Researchers Create the First Maps of Two Melatonin Receptors Essential for Sleep
An international team of researchers used an X-ray laser at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to create the first detailed maps of two melatonin receptors that tell our bodies when to go to sleep or wake up and guide other biological processes. A better understanding of how they work could enable researchers to design better drugs to combat sleep disorders, cancer and Type 2 diabetes. Their findings were published in two papers today in Nature.
Capturing the behavior of single-atom catalysts on the move
Scientists are excited by the prospect of stripping catalysts down to single atoms. Attached by the millions to a supporting surface, they could offer the ultimate in speed and specificity. Now researchers have taken an important step toward understanding single-atom catalysts by deliberately tweaking how they're attached to the surfaces that support them - in this case the surfaces of nanoparticles.
Watching Molecules Split in Real Time
Using a new X-ray technique, a team of researchers was able to watch in real time as a molecule split apart into two new molecules. The method could be used to look at chemical reactions that other techniques can't catch, for instance in catalysis, photovoltaics, peptide and combustion research. The team, led by researchers from Brown University in collaboration with the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, published their results in March in Angewandte Chemie.
Capturing Energy Flow in a Plasma by Measuring Scattered Light
First measurements of heat flux in plasmas experientially sheds light on models relying on classical thermal transport.
Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning Accelerate Efforts to Develop Clean, Virtually Limitless Fusion Energy
The Fusion Recurrent Neural Network reliably forecasts disruptive and destructive events in tokamaks.
Spin Flipper Upends Protons
The spin direction of protons was reversed, for the first time, using a nine-magnet device, potentially helping tease out details about protons that affect medical imaging and more.
Catalyst Renders Nerve Agents Harmless
A team of scientists including researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory has studied a catalyst that decomposes nerve agents, eliminating their harmful and lethal effects. The research was published Friday, April 19, in the Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. "Our work is part of an ongoing, multiagency effort to protect soldiers and civilians from chemical warfare agents (CWAs)," said Anatoly Frenkel, a physicist with a joint appointment at Brookhaven Lab and Stony Brook University and the lead author on the paper.
Splitting Water Fast! Catalyst Works Faster than Mother Nature
Design principles lead to a catalyst that splits water in a low pH environment, vital for generating solar fuels.
Sea Quark Spin Surprise!
Antiquark spin contribution to proton spin depends on flavor, which could help unlock secrets about the nuclear structure of atoms that make up nearly all visible matter in our universe.
The Weak Side of the Proton
A precision measurement of the proton's weak charge narrows the search for new physics.
Electric Skyrmions Charge Ahead for Next-Generation Data Storage
A team of researchers led by Berkeley Lab has observed chirality for the first time in polar skyrmions in a material with reversible electrical properties - a combination that could lead to more powerful data storage devices that continue to hold information, even after they've been turned off.
CEBAF Turns on the Charm
The world's most advanced particle accelerator for investigating the quark structure of the atom's nucleus has just charmed physicists with a new capability. The production of charm quarks in J/ψ (J/psi) particles by CEBAF at the Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility confirms that the facility has expanded the realm of precision nuclear physics research with electron beams to higher energies.
Fast-Moving Pairs May Solve 35-Year-Old Mystery
Physicists develop a universal mathematical description that suggests that proton-neutron pairs in a nucleus may explain why their associated quarks have lower average momenta than predicted.
Artificial intelligence accelerates efforts to develop clean, virtually limitless fusion energy
Feature describes Nature paper on opening a new chapter in fusion research with artificial intelligence.
Team Takes Fluoride from Taps and Toothpaste to Batteries
With user facilities, researchers devise novel battery chemistries to help make fluoride batteries a reality.
Quarks Under Pressure in the Proton
Pressure in the middle of a proton is about 10 times higher than in a neutron star.
Physicists Improve Understanding of Heat and Particle Flow in the Edge of a Fusion Device
PPPL physicists have discovered valuable information about how plasma flows at the edge inside doughnut-shaped fusion devices. The findings mark an encouraging sign for the development of machines to produce fusion energy for generating electricity without creating long-term hazardous waste.
Magnetic Levitation of Ultracold Neutrons Yields New Measurement of the Neutron Lifetime
Storing extremely slow neutrons in a novel trap enables precise measurement of a basic property of particle physics.
SLAC's High-Speed 'Electron Camera' Films Molecular Movie in HD
With an extremely fast "electron camera" at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, researchers have made the first high-definition "movie" of ring-shaped molecules breaking open in response to light. The results could further our understanding of similar reactions with vital roles in chemistry, such as the production of vitamin D in our bodies.
New Molecular Blueprint Aids Study of Photosynthesis
Insights into how nature converts carbon dioxide into sugar could help scientists develop crops that produce fuels and other products.
SLAC develops novel compact antenna for communicating where radios fail
A new type of pocket-sized antenna, developed at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, could enable mobile communication in situations where conventional radios don't work, such as under water, through the ground and over very long distances through air.
Catching Fast Changes in Excited Molecules
Scientists observe and control molecular and atomic dynamics at the fastest timescales to date.
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New microscopy method provides more details about nanocomposites
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory have developed a new microscopy approach for imaging gel nanocomposites in their natural state, which will reveal more useful information about their assembly and properties.
Getting to the Root of Plant Simulations
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory developed a new algorithm to bolster what once were static models of root dynamics, providing researchers a clearer picture of what's really happening beneath the soil. The work, published in the January 28 issue of the Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, describes the dynamic root model and its use with the Energy Exascale Earth System Land Model (ELM), a component of the DOE's larger Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM).
Atomic Maps Reveal How Iron Rusts
Scientists discovered how iron atoms continually re-arrange on surfaces, offering insights into metal corrosion and soil remediation.