2017 | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

Largest Populus SNP Dataset Holds Promise for Biofuels, Materials, and Metabolites

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have released the largest-ever single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) dataset of genetic variations in poplar trees, information useful to plant scientists as well as researchers in the fields of biofuels, materials science, and secondary plant metabolism.

Study of Microbes Reveals New Insight About Earth’s Geology and Carbon Cycles

Anaerobic bacteria play a central role in cycling carbon and other key elements throughout Earth. A new study by researchers at Argonne National Laboratory shows that the behavior of these microbes is significantly affected by the types of carbon “food” sources available to them.

For First Time Ever, X-ray Imaging at Argonne Captures Material Defect Process

Argonne researchers are the first to capture the formation of nanomaterial defects in near-real time. Their work will help other researchers model the behavior of materials, a step that is key to engineering stronger, more reliable materials.

Sketching Out Magnetism With Electricity

In a proof-of-concept study published in Nature Physics, researchers drew magnetic squares in a nonmagnetic material with an electrified pen and then “read” this magnetic doodle with X-rays.

Chemistry on the Edge: Study Pinpoints Most Active Areas of Reactions on Nanoscale Particles

Defects and jagged surfaces at the edges of nanosized platinum and gold particles are key hot spots for chemical reactivity, a team of researchers working at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel confirmed with a unique infrared probe.

Annual Report on the State of the DOE National Laboratories

The first Annual Report on the State of the DOE National Laboratories describes the DOE National Laboratory System, its role in advancing the frontiers of science and technology, and efforts to ensure it continues as a national resource for the Department’s near- and long-term missions.

Science DMZ is Focus of Latest Library of Network Training Videos Aimed at Global Audience

For the second time in a year, ESnet and the NSRC have produced and released a library of short explanatory videos to help network engineers around the world gain basic knowledge, set up basic systems and drill down into areas of specific interest.

President Obama Honors Federally-Funded Early-Career Scientists

President Obama named 102 scientists and researchers as recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.

PPPL Physicists Make First-Ever Direct Observation of Collisional Plasmoid Instability During Magnetic Reconnection in a Laboratory Setting

Physicists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have for the first time directly observed a phenomenon that had previously only been hypothesized to exist. The phenomenon, plasmoid instabilities that occur during collisional magnetic reconnection, had until this year only been observed indirectly using remote-sensing technology.

Crystallization Method Offers New Option For Carbon Capture From Ambient Air

Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have found a simple, reliable process to capture carbon dioxide directly from ambient air, offering a new option for carbon capture and storage strategies to combat global warming.

Brian Davison: Seeking New Challenges, Forging New Connections in Bioenergy

Davison is chief scientist for the Systems Biology and Biotechnology Initiative at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and an adjunct professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Tennessee.

Increasing Rainfall in a Warmer World Will Likely Intensify Typhoons in the Western Pacific

An analysis of the strongest tropical storms, known as super typhoons, in the western Pacific over the last half-century reveals that they are intensifying.