New Atlas

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How dying stars could reignite with help from enigmatic class of black hole

Michael Irving October 31, 2018

A white dwarf is one of the last stages of life for stars of a certain size, and it’s all downhill from there. But supercomputer simulations run by astronomers at LLNL suggest that these dying stars could be reignited by a close encounter with an enigmatic class of black hole.

Simulations suggest that white dwarf stars could be reignited by a close encounter with an intermediate-mass ...

Science

Safer explosives? It’s in the pores

David Szondy October 17, 2018

In a move that could make demolition teams breathe a bit easier, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) are studying the structure of high explosives to find out how to make them safer.

Supercomputer simulations of shock-induced explosive reactions suggest that the structure of microscopic pores can significantly impact ...

Energy

Remotely monitoring suspect nuclear reactors using antineutrinos

David Szondy March 28, 2018

A consortium of American and British science institutions is working on a way to use antineutrinos to remotely monitor nuclear reactors. The 3,500-ton WATCHMAN detector will be installed in a mine on the northeast coast of England as part of international nuclear weapon non-proliferation efforts.

Detail of a possible configuration of the photomultiplier tube mounting structure for the WATCHMAN antineutrino detector

Space

NASA's plan to bat away Earth-bound asteroids

David Szondy March 15, 2018

A partnership of scientists has been studying a conceptual spacecraft called the Hypervelocity Asteroid Mitigation Mission for Emergency Response (HAMMER) vehicle, designed to deflect dangerous asteroids before they reach us.

Scientists are putting some serious thought into how we might protect the Earth from potential asteroid ...

Physics

Declassified nuclear detonation films released to the public for the first time

Rich Haridy December 14, 2017

The US government has just released 62 newly declassified videos showing footage of atmospheric nuclear tests from the first half of the 20th century. The videos, never before seen by the general public, have been uploaded to YouTube.

The newly released videos have never before been seen by the general public

Environment

Record levels of renewable energy in 2016, but what else do the numbers say?

Lisa-Ann Lee April 12, 2017

Delivering more bang for your buck is one thing but is renewable energy ready to face off with fossil fuels? With falling investment costs and renewable power capacity hitting a record high last year, a new UN report is optimistic about its prospects.

If scientists can figure out a way to make it a reliable source of energy, every ...

3D Printing

Finding the flow creates a new way to 3D-print metal

Eric Mack March 31, 2017

A team of engineers has developed a new way of 3D-printing metals that could improve on existing, laser-on-powder based methods. It relies on using semi-solid metals that are solid at rest, but can flow when force is applied, making it possible to move through the nozzle of a printer.

Direct metal writing uses semi-solid heated metals forced through a 3D printer nozzle

Military

Classified US nuclear test films saved for posterity

David Szondy March 15, 2017

About 10,000 reels of film recording the 210 above-ground US nuclear tests are the focus of a project at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) that has spent the past five years transferring the decomposing images to digital format.

The footage consists of reels of top secret film of above ground nuclear tests that were ...

Science

New metamaterial shrinks when the heat is on

David Szondy October 25, 2016

It's one of the basic facts of science: Heat something and it expands. But a team of scientists from LLNL have gone counterintuitive and invented a 3D-printed material that shrinks when heated.

A bi-material microlattice structure, 3D printed from polymer and a polymer/copper composite material, can flex inward, ...

Science

Criminals might soon be identified by a single strand of hair – even 250 years later

Nick Lavars September 13, 2016

Scientists have come up with a method that they are hailing as a game-changer for forensics, using analysis of hair samples to detect unique patterns of proteins that can identify humans up to 250 years after being left behind.

The team is now working on optimizing their approach to hair-based identification