Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory News - SciTechDaily

Scientists Identify Hidden Phase Transition Between Liquid and Solid

Rachel Berkowitz, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 08:32:59 +0000

Improved understanding of glassy dynamics could help scientists explain why a liquid behaves like a solid, and develop useful new materials. Researchers have identified a...

Powering Ahead: Nobel-Winning Chemistry Unleashes Next-Generation Energy Storage Devices

Rachel Berkowitz, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 17:39:38 +0000

Flexible polymers made with a new generation of the Nobel-winning “click chemistry” reaction find use in capacitors and other applications. Society’s increasing demand for high-voltage...

Nature’s Quantum Code: Unraveling the Secrets of Photosynthesis

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 02:35:13 +0000

A cutting-edge experiment has unveiled the quantum dynamics underlying one of nature’s most essential processes. Using a complex cast of metal-studded pigments, proteins, enzymes, and...

Scientists Use Bacteria To Make Renewable, Infinitely Recyclable Plastics

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 05:44:15 +0000

Scientists have successfully engineered microbes to produce ingredients for recyclable plastics, offering an environmentally friendly substitute to finite and polluting petrochemicals. Plastic waste poses a...

Engineered Bacteria Offer a Powerful New Way To Combat Climate Change

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Wed, 10 May 2023 23:16:21 +0000

Researchers have uncovered a novel pathway in bacteria that holds the potential to decarbonize various industries. This breakthrough could significantly decrease the emission of greenhouse...

Researchers Discover That Electrons Play a Surprising Role in Heat Transfer Between Layers of Semiconductors

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 11:47:42 +0000

An electronic bridge facilitates the fast transfer of energy between semiconductors. Researchers are exploring the potential applications of two-dimensional (2D) materials in transistors and optoelectronics,...

Scientists Successfully Edit the Genes of Nature’s Master Manipulators

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 03:02:46 +0000

Researchers are utilizing the gene-editing technology CRISPR to modify the viruses that have evolved to engineer bacteria. CRISPR, the revolutionary gene-editing tool, is making waves...

Scientists Develop a Cool New Method of Refrigeration: “Ionocaloric Cooling”

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 09:36:36 +0000

Researchers hope that ionocaloric cooling could someday help replace refrigerants with high global warming potential and provide safe, efficient cooling and heating for homes. Adding...

Scientists Blown Away by the Toughest Material on Earth – “Unexpected Transformation”

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Sun, 11 Dec 2022 17:08:39 +0000

A new study reveals the profound properties of a simple metal alloy. Scientists have measured the highest toughness ever recorded, of any material, while investigating...

Mysterious Soil Virus Gene Seen for the First Time

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 18:58:32 +0000

The protein could be important in both soil decomposition and soil carbon cycling. There are billions of bacteria, fungi, and viruses in every handful of...

Not Science Fiction: Methane-Eating “Borgs” Have Been Assimilating Earth’s Microbes

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Sat, 22 Oct 2022 15:25:13 +0000

A newly discovered type of transferable DNA structure with a sci-fi name appears to play a role in balancing atmospheric methane. In Star Trek, the...

Physicists Discover Unexpected Mirror Nuclei Pairings

Ben Brubaker, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 11:06:52 +0000

Physicists peer into mirror nuclei. The atomic nucleus is a busy place. Its protons and neutrons periodically collide and fly apart with high momentum before...

Success! First Results From World’s Most Sensitive Dark Matter Detector

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 16:05:01 +0000

Berkeley Lab Researchers Record Successful Startup of LUX-ZEPLIN Dark Matter Detector at Sanford Underground Research Facility An innovative and uniquely sensitive dark matter detector –...

Giant Bacteria – 5,000 Times Bigger Than Normal – Discovered in Guadeloupe Mangroves

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 01:04:32 +0000

Though newly discovered bacteria are visible to the naked eye, microscopy reveals unexpected complexity. At first glance, the slightly murky waters in the tube look...

High-Speed X-Ray Lasers Reveal the Secret Crystal Structures of Small Molecules

David Krause, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory — Sun, 08 May 2022 13:07:58 +0000

High-speed X-ray free-electron lasers have unlocked the crystal structures of small molecules relevant to chemistry and materials science, proving a new method that could advance...

New Generation Advanced Material Design: Tracking the Motion of Protein Nanorods

Beth Mundy, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory — Sat, 07 May 2022 10:19:09 +0000

Better understanding of protein movement can facilitate advanced materials design Biological materials such as bones, teeth, and seashells are extremely durable. Their strength stems from...

Crucial Tool for Managing Global Warming Allows Scientists To Measure Carbon Without Disturbing Plants

Adam Becker, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 12:31:58 +0000

Scientists develop a new way to take a census of carbon in the ground under our feet – a crucial tool for managing climate change...

Physicists Are Closing In on the Next Breakthrough in Particle Physics – And the Search for Our Own Origins

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 13:38:26 +0000

CUORE Team Places New Limits on the Bizarre Behavior of Neutrinos Physicists are closing in on the true nature of the neutrino — and might...

Surprising New Clues Uncovered to Exotic Superconductors’ Superpowers

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 11:38:33 +0000

Study leverages one of the most powerful magnets on Earth to probe a new model of a mysterious metal. A research team has uncovered new...

Scientists Discover “Secret Sauce” Behind Exotic Properties of Unusual New Quantum Material

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 02:19:39 +0000

Work will aid design of other unusual quantum materials with many potential applications. MIT physicists and colleagues, including scientists from Berkeley Lab, have discovered the...

Safely Studying Dangerous Infections – Like COVID – Just Got a Lot Easier

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 14:37:04 +0000

An extremely fast new 3D imaging method can show how cells respond to infection and to possible treatments. To combat a pandemic, science needs to...

Artificial Photosynthesis: New Device Advances Commercial Viability of Solar Fuels

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Sun, 23 Jan 2022 21:47:19 +0000

Discovery significantly improves stability in ethylene and hydrogen production via artificial photosynthesis. A research team has developed a new artificial photosynthesis device component with remarkable...

How Can Next-Generation Computer Chips Reduce Our Carbon Footprint?

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 21:58:12 +0000

A Q&A with two scientists aiming to overcome limits in computing power and energy efficiency by designing new microchips. Our laptops and smartphones are compact...

Crystallography for Misfit Crystals: Advanced Algorithms Reveal Material Structures

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 15:06:46 +0000

Advanced algorithms plus an exceptional X-ray laser can reveal the structures of not-so-neat-and-tidy materials unattainable by other techniques. Francis Crick, who famously co-discovered the shape...