In the News

Whirlpools on the Nanoscale Could Multiply Magnetic Memory

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

At the Advanced Light Source, Berkeley Lab scientists join an international team to control spin orientation in magnetic nanodisks.

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Recognizes Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory as State’s Top Environmental Steward

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

DEP program encourages facilities across the state to voluntarily exceed regulatory requirements.

Artificial Forest for Solar Water-Splitting

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Berkeley Lab Researchers Report First Fully Integrated Artificial Photosynthesis Nanosystem.

The DOE Joint Genome Institute Expands Capabilities via New Partnerships

Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

With the publication last year of its strategic plan, “Forging the Future — A Ten-Year Strategic Vision” the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) has positioned itself to provide the most current technology and expertise to their users so that they can address pressing energy and environmental scientific challenges.

An Invitation for Family Fun at Princeton Plasma Physics Lab’s Open House on June 1

Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The Office of Science’s Princeton Plasma Physics Lab (PPPL) Open House will be a fun science festival for every age, with NASA moon rocks, a Hall of Machines, an art show of paintings of PPPL, science activities for kids and tours of fusion machines.

Nomination Deadlines for the Fermi and Lawrence Awards Extended Until July 8, 2013

Fri, 10 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The Office of Science is accepting nominations for the 2013 Enrico Fermi and E. O. Lawrence Awards through July 8, 2013.

Mathematics of Popping Bubbles in a Foam

Thu, 09 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Berkeley Lab researchers solved the complex and widely-applicable equations in a matter of days instead of almost a year thanks to the supercomputers at DOE’s National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center.

Berkeley Lab’s Aydın Buluç Wins 2013 DOE Early Career Award

Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Aydın Buluç of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s (Berkeley Lab’s) Computational Research Division (CRD) has been honored with a 2013 Department of Energy’s (DOE) Early Career Award for his work on energy-efficient parallel graph and data mining algorithms.

DOE’s Office of Science Announces 61 Scientists to Receive Early Career Research Program Funding

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Program provides support to exceptional researchers.

New Dark Matter Detector Begins Search for Invisible Particles

Fri, 03 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Scientists this week heard their first pops in an experiment that searches for signs of dark matter in the form of tiny bubbles.

Brookhaven Lab's Gianluigi De Geronimo Named a Battelle 'Inventor of the Year'

Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Honored for designing microelectronics used in science experiments, tools for national security and medical imaging.

Does Antimatter Fall Up or Down?

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Berkeley Lab physicists and their colleagues in CERN’s ALPHA experiment present the first direct evidence of how atoms of antimatter interact with gravity.

Fermilab Welcomes New Additions to its ‘Particle Zoo’

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

See photos of the three baby bison that have joined the herd at the Office of Science lab.

Bold Move Forward in Molecular Analyses

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Berkeley Lab Researchers Develop New Metrics for X-ray and Neutron Analysis of Flexible Macromolecules.

Recipe for Low-Cost, Biomass-Derived Catalyst for Hydrogen Production

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Promising results are a step toward a range of renewable energy strategies fueled by Nature.

Scientists See Nanoparticles Form Larger Structures in Real Time

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

In a new study performed at the Center for Nanoscale Materials at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, researchers have for the first time seen the self-assembly of nanoparticle chains in situ, that is, in place as it occurs in real-time.

Department of Energy to Compete Management and Operating Contract for Brookhaven National Laboratory

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Competition may lead to improved cost efficiencies as well as new and innovative approaches for planning the lab's future.

Underground Experiment Sees Possible Hints of Dark Matter

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search experiment, which is supported by the Office of Science, adds new intrigue to the hunt for dark matter.

Argonne a Top Place to Work for Postdocs in 2013

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

For the third year in a row, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory is one of the 10 best places to work as a postdoctoral researcher, according to The Scientist magazine’s annual survey.

INCITE Program Accepting Proposals for Time on its Leadership-Class Supercomputers

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Some of the toughest challenges in science and engineering to be addressed through total awards of more than five billion-core hours.

Energy Department Announces Prizes for 2013 National Science Bowl

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The U.S. Department of Energy today announced the prizes for which middle and high school teams from across the nation will compete at this year’s National Science Bowl, held from April 25 to April 29 in Washington, D.C.

Battery Research at NSLS Aims to Solve Energy Storage Challenges

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The next big frontier for battery technology is efficient, grid-scale storage. Experiments to exploit the properties of single-use alkaline batteries for large-scale batteries could lead to the next energy revolution and provide safe storage for immense amounts of power.

DOE Announces Five-Year Renewal of Funding for Bioenergy Research Centers

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Centers will receive $25 million per year for innovative biofuel research.

First Data Released from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Office of Science-supported mission provides precise measurements of cosmic rays.

Brookhaven Science Associates Names Doon Gibbs Director of Brookhaven National Laboratory

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The Board of Directors of Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA) today named Interim Laboratory Director Doon Gibbs as the next Director of Brookhaven National Laboratory, effective immediately

Making Do with More: Joint BioEnergy Institute Researchers Engineer Plant Cell Walls to Boost Sugar Yields for Biofuels

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Using the tools of synthetic biology, JBEI researchers are engineering healthy plants whose lignocellulosic biomass can more easily be broken down into simple sugars for the production of clean, green and renewable advanced biofuels.

NOvA neutrino detector records first 3-D particle tracks

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Using the first completed section of the NOvA neutrino detector, scientists have begun collecting data from cosmic rays—particles produced by a constant rain of atomic nuclei falling on the Earth’s atmosphere from space .

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory achieves milestone, completing first part of heart of fusion experiment

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Engineers and technicians at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have completed a crucial stage of the $94 million upgrade of the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX), the Laboratory’s major fusion project.

Fake Shewanella reveals how bacteria breathe iron

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Electrons conduct through bacterial proteins directly to minerals containing iron.

Berkeley Lab Researchers Use Metamaterials to Observe Giant Photonic Spin Hall Effect

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Engineering a unique metamaterial of gold nanoantennas, Berkeley Lab researchers were able to obtain the strongest signal yet of the photonic spin Hall effect, an optical phenomenon of quantum mechanics that could play a prominent role in the future of computing.

Building the Massive Simulation Sets Essential to Planck Results

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Using NERSC supercomputers, Berkeley Lab scientists generate thousands of simulations to analyze the flood of data from the Planck mission.

Breakthrough Research Shows Chemical Reaction in Real Time

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Menlo Park, Calif. — The ultrafast, ultrabright X-ray pulses of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) have enabled unprecedented views of a catalyst in action, an important step in the effort to develop cleaner and more efficient energy sources.

Long Predicted Atomic Collapse State Observed in Graphene

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Berkeley Lab researchers recreate elusive phenomenon with artificial nuclei.

Final Magnet Girders Installed at NSLS-II

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500

With painstaking precision, Brookhaven engineers aligned and delivered the final magnet girders needed to focus the near-light-speed electron beam at NSLS-II. Aligning the magnets to within the width of a hair took years of planning, an incredibly skilled team, and surprisingly, a simple piece of wire.

Engineering Bacterial Live Wires

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Berkeley Lab scientists discover the balance that allows electricity to flow between cells and electronics.

New Opportunities for Crystal Growth

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Berkeley Lab Facility Provides Unique Capabilities for the Synthesis of New Crystals and Materials.

Searching for the Solar System’s Chemical Recipe

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Berkeley Lab’s Chemical Dynamics Beamline points to why isotope ratios in interplanetary dust and meteorites differ from Earth’s.

A Cyclotron’s Long Journey Home

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500

One of the world’s first working circular particle accelerators returns to Berkeley Lab—75 years later.

Synthetic molecule first electricity-making catalyst to use iron to split hydrogen gas

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Fast and efficient biologically inspired catalyst could someday make fuel cells cheaper.

Introducing The National Library of Energy (Beta), New Search Engine Facilitating Access to Department of Energy Information

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) has launched the National Library of Energy (NLE), a virtual library and open government resource to advance energy literacy, innovation and security.

Proof: Cosmic Rays Come from Exploding Stars

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Menlo Park, Calif. — A new study confirms what scientists have long suspected: Cosmic rays – energetic particles that pelt Earth from all directions – are born in the violent aftermath of supernovas, exploding stars throughout the galaxy.

Help Choose the Next Iconic "Big Science" Image

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Vote for your favorite photo among the stunning submissions from the world's top physics facilities, including the Office of Science's Brookhaven Lab and Fermilab.

"Fermilab: Science at Work" Documentary

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500

"Fermilab: Science at Work" is a new 40-minute documentary from Clayton Brown and Monica Long Ross, makers of the PBS film "The Atom Smashers." It follows ten Fermilab scientists as they try to solve the mysteries of the universe. You can watch the entire film online now.

NOAA and DOE join forces to tackle climate modeling

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Scientists with NOAA and the Department of Energy's Office of Science will coordinate their climate modeling research programs to answer some of the most perplexing questions in climate and Earth systems science.

ORNL scientists solve mercury mystery, Science reports

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Feb. 7, 2013 — By identifying two genes required for transforming inorganic into organic mercury, which is far more toxic, scientists today have taken a significant step toward protecting human health.

Kids of all ages welcome at Fermilab’s Family Open House on Sunday, Feb. 10

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory will host its annual Family Open House on Feb. 10 from 1-5 p.m. The open house offers activities for the whole family, from hands-on science exhibits to tours of some of the lab’s attractions.

UChicago to host experts for panel on the Higgs boson particle discovery

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500

The University of Chicago will host a panel of experts from UChicago, Argonne National Laboratory and the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory on Thursday, Feb. 7, who will discuss the discovery of the Higgs boson particle. In their discussion, titled “Critical Mass: How the Higgs Boson Discovery Swept the World,” the scientists will explain what caused such a stir around the world and why non-scientists should care.

Scientists Turn Toxic By-Product Into Biofuel Booster

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Engineered enzyme increases output of alkanes, possible replacement for key component of gasoline.

Biofuels Blend Right In

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0500

Researchers Show Ionic Liquids Effective for Pre-Treating Mixed Blends of Biofuel Feedstocks.

Illuminating the Dark Universe

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0500

The pursuit of dark matter and dark energy is one of the most exciting—and most challenging—areas of science. Now researchers think they’re beginning to close in.