(AGENPARL) – ven 07 giugno 2024 A weekly compendium of media reports on science and technology achievements
at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Though the Laboratory reviews
items for overall accuracy, the reporting organizations are responsible for
the content in the links below.
….. LLNL Report, June 7, 2024
Probes or humans visiting extraterrestrial environments must not bring back
any microbes that could pose a threat to Earth. (Credit: NASA)
… Protecting Earth from the viral frontier
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/nasa-told-act-now-to-tackle-biological-threats-from-space/
As humanity pushes ever further into the cosmos and flights to and from space
become routine, a new report from the U.S. Bipartisan Commission on
Biodefense has urged governments worldwide to “act now to address the
biological threats emerging at the intersection of space exploration and
infectious disease.” 
It’s not aliens or UFOs that pose the greatest risk, says the commission,
but microorganisms and the rigors of space travel. That, plus the
non-entirely fanciful use of biological weapons in space. Human exploration
of the solar system and beyond continues, and with that exploration,
biological risk increases,” say the Commission’s authors in their May
2024 National Blueprint for Biodefense.
Some experts think the dangers posed by extra-terrestrial pathogens are
overblown. 
“The risk is quite low in my opinion, and that’s because organisms are
adapted to their [particular] environment,” said Gary Trubl, a
microbiologist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory who specializes in
astrobiology. “There’s a very small chance of us bringing something
back, and if we did, the likelihood it could adapt to us is unlikely.”
Read More
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/nasa-told-act-now-to-tackle-biological-threats-from-space/
El Capitan will be the National Nuclear Security Administrations first
exascale supercomputer when it comes online in fall 2024 at Lawrence
Livermore National Security.
… See how it runs

How Will El Capitan Run? Software and Storage Solutions Powering NNSA’s First Exascale Supercomputer

El Capitan, the National Nuclear Security Administration’s first exascale
supercomputer located at Lawrence Livermore, will likely be the world’s
most powerful computer when the system is deployed in fall 2024.
But answering some of science’s most challenging questions will go beyond
simply having cutting-edge hardware. Discover how the software architecture
and storage systems that will drive El Capitan’s performance — from the
Tri-Lab Operating System Stack (TOSS) to the innovative “Rabbit” nodes
— will help Lawrence Livermore and the NNSA Tri-Labs push the boundaries of
computational science.
Learn about the role of open-source software in maximizing productivity,
flexibility and reproducibility as LLNL scientists unveil what’s “under
the hood” of El Capitan and envision its possibilities for scientific
exploration.
Read More

How Will El Capitan Run? Software and Storage Solutions Powering NNSA’s First Exascale Supercomputer

A fleet of autonomous drones are ready for takeoff from a field on the main
LLNL site. The Lab’s Autonomous Sensors team has received the Federal
Aviation Administration’s first and—to date—only certificate of
authorization allowing autonomous drone swarming exercises. (Photo: James
Reimer)
… It’s swarming drones out there
https://executivegov.com/2024/05/faa-authorizes-autonomous-drone-swarm-exercises-at-llnl-site/
The Federal Aviation Administration has authorized Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory’s Autonomous Sensors team to field test autonomous
drone swarms at the main LLNL site.
The certificate of authorization enables the team to operate up to 100 drones
during the daytime over the next two years as part of efforts to evaluate
swarm controls and sensor payloads designed for national security
applications.
Brian Wihl, systems engineer at LLNL and the initiative’s project lead,
said the national lab seeks to apply artificial intelligence and machine
learning tools to its autonomous sensors but could not field-test the
technologies.
“Receiving this approval enables us to take the next step in our research.
We’ll be able to apply swarming technology across several national security
mission spaces to see how the swarms learn and respond in real-time,” Wihl
said.
Read More
https://executivegov.com/2024/05/faa-authorizes-autonomous-drone-swarm-exercises-at-llnl-site/
Researchers from LLNL and Verne, a San Francisco-based start-up, have
demonstrated a hydrogen storage system that can support heavy-duty vehicles,
such as semi-trucks.
… Clean hydrogen on board
https://www.compositesworld.com/news/verne-to-develop-cch2-solutions-for-us-army
Verne has received an award to research cryo-compressed hydrogen (CcH2)
vehicles for the U.S. Army. CcH2 is a novel form of hydrogen storage that
maximizes hydrogen density, extending vehicle range without adding extra
weight.
During this project, Verne will work with the U.S. Army Ground Vehicle System
Center and vehicle manufacturers to gather requirements and model the
operational impact of adopting CcH2 solutions for medium- and heavy-duty
vehicles used in U.S. Army operations. The U.S. military, said to be the
largest consumer of oil in the world, has begun to place a strong emphasis on
decarbonizing its operations.
Since its founding in 2020, Verne worked to provide high-density hydrogen
storage systems that meet the needs of heavy-duty transportation. In 2023,
Verne announced a CcH2 storage record during stationary demonstration of a
29-kilogram storage tank at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and
completed first testing of its CcH2 storage system on board a vehicle.
Read More
https://www.compositesworld.com/news/verne-to-develop-cch2-solutions-for-us-army
Wei Li and Xavier Mayali used the NanoSims to measure nitrogen incorporation
and exchange at single cell resolution of harmful algal blooms from Lake
Erie. (Photo: Blaise Dorous/LLNL)
… Toxic algae uncovered
https://phys.org/news/2024-05-unexpected-source-nutrients-fuels-growth.html
Climate change, such as warming and changes in precipitation patterns,
affects the frequency and severity of harmful algal blooms (HABs) globally,
including those of toxin-producing cyanobacteria that can contaminate
drinking water.
These nutrient-induced blooms cause worldwide public and ecosystem health
concerns. Since the mid-1990s, Lake Erie, the shallowest and warmest of the
Great Lakes and a source of drinking water for 11 million people, has
experienced seasonal cyanobacterial blooms dominated by several species.
Microcystis, the most abundant and most toxic, is recognized as the major
producer of cyanotoxins in Lake Erie.
In an effort to better understand the factors that lead to HABs in Lake Erie,
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists and collaborators from the
University of Toledo and the University of Michigan have investigated the
cyanotoxin production and microbiome community structure of several
Microcystis cultures collected from algal blooms in Lake Erie.
Read More
https://phys.org/news/2024-05-unexpected-source-nutrients-fuels-growth.html
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