(AGENPARL) - Roma, 4 Aprile 2025(AGENPARL) – Fri 04 April 2025 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, April 4, 2025
Illustration of NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test and the asteroid it
deflected. (Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben)
… Putting plans in place to protect the planet
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-planetary-defenders-planned-to-stop-that-city-killer-asteroid/
In mid-February 2025 astronomers announced that 2024 YR4 — a recently
discovered asteroid big enough to severely damage or even destroy a city —
stood a 3.1 percent chance of hitting Earth in 2032. At that moment, it
officially became the most dangerous space rock known to science. But its
reign of terror was brief: just a week later, additional telescopic
observations allowed astronomers to refine their projections of 2024 YR4’s
orbital path, and the asteroid’s impact odds cratered — to most
everyone’s great relief.
But for the world’s planetary defense groups, the frenzy of activity for
the first few weeks of 2025 was all-consuming. 2024 YR4 “easily overwhelmed
everything else that we were doing,” says Kathryn Kumamoto, head of the
planetary defense program at the nuclear physics-focused Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory.
Read More
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-planetary-defenders-planned-to-stop-that-city-killer-asteroid/
LLNL’s Jennifer Pett-Ridge said time flies when you’re having fun and
doing research with some of the world’s brightest and most innovative
colleagues.
… Alameda County recognizes LLNL women
Tri-Valley standouts selected for Alameda County Women’s Hall of Fame
The Alameda County Women’s Hall of Fame singled out some of the most
impactful female leaders of industry and service for induction into its class
of 2025.
Three local women were among the new Hall of Famers, including Monya Lane for
Science, Technology & Engineering and Jennifer Pett-Ridge for Environment.
Lane, a retired Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientist and
administrator, now leads the Quest Science Center in Livermore.
Pett-Ridge, group leader for environmental isotope systems at LLNL, said she
was “hugely flattered” but a bit surprised to see her name among a list
of inductees she figured would be reserved for CEOs, athletes and big names.
“But also for an environmental scientist who studies ‘dirt’? How cool
is that!” said Pett-Ridge. “It’s wonderful to know that our county
values its research/scientific professionals, and that there is a dedicated
category for the environment.”
Read More
Tri-Valley standouts selected for Alameda County Women’s Hall of Fame
CLCEs are soft, rubbery substances that can change color depending on their
shape and the stress applied to them. (Credit: Alicia Ng/University of
Pennsylvania)
… The chameleon of the 3D printing world
https://phys..org/news/2025-03-3d-method-materials-smart-textiles.html
In a leap forward for materials science, a multi-institutional team of
researchers has developed a pioneering method of 3D printing cholesteric
liquid crystal elastomers (CLCEs), enabling complex, color-changing
responsive materials and paving the way for novel applications like smart
textiles and advanced robotics.
Using a cutting-edge method known as Coaxial Direct Ink Writing (DIW), the
team of engineers and scientists from the University of Pennsylvania (Penn),
Harvard University and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) invented
3D-printed, multi-stable structures capable of changing colors in response to
stress, with a goal of combining the unique materials and techniques to help
redefine smart materials.
Read More
https://phys.org/news/2025-03-3d-method-materials-smart-textiles.html
Key to shape memory polymer (SMP) foam technology is its compressibility. A
10-millimeter-diameter spherical SMP foam plug is shown in its primary
(original) shape.
… Shape-changing foams block aneurysms
https://apnews.com/press-release/business-wire/medical-technology-medical-devices-maryanne-koller-california-united-states-f61fea64210c4362abd4b5ed048f8650
Shape Memory Medical Inc., innovator of shape memory polymer for endovascular
applications, announced that its proprietary platform has been used to treat
its 3,000th patient. This achievement reflects strong clinical adoption and
represents meaningful progress.
Developed from 25 years of pioneering polymer research — originating at
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and further advanced at Texas
A&M University — shape memory polymer represents a groundbreaking
innovation in medical device technology. Unlike traditional metal
embolization devices, shape memory polymer offers a softer, more conformable
solution that adapts seamlessly to the patient’s anatomy, filling the
treated vessel or lesion without exerting unnecessary force.
Read More
https://apnews.com/press-release/business-wire/medical-technology-medical-devices-maryanne-koller-california-united-states-f61fea64210c4362abd4b5ed048f8650
The scientists compared their new DDFT model to ground truth datasets,
labeled “MD”. (Credit: Dan Herchek/LLNL)
… Speeding up models of protein-membrane interactions
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have developed a
novel model called dynamic density functional theory (DDFT), published in The
Journal of Chemical Physics, to study protein-membrane interactions by
combining molecular simulations with large-scale models. This approach
enables efficient computations on a laptop, contrasting with the weeks
required for traditional supercomputing methods.
The DDFT model captures complex lipid-protein dynamics, applied to systems
like the RAS-RAF complex and GPCRs, offering insights into biological
processes and drug design potential. The team plans to open-source the code,
fostering collaboration and future enhancements in modeling capabilities.
Read More
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provides solutions to our nation’s most important national security
challenges through innovative science, engineering and technology. Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory is managed by Lawrence Livermore National
Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security
Administration.
Read previous Lab Report articles online https://www.llnl.gov/news/lab-report
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