Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory http://www.lbl.gov/ Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:30 Science News from Berkeley Lab en-us Berkeley Lab Launches New Institute to Build Low-Carbon Pathways to Prosperity http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2012/02/08/ligtt/ 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.

]]> Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:30 Researchers Make Hydrogen from Acidic Water http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2012/02/09/hydrogen-from-acidic-water/ 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.

]]> Thu, 9 Feb 2012 14:50 Self-assembling Nanorods Get in Line http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2012/02/01/self-assembling-nanorods/ 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.

]]> Wed, 1 Feb 2012 11:50 Bright Lights of Purity http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2012/01/30/nanocrystal-luminescence/ 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.

]]> Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:00 Rotation of Cells Plays Critical Role in Healthy Breast Cell Development http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2012/01/26/camo-discovery/ 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.

]]> Thu, 26 Jan 2012 9:00 Under the Electron Microscope – A 3-D Image of an Individual Protein http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2012/01/24/3d-protein/ 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.

]]> Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:00 Berkeley Lab Selects Richmond Field Station as Preferred Site http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2012/01/23/berkeley-lab-selects-richmond-field-station-as-preferred-site/ 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.

]]> Mon, 23 Jan 2012 9:30 Gadgil Wins Zayed Future Energy Lifetime Achievement Prize http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2012/01/17/ashok-gadgil-wins-zayed-future-energy-prize/ 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.

]]> Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:30 Lab Seeks to Help U.S. Assert Leadership in Critical Materials http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2012/01/11/critical-materials/ 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.

]]> Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:00 Paul Alivisatos Wins Wolf Prize in Chemistry http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2012/01/12/alivisatos-wins-wolf-prize-in-chemistry/ 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.

]]> Thu, 12 Jan 2012 9:00 New Information on the Waste-Disposal Units of Living Cells http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2012/01/11/new-information-on-proteasomes/ 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.

]]> Thu, 12 Jan 2012 9:00 Clearing a Potential Road Block to Bisabolane http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2012/01/09/agbis-structure-solved/ 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.

]]> Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:15 New Maps for Finding Invisible Dark Matter http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2012/01/09/clearest-view-dark-matter/ 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.

]]> Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:15 Omar Yaghi to Direct Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2012/01/09/yaghi-molecular-foundry/ 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.

]]> Mon, 9 Jan 2012 11:15 A Step Closer to the Chemistry of the Future http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2012/01/05/the-next-big-step-toward-atom-specific-dynamical-chemistry/ 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.

]]> Thu, 5 Jan 2012 16:15 Researchers Help Verify Science Behind Geologic Carbon Storage http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2012/01/05/otway-project/ 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.

]]> Thu, 5 Jan 2012 13:15 CAD for RNA http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/12/22/cad-for-rna/ 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.

]]> Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:15 New Evidence on Impacts of Low Dose Radiation http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/12/20/low-dose-radiation/ 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.

]]> Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:30 A Single Cell Endoscope http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/12/20/a-single-cell-endoscope/ 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.

]]> Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:30 Diamonds and Dust for Better Cement http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/12/12/diamonds-and-dust/ Structural studies at Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Light Source could point to reduced carbon emissions and stronger cements.

]]> Fri, 16 Dec 2011 9:30 Closest Type Ia Supernova in Decades Solves a Cosmic Mystery http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/12/14/sn-2011fe/ 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.

]]> Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:30 New Path to Flex and Stretch Electronics http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/12/13/flex-and-stretch-electronics/ Berkeley Lab researchers have developed a promising new inexpensive technique for fabricating large-scale flexible and stretchable backplanes using semiconductor-enriched carbon nanotube solutions.

]]> Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:30 Nanocrystals Go Bare http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/12/08/nanocrystals-go-bare/ 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.

]]> Thu, 8 Dec 2011 15:00 A Better Way to ID Extreme Weather Events in Climate Models http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/12/06/id-extreme-weather/ 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.

]]> Wed, 7 Dec 2011 12:00 Today’s Severe Drought, Tomorrow’s Normal http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/12/05/severe-drought/ 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.

]]> Tue, 6 Dec 2011 10:15 New Tool at the ALS the result of Lab and Industry Co-investment http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/12/05/lab-electronics-industry-partnership/ 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.

]]> Mon, 5 Dec 2011 11:30 E. Coli Engineered to Eat Switchgrass and Make Transportation Fuels http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/11/29/e-coli-make-three-fuels/ 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.

]]> Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:30 How to Slash California’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2050 http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/11/24/ca-emissions-2050/ 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.

]]> Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:30 On the Road to Plasmonics With Silver Polyhedral Nanocrystals http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/11/22/silver-polyhedral-nanocrystals/ 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.

]]> Wed, 23 Nov 2011 9:00 A Corny Turn for Switchgrass Biofuels http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/11/18/corny-switchgrass/ 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.

]]> Mon, 21 Nov 2011 9:00 ESnet Celebrates 25th Anniversary at SC11 http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/ddoe-tdl111411.php 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.

]]> Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:30 How Arctic Microbes Respond to a Warming World http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/11/08/permafrost-2/ 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.

]]> Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:00 Researchers Create First-of-its-kind Gene Map of Sulfate-reducing Bacterium http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/11/09/gene-map-of-sulfate-reducing-bacterium/ 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.

]]> Wed, 9 Nov 2011 10:30 Lab Research Sparks Record-Breaking Solar Cell Performance http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/11/07/record-breaking-solar-cell-performances/ 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.

]]> Tue, 8 Nov 2011 12:00 Berkeley Lab Researchers Ink Nanostructures with Tiny 'Soldering Iron' http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/11/07/inking-nanostructures-with-tiny-%E2%80%98soldering-iron%E2%80%99/ 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.

]]> Mon, 7 Nov 2011 12:15 Geologic Carbon Sequestration Comes to Big Sky Country http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/11/02/carbon-sequestration-big-sky/ 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.

]]> Wed, 4 Nov 2011 12:30 Genome-scale Network of Rice Genes to Speed the Development of Biofuel Crops http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/11/02/ricenet/ 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.

]]> Wed, 3 Nov 2011 12:15 Berkeley Lab to Build Cost Model for Fuel Cells http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/11/01/cost-model-for-fuel-cells/ 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.

]]> Wed, 2 Nov 2011 12:00 More Bang For the Energy Research Buck http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/11/01/how-energy-analysis-can-create-more-bang-for-the-energy-research-buck/ 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.

]]> Wed, 2 Nov 2011 12:00 A New Tool for Studying Patterns in Living Cells http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/10/31/new-tool-for-the-study-of-spatial-patterns-in-living-cells/ 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.

]]> Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:00 Studying Warm Dense Matter on the Way to Fusion Power http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/10/27/part-ii-energy-stars-earth/ 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.

]]> Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:00 Former Intel CEO to Chair Berkeley Lab Advisory Board http://today.lbl.gov/2011/10/26/former-intel-ceo-craig-barrett-to-chair-berkeley-lab-advisory-board/ 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.

]]> Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:30 The Energy that Drives the Stars Comes Closer to Earth http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/10/19/part-i-energy-stars-earth/ Nuclear fusion represents a promising path to clean, inexhaustible, dependable electrical power, and Lab researchers are leading the way in heavy-ion fusion research.

]]> Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:00 Shaken, not Stirred http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/10/17/shaken-not-stirred/ 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.”

]]> Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:00 Perlmutter Wins 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics http://www.lbl.gov/Publications/Perlmutter-Nobel/index.html 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. »

]]> Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:00 What Will Happen to Soil Carbon as the Climate Changes? http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/10/05/soil-carbon/ 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.

]]> Thu, 6 Oct 2011 13:00 Berkeley Lab to Share in Three ARPA-E Energy Projects http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/10/03/berkeley-lab-to-share-in-three-new-arpa-e-energy-projects/ 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.

]]> Mon, 2 Oct 2011 10:00 Berkeley Lab Tests Cookstoves for Haiti http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/09/28/berkeley-lab-tests-cookstoves-for-haiti/ 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.

]]> Thu, 29 Sep 2011 8:30 JBEI Scientists Identify New Biofuel as Potential Alternative to Diesel http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/09/27/jbei-scientists-identify-bisabolane-as-an-alternative-to-diesel-fuel/ 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.

]]> Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:30 Somorjai Wins Honda Prize http://world.honda.com/news/2011/c110927Honda-Prize-2011/index.html 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.

]]> Tue, 27 Sep 2011 9:00 Two Lab Researchers Win Presidential Early Career Awards http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/09/26/pecase-2011/ 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.

]]> Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:00 Artificial Photosynthesis? Take a Cue from Nature http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/09/23/lessons-learned-from-nature-photosynthesis/ 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.

]]> Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:15 Better Lithium-Ion Batteries On The Way From Berkeley Lab http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/09/23/better-li-ion-batteries/ A revolutionary conducting polymer enables the use of low-cost, high-energy silicon for the next generation of lithium-ion battery anodes.

]]> Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:45 A Close-up View of a Microbial Vaccination Program http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/09/22/close-up-look-at-cascade/ 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.

]]> Thu, 22 Sep 2011 10:45 Finding Key Genes that Contribute to Healthy Skin http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/09/20/key-genes-skin/ 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.

]]> Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:00 An Electronic Bucket Brigade Could Boost Solar Cell Voltages http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/09/15/electronic-bucket-brigade/ 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.

]]> Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:00 Graphene Tools for Terahertz Light http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/09/04/graphene-thz/ 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.

]]> Tue, 6 Sep 2011 13:00 Get the Light, Beat the Heat http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/09/06/infrared-windows-coating/ 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.

]]> Tue, 6 Sep 2011 8:30 Lab's Open House http://www.lbl.gov/openhouse/ 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.

]]> Thu, 1 Sep 2011 14:00 Down to the Wire: An Inexpensive Technique for Making High Quality Nanowire Solar Cells http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/08/31/down-to-the-wire-berkeley-lab-researchers-develop-inexpensive-technique-for-making-high-quality-nanowire-solar-cells/ 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.

]]> Wed, 31 Aug 2011 9:00 Brittleness of Aging Bones More than a Loss of Bone Mass http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/08/29/the-brittleness-of-aging-bones-%E2%80%93-more-than-a-loss-of-bone-mass/ 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.

]]> Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:00 Berkeley Lab Scientists Unveil New X-ray Technique http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/08/24/harpes/ 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.

]]> Thu, 25 Aug 2011 11:00 Thawing Permafrost Could Accelerate Climate Change http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/08/22/permafrost/ 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.

]]> Tue, 23 Aug 2011 11:30 Beams to Order from Table-Top Accelerators http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/08/22/beams-to-order/ 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.

]]> Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:30 Berkeley Lab Opens Advanced Biofuels Facility http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/08/18/berkeley-lab-opens-abpdu/ 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.

]]> Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:30 Lessons Learned from the Two Worst Oils Spills in U.S. History http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/08/18/two-worst-oils-spills/ 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.

]]> Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:30 DNA Construction Software Saves Time, Resources and Money http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/08/16/dna-construction-software/ 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.

]]> Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:30 First Data From Daya Bay http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/08/15/daya-bay-first/ 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.

]]> Mon, 15 Aug 2011 12:00 Shooting Light a Curve http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/08/11/shooting-light-a-curve/ 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.

]]> Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:30 Nanoscale Secrets of a Super Alloy http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/08/07/core-shell-nano/ 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.

]]> Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:45 Combining Geothermal Energy and Carbon Storage http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/08/08/geothermal-co2/ 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.

]]> Tue, 9 Aug 2011 14:00 Nanoscale Secrets of a Super Alloy http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/08/07/core-shell-nano/ 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.

]]> Mon, 8 Aug 2011 8:30 Students and Teachers get Hooked on Science http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/08/01/berkeley-lab-prepares-students-for-careers-in-research/ 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.

]]> Thu, 4 Aug 2011 10:30 New Carbon Explorer Rides the Storm http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/08/01/carbon-explorer-storm/ 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.

]]> Tue, 2 Aug 2011 8:30 Clues to Efficient Thermopower http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/07/28/an-unexpected-clue-to-thermopower-efficiency/ 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.

]]> Tue, 2 Aug 2011 8:30 Daya Bay Almost Ready to Start Taking Data http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/07/27/daya-bay-brink/ 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.

]]> Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:00 A Graphene Sandwich for Better Batteries http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/07/27/graphene-sandwich/ 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.

]]> Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:00 Efficacy of Cool Roofs Varies from City to City http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/07/26/efficacy-of-cool-roofs-varies-from-city-to-city/ 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.

]]> Tue, 26 Jul 2011 14:00 Database Deciphers Secrets of Microscopic Life http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/07/21/greengenes/ 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.

]]> Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:30 A Manganite Changes its Stripes http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/07/14/manganite-stripes/ 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.

]]> Thu, 21 Jul 2011 10:00 New Test Center for Low-Energy Buildings http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/07/19/new-test-center-for-low-energy-buildings/ 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.

]]> Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:00 Click Chemistry With Copper – A Biocompatible Version http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/07/18/click-chemistry-with-copper-biocompatible/ 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.

]]> Mon, 18 Jul 2011 11:00 What Keeps the Earth Cooking? http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/07/17/kamland-geoneutrinos/ 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.

]]> Mon, 18 Jul 2011 11:00 Graphene Gives Up More Secrets http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/07/14/graphene-secrets/ 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.

]]> Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:00 Berkeley Lab Lays Foundation for Ultra-Fast Scientific Network http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/07/13/100-gbps-prototype-network/ 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.

]]> Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:00 Nanocrystal Transformers http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/07/08/nanocrystal-transformers/ 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.

]]> Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:50 Lab Scientists Raced to Estimate Oil Flow from Gulf Spill http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/07/06/oil-flow/ 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.

]]> Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:00 David Brown Named New Director of Computational Research http://www.lbl.gov/cs/Archive/news07711.html 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.

]]> Wed, 06 Jul 2011 13:00 Opening the Door to Portable Chemical Analysis http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/07/06/nmrmri-to-chromatography/ 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.

]]> Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:00 Breaking Kasha’s Rule http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/07/01/breaking-kasha%E2%80%99s-rule/ 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.

]]> Fri, 01 Jul 2011 13:00 Ovarian Cancer Genome Mapped http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/06/29/ovarian-cancer/ 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.

]]> Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:30 A New Way to Mass Produce High Quality Nanoribbons http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/06/28/splitsville-for-boron-nitride-nanotubes/ 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.

]]> Wed, 29 Jun 2011 9:30 Testing Nuclear Power Plants on the Nanoscale http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/06/26/nanoscale-nuclear-testing/ 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.

]]> Mon, 27 Jun 2011 11:00 When Matter Melts http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/06/23/when-matter-melts/ 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.

]]> Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:00 Berkeley Lab Wins Two R&D 100 Awards for 2011 http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/06/22/berkeley-lab-wins-two-rd-100-awards-for-2011/ 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.

]]> Wed, 22 Jun 2011 11:00 Melvin Calvin Honored on Postage Stamp http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2011/pr11_071.htm 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.

]]> Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:30 World’s First 3D Plasmon Rule http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/06/16/taking-the-3d-measure-of-macromolecules/ 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.

]]> Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:30 JBEI to Partner with Russian Institute on Biofuels Research http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/06/15/jbei-to-partner-with-russian-institute/ 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.

]]> Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:30 Berkeley Lab Expands Energy Exchanges With India http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/06/10/berkeley-lab-expands-energy-exchanges-with-india/ 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.

]]> Thu, 9 Jun 2011 16:00 Celebrating Luis Alvarez's 100th http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/06/07/alvarez-centennial/ 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.

]]> Tue, 7 Jun 2011 16:00 Antimatter Atoms Stored for Over a Quarter of an Hour http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/06/05/alpha-quarter-hour/ 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.

]]> Mon, 6 Jun 2011 13:00 Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis-North Now Open http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/06/06/jcap-north-now-open/ 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.

]]> Mon, 6 Jun 2011 13:00 Diagnostic Tool for Proteins Holds Promise for Alzheimer's Disease http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/05/31/diagnostic-tool-for-proteins/ 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.

]]> Wed, 1 Jun 2011 9:00 Researchers Create Nanoscale Waveguide for Future Photonics http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/05/31/nanoscale-waveguide-for-future-photonics/ 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."

]]> Tue, 31 May 2011 10:00 The Promise of Graphene http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/05/27/graphene-bn/ 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.

]]> Tue, 31 May 2011 10:00 Scientists Aim to Make Biological Circuits for Synthetic Biology http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/05/26/biological-circuits-for-synthetic-biology/ 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.

]]> Thu, 26 May 2011 11:00 Aggressive Efficiency Measures Needed to Cut California Emissions http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/05/24/aggressive-efficiency-and-electrification-needed-to-cut-california-emissions/ 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.

]]> Tue, 24 May 2011 15:30 Atomic-scale Structures of Ribosome Could Help Improve Antibiotics http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/05/19/ribosome-action/ 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.

]]> Thu, 19 May 2011 14:30 NMR With No Magnets? http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/05/17/nmr-no-magnets/ 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.

]]> Wed, 18 May 2011 9:30 Sharpening the Nanofocus with Nanoantennas http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/05/17/nanoantenna-to-enhance-plasmonic-sensing/ 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.

]]> Tue, 17 May 2011 14:30 JBEI Researchers Counteract Biofuel Toxicity in Microbes http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/05/11/efflux-pumps-for-biofuels/ 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.

]]> Thu, 12 May 2011 10:30 Berkeley Lab Researchers Win Four Early Career Awards http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/05/11/early-career-awards/ 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.

]]> Wed, 11 May 2011 10:30 Possible Second Campus Sites for Lab Announced http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/05/09/possible-second-campus/ 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.

]]> Mon, 9 May 2011 13:30 Electronic Life on the Edge http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/05/08/gnr-edges/ 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.

]]> Mon, 9 May 2011 10:30 It Takes a Community of Microbes to Protect Plants From Disease http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/05/05/community-soil-microbes/ 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.

]]> Fri, 5 May 2011 17:30 As Climate Changes, Methane Trapped Under Arctic Ocean Could Bubble to the Surface http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/05/04/methane-arctic/ 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.

]]> Wed, 4 May 2011 16:00 BOSS Uses Quasars to Investigate Dark Energy http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/05/01/boss-quasars/ 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.

]]> Mon, 2 May 2011 9:00 Study Finds a Surprise in China's Energy Future http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/04/27/china-energy-consumption-will-stabilize/ 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.

]]> Wed, 27 Apr 2011 11:00 Anti-Helium Discovered in the Heart of STAR http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/04/24/antihelium/ 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.

]]> Mon, 25 Apr 2011 8:20 Art Rosenfeld Wins Global Energy Prize http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/04/21/rosenfeld-wins-global-energy-prize/ 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."

]]> Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:00 Unraveling the Mystery of Raman Signal Enhancement http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/04/21/mystery-of-raman-signal-enhancement/ 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.

]]> Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:00 New Tool for Metabolic Engineering and Synthetic Biology http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/04/20/metabolic-path-technique/ 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.

]]> Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:30 Safeguarding Genome Integrity Through Extraordinary DNA Repair http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/04/18/dsb-hetero/ 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.

]]> Tue, 19 Apr 2011 8:30 New Findings Promise to Heat Up the Field of Plasmonics http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/04/18/plasmonic-resonances-in-semiconductor-nanocrystals/ 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.

]]> Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:30 Scientists Solve Structure of DNA Replication, Repair Protein http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/04/14/secrets-of-a-precision-protein-machine/ 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.

]]> Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:00 Scientists Find that Normal Breast Cells Help Kill Cancer Cells http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/04/13/normal-breast-cells-help-kill-cancer-cells/ 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.

]]> Thu, 14 Apr 2011 10:00 Two-Faced Nanocatalysts Could be Boon to Green Energy http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/04/11/tandem-catalysis-in-nanocrystals/ 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.

]]> Mon, 11 Apr 2011 10:30 Solar Power Consortium Gets $25 Million DOE Grant http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/04/07/bay-area-pv-consortium/ 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.

]]> Fri, 8 Apr 2011 12:00 Martin White Awarded Guggenheim Fellowship to "Mine BOSS" http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2009/10/01/first-light-boss/ 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.

]]> Thu, 7 Apr 2011 13:00 DNA Repair Machine is all About Flexibility http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/03/30/dna-repair-machine-flexibility/ 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.

]]> Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:00 RNA-Exporting Machine Deciphered at Advanced Light Source http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/03/28/rna-exporting-machine/ 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.

]]> Wed, 30 Mar 2011 8:30 New Chemical Maps Will Guide Researchers Through Nano Landscape http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/03/28/next-generation-chemical-mapping-on-the-nanoscale/ 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.

]]> Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:30 New Superlens Opens Door to Improved Biomedical Detection, Imaging http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/03/29/perovskite-based-superlens-for-the-infrared/ 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.

]]> Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:30 Scientists Close in on a New Phase of Matter http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/03/24/pseudogap/ 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.

]]> Thu, 24 Mar 2011 11:30 NERSC Computers Reveal Invisible Satellite Galaxies http://www.lbl.gov/cs/Archive/news031411.html 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.

]]> Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:00 Enhanced and Controllable Magnetization for the Information Age http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/03/18/enhancing-the-magnetism-in-bismuth-ferrite/ 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.

]]> Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:00 Modeling Accelerators at Near Lightspeed http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/03/17/simulating-at-lightspeed/ 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.

]]> Fri, 18 Mar 2011 8:00 Systems Biology May Answer Fundamental Questions About Life http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/03/17/systems-biology-and-cellular-networking/ 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?

]]> Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:00 Controlling How Graphene Scatters Light http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/03/16/control-scattering-graphene/ 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.

]]> Mon, 16 Mar 2011 12:00 New Composite Material Will Aid Design of Batteries and Fuel Cells http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/03/14/breakthrough-in-hydrogen-storage/ 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.

]]> Mon, 14 Mar 2011 13:00 Lab Study Shows How Breast Cell Communities Organize http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/03/11/getting-organized-breast-cell-communities-organize-into-breast-tissue/ 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.

]]> Mon, 14 Mar 2011 13:00 Reading the Life History of a 4.5 Billion-Year-Old Meteorite http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/03/03/reading-the-life-history-of-a-4-5-billion-year-old-meteorite/ 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.

]]> Fri, 4 Mar 2011 14:00 The Laser Whisperer http://innovations.coe.berkeley.edu/vol5-issue2-mar11/zhang 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.

]]> Fri, 4 Mar 2011 14:00 Berkeley Scientists Highlight Challenges of Meeting State Energy Goals by 2050 http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/03/01/berkeley-scientists-at-aaas-state-energy-2050/ 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.

]]> Wed, 2 Mar 2011 14:00 Goldilocks Catalyst May Be 'Just Right' for Recycling Carbon http://www.lbl.gov/cs/Archive/news22111.html 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 .

]]> Tue, 1 Mar 2011 13:00 Advanced Light Source Finds Big Surprise in Scorpion Fossil http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/02/28/scorpion-fossil/ 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.

]]> Tue, 1 Mar 2011 9:00 Saul Perlmutter Wins Einstein Medal http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/02/19/perlmutter-einstein-medal/ 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.

]]> Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:00 Brown Tide Culprit Sequenced http://jgi.doe.gov/News/news_11_02_21.html 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 .

]]> Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:00 Firefly Glow: Berkeley Lab Scientists Develop Safe Probe Based on Firefly Luciferin http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/02/10/firefly-glow-for-hydro-peroxide/ 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.

]]> Fri, 11 Feb 2011 9:00 Challenges for Biofuels – New Life Cycle Assessment Report http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/02/08/lca-challenges-for-biofuels/ 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.

]]> Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:00 Seeing the Light http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/02/03/plasmonic-nanofields-into-focus/ 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.

]]> Fri, 4 Feb 2011 10:00 Berkeley Lab's BigBOSS Collaboration Begins its Advance on Dark Energy http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/02/01/bigboss-noao-approval/ 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.

]]> Tue, 1 Feb 2011 14:30 A Dash of Disorder Yields a Very Efficient Photocatalyst http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/01/28/photocatalyst/ 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.

]]> Tue, 1 Feb 2011 14:30 Clearer Picture of Carbon Sequestration http://www.lbl.gov/cs/Archive/news13111b.html 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.

]]> Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:30 Somorjai Wins Frontiers of Knowledge Award http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/01/27/somorjai-wins-frontiers-of-knowledge-award/ 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.”

]]> Fri, 28 Jan 2011 15:00 New Solar Cell Design is Highly Efficient and Practical to Produce http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/01/24/practical-full-spectrum/ 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.

]]> Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:00 A Time-Machine for Understanding Earth's Climate http://www.lbl.gov/cs/CSnews/CSnews12511.html 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.

]]> Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:00 The Saga of the Dark Universe Includes Berkeley Lab http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/01/24/panek-review/ 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.

]]> Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:00 GRIN Technology Paves the Way for an Array of Exotic Devices http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/01/24/grin-plasmonics/ 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.

]]> Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:00 Secrets of Mysterious Metal Hotspots Uncovered by New Single Molecule Imaging Technique http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/01/19/hotspots/ 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.

]]> Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:00 A Nanoscale Rope that Assembles Itself http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/01/18/nanoscale-rope/ 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.

]]> Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:00 Astronomers Release the Largest Color Image of the Sky Ever Made http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/01/11/sdss-largest-sky-image/ 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.

]]> Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:00 Polymer Membranes with Molecule-sized Channels That Assemble Themselves http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/01/11/membranes-with-molecular-channels-assemble-themselves/ 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.

]]> Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:00 New Glass Tops Steel in Strength and Toughness http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/01/10/new-glass-tops-steel/ 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.

]]> Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:00 Lab Launches Information Gathering Process for a Possible Second Campus http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/01/03/second-campus/ 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.

]]> Tue, 4 Jan 2011 13:30 From dusty punch cards, new insights into link between cholesterol and heart disease http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/01/04/cholesterol-heart-disease/ 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.

]]> Tue, 4 Jan 2011 13:30 Berkeley Lab Project Featured in ‘Save a Life’ Campaign http://today.lbl.gov/2011/01/03/gadgil-teams-projects-part-of-abc-news-save-a-life-campaign/ 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.

]]> Mon, 3 Jan 2011 15:30 In Memoriam: Albert Ghiorso, 1915-2010 http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/01/03/ghiorso-obit/ 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.”

]]> Mon, 3 Jan 2011 14:30 Lab To Help China Improve Data Center Energy Efficiency http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2010/12/21/china-energy-efficiency-of-data-centers/ 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.

]]> Mon, 3 Jan 2011 14:30 Berkeley Lab website

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