Limited medical equipment on space craft makes medical care in space a real challenge. Ordinary problems must be dealt with, as well as problems related to the unique environment of space. As NASA plans for new crewed exploration missions, beyond low earth orbit, telemedicine support will be limited, and medical evacuation to earth will no longer be possible. To address this problem, LLNL and NASA Ames Research Center are developing a novel diagnostic instrument to help provide medical care...

New state-of-the-art chronologic measurements of rocks brought to Earth by Apollo astronauts reveal that many of the historical age determinations are erroneous. The new measurements presented by cosmochemist Lars Borg demonstrate that the Moons mantle and crust formed contemporaneously between 4.33 and 4.38 billion years ago. Series: "Lawrence Livermore National Lab Science on Saturday" [Show ID: 35696]

Our planet has been continually bombarded by asteroids since its formation, 4.5 billion years ago. While the frequency of large impacts has decreased, many potential Near-Earth Object threats remain undiscovered, so if or when they will impact Earth remains unknown. Fortunately, if an Earth-threatening asteroid is discovered in time, there are ways to mitigate or even prevent a disaster. Scientists at LLNL provide computer simulations in preparation these scenarios so if the time comes where...

The blood-brain-barrier (BBB) is a special structure in the body that helps to protect the brain from unwanted toxins and germs. Unfortunately, this barrier can also make it extremely difficult for therapeutics to reach their intended target within brain. Lawrence Livermore Lab scientists describe how combining experimental techniques with computational methods, making use of some of the fastest supercomputers in the world, can speed up the process of optimizing therapeutics to cross the BBB....

Cancer becomes highly dangerous when it spreads from its original site to a different vital organ. These secondary tumors called metastases are what kill most patients. Despite hundreds of years of research, it is not understood why, where, and how cancer spreads to organs like the brain. Lawrence Livermore Lab scientist describes how they bring together cancer biology, 3D printing and material science, to understand and hopefully prevent metastases in the future. Series: "Field Trip at the...

The human brain contains approximately 86 billion neurons, and 100 trillion connections between those neurons. Despite our inability to image each neuron and determine their exact connective patterns, several approaches for noninvasive imaging of the living brain have been developed and utilized to great benefit. LLNL scientist Alan Kaplan explores the immense landscape of the human brain and quantifies the brain in terms of data flow. Then describes engineering applications of recorded...

The human brain is composed of billions of cells that communicate through chemical and electrical signals. LLNL microelectrodes can interface directly with the brain to allow us to monitor and manipulate the dynamics of these brain signals. LLNL microelectrodes are flexible and microfabricated in dense arrays that allow them to collect large amounts of information over long periods of time in the body. Scientists Anna Belle and Allison Yorita go over how these arrays are microfabricated and...

Proteins are nature’s machines, performing tasks from transforming sunlight into useable energy to binding oxygen for transport through the body. These functions depend on structural arrangement of atoms within the protein, which was, until recently, only possible to measure statistically, in easily crystallized samples via conventional X-ray diffraction. In the past decade, X-ray Free Electron Lasers (XFELs), a new type of X-ray source, have begun to come online. Using ultra-bright,...

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is a sensitive mass spectrometric method for detecting and quantifying rare long-lived isotopes with high precision. This technique is widely employed in the earth and environmental sciences and is now being applied in the biomedical fields. AMS is primarily used to in the areas of pharmacology and toxicology to investigate the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of radiolabeled drugs, chemicals, and nutrients, as well as in the detection of...

How often do you wonder about supercomputers and computers that "think" like humans? Supercomputers have been used to model complex scientific phenomena for decades. Now, scientists are entering a new era in computing, and computers are learning in a way that is similar to the human brain. With enough information, computers can learn to solve problems in novel and interesting ways. Specialized computers can even solve these problems using significantly less energy than "classical" computers....

How often do you wonder about supercomputers and computers that "think" like humans? Supercomputers have been used to model complex scientific phenomena for decades. Now, scientists are entering a new era in computing, and computers are learning in a way that is similar to the human brain. With enough information, computers can learn to solve problems in novel and interesting ways. Specialized computers can even solve these problems using significantly less energy than "classical" computers....

Particle accelerators have been revolutionizing discoveries in science, medicine, industry and national security for over a century. An estimated 30,000 particle accelerators are currently active around the world. In these machines, electromagnetic fields accelerate charged particles, such as electrons, protons, ions or positrons to velocities nearing the speed of light. Although their scientific appeal will remain evident for many decades, one limitation of the current generation of particle...

Find out about both synthetic and molecular biology approaches to produce small nano-machines (nano-bots). The main building blocks for these nano-bots are based on nano-lipo-protein particles (NLPs). Nano-bots represent a unique solution for new approaches to vaccines, drug delivery and energy needs. Series: "Field Trip at the Lab: Science on Saturday" [Science] [Show ID: 32074]

Revolutionary changes to materials and structures are now possible with 3D printing, bringing concepts that were previously only imagined into reality. This breakthrough technology fabricates components by adding material layer by layer from the bottom up allowing for the creation of highly complex and previously unrealizable structures. Series: "Field Trip at the Lab: Science on Saturday" [Science] [Show ID: 32073]

A vast majority of the newly discovered human pathogens are viruses that have jumped to humans from an animal host ("cross-species transmission"). Find out how biologists and computer scientists have collaborated and used cutting edge ultra-deep sequencing technology to study the dynamics of a 2009 rabies outbreak to better understand emergent viruses, such as Ebola and Zika. Series: "Field Trip at the Lab: Science on Saturday" [Science] [Show ID: 32072]

In the last decade, the scientific foundations of a number of traditional forensic methods have come under increasing criticism by the scientific community, leading to their discontinuation or reduced effectiveness in criminal prosecutions. These challenges raise questions about the admissibility of certain type of evidence in current cases and the validity of previous convictions. We will discuss the basis of these issues and describe some of the work ongoing at LLNL to try and address some...

Everything we can see and touch is made up of chemical elements as illustrated on the Periodic Table of Elements. The heaviest, naturally occurring element is uranium. Using high-energy particle accelerators, scientists have created even heavier elements extending the Periodic Table of Elements up to element 118. Also find out more about element 116, Livermorium, named in in honor of the scientists and research that has been done at LLNL since its discovery. Series: "Field Trip at the Lab:...

Statistics is the science of data: measuring and assessing uncertainty and more generally, learning from data. Since scientific, technical, and social disciplines all need to make conclusions based on data, statistics provides them with tools essential for their advances. From player stats to computer models to simulate the effects of climate change statistics play a key role. Series: "Field Trip at the Lab: Science on Saturday" [Science] [Show ID: 31524]

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is the world's largest and most powerful laser system. Experimental physicist Tammy Ma explores how and why scientists and engineers are working hard to demonstrate sustainable fusion burn - the same reaction that occurs in the sun - to one day harness as a source of limitless, clean energy. Series: "Field Trip at the Lab: Science on Saturday" [Science] [Show ID: 31523]

Despite being diminutive in size, iChips have the potential to make big impacts on drug development and medical treatment testing. Lawrence Livermore National Lab is replicating the human body on a miniature scale, specifically focusing on brain physiology. Capturing human physiology outside the body allows scientists to probe and understand the human body without using human subjects. Staff scientist Elizabeth Wheeler describes how her group is using biology, 3D bioprinting, microchips and...

Computer simulations of earthquake shaking can provide valuable information on the expected intensity of shaking from earthquakes. Arthur Rodgers, a seismologist/geophysicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, covers seismic hazard in the Bay Area, describes computer simulations of past and possible future earthquakes and looks at the physics that underlies the numerical methods. Series: "Field Trip at the Lab: Science on Saturday" [Science] [Show ID: 29612]

How does groundwater interact with surface water and surface ecosystems? How can the many types and forms of groundwater pollution be visualized? This presentation by Lawrence Livermore National Lab’s Andy Tompson shows some of the real or potential impacts of drought and climate change and how groundwater may be better managed in the future. "It may look like an Ant Farm, but there are really no ants in this demonstration!" Series: "Field Trip at the Lab: Science on Saturday" [Science] [Show...

The new abundance of natural gas provides energy options for America, including clean electric power. Oil production has increased, reducing the dependence of the US on imported petroleum. Both benefits come with the challenge of managing the environmental impact of new oil and gas development in the US. This talk discusses the way shale gas and oil are created and produced, and the latest choices now available for generating energy in the United States. Series: "Field Trip at the Lab:...

What are fossil fuels? What is the greenhouse effect? How are the two related? Can we reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and lower the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere? Wind and solar power can help lead the way. Learn how state-of-the-art science and engineering can be used to utilize more clean, green energy from both the wind and the sun, right out of thin air. Series: "Field Trip at the Lab: Science on Saturday" [Science] [Show ID: 29610]