Controls on Nitrogen Nutrient Availability in the Arctic Tundra
Soil moisture is key to determining plant growth and nutrient cycling in complex tundra landscapes.
First direct view of an electron's short, speedy trip across a border
Electrons flowing across the boundary between two materials are the foundation of many key technologies, from flash memories to batteries and solar cells. Now researchers have directly observed and clocked these tiny cross-border movements for the first time, watching as electrons raced seven-tenths of a nanometer - about the width of seven hydrogen atoms - in 100 millionths of a billionth of a second.
Hydrogels Change Water and Solute Dynamics
Hydrogel pores can modify the molecular-level motion of water and dissolved ions.
New Measurements of Exotic Form of Magnesium Suggest a Surprising Shape-Shift
A team led by Berkeley Lab scientists has gleaned new and surprising clues about the nuclear structure of an exotic form of magnesium: Mg-40.
Coupling Computer Models Shows Interactions among River Water, Groundwater, and Land Surfaces
Computer model offers detailed view of water cycling and complex Earth system dynamics.
Viruses Must Overcome Challenges to Infect Bacteria in Nature
Molecular studies show phage-host interactions are more complicated than most laboratory studies suggest.
Dark Fiber Lays Groundwork for Long-Distance Earthquake Detection and Groundwater Mapping
Researchers at Berkeley Lab have turned dark fiber owned by the DOE Energy Sciences Network into a highly sensitive seismic activity sensor that could potentially augment the performance of earthquake early warning systems currently being developed in the western United States.
The Subtle, but Significant, Role of Surfaces in Ion Stickiness
Direct interactions dominate ion adsorption to aqueous graphene, a process central to vital processes in energy technology.
Untangling a Strange Phenomenon That Both Helps and Hurts Lithium-Ion Battery Performance
New research offers the first complete picture of why a promising approach of stuffing more lithium into battery cathodes leads to their failure. A better understanding of this could be the key to smaller phone batteries and electric cars that drive farther between charges.
Near-Term Ocean Warming Around Antarctica Affects Long-Term Rate of Sea Level Rise
Scientists investigate a threshold for rapid ice-sheet degradation in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Scientists take X-ray aim in effort to discover new fuel catalyst
In a new study of a related group of metal oxides made of cobalt, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory sought to determine why two similar water-splitting catalysts with somewhat different domain sizes behaved differently.
Tree of life: Poplar studies yield human cancer insights
While studying the genes in poplar trees that control callus formation, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have uncovered genetic networks at the root of tumor formation in several human cancers.
Rust never sleeps
PNNL researchers have been able to observe in unprecedented detail how rust happens.
Argonne Researchers Develop New Method to Reduce Quantum Noise
New method for alleviating the effects of "noise" in quantum information systems addresses a challenge that scientists around the globe are working to meet in the race toward a new era of quantum technologies.
Story tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, February 4, 2019
Oak Ridge National Laboratory used machine learning to map vegetation in Alaskan tundra; ORNL taps machine learning to better predict home-to-work commuting; Univ of South Carolina investigates oxygen-reducing perovskites in fuel cells using ORNL neutrons; decades of data showed salt purity trends leading to inconsistent corrosion of alloys.
New Approach Gets Better View of Carbon Deeper Underground
Characterizing carbon stored in deeper sediments below soils is critical for understanding the stability and dynamics of Earth's carbon pool.
CSI: Neutrinos Cast No Shadows
New crime scene investigation technique offers a hard look at the traces that particles leave before fleeing the scene.
Novel electron microscopy offers nanoscale, damage-free tracking of isotopes in amino acids
Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory described in the journal Science the first use of an electron microscope to directly identify isotopes in amino acids at the nanoscale without damaging the samples, which could open a new pathway for deeper, more comprehensive studies of the basic building blocks of life.
Superinsulators to Become Scientists' Quark Playgrounds
Scientists widely accept the existence of quarks, the elusive fundamental particles that make up protons and neutrons. But information about their properties is still lacking.
ArgoNeuT Hits a Home Run with Measurements of Neutrinos in Liquid Argon
Scientists developed a method to better distinguish the tracks that particles leave behind in liquid argon.
Optimizing Electric Fields Yields Better Catalysts
A careful consideration of electric fields could lead to faster industrial processes that use less energy and release less waste.
Revealed: Structure of Proton in Liquid Water
Findings could rewrite textbooks about molecular structure for solvent ubiquitous in chemistry and biology.
Community Matters When Using Algae to Produce Energy
Algae that turn carbon dioxide into fuel feedstock are enhanced by surrounding bacteria.
New Probe for the Secrets of Complex Interfaces
Element-selective method reveals interfacial properties of materials used for water purification, catalysis, energy conversion, and more.
How to Escape a Black Hole: Simulations Provide New Clues to What's Driving Powerful Plasma Jets
New simulations led by researchers working at the Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley have combined decades-old theories to provide new insight about the driving mechanisms in plasma jets that allows them to steal energy from black holes' powerful gravitational fields and propel it far from their gaping mouths.