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.

May 26, 2021

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New Technique Studies the Structure of Exotic Hadrons

Scientists start studying the structure of exotic hadrons by looking how they interact with nearby particles.

May 25, 2021

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Precise Measurement of Pions Confirms Understanding of Fundamental Symmetry

A result 20 years in the making: Most precise measurement yet of the lifetime of the charge-neutral pion that keeps protons and neutrons together.

May 24, 2021

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Signs of “Turbulence” in Collisions that Melt Gold Ions

Fluctuations in data from collisions of gold nuclei hint at a possible ‘critical point’ in how nuclei melt.

May 18, 2021

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Searching for the Origins of Presolar Grains

The types of ancient stellar explosions that gave rise to meteoric presolar grains can now be identified thanks to observations of gamma rays emitted by the argon-34 isotope.

May 13, 2021

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Cooling Fusion Plasmas from the Inside Out

New simulations show diamond shells can cool plasmas more efficiently and prevent runaway electrons.

May 12, 2021

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Not Just Disturbance: Turbulence Protects Fusion Reactor Walls

Extreme-scale turbulence simulation and AI discover a formula to predict the crucial exhaust heat-load width in future tokamak fusion reactors.

May 11, 2021

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Enhancing Land Surface Models to Grow Perennial Bioenergy Crops

High-yield miscanthus and switchgrass are promising alternatives to traditional annual crops for biofuels.

May 7, 2021

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Scientists Check the Math for Improved Models of Liquids and Gases in Earth’s Atmosphere

Research produces an improved dynamical core to model the evolution of winds, temperatures, and pressures in the atmosphere.

April 29, 2021

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Hungry Fungi: White-Rot Fungi Eat All Components of the Wood They Decompose

White-rot fungi use lignin from wood as a source of carbon.

April 28, 2021

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Burning the Forest, Not Just the Trees

Fires increase the number of fungi when aspen groves regenerate.