Science and Technology Highlights

Scientists examine mass spectrometer
// S&T Highlights

LLNL scientists have developed a new technique to analyze fentanyl in human blood and urine samples that could aid work in the fields of medicine and chemical forensics.

Artist’s rendering with sircuitry and circles and arcs.
// S&T Highlights
Livermore scientists have developed a data-driven approach to predicting polymer properties using a novel machine-learning model.
Illustration with plants, microorganisms
// S&T Highlights
Livermore scientists have developed a new technique to investigate microbial activity of microorganisms under realistic conditions, without the need for lab culturing.
Ocean, with horizon, ship at left, and scientific equipment with gas tanks suspended from crane on ship
// S&T Highlights
Scientists have detected a previously hypothesized class of nitrogen fixation in the surface ocean.
Illustration of laser beams entering cylinder-shaped container at both ends
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Researchers at Livermore have discovered that ions behave differently in fusion reactions than previously expected.
Four square images of polygonal metal grains
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Livermore scientists studied "dwell fatigue," a peculiar failure mode can initiate microscopic cracks that drastically reduce a component's lifetime, such as titanium aircraft parts.
Three scientists standing next to table, one holding pipette
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Research suggests that immune responses could be bolstered by drugs to help people recover from brain infections caused by an emerging pathogen, according to studies of the emerging pathogen Rift Valley fever virus.
192 high-energy laser beams converge at the center of the Target Chamber
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A record high-laser-energy NIF target shot on Sept. 19 produced about 1.2 million joules of fusion energy yield.
Illustration of soil, vertical strips, with viruses (polygonal shapes) below
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New research suggests that grassland viral communities are highly spatially stratified across just a single field.
Illustration of a linear jet of particles emerging from black hole (red circle surrounding black interior)
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A new National Ignition Facility Discovery Science campaign is designed to simulate the type of photoionized plasma found in accretion disks and the surrounding stellar wind.