Science 1663

Discovery to Solution

From Duncan McBranch

Duncan McBranch, Deputy Principal Associate Director for Science, Technology, and Engineering

Discovery is the most gratifying aspect of professional science. At Los Alamos, the scientific discoveries made each year support a surprisingly broad range of national-security programs. The Laboratory’s ability to tackle the hardest scientific challenges, make discoveries, and then apply that knowledge to solve entirely new problems—to move from discovery to solution—is one of our greatest strengths.

In this issue, we highlight three areas in which mission-related scientific discoveries opened a new avenue for solving an emerging problem of national importance.

Our responsibility for ensuring the reliability of the nuclear stockpile and planning for a nuclear waste repository led us to acquire expertise in modeling the earth’s subsurface and the geochemistry of underground formations. Those models are now being used to combat global climate change. They are at the heart of CO₂-PENS, a new software tool that can help decision makers assess the effectiveness of one proposed response to the global buildup of greenhouse gases: storing carbon dioxide underground.

In another field of research, our biosecurity missions led Los Alamos scientists to study the molecular biology of the anthrax-causing bacterium, Bacillus anthracis, and those studies have resulted in new ways to counter a dangerous biothreat agent.

Finally, our work in space-based detection of nuclear explosions led to a dramatic innovation—a “thinking telescope” array that autonomously searches for dynamically changing objects in the night sky. The robotic system, RAPTOR, decides on its own which events warrant further observations and then directs its telescopes to follow up.

As evident from these examples, the creativity fostered by a multidisciplinary science institution can be remarkably powerful. This creativity is the key to the long track record of success that is part of the heritage of Los Alamos National Laboratory.