Big Ideas Lab

Your weekly exploration inside Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hear untold stories, meet boundary-pushing pioneers and get unparalleled access to groundbreaking science and technology. From national security challenges to computing revolutions, discover the innovations that are shaping tomorrow, today.

15 episodes transcribed
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Science

Additive Manufacturing

Episode Date: December 17, 2024

Once a concept in 1940s science fiction, additive manufacturing—better known as 3D printing—has become a game-changer in modern production. Unlike tra...

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Science

Stockpile Modernization

Episode Date: December 10, 2024

In the mid-1990s, global treaties and a U.S. moratorium on nuclear testing marked a turning point in reducing the nuclear threat. As Cold War tensions...

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Science

Site 300

Episode Date: December 3, 2024

After the first successful atomic bomb test in 1945, code-named Trinity, a new era in global politics began. Unlocking the power of the atom sparked a...

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NARAC

Episode Date: November 26, 2024

In the 1960s and 70s, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory were pushing the boundaries of nuclear weapons technology.  But these brea...

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El Capitan

Episode Date: November 19, 2024

For decades, it was an ambitious dream: to create a supercomputer powerful enough to tackle humanity's most complex problems. Now, that dream is a rea...

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DYNA3D

Episode Date: November 12, 2024

What does designing hurricane-proof buildings have to do with heart surgery and light beer? Surprisingly, the answer lies in a groundbreaking computer...

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Implantables

Episode Date: October 29, 2024

Imagine an artificial retina that restores sight or micro-devices implanted to monitor health in real time. This isn’t science fiction—it’s our new re...

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Beyond Ignition

Episode Date: October 22, 2024

Over millennia, humanity has mastered fire, wind, steam and even the atom to fuel its progress. Now, we stand on the brink of the next monumental leap...

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Fusion Ignition

Episode Date: October 15, 2024

Step inside LLNL’s National Ignition Facility, home to the world’s largest and most powerful laser. It’s a building as vast as three football fields,...

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Day in a Life of Deterrence

Episode Date: October 8, 2024

Strategic deterrence is the foundation of U.S. national defense, but it’s only as strong as the nuclear triad that supports it.Think of the nuclear tr...

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Strategic Deterrence

Episode Date: October 1, 2024

In October 1962, a U-2 reconnaissance plane captured images of Soviet missile sites under construction in Cuba. What followed was a tense 13-day stand...

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Supercomputing

Episode Date: September 24, 2024

In the 1960s, a quiet revolution was taking shape behind the scenes—one that would eventually touch every corner of our modern world. As Cold War tens...

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History of the Lab

Episode Date: September 17, 2024

In the wake of the Soviet Union's first atomic bomb test, the looming threat of nuclear war sent shockwaves through the United States. Air raid sirens...

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Meet the Lab

Episode Date: September 10, 2024

What if one square mile could change the world?Welcome to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where groundbreaking scientific discoveries are tran...

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About Big Ideas Lab

Episode Date: September 3, 2024

Welcome to the Big Ideas Lab, a weekly podcast that takes you inside Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hear untold stories, meet boundary-pushin...