Feeding plants to this algae could fuel your car
Amanda Barry of Los Alamos’s Bioenergy
and Biome Sciences group, lead author on
the study. LANL photo.
Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory and partner institutions provided today the first published report of algae using raw plants as a carbon energy source. The research shows that a freshwater production strain of microalgae, Auxenochlorella protothecoides, is capable of directly degrading and utilizing non-food plant substrates, such as switchgrass, for improved cell growth and lipid productivity, useful for boosting the algae's potential value as a biofuel. (Full story)
Also from the LA Daily Post
Raspberry Pi supercomputers: From DIY clusters to 750-board monsters
The Los Alamos cluster, LANL photo.
The Los Alamos National Lab (LANL) machine serves as a supercomputer testbed and is built from a cluster of 750 Raspberry Pis, which may later grow to 10,000 Pi boards.
According to Gary Grider, head of its LANL's HPC division, the Raspberry Pi cluster offers the same testing capabilities as a traditional supercomputing testbed, which could cost as much as $250m. In contrast 750 Raspberry Pi boards at $35 each would cost just under $48,750, though the actual cost of installing the rack-mounted Pi clusters, designed by Bitscope, would likely be more. (Full story)
ScienceFest loaded with experiments
Ada Mjolsness works on connecting wires
between a hand crank and an electric motor.
Monitor photo.
At the Bradbury Science Museum booth, Ada Mjolsness, 7, was hooking wires to a small motor that she powered with a hand crank as mom and dad watched.
“It’s an amazing event. We’re shocked at how many things there are to do,” said Ada’s mother, Lora. “They can actually, touch, feel and experiment. To me that’s the key to getting kids interested in science. (Full story)
Also from the Monitor this week:
Public gets first tour Manhattan Project sites
Built in 1944, the Battleship Bunker supported
implosion diagnostic tests for the Fat Man bomb.
NNSA photo.
The U. S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration’s Los Alamos Field Office and Los Alamos National Laboratory partnered with the U. S. Department of Interior, National Park Service, for a pilot tour of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Los Alamos Thursday and Friday as part of ScienceFest.
“I believe today’s tour provided a meaningful experience to all the participants and we look forward to planning the next one,” said Steve Goodrum, NNSA Los Alamos field office manager. (Full story)
