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

Major Technology Developments Boost LCLS X-Ray Laser’s Discovery Power

Innovations at SLAC, including the world’s shortest X-ray flashes, ultra-high-speed pulse trains and smart computer controls, promise to take ultrafast X-ray science to a whole new level.

Theorists Propose Conditions Needed to Search for New Form of Matter

Theoretical description supported by mathematical calculations provides a roadmap that could lead to discovery of a 'chiral spin liquid.'

A Functional Genomics Database for Plant Microbiome Studies

A team led by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI), a DOE Office of Science User Facility, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) have exploited a catalog of bacterial genomes to identify and characterize candidate genes that aid bacteria in adapting to plant environments, specifically genes involved in bacterial root colonization.

Getting Under Graphite’s Skin: A Recently Discovered Method of Layering Metals with the 2D Material May Lead to Brand New Properties

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory have discovered a new process to sheathe metal under a single layer of graphite which may lead to new and better-controlled properties for these types of materials.

Creating a World of Make-Believe to Better Understand the Real Universe

Scientists are creating simulated universes – complete with dark matter mock-ups, computer-generated galaxies, quasi quasars, and pseudo supernovae – to better understand real-world observations.

Artificial Intelligence Helps Accelerate Progress Toward Efficient Fusion Reactions

researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and Princeton University are employing artificial intelligence to improve predictive capability. Researchers led by William Tang, a PPPL physicist and a lecturer with the rank and title of professor at Princeton University, are developing the code for predictions for ITER, the international experiment under construction in France to demonstrate the practicality of fusion energy.

New Catalyst Meets Challenge of Cleaning Exhaust from Modern Engines

As cars become more fuel-efficient, less heat is wasted in the exhaust, which makes it harder to clean up the pollutants that are emitted. But researchers have recently created a catalyst capable of reducing pollutants at the lower temperatures expected in advanced engines.

Clearing the Air

Residents in some areas of the developing world are currently coping with dangerous levels of air pollution. Recent research, co-led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, is leading to a new understanding of a key chemical able to break down some major air pollutants.

Accelerating the Self-Assembly of Nanoscale Patterns for Next-Generation Materials

Using polymer blends, scientists rapidly generated highly ordered patterns that could be used in the fabrication of microelectronics, antireflective surfaces, magnetic data storage systems, and fluid-flow devices.

The Wet Road to Fast and Stable Batteries

An international team of scientists — including several researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory — has discovered an anode battery material with superfast charging and stable operation over many thousands of cycles.

Scientists Discover Path to Improving Game-Changing Battery Electrode

Electric car makers are intensely interested in lithium-rich battery cathodes that could significantly increase driving range. A new study opens a path to making them live up to their promise.

Scientists Engineer Nanoscale Pillars to Act Like Memory Foam

A team of scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory and the University of Connecticut have developed a customizable nanomaterial that combines metallic strength with a foam-like ability to compress and spring back.