IN THIS ISSUE

Letters

• The explosives issue
  After 76 years in business, we know a thing or two about things that go "boom."

Abstracts

• Learning from the best
  The Lab's Deputy Director for Weapons teaches students at Texas A&M University.
• On the road to Los Alamos
  Students at Northern New Mexico College now have a path to careers at the Laboratory.
• Ask a physicist
  Tina McKee answers questions about her work on a recent experiment.
• The anatomy of a mushroom cloud
  The different, sometimes odd, effects of nuclear detonations.

Features

• Devils in the details
  Making the detonators that jumpstart nuclear weapons involves teasing out "devils" to ensure reliable performance.
• What do rocks and explosives have in common?
  Scientists apply what they know about the granular structure of rocks to high explosives—a novel approach that could predict how explosives age.
• Eco boom
  Explosives such as TNT are highly toxic to produce. That's why the Lab is designing safer, greener replacements.
• Entering the realm of augmented reality
  First responders train to dismantle improvised explosive devices from the safety of the computer world.

Analysis

• America's security depends on its scientific superiority
  Deterrence works only if our adversaries recognize we have the scientific power to nullify and counter their attacks.

Being Essential

• Safeguarding the Laboratory
  The first woman to direct the Defense Security Program prevents and neutralizes threats across the Lab campus.