Cementing the future
Researchers from Argonne National Laboratory's Advanced Photon Source and Center for Nanoscale Materials are utilizing nano- and micro-scale imaging to better understand the chemical processes behind the formation of cement.
Fat-Based Molecules are Key to Zika Virus Infection
Researchers from PNNL have helped colleagues at OHSU identify lipid molecules required for Zika infection in human cells. The specific lipids involved could also be a clue to why the virus primarily infects brain tissue.
Another Win for the Standard Model: New Study Defies Decades-Old 'Discrepancy' With High-Precision Measurement
A new study dives into a decades-old discrepancy from a Standard Model of particle physics pillar known as "lepton flavor universality," and provides strong evidence to resolve it.
Influx of Electric Vehicles Accelerates Need for Grid Planning
A new PNNL report says the western U.S. bulk power system can reliably support projected growth of up to 24 million electric vehicles through 2028, but challenges will arise as EV adoption grows beyond that threshold. This study is the most comprehensive of its kind, integrating multiple variables not evaluated before, such as growth in commercial delivery fleets and long-haul trucks, as well as large-scale and long-term EV charging scenarios and strategies.
First results of an upgraded experiment highlight the value of lithium for the creation of fusion energy
Initial results of the Lithium Tokamak Experiment-Beta (LTX-β) at PPPL show that the enhancements significantly improve performance of the plasma that will fuel future fusion reactors.
Hybrid inverter integrates distributed energy resources, supports smart grid function
Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers have developed an intelligent power electronic inverter platform that can connect locally sited energy resources such as solar panels, energy storage and electric vehicles and smoothly interact with the utility power grid.
Ready to Join the Fight Against COVID-19
UPTON, NY--On July 29, 2020 the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory opened a new cryo-electron microscopy center, the Laboratory for BioMolecular Structure (LBMS), with an initial focus on COVID-19-related research. This state-of-the-art research center for life sciences imaging offers researchers access to advanced cryo-electron microscopes (cryo-EM)--funded by NY State--for studying complex proteins, as well as the architecture of cells and tissues.
ORNL-produced plutonium-238 to help power Perseverance on Mars
Mars 2020 will be the first NASA mission that uses ORNL-produced plutonium-238, the first U.S.-produced Pu-238 in three decades. ORNL's Pu-238 will help power Perseverance across the Red Planet's surface.
Solving materials problems with a quantum computer
Scientists at Argonne and the University of Chicago have developed a method paving the way to using quantum computers to simulate realistic molecules and complex materials. They tested the method on a quantum simulator and IBM quantum computer.
How clean water technologies could get a boost from X-ray synchrotrons
In a new perspective, SLAC and University of Paderborn scientists argue that research at synchrotrons could help improve water-purifying materials in ways that might not otherwise be possible.
Computational gene study suggests new pathway for COVID-19 inflammatory response
A team led by Dan Jacobson of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory used the Summit supercomputer at ORNL to analyze genes from cells in the lung fluid of nine COVID-19 patients compared with 40 control patients.
Scientists record rapid carbon loss from warming peatlands
Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated a direct relationship between climate warming and carbon loss in a peatland ecosystem.
X-Rays Recount Origin of Oddball Meteorites
X-ray experiments at Berkeley Lab played a key role in resolving the origin of rare, odd meteorites that have puzzled scientists since their discovery a half-century ago. Known as type IIE iron meteorites, they appear to have originated from a parent body that had a composition featuring both fully melted and unmelted parts - other meteorite types display only one composition.
Redesigning lithium-ion battery anodes for better performance
In a new study, a team led by researchers at Argonne National Laboratory has made discoveries concerning a potential new, higher-capacity anode material, which would allow lithium-ion batteries to have a higher overall energy capacity.
U.S. Department of Energy unveils blueprint for the quantum internet at 'Launch To The Future: Quantum Internet' event
In a press conference today at the University of Chicago, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) unveiled a report that lays out a blueprint strategy for the development of a national quantum internet, bringing the United States to the forefront of the global quantum race and ushering in a new era of communications.
While birds chirp, plasma shouldn't: New insight could advance development of fusion energy
Scientists at PPPL have furthered understanding of a barrier that can prevent doughnut-shaped fusion facilities known as tokamaks from operating at high efficiency by causing vital heat to be lost from them.
Argonne's pivotal research discovers practices, technologies key to sustainable farming
Scientists study how sustainable farming practices could reduce emissions.
SLAC's upgraded X-ray laser facility produces first light
The LCLS-II upgrade project will increase the X-ray laser's power by thousands of times, producing a million pulses per second compared to 120 per second today. Now, the first phase of the upgrade has come into operation, producing an X-ray beam for the first time using newly installed undulators. The full upgrade is due to be completed within the next two years.
Battery Breakthrough Gives Boost to Electric Flight and Long-Range Electric Cars
Researchers at Berkeley Lab, in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University, have developed a new battery material that could enable long-range electric vehicles that can drive for hundreds of miles on a single charge, and electric planes called eVTOLs for fast, environmentally friendly commutes.
The Secret to Renewable Solar Fuels is an Off-and-On Again Relationship
Copper that was once bound with oxygen is better at converting carbon dioxide into renewable fuels than copper that was never bound to oxygen, according to scientists at Berkeley Lab and Caltech.
Charm Quarks Offer Clues to Confinement
Nuclear physicists are trying to understand how particles called quarks and gluons combine to form hadrons, composite particles made of two or three quarks. New research suggests quarks in the hot soup created in particle collisions at RHIC recombine directly.
Customizable smart window technology could improve energy efficiency of buildings
Scientists combined solar cell technology with a novel optimization approach to develop a smart window prototype that maximizes design across a wide range of criteria.
Scientists Successfully Demonstrate a New Experiment in the Search for Theorized 'Neutrinoless' Process
Nuclear physicists affiliated with Berkeley Lab played a leading role in analyzing data for a demonstration experiment in France that has achieved record precision for a specialized detector material.
Argonne soil carbon research reduces uncertainty in predicting climate change impacts
DOE and USDA researchers use new global models to study how environmental controllers affect soil organic carbon, changes in which can alter atmospheric carbon concentrations and affect climate. Predictions could benefit industry mitigation plans.
Learning more about particle collisions with machine learning
A team of Argonne scientists has devised a machine learning algorithm that calculates, with low computational time, how the ATLAS detector in the Large Hadron Collider would respond to the ten times more data expected with a planned upgrade in 2027.