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Physical and Life Sciences
Increased production of smelly sulfur compound in Southern Ocean tied to climate change
LIVERMORE, Calif. -- An organic compound that smells like cabbage and has been called the "smell of the sea" could be more sensitive to global climate change than commonly believed. In a recent report, a Livermore researcher, along with colleagues from Los Alamos and Oak Ridge national laboratories and the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, found through…
New form of girl's best friend is lighter than ever
LIVERMORE, Calif. -- By combining high pressure with high temperature, Livermore researchers have created a nanocyrstalline diamond aerogel that could improve the optics for something as big as a telescope or as small as the lenses in eyeglasses. Aerogels are a class of materials that exhibit the lowest density, thermal conductivity, refractive index and sound velocity of…
Laboratory scientists win three Office of Science Early Career Research Program awards
LIVERMORE, Calif. -- Three Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists have earned $7.5 million in funding through the Department of Energy Office of Science Early Career Research Program (ECRP). Early career is defined as principal investigators (PIs) who are within 10 years of receiving a Ph.D. and are either untenured assistant professors on the tenure track,…
Foot and mouth disease may spread through shedding skin cells
LIVERMORE, Calif. -- Skin cells shed from livestock infected with foot and mouth disease could very well spread the disease.In a new paper appearing in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientist Michael Dillon proposed that virus-infected skin cells could be a source of infectious foot and mouth disease virus aerosols. His…
Preventing close encounters of the orbiting kind
Each day, hundreds of active satellites as well as tens of thousands of pieces of "space junk" -- defunct satellites, bits of booster rockets and lost astronaut tools -- orbit Earth.This space junk became front page news two years ago, when a defunct Russian satellite and a privately owned American communications satellite collided near the North Pole. The incident…
Hydrocarbons in the deep earth
LIVERMORE, Calif. -- A new computational study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals how hydrocarbons may be formed from methane in deep Earth at extreme pressures and temperatures. The thermodynamic and kinetic properties of hydrocarbons at high pressures and temperatures are important for understanding carbon reservoirs and fluxes in…
Livermore researchers develop battery-less chemical detector
Unlike many conventional chemical detectors that require an external power source, Lawrence Livermore researchers have developed a nanosensor that relies on semiconductor nanowires, rather than traditional batteries. The device overcomes the power requirement of traditional sensors and is simple, highly sensitive and can detect various molecules quickly. Its development…
LLNL microbial biologist inducted into Alameda County Women's Hall of Fame
One of the developers of a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory device that could assist in detecting bioterrorism attacks, diagnosing diseases and checking product safety will be honored Saturday. For her achievements, LLNL molecular biologist Crystal Jaing will be inducted into the Alameda County Women's Hall of Fame (WHOF) during the 18th annual awards ceremony, set…
LLNL gamma ray spectrometer aboard spacecraft due to start orbiting around Mercury
When a NASA spacecraft goes into orbit around Mercury Thursday evening, a team of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers will be paying close attention. During 2002 and 2003, the LLNL scientists developed a germanium-based gamma ray spectrometer that has been winging its way aboard the Mercury MESSENGER (short for MErcury Surface, Space Environment,…
Oldest objects in solar system indicate a turbulent beginning
LIVERMORE, Calif. -- Scientists have found that calcium, aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs), some of the oldest objects in the solar system, formed far away from our sun and then later fell back into the mid-plane of the solar system. The findings may lead to a greater understanding of how our solar system and possibly other solar systems formed and evolved. CAIs, roughly…
Lab's 'Science on Saturday' lecture: It's elemental
WHO: Lab scientist Ken Moody and teacher Dean Reese will present "Superheavy Elements: Search for the End of the Periodic Table."WHAT: The periodic table provides a way of presenting chemical information that makes it the fundamental tool of the chemist. Consequently, it is displayed on the walls in most science classrooms. Recent discoveries of new elements have extended…
Livermore researchers capture two awards for technology transfers to businesses
Researchers and technology transfer professionals from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will receive two awards for excellence in technology transfer by the Federal Laboratory Consortium. LLNL's two awards this year make it one of seven research laboratories to receive multiple honors, among the more than 250 federal government laboratories and research centers that…
Lab showcases energy research at annual gathering of American Association for Advancement of Science
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will showcase its work in energy research when the American Association for the Advancement of Science holds its annual gathering, Feb. 17-21, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. This year's theme, "Science Without Borders," integrates interdisciplinary science -- both across research and teaching -- that…
Lab team wins poster award for virus research
A team of Lab researchers may be able to use rare mutations from the virus population of an animal host to distinguish between samples that previously appeared to be genetically identical. Their work, done in collaboration with a researcher from the Richmond-based California Department of Public Health, won one of three outstanding poster awards at a Defense Threat…
Combating antibiotic resistant bacteria: it's all in the genes
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have discovered a new way to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria by using the bacteria's own genes. For more than 50 years, antibiotics have been used to treat a variety of deadly infections and saved countless lives. Its broad introduction and application has changed the face of medicine worldwide. Yet, despite…
LLNL offers another superb season of Saturday Science lectures
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's popular lecture series, "Science on Saturday," returns Feb. 5 and runs through March 5. This year's talks cover a wide range of current topics -- using proton therapy for cancer; harnessing the wind for energy needs; withstanding climate change; and the search for the end of the periodic table. The lectures are free of charge and…
Lawrence Livermore's Kennedy Reed elected AAAS fellow
LIVERMORE, Calif. - Kennedy Reed, a physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, has been awarded the distinction of American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) fellow. He is being recognized for important studies in atomic theory, and for many successful efforts to increase minority participation in the physical sciences in the United States and…
Four LLNL researchers selected 2010 APS fellows
L IVERMORE, Calif. -- Four Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists have been selected as 2010 fellows of the American Physical Society (APS). Less than half of a percent of the APS members are fellows. It is a distinct honor because the evaluation process, conducted by the fellowship committees of individual divisions, topical groups and forums, relies on…
Livermore scientist develops actinide science issue of MRS Bulletin
Livermore researcher Kevin Moore, an invited guest editor for the Materials Research Society Bulletin , recently helped put together the November 2010 issue titled, "Emerging Areas of Actinide Science." In the issue, actinide materials, which are the backbone of nuclear energy, are examined in respect to the pressing need for carbon-free energy production. Moore said…
Carbon nanotube research garners Energy Commission funding
Researchers in carbon nanotubes, originally developed at the Laboratory, have been awarded more than $100,000 by the California Energy Commission to apply the technology to curbing industrial pollution. Hayward-based Porifera, Inc., headed by former Lab scientist Olgica Bakajin, was awarded $115,397 for a project to research and develop carbon nanotube membranes to…
