Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Magnetic Whirlpools Multiply Memory

Wed 22 May 2013 10:30

Research at the Advanced Light Source promises four-bit magnetic cells instead of the two-bit domains of standard magnetic memories. Four different spin orientations could double the information in today’s computer memories.

An 'Artificial Forest' for Solar Water-Splitting

Thu 16 May 2013 10:30

Berkeley Lab researchers have created the first fully integrated artificial photosynthesis nanosystem. While "artificial leaf" is the popular term for such a system, the key to this success was an "artificial forest."

Mathematics of Popping Bubbles in a Foam

Mon 13 May 2013 8:30

Foam. It's beautiful, yet ephemeral, as the bubbles pop one by one. Now, two Berkeley researchers have described mathematically the successive stages in the complex evolution of foamy bubbles, a feat that could help in modeling industrial processes such as those used to cushion bicycle helmets.

Flawed Diamonds Promise Sensory Perfection

Fri 10 May 2013 9:00

Berkeley Lab researchers and their colleagues extend electron spin in diamond for incredibly tiny magnetic detectors.

New Advance in Biofuel Production

Thu 9 May 2013 10:15

Joint BioEnergy Institute researchers have developed an enzyme-free ionic liquid pre-treatment of cellulosic biomass that makes it easier to recover fermentable sugars for biofuels.

Two Lab Researchers Elected to National Academy of Sciences

Tue 7 May 2013 15:00

Two Berkeley Lab researchers have been elected to this year's class of the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Representing the Lab this year are James Berger from the Physical Biosciences Division and James Sethian from the Computational Research Division.

As Climate Changes, Boreal Forests Relinquish More Carbon Than Expected

Tue 7 May 2013 14:15

New Berkeley Lab research maps how Earth's myriad climates—and the ecosystems that depend on them—will move from one area to another as global temperatures rise.

Does Antimatter Fall Up or Down?

Tue 30 Apr 2013 12:00

Does antimatter experience antigravity? To find out, Berkeley Lab scientists led the first-ever measurements using CERN's ALPHA experiment.

Four Berkeley Lab Researchers Elected to AAAS

Mon 29 Apr 2013 16:00

Four Berkeley Lab scientists have been elected to the 2013 class of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The new members affiliated with Berkeley Lab are Frances Hellman and Don Tilley of the Materials Sciences Division, Susan Marqusee of the Physical Biosciences Division, and Hitoshi Murayama of the Physics Division.

Comparing Proteins at a Glance

Mon 29 Apr 2013 11:15

A revolutionary X-ray technique enables researchers to identify, at a glance, structural similarities and differences between multiple proteins under a variety of conditions. The technique has already been used to gain valuable insight into a prime protein target for cancer chemotherapy.

Bold Move Forward in Molecular Analyses

Thu 25 Apr 2013 11:15

Lab researchers have made a dramatic leap forward in the ability of scientists to study the structural states of macromolecules such as proteins and nanoparticles in solution. Using a new set of metrics for analyzing data, they have reduced the time required to collect data by up to 20 times.

What Did Alexander Graham Bell's Voice Sound Like?

Thu 25 Apr 2013 11:15

Berkeley Lab's sound-restoration experts have helped to digitally recover a 128-year-old recording of Alexander Graham Bell's voice, enabling people to hear the famed inventor speak for the first time. The recording ends with Bell saying "in witness whereof, hear my voice, Alexander Graham Bell."

Lab to Offer Workplace Electric Vehicle Charging

Mon 22 Apr 2013 12:00

Berkeley Lab's top battery scientists are working to achieve revolutionary advances in battery performance to ensure electric vehicles are not just a technology of the future. To encourage more employees to use them to commute to work, the Lab will begin offering workplace EV charging.

Hidden Dangers in the Air We Breathe

Wed 10 Apr 2013 12:30

Berkeley Lab researchers are working on new building standards after discovering previously unknown indoor air pollutants.

Sweet Success

Mon 8 Apr 2013 13:30

Using an ultrahigh-precision microscopy technique, Lab researchers have uncovered a way to boost the yields of sugars for the production of advanced biofuels.

DOE Renews Joint BioEnergy Institute for Another Five Years

Thu 4 Apr 2013 11:15

The Department of Energy has renewed funding for the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) for another five years. JBEI is a multi-institutional partnership for advanced biofuels research led by Berkeley Lab.

Lab Researchers Release Guide to Financing Energy Upgrade for K-12 Schools

Wed 3 Apr 2013 12:40

Energy costs K-12 schools in the U.S. $6 billion dollars annually. Spending less money on energy costs would leave more for funding-constrained school districts to spend on educating their students.

JBEI Researchers Engineer Plant Cell Walls to Boost Sugar Yields for Biofuels

Fri 29 Mar 2013 12:40

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

Trials at Sea Can't Keep Carbon Explorers on the Beach

Thu 28 Mar 2013 12:00

Berkeley Lab Carbon Explorers, now with improved sensors, are hard at work reporting on the ocean's carbon cycle, putting a string of bad luck behind them.

Meeting the Computing Challenges of Next-Generation Climate Models

Tue 26 Mar 2013 11:45

Berkeley Lab hosts an international workshop as climate scientists find themselves in a deluge of data.

Computer Simulations Yield Clues to How Cells Interact With Surroundings

Fri 22 Mar 2013 10:30

Berkeley Lab computer models offer a new look at the molecular machinery that enables cells to interact with their environment. The research has implications for cancer and atherosclerosis research.

Researchers Observe Giant Photonic Spin Hall Effect

Fri 22 Mar 2013 10:30

Engineering a unique metamaterial of gold nanoantennas, 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.

NERSC Builds the Massive Simulations Essential to Planck

Fri 15 Mar 2013 12:00

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

The Science of Clouds—Why They Matter, and Why There May be Fewer of Them

Thu 14 Mar 2013 13:30

Berkeley Lab scientists study clouds to better understand climate change.

Predictability: Brass Ring For Synthetic Biology

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:00

DNA sequences and statistical models have been unveiled that greatly increase the reliability and precision by which microbes can be engineered.

New Capabilities for Topological Insulators

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:00

Berkeley Lab scientists have discovered surprising new and important information about topological insulators, one of the hottest prospective materials for spintronic technologies.

Long Predicted Atomic Collapse State Observed in Graphene

Thu, 7 Mar 2013 12:30

The first experimental observation of a quantum mechanical phenomenon predicted nearly 70 years ago holds important implications for the future of graphene-based electronic devices.

In the Blink of an Eye: X-ray Imaging on the Attosecond Timescale

Thu, 7 Mar 2013 12:00

Chemists are eager to explore the attosecond timescale with X-rays, the region of the electromagnetic spectrum that can probe the core electrons of atoms.

Do We Owe Our Sense of Smell to Epigenetics?

Wed, 6 Mar 2013 15:30

Berkeley Lab's National Center for X-ray Tomography helps explain how each olfactory nerve cell uses just one kind of scent receptor, instead of the thousands the genome codes for.

Engineering Bacterial Live Wires

Mon, 4 Mar 2013 10:00

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

Running Doesn't Lead to More Osteoarthritis and Hip Replacements

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:45

Dust off those running shoes, it turns out that running longer distances actually decreases a person's risk of osteoarthritis and hip replacements, according to new research conducted at Berkeley Lab.

Reading the Human Genome

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 12:45

Berkeley Lab researchers have provided the first step-by-step look at the biomolecular machinery that transcribes genetic information from DNA to RNA.

New Opportunities for Crystal Growth

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:15

Berkeley Lab's crystal growth facility offers unique and increasingly rare capabilities for creating crystals that can serve homeland security, medical diagnostics and a raft of other non-destructive imaging applications.

Searching for the Solar System's Chemical Recipe

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:00

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 13:00

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

A Dual Look at Photosystem II

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 11:30

A demonstration at the world's most powerful X-ray laser could pave the way for renewable energy through artificial photosynthesis.

Secrets of the Motor that Drives Archaea

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 11:30

An international team has solved the protein structure of the archaellum, the motor that propels motile species of Archaea, life's third domain.

New Details on the Molecular Machinery of Cancer

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 12:30

New details into the activation of a cell surface protein that has been strongly linked to a large number of cancers and is a major target of cancer therapies are reported by Berkeley Lab researchers.

Lab Study Finds Big Energy Savings in NY Times Building

Thu, 7 Feb 2013 11:45

Designing a building holistically can pay big dividends in energy savings and occupant satisfaction, according to a Berkeley Lab study of The New York Times Building. A Lab research team began working with the Times Company in 2003 to design energy-efficient lighting and automated window shading systems for the building.

New Computational Pipeline Analyzes Tumor Images

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 11:30

Berkeley Lab scientists have developed an algorithm and a computational pipeline that combs through large sets of images and identifies tumor subtypes. The pipeline then uses clinical data to rank cellular signatures that are predictive of patient outcome.

An Atlas of Brain Gene Enhancers Now On-line

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 11:30

A first-of-its-kind atlas of gene-enhancers in the brain should greatly benefit future research into the underlying causes of neurological disorders such as autism, epilepsy and schizophrenia.

Hitting the Sweet Spot for Advanced Biofuel Technologies

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 11:00

Berkeley Lab's Advanced Biofuels Process Demonstration Unit (ABPDU) is the West Coast's only state-of-the-art facility providing industry-scale test beds for laboratory discoveries in advanced biofuels research.

Unveiling a Mysterious Microbial Community

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 11:15

Berkeley Lab scientists join an international collaboration to understand how archaea and bacteria work together deep in a cold sulfur spring.

Doubling Down on Energy Efficiency

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 11:30

Berkeley Lab research finds utility customer-funded energy efficiency programs expanding across the United States--with the Midwest and South on the rise.

New Key to Organism Complexity Identified

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:00

Berkeley Lab researchers have discovered the secret behind how a critical DNA transcription factor is able to perform—a split personality.

A Clock Einstein Would Have Loved

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 11:15

Scientists at Berkeley Lab have created a very special clock that can measure time on the basis of the mass of a single atomic or even subatomic particle.

Another Tool in the Nano Toolbox

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 11:15

Berkeley Lab researchers have used an electron beam to manipulate nanoparticles.

The Farthest Supernova Yet for Measuring Cosmic History

Wed, 9 Jan 2013 12:30

The Berkeley Lab-based Supernova Cosmology Project has used Hubble Space Telescope data to discover the most distant well-measured Type Ia supernova ever found.

Researchers Uncover New Path to More Efficient Organic Solar Cells

Mon, 7 Jan 2013 14:00

Working at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source (ALS), an international team of scientists found that for highly efficient polymer/organic solar cells, size matters.

To Revert Breast Cancer Cells, Compress Them

Thu, 3 Jan 2013 11:30

Berkeley researchers have put the squeeze — literally — on malignant mammary cells to guide them back into a normal growth pattern. The findings show that mechanical forces alone can revert and stop the growth of cancer cells.

How Computers Push on the Molecules They Simulate

Thu, 3 Jan 2013 9:00

Berkeley Lab bioscientists and their colleagues have deciphered a far-reaching problem in computer simulations.

Obama Names Art Rosenfeld One of the Nation's Top Technology Innovators

Wed, 2 Jan 2013 12:00

Berkeley Lab's Distinguished Scientist Emeritus Art Rosenfeld has been awarded one of the nation's top prizes for his contributions to the field of energy efficiency.

Boosting Galactan Sugars Could Boost Biofuel Production

Wed, 2 Jan 2013 12:00

A collaboration at JBEI identifies the first enzyme linked to galactan synthesis.

Powerful Muscles for Micro-robots

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 13:00

Berkeley Lab Researchers have developed an elegant and powerful new actuator that is smaller than the width of a human hair.

Way to ID People Exposed to Ionizing Radiation

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 16:50

Research conducted by Berkeley Lab scientists could lead to a blood test that detects if a person has been exposed to radiation, measures their dose, and separates people suffering from inflammation injuries—all in a matter of hours.

Nanocrystals Not Small Enough to Avoid Defects

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 16:50

Contrary to computer simulations, the tiny size of nanocrystals apparently does not safeguard them from defects. Berkeley Lab scientists at the Advanced Light Source have shown that dislocations can be induced by pressure in ultrafine nanocrystals.

Space-Age Ceramics Get Their Toughest Test

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 12:00

Lab researchers have developed the first mechanical rig for testing ceramic composites at ultrahigh temperatures. Space-age ceramics hold promise for jet and gas turbine engines that burn with greater fuel efficiency and less pollution.

Six Lab Researchers Elected as APS Fellows

Fri, 7 Dec 2012 10:20

John Byrd, Derun Li, David Robin, and Carl Schroeder of the Accelerator and Fusion Research Division, Zoltan Ligeti of the Physics Division, and Howard Padmore of the Advanced Light Source are 2012 Fellows of the American Physical Society.

Lab Scientists Devise New Method to Estimate State's Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Wed, 5 Dec 2012 9:30

Research reveals nitrous oxide levels in California may be nearly three times higher than previous estimates.

DOE Awards Nearly $5 million to Projects Advancing Energy Efficiency

Tue, 4 Dec 2012 14:15

Two Berkeley Lab research projects were awarded grants totaling nearly $5 million by DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) with the goal of advancing energy technologies. One will focus on smart window technologies, and the other on thermal mapping of buildings.

Climate Change Study Strengthens Link to Human Activities

Mon, 3 Dec 2012 9:00

Computer models, satellite data reveal clearest evidence yet of human influence on changing temperatures.

Celniker and Leemans Named 2012 AAAS Fellows

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 12:30

Susan Celniker of the Life Sciences Division and Wim Leemans of the Accelerator and Fusion Research Division have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for 2012.

Cost of U.S. Solar Photovoltaic Systems Continues to Decline

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:00

A new study released by Berkeley Lab reveals the installed price of solar photovoltaic power systems in the United States fell substantially in 2011 and through the first half of 2012 due to dramatic reductions in PV module prices.

Modeling the Breaking Points of Metallic Glasses

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 12:00

Mathematical methods developed by a Berkeley Lab researcher help explain why liquid metals have wildly different breaking points, depending on how they are made.

Berkeley Lab and Singapore Collaborate on Advanced Building Technologies

Fri, 19 Nov 2012 12:30

Berkeley Lab, a world leader in technologies for energy-efficient buildings, has agreed to work with Singapore as that island nation pursues energy conservation and climate mitigation policies. Lab Deputy Director Horst Simon signed an MOU with the head of Singapore's Building and Construction Authority establishing a framework for collaborative projects in areas related to advanced building technologies.

In Memoriam: Stuart Freedman

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 10:30

Stuart Jay Freedman, a physicist in Berkeley Lab’s Nuclear Science Division and professor of physics at the University of California at Berkeley, died November 9, 2012, at the age of 68. Freedman was a world-renowned investigator of fundamental physical laws

Lab Applies U.S.Technologies to Spur Low-Carbon Cities in China

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 10:00

The Lab's China Energy Group is helping local Chinese officials turn government mandates into practical how-to guides for understanding their energy usage and reducing their carbon dioxide emissions.

Department of Energy's ESnet Rolls Out World's Fastest Science Network

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 12:15

For data-Intensive science, the new 100 gigabits per second network will serve as an instrument for discovery.

BOSS Quasars Unveil a New Era in the Expansion History of the Universe

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 12:15

Berkeley Lab scientists and their Sloan Digital Sky Survey colleagues use quasars to probe dark energy over 10 billion years in the past.

A Better Route to Xylan

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 10:30

A gene in rice plants has been identified whose suppression improves both the extraction of xylan and the overall release of the sugars needed to make biofuels.

More Bang for Biofuels

Thu, 8 Nov 2012 13:15

Berkeley Lab researchers have shown that a fermentation process used in World War I to make cordite for bullets and artillery shells might find new use today in the production of advanced biofuels.

Lab Scientists Help Develop Promising Therapy for Huntington’s Disease

Fri, 2 Nov 2012 11:40

Berkeley Lab scientists have helped design a compound that suppresses symptoms of Huntington's Disease in mice. The researchers believe the compound is a promising therapeutic deserving of further investigation in the fight against this devastating neurodegenerative disease.

Folding Funnels Key to Biomimicry

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 14:30

In a boost for biomimicry and self-assembling molecular systems, Berkeley Lab researchers have shown that a concept widely accepted as describing the folding of a single individual protein is also applicable to the self-assembly of multiple proteins.

Training Robots the PaR-PaR Way

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 11:00

PaR-PaR is a simple high-level robot-programming language that makes it much easier for researchers in the biological sciences to teach their robots new tricks.

State-of-the-Art Beams From Table-Top Accelerators

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 15:00

Berkeley Lab's lead in laser plasma acceleration research continues with new benchmarks for electron beam quality.

Berkeley Lab Breaks Ground on New Solar Energy Research Facility

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 13:30

The new building will house the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP), the DOE Energy Innovation Hub for Fuels from Sunlight

Moderately High Levels of Indoor CO₂ Can Impair Cognitive Performance

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 8:30

Berkeley Lab researchers were surprised to find that indoor CO₂, previously thought harmless, has significant adverse effects on the ability to think strategically and make decisions.

New Insights Into How Genetic Differences Influence Breast Cancer Risk from Low-Dose Radiation

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 11:30

Scientists have identified tissue mechanisms that may influence a woman's susceptibility or resistance to breast cancer after exposure to low-dose radiation, such as the levels used in full-body CT scans and radiotherapy.

Lab Names Road After 2011 Physics Nobelist Perlmutter

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:00

At the Lab's Open House this past Saturday, the last remaining unnamed main road was christened for the 2011 Nobel Prize winner in Physics, Saul Perlmutter.

Another Advance on the Road to Spintronics

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 10:15

Berkeley Lab researchers have unlocked the ferromagnetic secrets of promising materials.

The Best of Both Catalytic Worlds

Tue, 11 Oct 2012 8:30

By encapsulating metallic nanoclusters within the branched molecular arms of dendrimers, Lab researchers have combined the best properties of heterogeneous and homogeneous industrial catalysts.

International Prize for Water to Berkeley Lab's Ashok Gadgil

Tue, 9 Oct 2012 11:00

A team led by Berkeley Lab's Ashok Gadgil is the recipient of the 5th Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water. The prize recognizes his team for developing an innovative technology for affordable arsenic-safe drinking water in Bangladesh and nearby regions.

A Welcome Predictability

Mon, 8 Oct 2012 11:30

Berkeley Lab researchers have developed an "adapator" that makes the genetic engineering of microbial components substantially easier and more predictable.

State Department's TechWomen Visit Berkeley Lab

Tue, 2 Oct 2012 16:00

Lab researchers in Computational Research, Physics and Physical Biosciences hosted TechWomen—from Algeria, Lebanon and Tunisia—during the month of September. Launched by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2011, TechWomen is an international exchange that uses technology as a means to empower women and girls in the Middle East and North Africa.

Latest JBEI Startup to Speed Up Biotech Industry

Mon, 1 Oct 2012 11:30

Technology developed at the Berkeley Lab-led Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) to make genetic engineering cheaper and faster has been licensed by Teselagen Biotechnology, the latest startup to spin out of JBEI.

A Clock that Will Last Forever

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:30

Berkeley Lab scientists have proposed a way to make a space-time crystal, a device that in theory would keep perfect time forever and open new dimensions into the study of such quantum phenomena as emergence and entanglement.

Berkeley Lab CCDs at the Heart of Dark Energy Camera

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 12:30

Berkeley Lab engineers and scientists invented and designed the superior astronomical CCDs that form the heart of the Dark Energy Camera's imager. DECam saw first light last week.

First 3-D Model of a Protein Critical to Embryo Development

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 12:30

The first detailed and complete picture of PRC2, a protein complex tied to human birth defects as well as the progression of many forms of cancer, should help in the development of new and improved therapeutic drugs.

Jay Keasling Wins Heinz Award

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 8:30

Jay Keasling, Berkeley Lab Associate Director for Biosciences, has won a 2012 Heinz Award for his pioneering work in synthetic biology. Presented by the Heinz Family Foundation, the award carries with it a medallion and a cash prize of $250,000.

Possible New Breast Cancer Oncogene

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 12:00

Berkeley Lab researchers have identified the FAM83A protein as a possible new oncogene and linked it to drug-therapy resistance in breast cancer.

Salt Seeds Clouds in the Rainforest

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 9:30

Analysis at the Advanced Light Source has helped show that plants and fungi in the Amazon rainforest seed the biosphere with potassium salt particles during the night, forming mist and clouds each morning.

Rust Never Sleeps

Thu, 6 Sep 2012 13:15

A multi-institutional team led by scientists at Berkeley Lab have directly observed electron hopping in iron oxide particles, a phenomonon that holds huge significance for a broad range of environment- and energy-related applications.

Forcing the Molecular Bond Issue

Wed, 5 Sep 2012 15:15

A new model that provides the first comprehensive description of the way in which molecular bonds form and rupture enables researchers to predict the "binding free energy" of a given molecular system, a key to predicting how that molecule will interact with other molecules.

Mixing X-rays With Light Measures How Light Changes Matter

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 10:00

Vision, photosynthesis, and solar cells are a few of the ways light changes matter, but how light makes those changes hasn't been measured on the atomic scale until now. A Berkeley-Lab-led team used SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source to mix light with x-rays, measuring both atomic structure and chemical bonds in diamond.

A Long-term View of Critical Materials: From Coal to Ytterbium

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 13:30

A national alarm has sounded over the shortage of rare earth materials—critical ingredients in a wide range of clean-energy and medical technologies. However, at Berkeley Lab scientists believe that taking a long-term view is vital for addressing both the current shortage as well as avoiding future shortages of materials that are crucial to U.S. industry.

Nutrition Tied to Sperm DNA Quality

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 10:00

A study led by Berkeley Lab found that a healthy intake of micronutrients is strongly associated with improved sperm DNA quality in older men.

Speeding the Search for Better Carbon Capture

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 10:15

The search for low-cost and efficient ways to burn coal without exacerbating global climate change should be accelerated with the first computational model to accurately predict the interactions between flue gases and a special variety of the carbon dioxide-capturing molecular systems known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).

Scientists Develop New Way to Study Inner-Workings of Algae Cells

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 11:30

Berkeley Lab scientists have developed a way to send molecules and proteins across the cell wall of algae, a feat that opens the door for a new way to study and manipulate these tiny organisms. The research could advance the development of algae-based biofuels, pharmaceuticals, and other useful compounds.

First Direct Observations of Quantum Effects in an Optomechanical System

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 10:30

The first direct observations of distinctly quantum optical effects - amplification and squeezing - in an optomechanical system point the way to quantum devices, enhanced gravitational wave detectors—and maybe one day Star Wars-type tractor beams!

New Study Finds the U.S. Wind Power Market Riding a Wave

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 11:30

Although facing looming policy uncertainty beyond 2012, the U.S. remained one of the fastest-growing wind power markets in the world in 2011—second only to China—according to a new report prepared by Berkeley Lab scientists.

More of the Universe than Ever Available to the Public

Wed, 8 Aug 2012 12:30

Now freely available to the public: spectroscopic data from over half a million galaxies, a hundred thousand quasars, and tens of thousands of stars and other astronomical objects. This data is just the first year and a half of observation by BOSS, the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey led by Berkeley Lab scientists.

Asymmetry in Nanodisk Magnetic Vortices

Wed, 8 Aug 2012 12:30

Advanced Light Source study of magnetic vortices in nanodisks suggests challenges ahead for applications in non-volatile RAM data storage, but new possibilities for logic and sensor devices.

A Direct Look at Graphene

Wed, 1 Aug 2012 15:30

Berkeley Lab researchers have recorded the first direct observations of how electrons and holes respond to a charged impurity in graphene. The results point to interactions between electrons as being critical to graphene's extraordinary properties.

BELLA Laser Achieves World Record Power at One Pulse Per Second

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 10:15

As Berkeley Lab’s laser plasma accelerator project BELLA nears completion, its drive laser has delivered one petawatt – a quadrillion watts – of peak power once each second, a world record for laser performance.

Photovoltaics from Any Semiconductor

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 10:15

Lab researchers have developed a technology that enables low-cost, high efficiency solar cells to be made from virtually any semiconductor material. This opens the door to the use of plentiful, relatively inexpensive semiconductors previously considered unsuitable for photovoltaics.

Creating Collagen-Like Structures at the ALS

Wed, 25 jul 2012 11:00

A team of Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley researchers has turned a benign virus into an engineering tool for assembling structures that mimic collagen, one of the most important structural proteins in nature. The process they developed could eventually be used to manufacture materials with tunable optical, biomedical and mechanical properties.

NATO Advisory Group Visits Lab

Mon, 23 jul 2012 13:00

The Lab was visited recently by members of the Parliamentary Assembly that advises the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Delegates from nearly 20 countries visited on behalf of the subcommittees on science and technology, transatlantic relations, and energy and environment security. After touring the Lab, the group heard briefings from leaders of LBNL's Institute for Globally Transformative Technologies and the Joint BioEnergy Institute.

Attacking Infectious Biofilms

Mon, 23 jul 2012 10:00

Berkeley Lab scientists were part of a team that combined a new fluorescent labeling strategy with super-resolution light microscopy to discover a new possible line of attack against bacterial biofilms that make diseases such as cholera, lung infections and chronic sinusitis resistant to antibiotics. The discovery team included former Berkeley Lab director, now Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu.

Metamolecules That Switch Handedness at Light-Speed

Tue, 10 jul 2012 11:00

Berkeley Lab's Xiang Zhang led a multi-institutional team that has created the first artificial molecules whose chirality can be rapidly switched from a right-handed to a left-handed orientation with a beam of light. This holds promise for a wide range of fields, including reduced energy use for data-processing, biomedical research, homeland security and ultrahigh-speed communications.

Ferroelectricity on the Nanoscale

Tue, 10 jul 2012 11:00

A research effort led by Berkeley Lab scientists has brought some clarity to the here-to-fore confusing physics of ferroelectric nanomaterials, pointing the way to multi-terabyte- per-square-inch of non-volatile computer memory chips.

Programmable DNA Scissors

Thu, 28 jun 2012 11:30

Discovery of a programmable RNA complex in the bacterial immune system that guides the cleaving of DNA at targeted sites opens a new door to genome editing for the microbial production of advanced biofuels, therapeutic drugs and other valuable chemical products.

The Higgs Boson: A Tiny Particle Makes a Big Fuss

Thu, 28 jun 2012 8:30

On July 4 CERN will release the latest results in the search for the Higgs boson. Berkeley Lab has a large contingent of physicists in the ATLAS collaboration, some in key posts. They explain what's involved in the Higgs search and what happens after the news breaks.

3D Nanoscale Optical Cavities

Tue, 26 jun 2012 15:30

Berkeley Lab researchers have created the world's smallest three-dimensional optical cavities with the potential to generate the world's most intense nanolaser beams. Applications include LEDs, optical sensing, nonlinear optics, quantum optics, and photonic integrated circuits.

Berkeley Lab Wins Four 2012 R&D 100 Awards

Wed, 20 jun 2012 11:00

Berkeley Lab researchers have won four 2012 R&D 100 awards, also known as the "Oscars of Innovation," which recognize the year's 100 most significant proven technological advances.

Greg Bell Named Director of New Scientific Networking Division

Mon, 18 jun 2012 13:00

Berkeley Lab has announced that Gregory Bell has been named director of the Scientific Networking Division and head of the U.S. Department of Energy's ESnet, or Energy Sciences Network. Bell has held both positions on an acting basis since November 2011, and is the fourth person to lead ESnet since the organization was created in 1986.

Lab Scientists Help Define the Healthy Human Microbiome

Fri, 15 jun 2012 13:00

An NIH consortium that includes Berkeley Lab scientists has for the first time mapped the normal microbial make-up of humans. The research will help scientists understand how our microbiome keeps us healthy. It'll also shed light on our microbiome's role in many diseases.

Lab Scientists Help Define the Healthy Human Microbiome

Fri, 15 jun 2012 13:00

Higher Than Expected Levels of Methane in California

Tue, 12 jun 2012 13:00

New research from Berkeley Lab has found that levels of methane—a potent greenhouse gas emitted from many man-made sources such as coal mines, landfills and livestock ranches—are at least one-and-a-half times higher in California than previously estimated.

Lab and City of San Jose Partner to Boost Clean Tech in Silicon Valley

Tue, 12 jun 2012 13:00

The City of San Jose and Berkeley Lab announced a partnership to accelerate the advancement of clean energy technologies while also helping San Jose and other cities achieve their environmental sustainability goals.

Dedicating the Davis Campus a Mile Underground

Thu, 7 jun 2012 15:30

On May 30, the Sanford Underground Research Facility officially opened its Davis Campus, almost a mile deep in the former Homestake gold mine in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Berkeley Lab is the U.S. Department of Energy's lead institution for this marked advance in underground science.

A New Way of Looking at Photosynthesis

Wed, 6 jun 2012 13:30

Using ultrafast, intensely bright pulses of X-rays from the Linac Coherent Light Source, a team of researchers led by scientists at Berkeley Lab and SLAC have obtained the first ever images of photosystem II, a protein complex critical for photosynthesis and future artificial photosynthetic systems.

Understanding Aging and Breast Cancer

Mon, 4 jun 2012 11:00

Berkeley Lab researchers have taken a big step towards understanding the cellular basis for why women over the age of 50 are much more vulnerable to breast cancer.

Berkeley Lab Tackles Pollution in Mongolia

Thu, 31 may 2012 12:00

Berkeley Lab scientists are known for designing high-efficiency cookstoves for Darfur and Ethiopia. Now they are applying their expertise to the windswept steppes of Mongolia, whose capital city, Ulaan Baatar, is among the most polluted cities in the world.

Berkeley Lab and CalCEF Galvanize California's Battery Industry

Tue, 29 may 2012 12:30

CalCEF, which creates institutions and investment vehicles for the clean energy economy, and Berkeley Lab have announced a partnership to launch CalCharge, a consortium uniting California's emerging and established battery technology companies with critical academic and government resources.

Nanoparticles Seen as Artificial Atoms

Tue, 29 may 2012 12:30

Observing the formation of nanorods in real-time, Berkeley Lab researchers found that nanoparticles attach to form chains that eventually align end-to-end, straighten and stretch into elongated nanowires. This supports the theory of nanoparticles acting like artificial atoms and points the way to future energy devices.

First Direct Observation of Oriented Attachment in Nanocrystal Growth

Fri, 25 may 2012 8:20

Lab researchers have reported the first direct observation of nanoparticles undergoing oriented attachment, a critical step in the growth of nanocrystals, and a key to synthesizing new materials with remarkable structural properties.

The Search for the Earliest Signs of Alzheimer's

Thu, 24 may 2012 9:00

With the help of volunteers from Berkeley and surrounding communities, the Berkeley Aging Cohort Study is revealing how our brains change as we age. It's also helping scientists learn about the earliest signs of the devastating disease of Alzheimer's.

The Search for Dark Matter Goes Deeper Underground

Thu, 24 may 2012 9:00

Located in the Sanford Underground Research Facility in the Black Hills, LUX is the most sensitive dark matter detector yet. Now, with the proposed LUX ZEPLIN experiment, Berkeley Lab researchers want to increase that sensitivity by orders of magnitude.

MAJORANA, the Search for the Most Elusive Neutrino of All

Wed, 16 may 2012 5:15

Berkeley Lab researchers play a vital role in an experiment 4,850 feet down in the Homestake Mine in the Black Hills of South Dakota that could rewrite the Standard Model of physics.

Beyond the High-Speed Hard Drive

Wed, 16 may 2012 5:15

Berkeley Lab researchers and their colleagues demonstrate unique new materials for innovative electronic and magnetic applications.

Microbe That Can Handle Ionic Liquids

Tue, 15 may 2012 9:30

A new find from the Joint BioEnergy Institute could help reduce biofuel production costs.

Berkeley Lab Scientists Generate Electricity From Viruses

Mon, 14 may 2012 11:15

Berkeley Lab scientists have developed a way to generate power using harmless viruses that convert mechanical energy into electricity. The milestone could lead to tiny devices that harvest electrical energy from the vibrations of everyday tasks.

A New Accelerator to Study Steps on the Path to Fusion

Thu, 10 may 2012 12:00

Berkeley Lab scientists and engineers have announced a machine tailor-made to examine a special approach to fusion power

Brighter, Smaller Probes to Uncover the Secret Lives of Proteins

Mon, 7 may 2012 14:15

Berkeley Lab scientists are creating nano- particle probes that may lead to a better understanding of diseases.

From Soil Microbe to Super-Efficient Biofuel Factory?

Thu, 3 may 2012 15:30

Lab scientists are exploring whether a common soil bacterium can be engineered to produce liquid transportation fuels much more efficiently than the ways in which advanced biofuels are made today. The process would be powered only by hydrogen and electricity. The goal is a biofuel—or electrofuel, as this new approach is called—that doesn't require photosynthesis.

Four Lab Researchers Named to National Academy of Sciences

Thu, 3 may 2012 10:30

Four Berkeley Lab researchers were elected members or foreign associates to the National Academy of Sciences. The NAS membership is one of the highest honors given to a scientist or engineer in the United States in recognition of their research achievements. New members include (l-r) John Bell, John Hartwig, Bernard Sadoulet, and John Clarke.

Ashok Gadgil Wins 2012 Lemelson-MIT Award for Global Innovation

Wed, 2 may 2012 10:30

Ashok Gadgil is the recipient of the 2012 $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Global Innovation in recognition of his steady pursuit to blend research, invention, and humanitarianism for broad social impact. Gadgil is the director of Berkeley Lab's Environmental Energy Technologies Division, and a Professor of Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley.

A New Way to Track Molecular Changes in Living Mammalian Cells

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:30

Berkeley Lab scientists have used molecular spectroscopy to track living mammalian cells in real time as they differentiate, holding promise for better understanding and treatment of disease.

Golden Potential for Gold Thin Films

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:30

Lab researchers have directed the first self-assembly of nanoparticles into multi-layered thin films of gold that are device-ready for potential applications in computer memory storage, energy harvesting, energy storage, remote-sensing and more.

NCEM's Dahmen Gets Top Honor From Microscopy Society

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:00

The Microscopy Society of America has selected Ulrich Dahmen, Director of the National Center for Electron Microscopy at Berkeley Lab, for their 2012 Distinguished Scientist Award for the Physical Sciences. The award recognizes Dahmen's contributions in the field of microscopy and complements his recent election as an MSA Fellow. This is the highest honor given by the Society.

First Atomic-Scale Real-Time Movies of Nanocrystal Growth

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 9:00

Berkeley researchers have developed a technique that allows them to make real-time movies of chemical reactions in liquids at the atomic-scale, providing unprecedented observations of physical, chemical and biological phenomena.

Hunting for High-Energy Cosmic Rays with IceCube

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:30

The IceCube Collaboration, in which Berkeley Lab is a crucial contributor, has taken the first steps toward clearing up a cosmic mystery – and made the mystery more intriguing.

New Findings in Breast Cancer

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:00

A Berkeley Lab-University of Copenhagen collaboration found that luminal-like breast cancer cells with no detectable stem cell qualities can generate larger tumors than their basal-like counterparts. This contradicts prevailing beliefs and could impact future breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Berkeley Lab to Lead a U.S.-India Clean Energy Research Center

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:30

Berkeley Lab has been selected to lead a new joint U.S.-India research center. The consortium with industry partners will promote innovation in the energy efficiency of buildings.

Shining Light Into 'Black Boxes'

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:30

In a Science magazine public forum, a Berkeley Lab scientist joins fellow scholars calling for an end to withholding computer source code in the publication of scientific results, saying the practice is a “black box” that is creating far-reaching problems for understanding and reproducing new research findings

Lab Scientist's Lecture Highlights Promise of Exciting New Field of Chemistry

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 10:30

"Bioorthogonal chemistry is literally chemistry for life," says Carolyn Bertozzi, an internationally acclaimed leader and founder of this emerging and highly promising field of science that could fundamentally change drug development and disease diagnostics.

From Robots to Android Apps, Berkeley Lab Invests in the Community

Wed, 4 Apr 2012 12:00

In hopes of igniting a passion for science among both young and old, the Lab has initiated a number of new outreach activities in the community in the past year.

Clocking an Accelerating Universe: First Results from BOSS

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 9:00

Over six billion light years ago the expanding universe slipped from the grasp of matter's gravitational attraction. Dark energy took over, and expansion began to accelerate. Now, Berkeley Lab scientists, the leaders of BOSS, and their colleagues in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey have announced the most precise measurements ever made of the era when dark energy turned on.

Institute to Help Solve Data-intensive Science Challenges

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:00

Berkeley Lab's Arie Shoshani will lead a new five-year Department of Energy project called the Scalable Data Management, Analysis, and Visualization Institute. It will help scientists extract insights from massive datasets.

A Shiny New Tool for Imaging Biomolecules

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:30

Berkeley Lab researchers have embedded artificial membranes with billions of nano-antennas that can boost optical signals from a protein tens of thousands of times. The technique could provide a critical tool in the fight against a wide range of health problems, including cancer.

New Technique Boosts Microbial Production of Diesel Fuel

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:30

Significant boosts in the microbial production of clean, green and renewable biodiesel fuel has been achieved with the development of a new technique in synthetic biology by researchers at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI).

Berkeley Lab Director Praises California Initiative for Electric Vehicle Charging Network

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:00

Berkeley Lab Director Paul Alivisatos today praised the agreement reached by the State of California, which frees some $100 million in funding for a statewide network of charging stations for zero emission vehicles.

Green Jail to Demonstrate the Power of Microgrids

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:30

Berkeley Lab scientists are helping the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, California, the third largest jail in the state and fifth largest in the country, to run its own microgrid, which will minimize costs and maximize reliability.

Study Shows Potential for Wind Energy in India Higher than Estimated

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 11:30

A Lab assessment of wind energy in India has found that the potential for on-shore wind energy deployment is from 20 to 30 times greater than the current government estimate of 102 gigawatts. This landmark finding may have significant impact on India's renewable energy strategy as it attempts to cope with a massive and chronic shortage of electricity.

Better Organic Electronics

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:30

Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry scientists have provided the first experimental determination of the pathways by which electrical charge is transported from molecule-to-molecule in an organic thin film. These results show how such organic films can be chemically modified to improve conductance for superior organic electronics.

A Surprising New Kind of Proton Transfer

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 9:30

Berkeley Lab scientists and their colleagues have discovered an unsuspected way that protons can move among molecules - revealing new opportunities for research in biology, environmental science, and green chemistry.

New Research Suggests Cap and Trade Programs Not Sufficient to Spur Innovation

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 11:30

Cap and trade programs to reduce emissions do not provide enough incentives to induce the private sector to develop innovative technologies to address climate change, according to a new study by Berkeley Lab's Margaret Taylor.

The APEX of Speed and Power in a Revolutionary Electron Gun

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:30

Berkeley Lab scientists and engineers are building and testing a unique electron gun, the front end for a new generation of accelerators for free electron lasers.

A Fragrant New Biofuel

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:30

Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI)researchers engineered E. coli to produce significant quantities of methyl ketones, chemical compounds known for their fragrance and flavor. These methyl ketones, derived from glucose, are strong candidates as a green biofuel alternative to diesel fuel.

Roe Named as Director of the Physics Division

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 10:00

Natalie Roe, an experimental particle physicist and observational cosmologist, has been appointed as the new Director of the Berkeley Lab Physics Division. Roe was cited for her distinguished record of research and of service to the Division, to the Laboratory, and to the National High Energy Physics Community.

First Results from Daya Bay: Discovery of a New Kind of Neutrino Transformation

Thu, 8 Mar 2012 10:00

Knowing how different kinds of neutrinos mix and change could reveal their masses, explore differences between neutrinos and antineutrinos, and explain why there is any matter at all in the universe.

First-Ever Spectroscopic Measurement of an Anti-Atom

Wed, 7 Mar 2012 11:30

Berkeley Lab scientists helped build and operate the ALPHA antimatter trap at CERN, which has now probed the internal structure of the antihydrogen atom for the first time, the first step toward possible new insights into the difference between matter and antimatter.

The Carbon Dioxide Catchers

Tue, 6 Mar 2012 16:30

CO₂ emissions from coal-burning power plants are major contributors to global warming, so researchers are searching for porous materials to filter the CO₂ before it reaches the atmosphere. Using state-of-the-art advances in mathematics and supercomputing, Lab researchers have developed a tool for identifying the most efficient porous materials for CO₂.

A Promising New Treatment for Radiation Exposure

Tue, 6 Mar 2012 13:30

Lab Researchers are developing a treatment for safely decontaminating humans exposed to radioactive actinides from a nuclear reactor accident or "dirty bomb" terrorist attack. The treatment, which could result in the excretion of approximately 90-percent of the actinide contaminants within 24 hours, has been advanced through pre-clinical phases.

Scientists Quantify Effect of Soot on Snow and Ice

Mon, 5 Mar 2012 12:30

A new study from Lab scientists has quantified how black carbon, or soot—a pollutant emitted from power plants, diesel engines, residential cooking and forest fires—reduces the reflectance of snow and ice, an effect that increases the rate of global climate change.

Nanoscale "Crop Circles" Reveal Secrets of Strange Alloys

Mon, 5 Mar 2012 10:00

A useful alloy of gold and silicon, called a eutectic, melts at a far lower temperature than either of its components, but its odd behavior on the nanoscale has confounded researchers. Now, by analyzing peculiar "nanoscale crop circles" formed from ultrathin layers of gold on silicon, scientists have discovered the alloy's unique properties, including its promise for engineering nanoscale materials.

LAMIS – A Green Chemistry Alternative for Remote-Controlled Laser Spectroscopy

Thu, 1 Mar 2012 11:45

LAMIS, a green chemistry laser spectroscopy technique from Berkeley Lab, is faster and less expensive than mass spectrometry and can be carried out from across vast distances. It can even be used to date geological objects on Earth and beyond.

JBEI Startup Takes Aim at Petrochemicals

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:15

Petrochemicals are found in thousands of everyday products, from clothing to plastics. Imagine if those chemicals could be made with biological processes instead of petroleum. Using synthetic biology, scientists at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have done just that, and formed a startup to commercialize the technology.

Solving a Spintronic Mystery

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:15

Berkeley Lab and Notre Dame researchers appear to have resolved a long-standing controversy regarding gallium manganese arsenide, one of the most promising semiconductors for spintronic technology.

Correct Protein Folding

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:15

Using the exceptionally powerful x-ray beams of the Advanced Light Source, Berkeley Lab researchers have identified the structure of a key control element behind protein misfolding that can lead to disease.

How Good Cholesterol Turns Bad

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:15

Researchers have found new evidence to explain how cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) mediates the transfer of cholesterol from good to bad. These findings point the way to the design of safer, more effective CETP inhibitors to help prevent the development of heart disease.

Berkeley Lab Mathematicians Win Cozzarelli Prize

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:15

Berkeley Lab mathematicians James Sethian and Robert Saye have won the 2011 Cozzarelli Prize for the best scientific paper in the category of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Berkeley Lab Launches New Institute to Build Low-Carbon Pathways to Prosperity

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:30

Berkeley Lab announced the launch of the LBNL Institute for Globally Transformative Technologies (LIGTT, pronounced "light"). Its ambitious mandate is to foster the discovery, development, and deployment of a generation of technologies that will advance sustainable methods to fight global poverty.

Researchers Make Hydrogen from Acidic Water

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 14:50

Berkeley Lab scientists have developed a technique for creating a new molecule that structurally and chemically replicates the active part of the widely used industrial catalyst molybdenite.

Self-assembling Nanorods Get in Line

Wed, 1 Feb 2012 11:50

Scientists have developed a relatively fast, easy and inexpensive technique for inducing nanorods to self-assemble into one-, two- and even three-dimensional macroscopic structures. The technique should enable more effective use of nanorods in solar cells, magnetic storage devices and sensors.

Bright Lights of Purity

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:00

Berkeley Lab researchers have discovered why a promising technique for making quantum dots and nanorods has so far been a disappointment. Better still, they've discovered how to correct the problem.

Rotation of Cells Plays Critical Role in Healthy Breast Cell Development

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 9:00

Berkeley Lab researchers have discovered a rotational motion that plays a critical role in the ability of breast cells to form the spherical structures in the mammary gland known as acini. Without this rotation, cells undergo random motion, leading to loss of structure and malignancy.

Under the Electron Microscope – A 3-D Image of an Individual Protein

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:00

Using a cryo-electron microscope, researchers at Berkeley Lab have generated the first 3-D images of an individual protein ever obtained with enough clarity to determine its structure. The microscope, which operates at the frigid temperature of liquid nitrogen, is allowing scientists to see what no one has seen before.

Berkeley Lab Selects Richmond Field Station as Preferred Site

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 9:30

The University of California announced today that it has identified the Richmond Field Station as its preferred site for the proposed consolidation of the biosciences programs of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The UC-owned site presents the best opportunity to solve the Lab's pressing space problems while allowing for long term growth and maintaining the 80 year tradition of close cooperation with the UC Berkeley Campus.

Gadgil Wins Zayed Future Energy Lifetime Achievement Prize

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:30

Ashok Gadgil, director of the Lab's Environmental Energy Technologies Division, has won the Lifetime Achievement award of the 2012 Zayed Future Energy Prize. The Zayed Future Energy Prize recognizes and rewards innovation, leadership and long-term vision in renewable energy and sustainability.

Lab Seeks to Help U.S. Assert Leadership in Critical Materials

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:00

Berkeley Lab aims to change the status quo by reviving the study of rare earths to better understand how to extract them, use them more efficiently, reuse and recycle them and find substitutes for them.

Paul Alivisatos Wins Wolf Prize in Chemistry

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 9:00

Paul Alivisatos, Berkeley Lab director and UC Berkeley professor, has won the prestigious Wolf Foundation Prize in Chemistry for 2012. Alivisatos is an internationally recognized authority on nanochemistry. He shares this year’s Wolf Prize in Chemistry with fellow nanoscience expert Charles Lieber of Harvard University.

New Information on the Waste-Disposal Units of Living Cells

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 9:00

Berkeley researchers have provided the most detailed look ever at the “regulatory particle” used by proteasomes to identify and degrade proteins marked for destruction. This holds implications for a broad range of vital biochemical processes, including DNA repair and the immune defense system.

Clearing a Potential Road Block to Bisabolane

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:15

JBEI researchers have determined the three-dimensional crystal structure of a protein that is key to boosting the microbial-based production of bisabolane as a clean, green and renewable biosynthetic alternative to D2 diesel fuel.

New Maps for Finding Invisible Dark Matter

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:15

Teams of physicists at Fermilab and Berkeley Lab have independently made the largest direct measurements of the invisible scaffolding of the universe, building maps of dark matter using new methods that, in turn, will remove key hurdles for understanding dark energy with ground-based telescopes.

Omar Yaghi to Direct Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry

Mon, 9 Jan 2012 11:15

Omar Yaghi, one of the world’s most cited chemists and a leading authority on nanoscience, has been named to be the new director of the Molecular Foundry.

A Step Closer to the Chemistry of the Future

Thu, 5 Jan 2012 16:15

Scientists are using powerful table-top lasers to learn what capabilities the light sources of the future will need to track how energy moves on the space and time scales of electrons and atoms and molecules.

Researchers Help Verify Science Behind Geologic Carbon Storage

Thu, 5 Jan 2012 13:15

A project in southeast Australia has helped verify that depleted natural gas reservoirs can be re-purposed for geologic carbon sequestration, a climate change mitigation strategy that involves pumping CO₂ deep underground for permanent storage.

CAD for RNA

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:15

Computer assisted design (CAD)-type tools have been developed for engineering RNA components that hold enormous potential for microbial-based production of advanced biofuels and other goods now derived from petrochemicals.

New Evidence on Impacts of Low Dose Radiation

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:30

Working with a special line of human breast cells, researchers have shown that for low dose levels of ionizing radiation, cancer risks may not be directly proportional to dose.

A Single Cell Endoscope

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:30

Researchers have developed a nanowire endoscope that can provide high-resolution images of the interior of a single living cell, delivering therapeutic drugs or other cargo without injuring or damaging the cell.

Diamonds and Dust for Better Cement

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 9:30

Structural studies at Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Light Source could point to reduced carbon emissions and stronger cements.

Closest Type Ia Supernova in Decades Solves a Cosmic Mystery

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:30

Early close-ups of a Type Ia supernova have allowed Berkeley Lab scientists and their colleagues to picture its progenitor and infer how it exploded.

New Path to Flex and Stretch Electronics

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:30

Berkeley Lab researchers have developed a promising new inexpensive technique for fabricating large-scale flexible and stretchable backplanes using semiconductor-enriched carbon nanotube solutions.

Nanocrystals Go Bare

Thu, 8 Dec 2011 15:00

Lab researchers at the Molecular Foundry have discovered a universal technique for stripping nanocrystals of tether-like molecules that pose as obstacles for their integration into devices. These findings could provide scientists with a clean slate for developing new nanocrystal-based technologies for energy storage, photovoltaics, smart windows, solar fuels and light-emitting diodes.

A Better Way to ID Extreme Weather Events in Climate Models

Wed, 7 Dec 2011 12:00

A team of researchers that includes Berkeley Lab scientists are using state-of-the-art methods in data mining and high-performance computing to quantify extreme weather phenomena in the very large datasets generated by today’s climate models. Their work will help scientists predict how climate change impact the frequency of extreme weather events.

Today’s Severe Drought, Tomorrow’s Normal

Tue, 6 Dec 2011 10:15

While the worst drought since the Dust Bowl of the 1930s grips Oklahoma and Texas, scientists are warning that what we consider severe drought conditions in North America today may be normal for the continent by the mid-21st century, due to a warming planet.

New Tool at the ALS the result of Lab and Industry Co-investment

Mon, 5 Dec 2011 11:30

Leading semiconductor and emerging-technology firms have recently renewed their long collaboration with Berkeley Lab to build facilities and instruments for advanced extreme-ultraviolet lithography, including microlithography test tools too costly for individual manufacturers.

E. Coli Engineered to Eat Switchgrass and Make Transportation Fuels

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:30

Strains of E. coli bacteria were engineered to digest switchgrass biomass and synthesize its sugars into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. The switchgrass, which is among the most highly touted of the potential feedstocks for advanced biofuels, was pre-treated with ionic liquid, a key to the success of this study.

How to Slash California’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2050

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:30

What will a day in the life of a Californian be like in 40 years? If the state cuts its greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 — a target mandated by a state executive order — a person could wake up in a net-zero energy home, commute to work in a battery-powered car, work in an office with smart windows, then return home and plug in her car to a carbon-free grid.

On the Road to Plasmonics With Silver Polyhedral Nanocrystals

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 9:00

Berkeley Lab researchers may have opened the door to a simpler approach for the fabrication of plasmonic materials – one of the hottest new fields in high tech – by inducing polyhedral-shaped silver nanocrystals to self-assemble into three-dimensional millimeter-sized supercrystals of the highest possible density.

A Corny Turn for Switchgrass Biofuels

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 9:00

Researchers have found that Introducing a special corn gene into switchgrass significantly boosts its viability as a feedstock crop for advanced biofuels. The gene holds the switchgrass in a perpetual juvenile state, more than doubling its starch content and making it easier to convert its polysaccharides into fermentable sugars.

ESnet Celebrates 25th Anniversary at SC11

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:30

On November 14, the Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) officially celebrated it's silver anniversary at the SC11 conference in Seattle, Washington with the launch of the Advanced Networking Initiative (ANI)--at 100 gigabit-per-second (Gbps), this is the world's fastest science network. As part of the public ANI launch, ESnet streamed a simulation of 13.7 billion years of cosmic history from NERSC in Oakland, Calif. to the Berkeley Lab booth at the Washington State Convention Center on the new network.

How Arctic Microbes Respond to a Warming World

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:00

Researchers from the Joint Genome Institute, Berkeley Lab, and the U.S. Geological Survey collaborated to understand how microbes found in permafrost respond to their warming environment. Among the findings is the draft genome of a novel microbe that produces methane, a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

Researchers Create First-of-its-kind Gene Map of Sulfate-reducing Bacterium

Wed, 9 Nov 2011 10:30

Critical genetic secrets of a bacterium that holds potential for removing toxic and radioactive waste from the environment have been revealed in a study led by Berkeley Lab researchers. The researchers have created a first-of-its-kind gene map of Desulfovibrio vulgaris, which can be used to identify the genes that determine how these bacteria interact with their surrounding environment.

Lab Research Sparks Record-Breaking Solar Cell Performance

Tue, 8 Nov 2011 12:00

Theoretical research by Berkeley Lab scientists has led to record-breaking efficiencies in solar cells. The research showed that, contrary to conventional scientific wisdom, the key to solar cell efficiency is not absorbing more photons but emitting more photons.

Berkeley Lab Researchers Ink Nanostructures with Tiny 'Soldering Iron'

Mon, 7 Nov 2011 12:15

Researchers have shed light on the role of temperature in a fabrication technique for drawing surface chemical patterns as small as 20 nanometers. The technique could provide an inexpensive and fast route to building electrical circuits and chemical sensors, or showing how pharmaceuticals bind to proteins and viruses.

Geologic Carbon Sequestration Comes to Big Sky Country

Wed, 4 Nov 2011 12:30

The quest to reduce carbon emissions is coming to Big Sky country. Berkeley Lab scientists are part of an effort to determine whether a large fraction of Montana’s and nearby states’ CO2 emissions can be stored deep underground — where it can’t contribute to climate change. The project will require extensive modeling, monitoring and lab analyses, which is where the Lab’s expertise comes in.

Genome-scale Network of Rice Genes to Speed the Development of Biofuel Crops

Wed, 3 Nov 2011 12:15

Researchers at the Joint BioEnergy Institute have developed the first genome-scale model for predicting the functions of genes and gene networks in a grass species. Called RiceNet, this model of rice gene interactions should help speed the development of new crops for the production of advanced biofuels, as well as help boost the production and improve the quality of one of the world’s most important food staples.

Berkeley Lab to Build Cost Model for Fuel Cells

Wed, 2 Nov 2011 12:00

Fuel cells seem like an ideal energy source—they’re clean, efficient, silent and don’t require transmission lines. The hitch? They can be costly. Now scientists at Berkeley Lab hope to change that equation by building a sophisticated cost model that will take into account the total cost of ownership.

More Bang For the Energy Research Buck

Wed, 2 Nov 2011 12:00

Lab Scientists are working on many clean energy technologies — from biofuels to batteries to solar energy — but now these disparate efforts are being tied together with an innovative analysis that will show which technologies are the most beneficial to pursue.

A New Tool for Studying Patterns in Living Cells

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:00

By embedding fixed arrays of gold nanoparticles into fluid lipid bilayers, Berkeley Lab scientists can study with unprecedented detail how the spatial patterns of chemical and physical properties on membranes can determine the fate of a cell – whether it lives or dies, remains normal or turns cancerous.

Studying Warm Dense Matter on the Way to Fusion Power

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:00

Berkeley Lab’s Neutralized Drift Compression Experiment II will explore a state of matter that exists mainly in outer space, but it will also explore critical components for producing power with heavy-ion fusion.

Former Intel CEO to Chair Berkeley Lab Advisory Board

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:30

The Berkeley Lab Advisory Board welcomed Craig Barrett, the longtime chairman and CEO of Intel Corporation, as its new chair. Barrett was appointed by UC President Mark Yudof and will serve a five-year term as chair of the advisory board, which is charged with providing advice to the UC President about the scientific and operational aspects of the Lab. Barrett has been a vocal proponent of science education and government investment in research.

The Energy that Drives the Stars Comes Closer to Earth

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:00

Nuclear fusion represents a promising path to clean, inexhaustible, dependable electrical power, and Lab researchers are leading the way in heavy-ion fusion research.

Shaken, not Stirred

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:00

By shaking not stirring their solutions, researchers at the Lab's Molecular Foundry have engineered two-dimensional, biomimetic nanosheets with atomic precision for a wide range of applications, including the creation of platforms for sensing molecules or membranes for filtration. To accomplish this, the team developed a programmable vial rocking device they call a “SheetRocker.”

Perlmutter Wins 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:00

Saul Perlmutter has won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe through observations of distant supernovae. To read all the Nobel news about Perlmutter go here. »

What Will Happen to Soil Carbon as the Climate Changes?

Thu, 6 Oct 2011 13:00

Globally, soils store three times as much carbon as there is in the atmosphere or in living plants, but scientists don’t know what will happen to this carbon in response to climate change. An international group of scientists has proposed a new roadmap to soil carbon research, co-authored by Berkeley Lab soil scientist Margaret Torn.

Berkeley Lab to Share in Three ARPA-E Energy Projects

Mon, 2 Oct 2011 10:00

Berkeley Lab researchers will play major roles in three new cutting-edge energy research projects being funded by the Department of Energy's ARPA-E program. The projects entail the development of tobacco as a source of biofuels, creation of a personalized system for reducing customer demands for electrical power when the grid is congested, and development of a commercial process for extracting biofuels from the resin of pine trees.

Berkeley Lab Tests Cookstoves for Haiti

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 8:30

Lab scientists have teamed up with students from UC Berkeley to test the efficiency of traditional Haiti cookstoves compared with low-cost, commercially available alternatives. The long-term goal is to find or design the safest and most fuel-efficient stove for the cooks of Haiti.

JBEI Scientists Identify New Biofuel as Potential Alternative to Diesel

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:30

Researchers at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have identified a potential new advanced biofuel that could replace today’s standard fuel for diesel engines but would be clean, green, renewable and produced in the United States.

Somorjai Wins Honda Prize

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 9:00

Gabor Somorjai has won the 2011 Honda Prize for “pioneering contributions to surface chemistry that established the foundation of today’s sophisticated catalysis.” The Honda Prize acknowledges the efforts of an individual or group who contribute new ideas which may lead the next generation in the field of ecotechnology.

Two Lab Researchers Win Presidential Early Career Awards

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:00

President Obama has named two Berkeley Lab researchers, Christian Bauer of the Physics Division and Feng Wang of the Materials Sciences Division, among the 13 Department of Energy scientists who are recipients of the 2011 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. The awards are considered the U.S. government’s highest honor to young scientists.

Artificial Photosynthesis? Take a Cue from Nature

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:15

Lessons to be learned from nature could lead to the development of an artificial version of photosynthesis that would provide us with an absolutely clean and virtually inexhaustible energy source, says Berkeley Lab photosynthesis authority Graham Fleming and three international colleagues.

Better Lithium-Ion Batteries On The Way From Berkeley Lab

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:45

A revolutionary conducting polymer enables the use of low-cost, high-energy silicon for the next generation of lithium-ion battery anodes.

A Close-up View of a Microbial Vaccination Program

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 10:45

Berkeley Lab researchers have determined the structure of Cascade, a protein complex that plays a key role in the human microbial immune system by detecting and inactivating the nucleic acid of invading pathogens. Microbial immune systems play a critical role in preserving human health.

Finding Key Genes that Contribute to Healthy Skin

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:00

An international team discovers a crucial process in skin formation, pointing to the role of the protein Satb1, discovered at Berkeley Lab, that could address the root cause of numerous diseases and malformations of the skin.

An Electronic Bucket Brigade Could Boost Solar Cell Voltages

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:00

Some ferroelectric materials can develop extremely high voltages when light falls on them, which might greatly improve solar cells if scientists could figure out how they do it. Berkeley Lab materials scientists have solved the mystery for one ferroelectric and uncovered a principle that should apply to other materials too. The secret is an electronic “bucket brigade” that passes electrons stepwise from one electrically polarized region to the next.

Graphene Tools for Terahertz Light

Tue, 6 Sep 2011 13:00

Invisible terahertz light can detect explosives, image drug structures, and pinpoint skin cancer, but practical tools for using it are scarce. Now Berkeley Lab Scientists have demonstrated a microscale device made of graphene – the remarkable form of carbon that’s only one atom thick – whose strong response to light at terahertz frequencies can be tuned with exquisite precision.

Get the Light, Beat the Heat

Tue, 6 Sep 2011 8:30

Researchers at Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry led the development of a semiconductor nanocrystal coating material capable of controlling heat from the sun while remaining transparent. This system could add a critical energy-saving dimension to “smart window” coatings.

Lab's Open House

Thu, 1 Sep 2011 14:00

Come experience amazing feats of cutting-edge science at "Cirque des Sciences," the Lab's Open House on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. A three-ring circus under the Big Top, surrounded by nearly an acre of exciting exhibits, will delight and entertain visitors. The event includes tours, lectures, entertainment and food and is open to the public. Go here to register.

Down to the Wire: An Inexpensive Technique for Making High Quality Nanowire Solar Cells

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 9:00

Lab researchers have developed a solution-based technique for fabricating core/shell nanowire solar cells using the semiconductors cadmium sulfide for the core and copper sulfide for the shell. These inexpensive and easy-to-make nanowire solar cells hold great promise for future solar cell technology.

Brittleness of Aging Bones More than a Loss of Bone Mass

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:00

As we grow older our bones lose mass, becoming more brittle and prone to fracturing. Present medical treatments have focused on slowing down this loss, but new research from Berkeley Lab scientists shows that the age-related loss of bone quality can be every bit as important as the loss of quantity in the susceptibility of bone to fracturing.

Berkeley Lab Scientists Unveil New X-ray Technique

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 11:00

Lab researchers led the development of a technique called HARPES that enables the study of electronic structures deep below material surfaces, including the buried layers and interfaces in nanoscale devices. This could pave the way for smaller logic elements in electronics, novel memory architectures in spintronics, and more efficient energy conversion in photovoltaic cells.

Thawing Permafrost Could Accelerate Climate Change

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 11:30

Billions of tons of carbon trapped in permafrost may be released into the atmosphere by the end of this century as the Earth’s climate changes, further accelerating global warming, a new computer modeling study led by a Berkeley Lab scientist indicates.

Beams to Order from Table-Top Accelerators

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:30

Laser plasma accelerators could create powerful electron beams within a fraction of the space required by conventional accelerators and light sources – and at a fraction of the cost. But fulfilling the promise of “table-top accelerators” requires the ability to tune stable, high-quality beams through a range of energies. Now Berkeley Lab scientists have demonstrated an accelerator that meets that goal.

Berkeley Lab Opens Advanced Biofuels Facility

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:30

Berkeley Lab has opened the Advanced Biofuels Process Demonstration Unit (ABPDU), a state-of-the art facility designed to help expedite the commercialization of advanced next-generation biofuels by providing industry-scale test beds for discoveries made in the laboratory.

Lessons Learned from the Two Worst Oils Spills in U.S. History

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:30

One year after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and two decades after the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, the scientific lesson is clear – microbes matter! Despite vast differences in the ecosystems and circumstances of these two worst oil spills in U.S. history, oil-degrading microorganisms played a significant role in reducing the overall environmental impact of both spills, a Berkley Lab scientist reports.

DNA Construction Software Saves Time, Resources and Money

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:30

Berkeley Lab scientists have developed the first software package for automating DNA construction that not only makes the process faster and more efficient but – with an eye on the economics of scientific discovery – also identifies which construction strategy would be the most cost-effective.

First Data From Daya Bay

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 12:00

Berkeley Lab physicists have played a leading role in designing and building the international Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment in southern China, which has just begun collecting data on the elusive final measurement needed before the masses of the different kinds of neutrinos can be determined.

Shooting Light a Curve

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:30

Paving the way for fast-as-light, ultra-compact communication systems and optoelectronic devices, Berkeley Lab scientists have developed a technique for steering the curved path of plasmonic Airy beams – combinations of laser light and quasi-particles called surface plasmon polaritons.

Nanoscale Secrets of a Super Alloy

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:45

Researchers at Berkeley Lab’s National Center for Electron Microscopy have solved the mystery of one of the most promising alloys ever for strength, hardness, lightness, and resistance to corrosion and heat--one that includes core-shell nanoparticles all nearly the same size.

Combining Geothermal Energy and Carbon Storage

Tue, 9 Aug 2011 14:00

A team led by Berkeley Lab scientists hopes to produce electricity from the Earth’s heat using CO₂. They also want to permanently store some of the CO₂ underground. The technology could lead to a new source of clean, domestic energy and a new way to fight climate change.

Nanoscale Secrets of a Super Alloy

Mon, 8 Aug 2011 8:30

Not long ago, the solid-state precipitation of nanoparticles was an unknown secret of harder alloys. Now scientists at Berkeley Lab’s National Center for Electron Microscopy have solved the mystery of one of the most promising alloys ever for strength, hardness, lightness, and resistance to corrosion and heat. The key is creating nanoparticles all virtually the same size.

Students and Teachers get Hooked on Science

Thu, 4 Aug 2011 10:30

Berkeley Lab internship programs managed by the Center for Science and Engineering Education match teachers and students with exceptional scientists to do authentic and often outstanding research, using world-class facilities and equipment. These on-the-job experiences introduce students to a new world of possibilities in science and are often pivotal in deciding their futures.

New Carbon Explorer Rides the Storm

Tue, 2 Aug 2011 8:30

Carbon Explorers have studied the carbon cycle in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Southern Oceans – gathering data unaffordable or even impossible to obtain from shipboard. A new breed of Carbon Flux Explorer, successfully tested in a howling gale, not only measures day-by-day variations in biomass but determines exactly what’s in the sediment, essential knowledge for understanding the ocean carbon cycle.

Clues to Efficient Thermopower

Tue, 2 Aug 2011 8:30

Berkeley Lab scientists and their colleagues have discovered a new relation among electric and magnetic fields and differences in temperature, which can form swirling vortices of electrons and holes in semiconductor devices and emit sideways magnetic fields. Understanding the unusual new effect could lead to more efficient thermoelectric devices for converting heat directly into electricity.

Daya Bay Almost Ready to Start Taking Data

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:00

Within the past few weeks, the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment in China has made rapid strides toward completion of the first of three underground experimental halls for collecting data on the last unknown neutrino "mixing angle." Recent photos of the giant underground experiment's progress can be found here.

A Graphene Sandwich for Better Batteries

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:00

Berkeley Lab researchers have built a high-capacity energy storage device for lithium ion batteries by constructing a unique nanoscale sandwich of graphene and tin. The device is engineered to improve electrochemical cycling of the battery, which reduces charging time and allows repeated recharging without degrading battery performance.

Efficacy of Cool Roofs Varies from City to City

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 14:00

A new study uses a high-resolution model of the continental United States to probe the effects of deploying light-colored roads and rooftops. They found that atmospheric feedback—such as changes in cloud cover or precipitation—does have an important effect, resulting in different amounts of cooling in different cities, but that cool roofs and pavements are still beneficial for combating global warming.

Database Deciphers Secrets of Microscopic Life

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:30

A handful of muck or a bucket of water can teem with millions of microorganisms — a few of which could be the next big thing when it comes to learning how to create biofuels or understanding the planet’s carbon cycle. Exploring the microbial world is getting easier thanks to one of the world’s largest databases of genetic “fingerprints” maintained by Lab scientists.

A Manganite Changes its Stripes

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 10:00

At the Advanced Light Source's beamline 12.0.1, scientists have discovered a manganite whose stripes form or fall apart depending on the temperature, switching from a good conductor of electricity to an insulator – a colossal change in conductivity.

New Test Center for Low-Energy Buildings

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:00

Like a giant, life-size set of building blocks, the new User Test Bed Facility will allow researchers and manufacturers to test buildings systems and components under “real-world” conditions by swapping out systems and changing configurations and then rigorously monitoring performance of every key building element that impacts energy consumption.

Click Chemistry With Copper – A Biocompatible Version

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 11:00

Berkeley Lab researchers have found a way to make copper-catalyzed click chemistry biocompatible. By adding a ligand that minimizes the toxicity of copper but still allows it to catalyze the click chemistry reaction, the researchers can safely use their reaction in living cells.

What Keeps the Earth Cooking?

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 11:00

Much of the heat from the earth's core is “radiogenic,” from the radioactive decay of elements in the crust and mantle, but how much? By measuring neutrinos from deep in the Earth, Berkeley Lab scientists and their colleagues at Japan’s KamLAND neutrino detector have published the most precise estimate yet of the Earth's radiogenic heat.

Graphene Gives Up More Secrets

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:00

Lab scientists have used the Advanced Light Source to investigate theories about the electronic structure of graphene never before tested by experiment. They found that graphene is every bit as strange as expected – perhaps even more so.

Berkeley Lab Lays Foundation for Ultra-Fast Scientific Network

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:00

The Lab today announced a major step toward creating one of the world’s fastest scientific networks to accelerate research in fields ranging from advanced energy solutions to particle physics. The Advanced Networking Initiative (ANI) is funded by DOE's Office of Science to help secure and maintain America’s scientific pre-eminence.

Nanocrystal Transformers

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:50

A scientific study about structural transformations within single nanocrystals is breaking new ground for the design of novel materials that will serve next-generation energy storage batteries and solar energy harvesting devices.

Lab Scientists Raced to Estimate Oil Flow from Gulf Spill

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:00

Shortly after the blowout of BP’s Deepwater Horizon well, six Lab scientists dropped everything to estimate how much oil was flowing from the mangled wellhead. Working quickly and amid abundant uncertainties, they estimated that between 60,000 and 100,000 barrels of oil were flowing into the Gulf each day. Their calculations were in line with a final estimate derived two months later based on much more information.

David Brown Named New Director of Computational Research

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 13:00

David Brown, currently the Deputy Associate Director for Science and Technology at Lawrence Livermore Lab has been named the new director for the Computational Research Division (CRD). Brown will provide scientific leadership for CRD research and development programs in mathematics, computer science and computational science, and serve as chief spokesperson for CRD in interactions with external agencies, including the Department of Energy.

Opening the Door to Portable Chemical Analysis

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:00

By pairing remote-detection NMR/MRI with a unique chromatography separation medium, Berkeley Lab researchers have opened the door to a portable system for highly sensitive chemical analysis that would be impractical if not impossible with conventional technologies.

Breaking Kasha’s Rule

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 13:00

Berkeley Lab researchers created tetrapod molecules of semiconductor nanocrystals and watched them break a fundamental principle of photoluminescence known as "Kasha's rule." The discovery holds promise for multi-color light emission technologies, including LEDs.

Ovarian Cancer Genome Mapped

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:30

Scientists from more than 80 institutions, including Berkeley Lab, have developed the first comprehensive catalog of the genetic aberrations responsible for an aggressive type of ovarian cancer that accounts for 70 percent of all ovarian cancer deaths. The result is the most expansive genomic analysis of any cancer to date and a major step toward the personalized treatment of ovarian cancer.

A New Way to Mass Produce High Quality Nanoribbons

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 9:30

Berkeley Lab researchers, working with scientists at Rice University, have developed a technique for mass-producing uniform, defect-free boron nitride nanoribbons (BNNRs). BNNRs are predicted to display magnetic and electronic properties that hold enormous potential for future devices.

Testing Nuclear Power Plants on the Nanoscale

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 11:00

Berkeley Lab scientists and their colleagues at UC Berkeley and Los Alamos have devised a technique for testing irradiated materials on the nanoscale that could accelerate the development of new materials for nuclear power applications and also improve testing of existing nuclear power plants.

When Matter Melts

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:00

When the universe was only millionths of a second old, quarks moved freely in a hot, dense soup of quarks and gluons, but soon protons and neutrons and other forms of ordinary matter “froze out” of this quark-matter soup. Now scientists have compared quantum theory and data from the STAR experiment to map out the energies and temperatures where ordinary matter melts and the quark-gluon plasma freezes.

Berkeley Lab Wins Two R&D 100 Awards for 2011

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 11:00

Berkeley Lab researchers won two of the 2011 R&D 100 awards, also known as the "Oscars of Innovation." The winning inventions were a nanostructured antifogging technology for glass, and a new version of MRI technology – called Magnetic Resonance Microarray Imaging - that delivers results a million times faster than conventional MRI.

Melvin Calvin Honored on Postage Stamp

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:30

On June 16 the U.S. Postal Service issued Forever® stamps celebrating the achievements of four American scientists, including chemist Melvin Calvin. Calvin was a Berkeley Lab scientist when he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1961 for work in mapping the route carbon travels through a plant during photosynthesis. He also conducted pioneering research on using plants as an alternative energy source.

World’s First 3D Plasmon Rule

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:30

Berkeley Lab and German researchers have developed the world’s first three-dimensional plasmon rulers, capable of measuring nanometer-scale spatial changes in macromolecular systems. These 3D plasmon rulers could provide unprecedented details on such critical dynamic events in biology as the interaction of DNA with enzymes, the folding of proteins, the motion of peptides, or the vibrations of cell membranes.

JBEI to Partner with Russian Institute on Biofuels Research

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:30

The Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) will partner with the Kurchatov Institute in Moscow to evaluate unique ceramic membrane separators as an economic means of recovering advanced biofuels. The partnership is part of a joint energy action plan between the U.S. and Russia recently signed by Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

Berkeley Lab Expands Energy Exchanges With India

Thu, 9 Jun 2011 16:00

India's growing economy is hampered by regular power shortages and blackouts. This week a delegation of 20 electricity regulators from 16 Indian states visited Berkeley Lab for a study tour that included visits to Sacramento to hear from the grid operator, and to Bakersfield to tour a solar power facility.

Celebrating Luis Alvarez's 100th

Tue, 7 Jun 2011 16:00

Luis Alvarez, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist known worldwide for his codiscovery that the dinosaurs were wiped out by an asteroid, was celebrated by the American Physical Society May 3, on what would have been his 100th birthday. Three Berkeley Lab physicists who worked closely with Alvarez offered their reminiscences.

Antimatter Atoms Stored for Over a Quarter of an Hour

Mon, 6 Jun 2011 13:00

The ALPHA Collaboration, an international team of scientists working at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, has reported storing a total of 309 atoms of antihydrogen, some for up to 1,000 seconds (almost 17 minutes). ALPHA’s achievement opens a path to new experiments with antimatter. Lab physicists are key members of the collaboration.

Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis-North Now Open

Mon, 6 Jun 2011 13:00

The Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP) is a DOE Energy Innovation Hub funded by up to $122 million over five years to develop a solar-fuel technology modeled on plant photosynthesis. On June 2, JCAP-North, one of two sister facilities based in California, officially opened its doors.

Diagnostic Tool for Proteins Holds Promise for Alzheimer's Disease

Wed, 1 Jun 2011 9:00

Berkeley Lab scientists have engineered a highly sensitive technique for detecting misfolded proteins in biological fluids. This groundbreaking nanoscience capability could help pinpoint Alzheimer’s in its early stages and enable researchers to discover new therapies for this devastating disease.

Researchers Create Nanoscale Waveguide for Future Photonics

Tue, 31 May 2011 10:00

Lab researchers have demonstrated the first true nanoscale waveguides for next generation on-chip optical communication systems. The waveguides are based on a quasi-particle the researchers conceptualized and created called the "hybrid plasmon polariton."

The Promise of Graphene

Tue, 31 May 2011 10:00

If graphene devices are ever to become practical, finding good substrates on which to mount graphene is critical. A team of researchers from Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley have shown why boron nitride may come closest yet to the ideal.

Scientists Aim to Make Biological Circuits for Synthetic Biology

Thu, 26 May 2011 11:00

Using the tools of synthetic biology, researchers have engineered the first RNA-based regulatory system that can independently control the transcription activities of multiple targets in a single cell. This is a significant advance for the design and construction of programmable genetic networks.

Aggressive Efficiency Measures Needed to Cut California Emissions

Tue, 24 May 2011 15:30

California’s demand for energy is expected to double in the next 40 years. Can the state reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 as required by an executive order? Yes, say Lab scientists, with bold policy and behavioral changes and scientific innovation.

Atomic-scale Structures of Ribosome Could Help Improve Antibiotics

Thu, 19 May 2011 14:30

In a development that could lead to better antibiotics, scientists have derived atomic-scale resolution structures of the cell’s protein-making machine, the ribosome, at key stages of its job. They learned the ribosome’s ability to rotate without falling apart is due to the springiness of the molecular widgets that hold it together.

NMR With No Magnets?

Wed, 18 May 2011 9:30

Conventional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is unsurpassed for chemical analysis, and its cousin, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is an indispensable tool in medical and biological research. The catch is that conventional NMR depends on strong magnetic fields and big, expensive, superconducting magnets. Now Berkeley researchers have found a way to perform chemical analysis with NMR without using any magnets at all.

Sharpening the Nanofocus with Nanoantennas

Tue, 17 May 2011 14:30

Berkeley Lab researchers, in conjunction with a team from Stuttgart Germany, have developed a nanoantenna which allows them to observe catalytic processes at the single particle level, and also to optically detect low concentrations of biochemical agents and gases.

JBEI Researchers Counteract Biofuel Toxicity in Microbes

Thu, 12 May 2011 10:30

Researchers at the Joint BioEnergy Institute have created a library of microbial efflux pumps that reduce toxicity and boost production of biofuels in engineered strains of microbes. This should serve as a valuable new tool for the development of advanced biofuels and other areas of biotechnology as well.

Berkeley Lab Researchers Win Four Early Career Awards

Wed, 11 May 2011 10:30

Berkeley Lab researchers have won four DOE Office of Science Early Career Research Program awards. The five-year, $2.5 million awards are intended to support young scientists in the formative stages of their careers. The winners were chosen from over a thousand applicants from universities and national laboratories nationwide by outside scientific experts.

Possible Second Campus Sites for Lab Announced

Mon, 9 May 2011 13:30

The University of California, manager of Berkeley Lab, has extensively evaluated a number of locations for the Lab’s proposed second campus and has now announced six potential sites. “We really want to thank all the cities and developers that presented their ideas," says Berkeley Lab Director Paul Alivisatos. "The large number of visionary responses created by so many communities in the East Bay is an impressive reminder of the value that our region places on science in service of society.

Electronic Life on the Edge

Mon, 9 May 2011 10:30

Long before anyone isolated graphene, a honeycomb lattice of carbon just one atom thick, theorists predicted that narrow ribbons of graphene would display extraordinary electronic and optical properties along their edges, including semiconductor-like band gaps that sheet graphene lacks. Now scientists have confirmed these nanoribbon "edge states" exist and hold great potential for nanoscale devices.

It Takes a Community of Microbes to Protect Plants From Disease

Fri, 5 May 2011 17:30

Those vegetables you had for dinner may have once been protected by an immune system akin to the one that helps you fight disease. Scientists from Berkeley Lab and the Netherland’s Wageningen University found that plants rely on a complex community of soil microbes to defend themselves against pathogens, much the way mammals harbor a raft of microbes to avoid infections.

As Climate Changes, Methane Trapped Under Arctic Ocean Could Bubble to the Surface

Wed, 4 May 2011 16:00

Lab scientists have developed one of the most detailed pictures yet of how climate change could impact millions of tons of methane frozen in sediment beneath the Arctic Ocean. They found that methane, one of the most potent greenhouses gases, could seep into the Arctic Ocean and gradually overwhelm the marine environment’s ability to break down the gas.

BOSS Uses Quasars to Investigate Dark Energy

Mon, 2 May 2011 9:00

The biggest-ever 3-D map of the distant universe, made with light from 14,000 quasars, is the first major result from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS). The map proves that density oscillations in intergalactic hydrogen gas can be measured with absorption lines, known as the Lyman-alpha forest, and used to determine the role of dark energy in the early universe.

Study Finds a Surprise in China's Energy Future

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 11:00

As China’s economy continues to soar, its energy use and greenhouse gas emissions will keep on soaring as well—or so goes the conventional wisdom. A new analysis by the Lab's China Energy Group is challenging that notion, one widely held in both the United States and China. Well before mid-century, according to the new study, that nation’s energy use will level off, even as its population edges past 1.4 billion. “I think this is very good news,’’ says Mark Levine, co-author of the report and director of the group.

Anti-Helium Discovered in the Heart of STAR

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 8:20

Antimatter nuclei of helium-4, the heaviest antiparticles ever made, have been created by the STAR experiment at Brookhaven’s Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Eighteen examples of the antihelium particles were detected by STAR’s Time Projection Chamber, designed and built at Berkeley Lab, in debris from a billion high-energy collisions of gold nuclei.

Art Rosenfeld Wins Global Energy Prize

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:00

Distinguished Scientist Art Rosenfeld has been awarded the Global Energy International Prize for his contributions to the field of energy efficiency. The Prize was established by Russian scientists in 2002 "for outstanding scientific achievements in the field of energy which have proved of benefit to the entire human race."

Unraveling the Mystery of Raman Signal Enhancement

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:00

Berkeley Lab scientists at the Molecular Foundry shed light on the mystery behind surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, a detection method that provides scientists with unique molecular fingerprints for the study of surfaces.

New Tool for Metabolic Engineering and Synthetic Biology

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:30

A new technique called “targeted proteomics” speeds up and improves the identification and quantification of proteins within a cell or microorganism. Targeted proteomics should be an important new tool for the fields of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology.

Safeguarding Genome Integrity Through Extraordinary DNA Repair

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 8:30

Once called “junk DNA” because it contains numerous repeated short sequences that don’t code for proteins, heterochromatin is in fact vital for normal growth and function. Yet it poses special challenges to accurate repair. Now Lab scientists have discovered an unsuspected and dramatic process by which double-strand breaks in heterochromatin are repaired in stages.

New Findings Promise to Heat Up the Field of Plasmonics

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:30

Plasmonics is one of the hottest fields in high-tech, promising superfast computers and ultrapowerful optical microscopes. Now, researchers at Berkeley Lab have shown that plasmonic properties can be achieved in the semiconductor nanocrystals known as quantum dots, a discovery that should make the field of plasmonics even hotter.

Scientists Solve Structure of DNA Replication, Repair Protein

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:00

The structure of the DNA-slicing protein FEN1, an essential player in human DNA replication, has been solved by an international team of life scientists led by researchers at Berkeley Lab and the Scripps Research Institute. FEN1 cuts the "flaps" leftover when new fragments of DNA are assembled during replication and also plays a role in DNA repair.

Scientists Find that Normal Breast Cells Help Kill Cancer Cells

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 10:00

Berkeley Lab researchers have shown that normal breast cells help defend against cancer by producing the protein interleukin 25 to actively and specifically kill breast cancer cells. This important new finding points the way to a new therapeutic target for breast cancer treatment.

Two-Faced Nanocatalysts Could be Boon to Green Energy

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 10:30

In a development that holds intriguing possibilities for green energy technologies such as artificial photosynthesis, Lab researchers have created the first nanocrystals to feature multiple catalytic sites on nanocrystal interfaces. These sites allow for multiple, sequential catalytic reactions to be carried out selectively and in tandem.

Solar Power Consortium Gets $25 Million DOE Grant

Fri, 8 Apr 2011 12:00

The effort to make sun power more affordable has gotten a big boost with a $25 million, five-year Department of Energy grant to launch the Bay Area Photovoltaics Consortium. Led by Berkeley Lab and Stanford University researchers, the consortium seeks to spur development of new materials and manufacturing processes that will cut the cost and improve the performance of solar cells and devices.

Martin White Awarded Guggenheim Fellowship to "Mine BOSS"

Thu, 7 Apr 2011 13:00

Physicist Martin White has been granted a 2011 Guggenheim Fellowship, the only physics recipient among this year’s 180 fellows. White, who heads the Survey Science Team for the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS), received his fellowship to optimize the methods BOSS uses to determine the expansion history of the universe.

DNA Repair Machine is all About Flexibility

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:00

In a discovery that could lead to new ways to fight cancer and other diseases such as cystic fibrosis, a team of scientists has determined that a cell’s speedy ability to repair damaged DNA relies on the remarkable flexibility of a molecular motor.

RNA-Exporting Machine Deciphered at Advanced Light Source

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 8:30

A tiny motor tasked with one of nature’s biggest jobs is now better understood. The molecular machinery that helps export messenger RNA from a cell’s nucleus has been structurally mapped at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source.

New Chemical Maps Will Guide Researchers Through Nano Landscape

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:30

Scientists at the Molecular Foundry have pioneered a new chemical mapping method that provides unprecedented insight into materials at the nanoscale. These new maps will guide researchers in deciphering molecular chemistry and interactions that are critical for artificial photosynthesis, biofuels production and light-harvesting applications such as solar cells.

New Superlens Opens Door to Improved Biomedical Detection, Imaging

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:30

Lab researchers have fabricated superlenses from perovskite oxides that are ideal for capturing light in the mid-infrared range, opening the door to highly sensitive biomedical detection and imaging.

Scientists Close in on a New Phase of Matter

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 11:30

Attacking one of the stubbornest problems in materials sciences, groups from Berkeley Lab, UC Berkeley and Stanford have produced the strongest evidence yet that the mysterious pseudogap, hallmark of high-temperature superconductors, is not a gradual transition to the superconducting phase, as long supposed, but instead is a unique and hitherto unknown phase of matter.

NERSC Computers Reveal Invisible Satellite Galaxies

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:00

Astronomers predict that large spiral galaxies like our Milky Way have hundreds of satellite galaxies orbiting around them. Using supercomputers at NERSC, researcher Sukanya Chakrabarti developed a mathematical method to uncover these "dark" galaxies. When she applied it to our own Milky Way, she discovered a faint satellite might be lurking on the opposite side of the galaxy from Earth.

Enhanced and Controllable Magnetization for the Information Age

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:00

The nation that leads the development of advanced magnetoelectronic or "spintronic" devices will have a serious leg-up on its Information Age competition. A smaller, faster and cheaper way to store and transfer information is the grand prize. To that end, Lab researchers have enhanced the spontaneous magnetization in a special form of the popular multiferroic, bismuth ferrite.

Modeling Accelerators at Near Lightspeed

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 8:00

It’s a staggering challenge to model the acceleration of electrons by a laser beam moving through a plasma in 3-D, one that until recently has been beyond solution by supercomputers. Now, Berkeley Lab researchers have perfected a way to accelerate calculations up to a million times faster by borrowing a page from Einstein.

Systems Biology May Answer Fundamental Questions About Life

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:00

Systems biology holds promise for advances in pharmaceuticals, environmental remediation and sustainable energy, but perhaps its most profound impact is that one day it might provide an answer to the biggest question of all: What is life?

Controlling How Graphene Scatters Light

Mon, 16 Mar 2011 12:00

Berkeley scientists have learned to control the quantum pathways that determine how light scatters in graphene. Controlling light scattering not only provides a new tool for studying graphene, but points to practical applications for managing light and electronic states in graphene nanodevices.

New Composite Material Will Aid Design of Batteries and Fuel Cells

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 13:00

Researchers have designed a new composite material for hydrogen storage that rapidly absorbs and releases hydrogen at modest temperatures without oxidizing the metal. The achievement is a major breakthrough in materials design for hydrogen storage, batteries and fuel cells.

Lab Study Shows How Breast Cell Communities Organize

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 13:00

A study by Lab researchers has shown how communities of different types of breast cells self-organize into breast tissue. This helps explain how the processes of stem cell differentiation and tissue architecture maintenance are coordinated, and might lead to a better understanding of what goes wrong in cancer.

Reading the Life History of a 4.5 Billion-Year-Old Meteorite

Fri, 4 Mar 2011 14:00

Researchers have performed a micro-probe analysis of the core and outer layers of a pea-sized piece of a meteorite some 4.57 billion years old to reconstruct the history of its formation, providing the first evidence that dust particles like this one experienced wildly varying environments during the planet-forming years of our solar system.

The Laser Whisperer

Fri, 4 Mar 2011 14:00

A Berkeley research team has taken inspiration from the phenomena of whispering galleries — such as the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall — and their remarkable acoustical features to achieve a major scientific breakthrough in the use of plasmon lasers, overcoming what had been a major barrier to practical utilization of the technology.

Berkeley Scientists Highlight Challenges of Meeting State Energy Goals by 2050

Wed, 2 Mar 2011 14:00

Energy efficiency, electrification and low carbon fuels are essential for California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2050. While the challenges are great, they can be met, say Berkeley Lab scientists.

Goldilocks Catalyst May Be 'Just Right' for Recycling Carbon

Tue, 1 Mar 2011 13:00

Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion are major contributors to global warming. Since this greenhouse gas comes from burning fuel, researchers believe that it can be converted back into fuel rather than released into the atmosphere. Catalysts that induce chemical reactions could be the key to this recycling process. Now a team of researchers is using NERSC computers at Berkeley Lab to find the right one for the job .

Advanced Light Source Finds Big Surprise in Scorpion Fossil

Tue, 1 Mar 2011 9:00

It’s not quite Jurassic Park, but who wants Paleozoic scorpions scurrying around anyway? Scientists at the ALS used a powerful microscope to detect remnants of protein in the exoskeleton of a 417-million-year-old fossil of an extinct mega-scorpion, a fossil several hundred million years older than previously thought possible.

Saul Perlmutter Wins Einstein Medal

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:00

Berkeley Lab astrophysicist Saul Perlmutter has won the Einstein Medal presented annually by the Albert Einstein Society of Bern, Switzerland, for his role in discovering the accelerating expansion of the universe by observing very distant supernovae.

Brown Tide Culprit Sequenced

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:00

Scientists at the Joint Genome Institute have sequenced the first genome of the algae bloom species, a type of algae that can bloom and become so numerous that they discolor coastal waters and reduce the amount of light and oxygen available in the ecosystem. Algae play key roles in the global carbon cycle, helping sequester significant amounts of carbon .

Firefly Glow: Berkeley Lab Scientists Develop Safe Probe Based on Firefly Luciferin

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 9:00

Berkeley Lab scientists have developed a probe for monitoring hydrogen peroxide levels in mice that enables them to track the progression of cancerous tumors or infectious diseases without harming the animals or even having to shave their fur. This new probe is based on luciferase, the enzyme that gives fireflies their glow.

Challenges for Biofuels – New Life Cycle Assessment Report

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:00

Berkeley Lab scientists co-authored a report that presents seven grand challenges for addressing the social, economic and environmental issues that must be confronted before advanced biofuels can replace gasoline on a widescale basis.

Seeing the Light

Fri, 4 Feb 2011 10:00

Scientists at Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry have developed a web-based imaging toolkit designed for researchers studying plasmonic and photonic structures, paving the way for creating new devices for high-speed data transmission or ultrafast detector arrays.

Berkeley Lab's BigBOSS Collaboration Begins its Advance on Dark Energy

Tue, 1 Feb 2011 14:30

A proposal to build the biggest galaxy-redshift map of the universe at Kitt Peak National Observatory has been given conditional approval by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory. The map will serve as a cosmic ruler to measure the expansion history of the universe and determine the nature of dark energy.

A Dash of Disorder Yields a Very Efficient Photocatalyst

Tue, 1 Feb 2011 14:30

A little disorder goes a long way, especially when it comes to harnessing the sun’s energy. Berkeley Lab scientists jumbled the atomic structure of the surface layer of titanium dioxide nanocrystals, creating a catalyst that is both long lasting and effective in collecting solar energy to help extract hydrogen from water.

Clearer Picture of Carbon Sequestration

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:30

Using the massively parallel computing capacity of the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC), Berkeley Lab researchers have created the first-ever 3D simulations of the interactions between saline aquifers and sequestered carbon dioxide.

Somorjai Wins Frontiers of Knowledge Award

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:00

Gabor Somorjai has won the Frontiers of Knowledge Award from Spain’s BBVA Foundation in the category of Basic Sciences. The award, which comes with a $550K cash prize, recognizes the Berkeley Lab Materials Scientist for “his pioneering contributions to the understanding of surface chemistry and catalysis at a microscopic and molecular level.”

New Solar Cell Design is Highly Efficient and Practical to Produce

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:00

Berkeley Lab researchers and their colleagues have demonstrated a new solar cell design that not only captures the sun’s full spectrum, it is also practical to make using common manufacturing techniques in the semiconductor industry.

A Time-Machine for Understanding Earth's Climate

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:00

Using supercomputers at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, The 20th Century Reanalysis Project has pieced together a new dataset for all global weather events from 1871 to the present day, providing an unprecedented record of past weather variability.

The Saga of the Dark Universe Includes Berkeley Lab

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:00

In relating the discovery of dark matter and dark energy, author Richard Panek shows how physicists and astronomers at Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley not only contributed to the study of dark matter but pioneered the techniques that revealed the existence of dark energy.

GRIN Technology Paves the Way for an Array of Exotic Devices

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:00

Berkeley Lab researchers have carried out the first experimental demonstration of GRIN plasmonics, a hybrid technology that opens the door to a wide range of exotic optics, including superfast photonic computers, ultra-powerful optical microscopes, and “invisibility” carpet-cloaking devices.

Secrets of Mysterious Metal Hotspots Uncovered by New Single Molecule Imaging Technique

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:00

The secrets behind the mysterious nano-sized electromagnetic “hotspots” that appear on metal surfaces under a light are being revealed with the help of a new technique called BEAST. The results hold promise for solar energy and chemical sensing among other technologies.

A Nanoscale Rope that Assembles Itself

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:00

Berkeley Lab scientists have coaxed polymers to braid themselves into wispy nanoscale ropes that approach the structural complexity of biological materials. Their work is the latest development in the push to develop self-assembling nanoscale materials that mimic the intricacy and functionality of nature’s handiwork, but which are rugged enough to withstand harsh conditions such as heat and dryness.

Astronomers Release the Largest Color Image of the Sky Ever Made

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:00

The largest color image of the sky yet made – more than a trillion pixels – has been released by the third Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS III). The giant image will play an important role in Berkeley Lab's own study of dark energy and the history of the expansion of the universe, known as BOSS.

Polymer Membranes with Molecule-sized Channels That Assemble Themselves

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:00

Berkeley researchers have developed a solution-based method for inducing polymer membranes with molecular-sized channels to assemble themselves. Fully compatible with commercial membrane-fabrication, this new technique is believed to be the first example of organic nanotubes fabricated into a functional membrane over macroscopic distances.

New Glass Tops Steel in Strength and Toughness

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:00

A new type of damage-tolerant metallic glass, demonstrating a strength and toughness beyond that of steel or any other known material, has been developed and tested by a collaboration of researchers with Berkeley Lab and Caltech.

Lab Launches Information Gathering Process for a Possible Second Campus

Tue, 4 Jan 2011 13:30

Given the urgent national need to make breakthroughs in energy research, Berkeley Lab faces a critical lack of space for its current and future programs. The Lab has issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) for a second campus to consolidate current programs that are located in space spread throughout the Bay Area, and prepare for long-term future growth.

From dusty punch cards, new insights into link between cholesterol and heart disease

Tue, 4 Jan 2011 13:30

A stack of punch cards from a landmark study published in 1966, and the legwork to track down the study’s participants years later, has yielded the longest analysis of the effects of lipoproteins on coronary heart disease.

Berkeley Lab Project Featured in ‘Save a Life’ Campaign

Mon, 3 Jan 2011 15:30

Berkeley Lab's Ashok Gadgil was featured in the ABC News series, “Be The Change: Save A Life,” which challenges individuals to come up with solutions to problems that plague the world.

In Memoriam: Albert Ghiorso, 1915-2010

Mon, 3 Jan 2011 14:30

Albert Ghiorso, lifelong nuclear researcher at Berkeley Lab, the co-discoverer of twelve chemical elements, more than anyone in history, and a prolific inventor of nuclear technology, died December 26, 2010, at the age of 95. Of Ghiorso's lifelong accomplishments, Berkeley Lab Director Paul Alivisatos said, “Even a cursory glance at the bibliography of Albert Ghiorso is enough to convince one that his work—the elaboration of the periodic chart of the elements—ranks among the great developments of scientific thought.”

Lab To Help China Improve Data Center Energy Efficiency

Mon, 3 Jan 2011 14:30

With its growing information technology industries and its emerging status as a supercomputer power, China continues to expand its data center capacity. In an effort to help reduce worldwide carbon emissions, Berkeley Lab has begun working with China to improve the energy performance of its data centers.

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Magnetic Whirlpools Multiply Memory

An 'Artificial Forest' for Solar Water-Splitting

Mathematics of Popping Bubbles in a Foam

Flawed Diamonds Promise Sensory Perfection

New Advance in Biofuel Production

Two Lab Researchers Elected to National Academy of Sciences

As Climate Changes, Boreal Forests Relinquish More Carbon Than Expected

Does Antimatter Fall Up or Down?

Four Berkeley Lab Researchers Elected to AAAS

Comparing Proteins at a Glance

Bold Move Forward in Molecular Analyses

What Did Alexander Graham Bell's Voice Sound Like?

Lab to Offer Workplace Electric Vehicle Charging

Hidden Dangers in the Air We Breathe

Sweet Success

DOE Renews Joint BioEnergy Institute for Another Five Years

Lab Researchers Release Guide to Financing Energy Upgrade for K-12 Schools

JBEI Researchers Engineer Plant Cell Walls to Boost Sugar Yields for Biofuels

Trials at Sea Can't Keep Carbon Explorers on the Beach

Meeting the Computing Challenges of Next-Generation Climate Models

Computer Simulations Yield Clues to How Cells Interact With Surroundings

Researchers Observe Giant Photonic Spin Hall Effect

NERSC Builds the Massive Simulations Essential to Planck

The Science of Clouds—Why They Matter, and Why There May be Fewer of Them

Predictability: Brass Ring For Synthetic Biology

New Capabilities for Topological Insulators

Long Predicted Atomic Collapse State Observed in Graphene

In the Blink of an Eye: X-ray Imaging on the Attosecond Timescale

Do We Owe Our Sense of Smell to Epigenetics?

Engineering Bacterial Live Wires

Running Doesn't Lead to More Osteoarthritis and Hip Replacements

Reading the Human Genome

New Opportunities for Crystal Growth

Searching for the Solar System's Chemical Recipe

A Cyclotron's Long Journey Home

A Dual Look at Photosystem II

Secrets of the Motor that Drives Archaea

New Details on the Molecular Machinery of Cancer

Lab Study Finds Big Energy Savings in NY Times Building

New Computational Pipeline Analyzes Tumor Images

An Atlas of Brain Gene Enhancers Now On-line

Hitting the Sweet Spot for Advanced Biofuel Technologies

Unveiling a Mysterious Microbial Community

Doubling Down on Energy Efficiency

New Key to Organism Complexity Identified

A Clock Einstein Would Have Loved

Another Tool in the Nano Toolbox

The Farthest Supernova Yet for Measuring Cosmic History

Researchers Uncover New Path to More Efficient Organic Solar Cells

To Revert Breast Cancer Cells, Compress Them

How Computers Push on the Molecules They Simulate

Obama Names Art Rosenfeld One of the Nation's Top Technology Innovators

Boosting Galactan Sugars Could Boost Biofuel Production

Powerful Muscles for Micro-robots

Way to ID People Exposed to Ionizing Radiation

Nanocrystals Not Small Enough to Avoid Defects

Space-Age Ceramics Get Their Toughest Test

Six Lab Researchers Elected as APS Fellows

Lab Scientists Devise New Method to Estimate State's Greenhouse Gas Emissions

DOE Awards Nearly $5 million to Projects Advancing Energy Efficiency

Climate Change Study Strengthens Link to Human Activities

Celniker and Leemans Named 2012 AAAS Fellows

Cost of U.S. Solar Photovoltaic Systems Continues to Decline

Modeling the Breaking Points of Metallic Glasses

Berkeley Lab and Singapore Collaborate on Advanced Building Technologies

In Memoriam: Stuart Freedman

Lab Applies U.S.Technologies to Spur Low-Carbon Cities in China

Department of Energy's ESnet Rolls Out World's Fastest Science Network

BOSS Quasars Unveil a New Era in the Expansion History of the Universe

A Better Route to Xylan

More Bang for Biofuels

Lab Scientists Help Develop Promising Therapy for Huntington’s Disease

Folding Funnels Key to Biomimicry

Training Robots the PaR-PaR Way

State-of-the-Art Beams From Table-Top Accelerators

Berkeley Lab Breaks Ground on New Solar Energy Research Facility

Moderately High Levels of Indoor CO2 Can Impair Cognitive Performance

New Insights Into How Genetic Differences Influence Breast Cancer Risk from Low-Dose Radiation

Lab Names Road After 2011 Physics Nobelist Perlmutter

Moderately High Levels of Indoor CO₂ Can Impair Cognitive Performance