At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility, scientists recreate the most extreme conditions in the universe. Through the Discovery Science Program, researchers and students from around the world gain rare access to this machine to run experiments that exist for only a fraction of a second, yet reshape what we know about stars, planets, and matter itself. These experiments don’t just explore the cosmos; they create a shared laboratory for discovery and the training ground for the next generation of scientists who will evaluate the safety, security and effectiveness of our nation’s nuclear deterrence.

Guests featured (in order of appearance):

•  Dan Kalantar, Chief Systems Engineer for Experimental Systems at NIF, LLNL
• Tilo Doeppner, Experimental Physicist at NIF, LLNL

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Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. 

Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch.

Script by Caroline Kidd.

Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. 

Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. 

Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. 

Narrated by Matthew Powell. 

Video Production by Levi Hanusch.

Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Drones, or autonomous sensing systems, step in where humans can’t. At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, scientists are developing machines that can see, decide and act in real time. In this episode, we explore how drones expand the frontier of possibility: scanning hidden pipelines underground, navigating dangerous terrain and coordinating swarms across land, air, and water. These aren’t just flying cameras. They’re intelligence-gathering systems, force multipliers and life-saving tools.

Guests featured (in order of appearance):

• Brian Wihl, Associate Program Lead for Autonomous Sensors Program, LLNL
• James Reimer, Mechanical Engineer for Autonomous Sensors Program, LLNL

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Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. 

Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch.

Script by Caroline Kidd.

Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. 

Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. 

Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. 

Narrated by Matthew Powell. 

Video Production by Levi Hanusch.

Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dark matter is one of the universe’s greatest mysteries. It’s the invisible force that glues galaxies together and sculpts cosmic structure. In this episode, we trace the journey of discovery from massive objects in the Milky Way to particle-scale experiments designed to reveal what dark matter really is. From gravitational microlensing to cutting-edge detectors at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, scientists are pushing the limits of technology and imagination to uncover the unseen and understand the mass that makes up most of our universe.

Guests featured (in order of appearance):

• Greg Sallaberry, Staff Scientist at LLNL 
• Gianpaolo Carosi, Staff Scientist at LLNL 

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Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. 

Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch.

Script by Caroline Kidd.

Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. 

Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. 

Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. 

Narrated by Matthew Powell. 

Video Production by Levi Hanusch.

Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Neutrinos are particles that defy expectations. They slip through matter effortlessly, changing identities and traveling vast cosmic distances. In this episode, we explore the surprising ways they connect the tiniest scales of physics to the grandest structures in the universe. From deep underground detectors to experiments designed to observe the unobservable, scientists at Lawrence Livermore are working to uncover secrets that could reshape our understanding of matter, energy, and the origins of everything around us.

Guests featured (in order of appearance):

• Mike Heffner, Staff Scientist, LLNL
• Nathaniel Bowden, Physicist, LLNL

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Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. 

Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch.

Script by Caroline Kidd.

Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. 

Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. 

Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. 

Narrated by Matthew Powell. 

Video Production by Levi Hanusch.

Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Every decision in national security hinges on knowledge, insight, and expertise - some of that expertise starts in a lab in Livermore. The Offsite Fellows Program places Lawrence Livermore scientists inside government agencies, where their work helps shape policy, strategy and the future of national defense.

In this episode, we dive deep into the Offsite Fellows Program (OFP) and how it positions Lab researchers shoulder to shoulder with government leaders who bring critical scientific insight directly into decisions that protect our nation. 

Hear from Offsite Fellows themselves, as we follow their journeys - where they move through the halls of government, informing and strengthening national security.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

LLNL’s Energy Flow Charts have become one of the clearest ways to understand the nation’s energy system. Learn how these diagrams capture everything from pandemic shutdowns and shifting fuels to wasted energy we never see. From classrooms to Capitol Hill, these charts help the country plan for what comes next.

Guests featured (in order of appearance):

• Hannah Goldstein, System and Policy Analysis Group Leader, LLNL
• Kimberly Mayfield, Research Scientist, LLNL

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Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. 

Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch.

Script by Lacey Peace.

Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. 

Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. 

Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. 

Narrated by Matthew Powell. 

Video Production by Levi Hanusch.

Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ancient footprints, unidentified remains, brain cells - they're all part of the story told through atoms, and at the Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (CAMS) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, those atoms speak volumes.

In this episode, we explore how Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) is helping scientists solve mysteries across time: from rewriting the timeline of human arrival in North America to closing decades-old cold cases, and even advancing biomedical breakthroughs.

With insights from CAMS researchers, we follow the journey of rare isotopes as they become time-stamps, and vital clues, challenging our understanding of the past and shaping what’s possible in the future.

Guests featured (in order of appearance):

• Bruce Buchholz, Staff Scientist, Cold Case Discoveries Lead, LLNL
• Susan Zimmerman, Staff Scientist, White Sands National Park Footprints Study Lead, LLNL

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Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. 

Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch.

Script by Caroline Kidd

Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Matthew Powell. 

Story Editing by Levi Hanusch. 

Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. 

Narrated by Matthew Powell. 

Video Production by Levi Hanusch.

Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, scientists are developing high-repetition-rate lasers that fire thousands of times per second. In this episode, we’ll explore what these advanced lasers are and how they’re being used. From thermal challenges to breakthrough designs like the BAT laser, we’ll dive into what makes this new generation of lasers so powerful.

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Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. 

Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch.

Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Daniel Brunelle. 

Story Editing by Daniel Brunelle. 

Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. 

Narrated by Matthew Powell. 

Video Production by Levi Hanusch.

Guests featured in this episode (in order of appearance): 

• Jackson Williams, Physicist at LLNL
• Tom Spinka, Laser Physicist at LLNL

Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Scientists are still adding to the periodic table and expanding what we know about matter. At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, researchers are creating entirely new elements that can’t be found in nature and exist for only moments. In this episode, we step into the world of superheavy element discovery to understand how these rare atoms are made, why they matter, and what they can teach us about the building blocks of the universe.

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Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. 

Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch.

Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Daniel Brunelle. 

Story Editing by Daniel Brunelle. 

Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. 

Narrated by Matthew Powell. 

Video Production by Levi Hanusch.

Guests featured in this episode (in order of appearance): 

• Roger Henderson, Senior Radiochemist, LLNL
•  Dawn Shaughnessy, Division Leader for Nuclear and Chemical Sciences, LLNL

Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Supernovas, asteroids, dark matter, and dark energy… the universe is constantly changing. Today we’ll dive into how we track what’s shifting in the night sky and how it shapes our understanding of The Universe. Through decades of experience in astrophysics, planetary science, and instrumentation, we explore Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s role in a groundbreaking project that will shape the future of astronomy: the Vera Rubin Observatory.

While LLNL astronomers eagerly prepare for the upcoming data, we delve into the observatory’s camera and learn about LLNL’s role in making this system a reality.

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Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series. 

Executive Produced by Levi Hanusch.

Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Daniel Brunelle. 

Story Editing by Daniel Brunelle. 

Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell. 

Narrated by Matthew Powell. 

Video Production by Levi Hanusch.

Guests featured in this episode (in order of appearance): 

• Megan Eckart - Director, Space Science Institute, LLNL
• Vincent Riot - Former LSST Camera Project Manager and Vera Rubin Observatory Deputy Project Manager, LLNL

Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.