AMS, CAMS' researchers make the most of what nuclear physics has given them.Here is a sampling of some of the many ways CAMS is utilized, along with the important…
Laboratory academy provides teachers with 'real world' context to teach science
LIVERMORE, Calif., - California and Hawaii teachers seeking real-world knowledge to teach biotech and computational modeling are attending the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL) Teacher Research Academy that began on July 22.The academy is a summer-long series of professional development workshops for teachers and enrichment programs for students. The programs…
Underwater survival story presents physics puzzle
When Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory physicist Maxim Umansky flipped through the news, a startling underwater survival story caught his attention. In May, a boat cook survived a 60-hour underwater ordeal 100 feet below the surface after his tugboat sank near the Nigerian coast.Harrison Okene's survival underwater while the rest of the crew perished was astounding…
Livermorium goes down in the history books
Laboratory employees and city officials celebrated the discovery of the two heaviest elements on the periodic table -- 114, Flerovium, and 116, Livermorium -- during a daylong celebration Monday. The day started with a colloquium hosted by the Laboratory, titled "Elemental Science: Livermorium and the Periodic Table," with distinguished lecturers in the Bldg. 123…
Livermore scientists capture crystallization of materials in nanoseconds
Lawrence Livermore researchers for the first time have created movies of irreversible reactions that occur too rapidly to capture with conventional microscopy.The team used multi-frame, nanosecond-scale imaging in the dynamic transmission electron microscope (DTEM) to create movies of the crystallization of phase change materials used for optical and resistive memory. A…
Livermore develops the world's deepest ERT imaging system for CO2 sequestration
LIVERMORE, Calif.-- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers have broken the record for tracking the movement and concentration of carbon dioxide in a geologic formation using the world's deepest Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT) system.The research provides insight into the effects of geological sequestration to mitigate the impact of greenhouse gases.The…
Weapons testing data determines brain makes new neurons into adulthood
LIVERMORE, Calif. -- Using data derived from nuclear weapons testing of the 1950s and '60s, Lawrence Livermore scientists have found that a small portion of the human brain involved in memory makes new neurons well into adulthood.The research may have profound impacts on human behavior and mental health. The study supports the importance of investigating the therapeutic…
Life on Earth shockingly comes from out of this world
Early Earth was not very hospitable when it came to jump starting life. In fact, new research shows that life on Earth may have come from out of this world.Lawrence Livermore scientist Nir Goldman and University of Ontario Institute of Technology colleague Isaac Tamblyn (a former LLNL postdoc) found that icy comets that crashed into Earth billions of years ago could have…
Livermorium team honored as dream-makers
The Laboratory team behind the discovery of element 116, Livermorium, on the periodic table was honored as one of the Livermore Chamber of Commerce's top Dream-makers and Risk-takers for 2013. Mark and Nancy Stoyer and Jerry Landrum accepted the award on behalf of the 11 researchers who make up the team. Mark Stoyer also provided the keynote address during the chamber…
Livermore scientists develop CO2 sequestration technique that produces 'supergreen' hydrogen fuel, offsets ocean acidification
LIVERMORE, Calif. -- Lawrence Livermore scientists have discovered and demonstrated a new technique to remove and store atmospheric carbon dioxide while generating carbon-negative hydrogen and producing alkalinity, which can be used to offset ocean acidification.The team demonstrated, at a laboratory scale, a system that uses the acidity normally produced in saline water…
New research shows defects in twin boundaries that strengthen materials
Through experiments and simulations, a team of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists have found that twin boundaries (TBs) with good electrical conductivity and a strengthening mechanism in materials may not be so perfect after all. Coherent twin boundaries (CTBs) have been studied for years and conventional wisdom dictates these interfaces are ideal for…
LLNL receives accolades from EPA's Federal Green Challenge
LLNL has received accolades for its 2012 achievements in waste reduction and green purchasing as part of its participation in the Federal Green Challenge (FGC). The FGC is a voluntary partnership program sponsored by the EPA that challenges federal agencies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. FGC participants commit to a minimum 5 percent reduction in two of six…
LLNL scientist finds topography of Eastern Seaboard muddles ancient sea level changes
The distortion of the ancient shoreline and flooding surface of the U.S. Atlantic Coastal Plain are the direct result of fluctuations in topography in the region and could have implications on understanding long-term climate change, according to a new study.Sedimentary rocks from Virginia through Florida show marine flooding during the mid-Pliocene Epoch, which correlates…
Lawrence Livermore and Cool Earth Solar receive $1.7 million for renewable energy demonstration project
The California Energy Commission (CEC) has awarded $1.7 million to a partnership between Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Cool Earth Solar Inc. (CES) to conduct a community-scale renewable energy integration demonstration project at the Livermore Valley Open Campus. CES is the prime awardee and is contributing an additional $1 million in matching funds to the CEC…
