Los Laboratory Alamos National Research Eslpod U.S Energy

The Los Alamos National Laboratory is a U.S. "complex" (a group of buildings) in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Operated by the Department of Energy, it conducts "multidisciplinary" (involving many different academic fields or areas of study) of research, including national security, space exploration, energy, medicine, and "supercomputing" (the use of very large and extremely powerful and fast computers).

The Laboratory was established in 1943 to participate in the "Manhattan Project," which was a "multinational" (involving many countries) attempt to "develop" (create) "nuclear weapons" (extremely damaging weapons that produce dangerous radiation) during World War II.

Before the Laboratory was created, some research and development of weapons had been done on university campuses, but the U.S. government wanted to have a "coordinated" (with careful planning and use of resources) effort, so it opened Los Alamos. Thousands of scientists, some who have won "Nobel Prizes" (awards for significant contributions to academic fields) worked there, and for many years its true "location" (where something is) was a secret.

After the "Cold War" (the long period of tension between the United States and the USSR), the scientific research at Los Alamos was "diversified" (broadened and expanded to cover many areas, not just nuclear weapons). Some of the Lab's important research include searching for a "vaccine" (a way to prevent people from getting sick) for AIDS, safer tests for breast cancer, and cleaner "biofuels" (gasoline and other fuels made from plants).

Although the Laboratory has made many important scientific advances, it is also surrounded by controversy and problems. For example, there have been many "concerns" (worries) about security and how "top-secret" (information that should not be shared) "data" (information) is "handled" (dealt with; managed) at Los Alamos.