source

A fiery debate about volcanoes

In a Perspective in the May 9 issue of Science, geochemist Don DePaolo and geodynamicist Michael Manga defend a fundamental assumption of Earth science, the mantle plume model of hotspots, against an outbreak of seismic skepticism.
DePaolo and Manga are members of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Earth Sciences Division and the University of California at Berkeley’s Department of Earth and Planetary Science. DePaolo studies the chemical signatures of geological structures like the lava beneath the island of Hawaii. Manga studies volcanism and other fluid processes using a variety of techniques, including physical models.

Think small when powering today's electronic soldier

On the battlefield, having a reliable source of power to operate the many advanced electronic devices a soldier carries is essential. But today’s heavy and cumbersome batteries fall short in satisfying the military’s needs. In search of both a lightweight and reliable alternative, the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has developed the smallest power system yet, all wrapped up in a micro-sized package.