GEM Fellowship opens a new path to potential research careers
The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory's first two GEM fellows have begun a summer of research at PPPL. Promise Adebayo-Ige is working toward a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville while Caira Anderson is a doctoral student in computational and applied mathematics at Rice University. PPPL recently joined the GEM Consortium as part of its effort to diversify its staff and broaden outreach.
Brain-Computer Interface Enables Johns Hopkins Study Participant to Touch and Feel Holographic Objects
As part of a larger study exploring neural multiplexing and new modes of perception enabled by brain-computer interface (BCI), Johns Hopkins researchers have demonstrated the ability to "feel" virtual objects by integrating neural stimulation in a mixed-reality environment.
Putting Functional Proteins in Their Place
Using DNA, scientists organized bioactive proteins in desired 2-D and 3-D ordered arrays--promising for structural biology, biomedicine, and more.
Astronomers seek gravitational waves with renewed NSF grant
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has renewed a Physics Frontiers Center grant to the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) consortium, giving Cornell University astronomy researchers in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), together with more than 200 collaborators around the world, five more years to seek gravitational waves.
Earth-like biospheres on other planets may be rare
A new analysis of known exoplanets has revealed that Earth-like conditions on potentially habitable planets may be much rarer than previously thought.
Setting Gold and Platinum Standards Where Few Have Gone Before
Like two superheroes finally joining forces, Sandia National Laboratories' Z machine -- generator of the world's most powerful electrical pulses -- and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility -- the planet's most energetic laser source -- in a series of 10 experiments have detailed the responses of gold and platinum at pressures so extreme that their atomic structures momentarily distorted like images in a fun-house mirror.
Artificial intelligence speeds forecasts to control fusion experiments
Machine learning can improve the ability of scientists to optimize the components of experiments on spherical tokamaks that heat and shape the magnetically confined plasma that fuels fusion reactions.
Microspheres Quiver When Shocked
A challenging frontier in science and engineering is controlling matter outside of thermodynamic equilibrium to build material systems with capabilities that rival those of living organisms. Research on active colloids aims to create micro- and nanoscale "particles" that swim through viscous fluids like primitive microorganisms. When these self-propelled particles come together, they can organize and move like schools of fish to perform robotic functions, such as navigating complex environments and delivering "cargo" to targeted locations.
Quest, PPPL's annual research magazine, highlights breakthroughs and discoveries during the past year
News release on the publication of PPPL's Quest magazine features achievements of the laboratory over the past year.
Life in these star-systems could have spotted Earth
Scientists at Cornell University and the American Museum of Natural History have identified 2,034 nearby star-systems - within the small cosmic distance of 326 light-years - from which life could find Earth merely by watching our pale blue dot cross our sun.
Magneto-Thermal Imaging Brings Synchrotron Capabilities to the Lab
Coming soon to a lab tabletop near you: a method of magneto-thermal imaging that offers nanoscale and picosecond resolution previously available only in synchrotron facilities.
Scientists Obtain Magnetic Nanopowder for 6G Technology
Material scientists have developed a fast method for producing epsilon iron oxide and demonstrated its promise for next-generation communications devices. Its outstanding magnetic properties make it one of the most coveted materials, such as for the upcoming 6G generation of communication devices and for durable magnetic recording. The work was published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry C, a journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Tree Pollen Carries SARS-CoV-2 Particles Farther, Facilitates Virus Spread
A study on the role of microscopic particles in virus transmission suggests pollen is nothing to sneeze at. In Physics of Fluids, researchers investigate how pollen facilitates the spread of an RNA virus like the COVID-19 virus. The study draws on cutting-edge computational approaches for analyzing fluid dynamics to mimic the pollen movement from a willow tree, a prototypical pollen emitter. Airborne pollen grains contribute to the spread of airborne viruses, especially in crowded environments.
First Wave COVID-19 Data Underestimated Pandemic Infections
Two COVID-19 pandemic curves emerged within many cities during the one-year period from March 2020 to March 2021. Oddly, the number of total daily infections reported during the first wave is much lower than that of the second, but the total number of daily deaths reported during the first wave is much higher than the second wave.
Researchers trace dust grain's journey through newborn solar system
A research team led by the University of Arizona has reconstructed in unprecedented detail the history of a dust grain that formed during the birth of the solar system more than 4.5 billion years ago.
The Science of tsunamis
The word "tsunami" brings immediately to mind the havoc that can be wrought by these uniquely powerful waves.
Study examines how breast implant surfaces affect immune response
Rice University bioengineers collaborated on a six-year study that systematically analyzed how the surface architecture of breast implants influences the development of adverse effects, including an unusual type of lymphoma.
New method for molecular functionalization of surfaces
One vision that is currently driving material scientists is to combine organic molecules (and their diverse functionalities) with the technological possibilities offered by extremely sophisticated semiconductor electronics.
Argonne's turning 75: Join the celebration!
Three virtual public events during the week of June 28 will mark Argonne's 75th anniversary. Events will spotlight U.S. Department of Energy national user facilities; the next 75 years; the road to decarbonization; and a lighthearted look at the lab.
Surprising spider hair discovery may inspire stronger adhesives
Just how do spiders walk straight up -- and even upside-down across -- so many different types of surfaces? Answering this question could open up new opportunities for creating powerful, yet reversible, bioinspired adhesives.
Imaging at the tip of a needle
Scientists have developed a new technique that could revolutionise medical imaging procedures using light.
Atomic-scale tailoring of graphene approaches macroscopic world
Properties of materials are often defined by imperfections in their atomic structure, especially when the material itself is just one atom thick, such as graphene. Researchers at the University of Vienna have now developed a method for controlled creation of such imperfections into graphene at length scales approaching the macroscopic world. These results, confirmed by atomically resolved microscope images and published in the journal Nano Letters, serve as an essential starting point both for tailoring graphene for applications and for the development of new materials.
Physicist Wins Early Career Grant To Study Nuclear Physics, Quantum Phenomena
The U.S. Department of Energy has selected Iowa State's Srimoyee Sen for an early career award that will help her study nuclear physics and quantum phenomena. The research could lead to the discovery of new materials that could one day contribute to speedy quantum computing or other applications.
Argonne and Oak Ridge National Laboratories Award Codeplay Software to Further Strengthen SYCL(tm) Support Extending the Open Standard Software for AMD GPUs
Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), has awarded Codeplay a contract implementing the oneAPI DPC++ compiler, an implementation of the SYCL open standard software, to support AMD GPU-based high-performance compute (HPC) supercomputers.
Researchers uncover unique properties of a promising new superconductor
An international team of physicists led by the University of Minnesota has discovered that a unique superconducting metal is more resilient when used as a very thin layer. The research is the first step toward a larger goal of understanding unconventional superconducting states in materials, which could possibly be used in quantum computing in the future.