China is ahead of U.S

 Australia released a report saying that China has leading research over the US in almost every critical field:

https://www.aspi.org.au/report/aspis-two-decade-critical-technology-tracker

This highlights the importance for the US of working with allies, they point out. 

Risk of heart attack, stroke drops after COVID vaccination

 This study came out about COVID vaccine safety, it has some reassuring conclusions for cardiovascular issues:

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/risk-heart-attack-stroke-drops-after-covid-vaccination-data-show

"This England-wide study offers patients reassurance of the cardiovascular safety of first, second and booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines," coauthor William Whiteley, MB BCh, PhD, of the University of Edinburgh, said in a press release from Health Data Research UK. "It demonstrates that the benefits of second and booster doses, with fewer common cardiovascular events include heart attacks and strokes after vaccination, outweigh the very rare cardiovascular complications."

Accident at Livermore Lab

 Contained Firing Facility Accident at Livermore Lab

(Event date: June 10, 2021)

https://trivalleycares.org/2023/contained-firing-facility-accident-at-livermore-lab

Investigation Link:

“Incident Analysis (IA)/Root Cause Analysis
Release of Combustion (and
Contamination) Products
after an Experiment at the Contained
Firing Facility (CFF)”

Is at the bottom of the first link

Justification for non-competition

 “Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition LLNL MO Contract Extension - signed” (dated May 28, 2024)

“XI. STEPS TO FOSTER COMPETITION

Consistent with statute, regulation, and DOE policy, DOE/NNSA has determined it is appropriate to noncompetitively extend the current LLNI M&O contract as there is no expectation of meaningful improvement in performance or cost resulting from competing the contract and replacing the incumbent contractor. However; DOE/NNSA will continue to foster competition for each of its M&O contracts and utilize tools such as draft solicitations, comment workshops, one-on-one meetings, pre-proposal conferences, and websites to provide information to interested parties for future actions.”

https://www.highergov.com/document/nnsa-2024-002371-attachment-1-justification-for-other-than-full-and-open-competition-llnl-mo-contract-extension-signed-pdf-3ec221/

Is limitless energy on the horizon?

 This article mentions the spectacular results last year from the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/08/20/artificial-intelligence-nuclear-fusion-research/

Mankind Cannot Do Without Nuclear Power

 Fission reactor concept being developed for small reactors in deep underground boreholes, with claimed cost and safety benefits:

https://deepfission.com/

This is similar in concept to Sakharov's ideas expressed in 1990 after the Chernobyl disaster:

https://time.com/archive/6714880/sakharov-mankind-cannot-do-without-nuclear-power/

"Plainly, mankind cannot renounce nuclear power, so we must find technical means to guarantee its absolute safety and exclude the possibility of another Chernobyl. The best way is international legislation requiring that all new nuclear reactors be sited deep enough underground so that even a worst-case accident would not discharge radioactive substances into the atmosphere."

Is the dream of nuclear fusion dead?

 

Is the international experimental reactor  in trouble?

Moderator 's question: Should we worry?

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/aug/03/is-the-dream-of-nuclear-fusion-dead-why-the-international-experimental-reactor-is-in-big-trouble

LLNL contract extension

 LLNL Director Says It Is Negotiating Five-Year Extension To NNSA Contract

https://www.defensedaily.com/llnl-director-says-negotiating-five-year-extension-to-nnsa-contract/nuclear-modernization/

AI papers

 This may be hype or nonsense but there is evidently a new "AI scientist" program that produces papers for $15 each, which are also reviewed by an AI review system to automate research:

https://sakana.ai/ai-scientist/

Obviously, they may not be very good papers, but with further improvements in computing power the cost per paper will be less, and the papers will become better. Also the current focus of the papers produced by system is to advance AI itself, which may also improve quality of the papers and lower their cost further aside from developments in hardware.

One might also assume that eventually the papers will become more objective and less biased, and more innovative than the things currently published, since in the current system of scientific output scientists must deal with funding agencies and various career and personal problems.

LANL safety survey

 LANL had DuPont safety culture survey. The results were a total disaster for LANL. It is scored on 0 to 100, and LANL got 54. LANL falls in the "dependent" safety culture zone which not a good position.

Dependent Stage
The Dependent Stage is the second level of the Bradley Curve, where workers comply with directives from management about policies and practices. Safety awareness and training have increased, but motivation comes from outside sources such as management pressure. Although fewer, accidents are still thought to be inevitable.

Employee ownership of safety measures is limited at this point, despite a heightened awareness of safety hazards. They don’t follow policies or processes because they wish to; they do so because they feel they have to. There’s little to no effort to enhance the current quo of safety. Instead, employees might consider that solely the role of upper management. It would be uncommon for employees to ask for criticism or opportunities for improvement since they consider accidents as isolated incidents or bad luck.

Low response to a 2026 LLNL contract change post

 

Not many comments for something as important as a 2026 workplace contract change (?). Hmm. Looks like folks fall into one of these camps:

1. As a short term resume building 401k employee, I don’t really care

2. As an old LLNL/UC employee, just riding out the storm until retirement

How sad for LLNL long term mission objectives, and how sweet for the current for-profit contractor.

Enter Comment

Nuclear breakthrough at UCLA

 Scientists: please explain this to a non-scientist. Thank you!

https://scitechdaily.com/astonishing-nuclear-breakthrough-could-rewrite-the-fundamental-constants-of-nature/