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Released: 28-Jan-2021 1:15 PM EST
Methane Emissions from Coal Mines Are Higher Than Previously Thought
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Methane emissions from coal mining are likely much higher than previously calculated, according to new research. That’s due mainly to emissions from abandoned mines and higher methane content in deep coal seams.

Released: 18-Jan-2021 2:00 PM EST
E-cigarettes Stress Lungs, Impair Protein Function
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

E-cigarette exposure stresses and inflames the lungs of rats, compromising important quality control proteins, according to new research.

Released: 12-Jan-2021 1:30 PM EST
ElastiDry Wins DOE National Pitch Competition
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

A panel of five judges from the Bay Area and Silicon Valley investment community chose the PNNL innovation from 10 product pitches.

Released: 12-Jan-2021 1:20 PM EST
Connected Moments for Quantum Computing
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Connected moments math shortcut shaves time and cost of quantum calculations while maintaining accuracy

Released: 6-Jan-2021 6:15 PM EST
Insights Through Atomic Simulation
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

A recent special issue in The Journal of Chemical Physics highlights PNNL’s contributions to developing two prominent open-source software packages for computational chemistry used by scientists around the world.

Released: 5-Jan-2021 6:10 PM EST
Marine and Coastal Research Laboratory—Past, Present, Future
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

The Marine and Coastal Research Laboratory in Sequim, Washington, is the U.S. Department of Energy’s only marine research facility. It has a rich history and expanding research scope.

Released: 21-Dec-2020 6:05 PM EST
Researchers Identify Which West Coast Regions Hold Greatest Wave Energy Potential
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Washington and Oregon coastlines hold most promising areas to pull power from West Coast waves, according to a recent study on wave energy.

Released: 21-Dec-2020 9:50 AM EST
Ettringite Cements Its Potential
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Ettringite, a mineral found in cement, can latch on to and detain the wily and worrisome radioactive contaminant, pertechnetate.

Released: 18-Dec-2020 11:05 AM EST
PNNL Researchers Track Radioiodine’s Chemical Evolution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PNNL researchers are examining the volatile radioisotope iodine as it evolves in the atmosphere and as it lands on a filtering surface. A more detailed understanding of the interactions and chemical evolution of radioiodine could help first responders’ decision-making after the release of volatile iodine into the environment, which happened following nuclear power plant accidents in 1986 at Chernobyl and in 2011 at Fukushima.

Released: 15-Dec-2020 2:35 PM EST
Urban Land and Aerosols Amplify Hazardous Weather, Steer Storms Toward Cities
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Urban landscapes and human-made aerosols have the potential to not only make gusts stronger and hail larger; they can also start storms sooner and even pull them toward cities, according to new research exploring the impact of urban development on hazardous weather, led by PNNL researchers.

Released: 15-Dec-2020 1:05 PM EST
Error Correction Means California’s Future Wetter Winters May Never Come
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

California and other areas of the U.S. Southwest may see less future winter precipitation than previously projected by climate models. After probing a persistent error in widely used models, PNNL researchers estimate that California will likely experience drier winters in the future than projected by some climate models, meaning residents may see less spring runoff, higher spring temperatures, and an increased risk of wildfire in coming years.

Released: 14-Dec-2020 5:25 PM EST
Wildfire Risk Rising as Scientists Determine Which Conditions Beget Blazes
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PNNL researchers investigate the environmental conditions, from soil moisture to surface temperature, that precede wildfire.

Released: 14-Dec-2020 2:20 PM EST
Stronger Cobalt for Fuel Cells
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

A multi-institutional effort led to the design of a highly active and more durable catalyst made from cobalt, which sets the foundation for fuel cells to power transportation, stationary and backup power, and more.

Released: 11-Dec-2020 3:50 PM EST
Renewable Energy Advances in Marine Clean Energy
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

A special issue of the Marine Technology Society Journal focuses on research and development efforts among industry, academia, and national laboratories, including PNNL. The issue was guest edited by Alicia Gorton, a project manager and ocean engineer at PNNL.

9-Dec-2020 10:10 AM EST
Single-Crystal Technology Holds Promise for Next-Generation Lithium-Ion Batteries
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Scientists have improved a promising battery technology, creating a single-crystal, nickel-rich cathode that is hardier and more efficient than before. Increasing nickel content in the cathode of an electric vehicle’s battery is attractive because of nickel’s relatively low cost, wide availability and low toxicity compared to other materials.

Released: 9-Dec-2020 5:35 PM EST
Managing Ecosystem Restoration: What Does Success Look Like?
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

A PNNL-led study is noting a strategic approach is needed for advancing effective large-scale ecosystem restoration outcomes to maximize both ecological and economic benefits.

Released: 2-Dec-2020 2:50 PM EST
New Machine Learning Tool Tracks Urban Traffic Congestion
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Using public data from the entire 1,500-square-mile Los Angeles metropolitan area, PNNL researchers reduced the time needed to create a traffic congestion model by an order of magnitude, from hours to minutes.

Released: 2-Dec-2020 7:15 AM EST
PNNL Scientists Elected AAAS Fellows
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Two Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers, one a world-leading authority on microorganisms and their impact on soil and human health, and the other an expert on coastal ecosystem restoration, have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Released: 1-Dec-2020 10:45 AM EST
Wind Power off the Oregon Coast Could Provide More than Electricity
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

A recent study found that 2 to 3 gigawatts of electricity from winds off the coast of Oregon could be carried by current transmission lines. That’s enough to power up to 1 million homes—a significant number since there are 1.5 million homes in Oregon. But just as significantly, it also means that delivering that power would not require much additional investment in new transmission infrastructure.

Released: 23-Nov-2020 3:50 PM EST
The Impact of Pruning
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PNNL researchers have shown an improved binarized neural network can deliver a low-cost and low-energy computation to help the performance of smart devices and the power grid.

Released: 23-Nov-2020 3:15 PM EST
Transactive Energy: Negotiating New Terrain
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PNNL’s longstanding grid and buildings capabilities are driving two projects that test transactive energy concepts on a grand scale and lay the groundwork for a more efficient U.S. energy system.

Released: 20-Nov-2020 5:05 PM EST
The Motivation for Sustainable Aviation Fuels
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

A new report outlines future research paths that are needed for airlines to reduce carbon emissions and notes that the only way to achieve emission reduction goals is with Sustainable Aviation Fuels.

Released: 16-Nov-2020 1:50 PM EST
A Bridge to the Quantum Revolution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PNNL, Microsoft Quantum partner to link quantum circuits to powerful government supercomputers

Released: 12-Nov-2020 4:40 PM EST
Shear Force—How Good Materials are Made Better
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Materials scientists at PNNL are demonstrating materials with improved properties using solid phase processing.

Released: 10-Nov-2020 2:35 PM EST
Glowing Progress in Pathogen Discovery
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

OmniScreen is an end-to-end pipeline for quickly and effectively distinguishing a plethora of pathogenic cells in a microbial community. The system extracts, probes, and screens thousands of cells to pick out pathogens in a matter of days.

Released: 10-Nov-2020 8:35 AM EST
PNNL Researchers Speed Power Grid Simulations Using AI
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PNNL’s new Smart Power Grid Simulator, or Smart-PGsim, combines high-performance computing and artificial intelligence to optimize power grid simulations without sacrificing accuracy.

Released: 9-Nov-2020 5:25 PM EST
Alloy-Forming Duo Unites to Amp Up Possibilities for Ethanol
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Scientists have developed a novel catalyst that converts pure ethanol into a highly valued class of alcohols that can serve as building blocks for everything from solvents to jet fuel.

Released: 9-Nov-2020 5:15 PM EST
The Root of Microplastics in Plants
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Micro- and nanoplastics were not absorbed by plant cells but did attach to the root cap. This could bode well for future cleanup of contaminated environments, but not well for root crops, like carrots.

Released: 9-Nov-2020 5:10 PM EST
PNNL Researchers Shift Project’s Focus to Regional COVID-19 Patients
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PNNL scientists are working with local doctors to collect and analyze air samples from patients’ lungs, looking for protein patterns unique to patients with COVID-19.

Released: 6-Nov-2020 8:20 AM EST
From Blooms to Biocrude
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PNNL researchers are contributing expertise and hydrothermal liquefaction technology to a project that intercepts toxic algae blooms from water, treats the water, and concentrates algae for transformation to biocrude.

Released: 2-Nov-2020 4:05 PM EST
New Cyber Technologies Protect Utility Energy Delivery Systems
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PNNL is taking new approaches to solve cybersecurity vulnerabilities for utilities and other industries that use process control technologies. Working with utility advisors and companies that specialize in identifying vulnerabilities, PNNL researchers have developed two web-based tools to assess and mitigate threats.

Released: 27-Oct-2020 4:20 PM EDT
Forewarning Federal Facilities About Their Cyber Risk
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

A new set of software tools, developed at PNNL, can help evaluate cybersecurity maturity at buildings and facilities, and flag potential risks.

Released: 27-Oct-2020 3:05 PM EDT
Enabling the Data-Driven Future of Microscopy
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

An international research team led by PNNL has published a vision for electron microscopy infused with the latest advances in data science and artificial intelligence. Writing a commentary in Nature Materials, the team proposes a highly integrated, autonomous, and data-driven microscopy architecture to address challenges in energy storage, quantum information science, and materials design.

Released: 26-Oct-2020 6:15 PM EDT
Safeguarding the Nation’s Supercomputers
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PNNL researchers and university collaborators have developed a system to ferret out questionable use of high-performance computing (HPC) systems.

Released: 26-Oct-2020 5:40 PM EDT
The Internet of Things Brings a Web of Promises and Perils to the Smart Grid, Experts Say
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PNNL researchers established an Internet of Things Common Operating Environment (IoTCOE) laboratory to explore the risks associated with IoT connectivity to the internet, the energy grid and other critical infrastructures.

Released: 26-Oct-2020 5:35 PM EDT
PNNL Gets X-Ray Vision
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

For the past year, three small-scale x-ray spectroscopy devices tucked away at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have begun to dramatically speed up the testing and analysis of candidate novel materials used in energy storage research and environmental remediation. They are also expected to reduce the number of expensive off-site research trips.

Released: 21-Oct-2020 2:10 PM EDT
What A Crystal Reveals About Nuclear Materials Processing
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PNNL researchers devised a new method to probe the atomic structure of plutonium-containing microcrystals using laboratory-based equipment.

Released: 20-Oct-2020 1:55 PM EDT
Who Will Get the Prize for Better Hurricane Monitoring?
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

The Ocean Observing Prize seeks competitors for an incentive prize program to help inventors advance new concepts for marine energy technologies that can power ocean observing systems. This phase focuses on observing platforms that host instruments that can provide better data regarding hurricane formation.

Released: 13-Oct-2020 7:05 PM EDT
“Better” Copper Means Higher-Efficiency Electric Motors
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Researchers at PNNL have increased the conductivity of composite copper wire by 5%. That small percentage can make a big difference in motor efficiency. The laboratory teamed with General Motors to test out the souped-up copper wire for use in vehicle motor components, as part of a cost-shared research project.

Released: 13-Oct-2020 3:30 PM EDT
Opening the Black Box of Neural Networks
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PNNL researchers used machine learning to explore the largest water clusters database, identifying – with the most accurate neural network – important information about hydrogen bonds and the structural patterns of this life-essential molecule.

Released: 9-Oct-2020 4:30 PM EDT
Offshore Wind Research Buoys Float into California’s Waters
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PNNL has deployed (10/8/20) two research buoys in waters off the West Coast for the first time in deep water, supporting a U.S. Department of Energy and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management effort to gather measurements that support offshore wind locations and technologies.

2-Oct-2020 11:00 AM EDT
Dust Dampens Albedo Effect, Spurs Snowmelt in the Heights of the Himalayas
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Dust blowing onto high mountains in the western Himalayas is a bigger factor than previously thought in hastening the melting of snow there, researchers show in a study published Oct. 5 in Nature Climate Change. That’s because dust – lots of it in the Himalayas – absorbs sunlight, heating the snow that surrounds it.

Released: 2-Oct-2020 7:05 PM EDT
PNNL Technologies Garner Six R&D 100 Honors
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

A shoe scanner that would allow people to keep on their footwear as they pass through airport security and a cement that repairs itself are among five PNNL R&D 100 Award recipients. PNNL now has garnered a total of 116 since the program’s inception.

Released: 30-Sep-2020 8:55 AM EDT
Machine Learning Scientists Teach Computers to Read X-Ray Images
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PNNL researchers used machine learning to develop a tool for a nonprofit to identify orthopedic implants in X-ray images to improve surgical speed and accuracy

Released: 28-Sep-2020 5:50 PM EDT
Advanced Mathematics Condense COVID-19 Complexity
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PNNL scientists are using an advanced mathematical tool called hypergraphs to identify how human cells respond to viral infection, including the new coronavirus.

Released: 24-Sep-2020 5:25 PM EDT
A Watershed Study for Wetland Restoration
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Amy Borde and coauthors at PNNL’s Marine and Coastal Research Laboratory developed a new predictive modeling tool for estuarine–tidal river research and management. A decade in the making, the innovative framework provides a means for understanding how both natural and human forces govern hydrology and plant communities in these complex wetland ecosystems, now and into the future.

Released: 24-Sep-2020 5:25 PM EDT
Brian O’Neill Named New Director for the Joint Global Change Research Institute
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

O'Neill to lead organization that advances scientific understanding of the ways in which human, energy and environmental systems interact, and has provided input to the White House, Congress, United Nations and other national and international governing and advising bodies.

Released: 22-Sep-2020 5:45 PM EDT
Network Resilience is Key to Surviving Compound Hazard Events, Scientists Say
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

As extreme weather and other events increase in frequency and intensity, cybercriminals ramp up attacks on technologies that tie together urban infrastructure systems, networks critical to the flow of data, people, goods, and services must be made more resilient to failure, according to a team of scientists.

Released: 21-Sep-2020 12:00 AM EDT
PNNL, UW Broaden Capacity to Test for COVID-19
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Researchers from PNNL and UW analyzed kits that could be used as a critical part of a laboratory test used to detect COVID-19 in a sample from an infected person. As a result, two additional kits have been listed as options that labs can consider using, boosting the supply of chemicals and supplies linked to a critical step in the testing process.

Released: 18-Sep-2020 10:05 AM EDT
Not Your Average Refinery
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PNNL researchers outline how to convert stranded biomass to sustainable fuel using electrochemical reduction reactions in mini-refineries powered by renewable energy.



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