Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee (BERAC)

The Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee (BERAC) provides advice on a continuing basis to the Director of the Office of Science, Department of Energy, on the many complex scientific and technical issues that arise in the development and implementation of the biological and environmental research program. The Designated Federal Officer is Dr. Tristram West of the Office of Biological and Environmental Research.

Highlights

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Biruk Feyissa, left, holds a five-month-old poplar tree expressing high levels of the BOOSTER gene, while former colleague Wellington Muchero holds a tree of the same age expressing lower levels of the gene.

Landmark Photosynthesis Gene Discovery Boosts Plant Growth, Advances Crop Science

Bacterial communities are naturally grouped together, forming a network of shared toxins and antitoxins.

Unlocking the Passcodes to Manipulate Natural Bacterial Communities

Infrared Quantum Ghost Imaging Illuminates—But Doesn’t Disturb—Living Plants

A petri plate with bacterial colonies.

Researchers Use Vitamins to Decode Complex Interactions in the Soil Microbiome

Artist’s representation of camelina seeds with contrasting seed coat colors and oil amounts. Disruption of the TT8 gene in camelina changed the regular brown seed color to light yellow and enhanced oil accumulation.

Engineered Yellow-Seeded Camelina Packs More Oil

Artist’s representation of gene expression in mycorrhizae-colonized roots as obtained by the combination of single-cell and spatial gene expression analyses.

Researchers Use a New Two-Dimensional Analysis to Build a Map of Gene Expression in Plant-Fungi Interactions

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