In 2019, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory dove deeper into proton spin, took a leap in quantum communication, and uncovered new details of plant biochemistry, battery cathodes, catalysts, superconductors, and more. Here, in no particular order, are the biggest advances of the year.
Jan Halámek is proving that our own perspiration not only gives away how drunk we are – but if we are high, too.
A new study offers a nanoscopic view of complex oxides, which have great potential for advanced microelectronics.
– Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and their colleagues have identified the structure of the most lethal toxin produced by certain strains of Clostridium difficile bacteria, a potentially deadly infection associated with the use of antibiotics. The researchers mapped out the delivery and binding components of the toxin, which could pave the way for new drugs to neutralize it.
Life as we know it requires phosphorus, which is scarce. How did the early Earth supply this key ingredient? A University of Washington study, published Dec. 30 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, finds answers in certain types of carbonate-rich lakes.
Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology(Tokyo Tech) explore a new material combination that sets the stage for magnetic random access memories, which rely on spin--an intrinsic property of electrons-- and could outperform current storage devices.
During the past years, artificial intelligence (AI) -- the capability of a machine to mimic human behavior -- has become a key player in high-techs like drug development projects.
The new films combine exceptionally strong light absorption with good charge transport — two qualities that make them ideal for applications such as photovoltaics and light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
Irvine, Calif., Dec. 23, 2019 — From probing the ocean depths to deciphering human health mysteries, researchers across scientific disciplines are increasingly including microbiomes in their work. The Microbiome Centers Consortium has been launched by two University of California, Irvine School of Bioscience faculty members to advance growth in this life science field, increasingly recognized as relevant to many other disciplines and industrial applications.
From nanoparticles to algae ecology, the Office of Science supported a variety of research in 2019.
This edition of Science Snapshots highlights the discovery of an investigational cancer drug that targets tumors caused by mutations in the KRAS gene, the development of a new library of artificial proteins that could accelerate the design of new materials, and new insight into the natural toughening mechanism behind adult tooth enamel.
One of the challenges in using machine learning for drug development is to create a process for the computer to extract needed information from a pool of data points. Drug scientists must pull biological data and train the software to understand how a typical human body will interact with the combinations that come together to form a medication.
Isotope “labeling” techniques replace specific atoms in a compound with an isotope that can be detected by its neutron count.
Paul Davies’ newest book, The Demon in the Machine, takes aim at one of the great outstanding scientific enigmas –what is life, how and why does it emerge and what distinguishes the living from the non-living? The book, which was published this past October in the U.S. has now been named the top physics book of 2019 by Physics World, a publication of the UK Institute of Physics.
Drawing inspiration from nature, University of Wisconsin–Madison chemists have discovered an efficient way to wrangle long, snaking molecules to form large rings — rings that form the backbone of many pharmaceuticals but are difficult to produce in the lab.
A minuscule, counterintuitive chemical tweak is advancing an organic solar technology that was believed unviable.
Yuantao Ding is a staff scientist at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
Students from Long Island, New York, high schools have collaborated across districts to decipher the atomic-level structures of two proteins involved in a variety of diseases. The students used very bright x-rays at the National Synchrotron Light Source II at Brookhaven National Laboratory to identify the 3-D arrangements of atoms that make up functional components of these proteins.
Indiana University researchers have discovered that a chemical compound found in essential oils improves the healing process in mice when it is topically applied to a skin wound.
Boyce Thompson Institute researchers discover 95 potential new human protein targets for salicylate compounds and provide a roadmap for future drug development against dozens of diseases.
Why, only a few short weeks out, do most of our resolutions stick as egg on our face remembrances of our best intentions? You can blame it on your brain chemicals for they contain both the reasons for our failures as well as the potential keys to success. Resolutions are stressful in that they create uncomfortable internal conflicts of habit versus wish.
A team of researchers at McMaster University has developed a self-cleaning surface that can repel all forms of bacteria, preventing the transfer of antibiotic-resistant superbugs and other dangerous bacteria in settings ranging from hospitals to kitchens.
Researchers at UC San Diego and MIT linked theory and experiment to move closer to developing materials that address global water scarcity.
Jason Dwyer, associate professor of chemistry at the University of Rhode Island, has won an internationally recognized Innovation Award for his advancements in single-molecule nanopore sensing from the Federation of Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy Societies at its annual SciX Conference in Palm Springs, California, in October.
Jan Halámek and his team of researchers at the University at Albany, led by Department of Chemistry graduate student Mindy Hair, are developing a sensing strip that can detect a person’s blood alcohol content (BAC) based on ethanol levels in a small sweat sample.
What could Azteca ants in coffee farms in Mexico have in common with leopards' spots and zebras' stripes?
In a Dec. 10 briefing on Capitol Hill, a Washington University in St. Louis expert testified that steep price increases and “supply shocks” in helium threaten basic research in academic settings and also broader health and industry applications.“Helium is ubiquitous in our lives,” said Sophia E. Hayes, professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences, in written remarks to a subcommittee of the U.
A new study, published Nov. 21 in the Journal of Chemical Ecology, investigates how these pests find their target amid a sea of other plants in the landscape.
Graphene, a two-dimensional structure made of carbon, is a material with excellent mechani-cal, electronic and optical properties. However, it did not seem suitable for magnetic applica-tions. Together with international partners, Empa researchers have now succeeded in synthesiz-ing a unique nanographene predicted in the 1970s, which conclusively demonstrates that car-bon in very specific forms has magnetic properties that could permit future spintronic applica-tions. The results have just been published in the renowned journal Nature Nanotechnology.
Researchers develop protocells that better mimic living cells to help understand cell movement
Microplastics are receiving a lot of attention lately due to its difficulty in removal from the environment.
Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered a new function in a plant enzyme that could inspire the design of new chemical catalysts. The enzyme catalyzes, or initiates, one of the cornerstone chemical reactions needed to synthesize a wide array of organic molecules, including those found in lubricants, cosmetics, and those used as raw materials for making plastics.
Antonino Miceli is the group leader of the Detectors Group in the X-ray Science Division of the Advanced Photon Source at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, a senior fellow at the Northwestern Argonne Institute of Science and Engineering, and a senior scientist at the University of Chicago Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering.
The Big Questions series features perspectives from the five recipients of the Department of Energy Office of Science’s 2019 Distinguished Scientists Fellows Award describing their research and what they plan to do with the award. José Rodriguez is a senior chemist at Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Little bits of black carbon littering the ocean floor, separate and distinct from the organic carbon believed to come from the ocean’s surface. The source of that strange, and older, carbon has now been identified by UD researchers. The discovery is an important step in understanding the marine carbon cycle.
In a paper published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago researchers and colleagues report a new mechanism for detecting foreign material during early immune responses.
The archaeon Metallosphaera sedula can uptake and process extraterrestrial material. This is shown by an international team led by astrobiologist Tetyana Milojevic, who examines microbial fingerprints on meteorite materials. The researchers also conclude that M. sedula colonizes meteorite minerals faster than those of terrestrial origin.
Science Snapshots from Berkeley Lab
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have invented a way to observe the movements of electrons with powerful X-ray laser bursts just 280 attoseconds, or billionths of a billionth of a second, long.
CFN staff and users from ExxonMobil have developed a new approach to identifying atoms that are neither carbon nor hydrogen within a specific type of molecule in crude oil.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science recognizes four University of Illinois at Chicago researchers.
Researchers reporting in ACS Nano have developed a new manufacturing process that could enable ultra-efficient atomic computers that store more data and consume 100 times less power.
Oak Brook, IL – Next month’s SLAS Technology features the cover article, “Automated System for Small-Population Single-Particle Processing Enabled by Exclusive Liquid Repellency,” outlining research led by Chao Li, Ph.D., (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA). In the article, Li and his team describe how they combined a robotic liquid handler, an automated microscopic imaging system and real-time image-processing software for single-particle identification to create an automated platform using exclusive liquid repellency (ELR) microdrops for single-particle isolation, identification and retrieval.
Northern Michigan University students enrolled in the nation's first medicinal plant chemistry program have access to cutting-edge instrumentation used in and beyond the cannabis industry through NMU's partnership with Shimadzu. Representatives of both entities recently dedicated a new lab on campus.
Scientists at Oregon State University may have proven how much people love coffee, tea, chocolate, soda and energy drinks as they validated their new method for studying how different drugs interact in the body.
A novel method produces a new class of radioactive tracers that are used for medical imaging. The method allows them to attach radioactive atoms to compounds that have previously been difficult or even impossible to label. The advance will make it easier to track medications in the body and identify tumors and other diseases.
Fifty-two faculty members and researchers at the University of California San Diego are among the world’s most influential in their fields, according to Web of Science Group's 2019 listing.
A team led by the University of Manchester has developed a metal-organic framework material providing a selective, reversible and repeatable capability to capture a toxic air pollutant, nitrogen dioxide, which is produced by combusting fossil fuels. The material then requires only water and air to convert the captured gas into nitric acid for industrial use.
Florida Atlantic University faculty, staff and students came together with local officials and community partners today to celebrate the 20th anniversary of FAU’s John D. MacArthur Campus at Jupiter with a ceremonial groundbreaking for the new FAU Neuroscience Building and a new residence hall.
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