The Lab is once again forming an onsite Weight Watchers group, with an informational meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 10 at 1:15 p.m. in Building 26. For more information, contact Cathy Wentworth (x6266).

January is Cervical
Cancer Screening Month

The Lab's Health Care Facilitator office wants to remind employees that January is “National Cervical Cancer Screening Month.” Before doctors started using Pap tests in the 1950s, cervical cancer was the leading cause of death from cancer in women.  Advances in screening and a recently developed Human Papillomavirus or HP vaccine have furthered survival rates. HPV causes almost all cervical cancer. While the virus usually goes away by itself, some infections remain for long periods, leading to cell changes that can progress to cancer. Women should discuss these issues with their doctor during their annual exams.

Newfound Diversity
In Gamma-Ray Bursts

Gamma ray

Two brilliant flashes of light from nearby galaxies are puzzling astronomers and could indicate that gamma-ray bursts, which signal the birth of a black hole, are more diverse than once thought. First seen 40 years ago, gamma-ray bursts are the brightest explosions in the universe. They appear to fall into two distinct categories, short and long. The two new gamma-ray bursts are of the long variety but, surprisingly, did not show any evidence of supernova activity. This flies in the face of what was an emerging consensus about the origin of long bursts, according to UC Berkeley assistant professor Joshua Bloom, who is also a guest with Berkeley Lab's Physics Division. To Bloom, this indicates that there are more than two ways to produce a gamma-ray flash and a black hole. Full story.

Test Energy-Efficiency
Savvy to Save Money

Do you know all you think you know about saving energy in your home? Most homeowners have picked up some myths and misperceptions along with the straight dope, as scientists at Berkeley Lab discovered. For example: when an appliance is turned off, is it really "off?" Does cleaning the coils on a refrigerator save energy, or does turning off lights and computers use less energy than turning them off then on again? Visit the Lab's Energy Saver website to take a do-it-yourself energy audit online and identify specific steps you can take to reduce energy consumption in your home. Full story.