Each year, scientists with the Office of Science, at our national laboratories, and supported by the Office of Science at the nation’s colleges and universities, publish thousands of research findings in the scientific literature. About 200 of these are selected annually by their respective program areas in the Office of Science as publication highlights of special note.

For the archive of past publication highlights, click here.

February 2, 2023

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Stuck in the Rough: How Aging Reactor Walls May Exhibit Lower Erosion

Roughening of fusion reactor wall surfaces over time may significantly reduce erosion rate predictions

January 31, 2023

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Scientists Probe the Source of Stochastic Occurrence of Super-Knock in Engines Running on Hydrogen/Methane Fuels

Scientists analyzed detonation formation in hydrogen/methane air mixtures, quantifying the effect of non-thermal reactions on the mechanism of detonation.

January 27, 2023

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Discovering Unique Microbes Made Easy with DOE Systems Biology Knowledgebase (KBase)

New article describes how to extract and analyze genomes from microbiomes using the Department of Energy Systems Biology Knowledgebase

January 24, 2023

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Online Tool Can Help Researchers Synthesize Millions of Molecules

New improvements to an open-source platform streamline enzyme engineering.

January 19, 2023

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It Isn’t the Picky Eaters that Drive Soil Microbial Metabolism

Even microbes that can’t break down a plentiful food source can still be successful by interacting with fellow community members.

January 17, 2023

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The Mechanism Of Cosmic Magnetic Fields Explored in the Laboratory

A novel experiment sheds new light on a possible mechanism that may seed magnetic fields for the galactic dynamo.

January 12, 2023

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Tokamak Experiments Provide Unique Data for Validating Spacecraft Heat Shield Ablation Models

Scientists used tokamak plasmas to study how heat shield materials protect spacecraft in the extreme conditions of atmospheric entry.

January 10, 2023

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Engineered Poplar Lignin Has More of a Valuable “Clip-off” Chemical

Scientists introduce a bacterial enzyme into bioenergy poplars to increase the amount of a valuable platform chemical.

January 5, 2023

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In an Advance for Solar Fuels, Hybrid Materials Improve Photocatalytic Carbon Dioxide Reduction

A molecular catalyst integrated with a carbon nitride semiconductor harvests sunlight to rapidly and selectively convert carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide.

January 3, 2023

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High-Pressure Systems Favor Sea-Breeze Convection Over Southeastern Texas

AI reveals relationships between weather systems and cloud physics.