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

Unraveling the Science Behind Biomass Breakdown

A team led by Jeremy Smith, a University of Tennessee (UT)–ORNL Governor’s Chair and the director of the UT–ORNL Center for Molecular Biophysics (CMB), used computer simulations to uncover the chemical reaction that helps break down biomass for biofuel.

Ames National Laboratory Scientists Gain Insight on Mechanism of Unconventional Superconductivity

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames National Laboratory and partner institutions conducted a systematic investigation into the properties of the newest family of unconventional superconducting materials, iron-based compounds.

Sarah Cousineau: Accelerating the Field of Physics, Literally

Physicist Sarah Cousineau oversees beam physics research efforts creating neutrons for scientific research at the SNS accelerator at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and she oversees the next generation of physicists at the nearby University of Tennessee.

Building a Room Clean Enough to Make Sensors to Find Light From the Birth of the Universe

Work is underway at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Argonne National Laboratory on a new "clean room." The new lab will be specially suited for building parts for ultra-sensitive detectors — such as those to carry out improved X-ray research, or for the South Pole Telescope to search for light from the early days of the universe.

‘Super Yeast’ Has the Power to Improve Economics of Biofuels

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) have found a way to nearly double the efficiency with which Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a commonly used industrial yeast strain, converts plant sugars to biofuel.

Ames Laboratory to Receive $3 Million to Develop Instrument to Study Plant Cell Walls

A team of scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory will be developing new instrumentation aimed at determining the chemical and structural makeup of plant cell walls to better understand how to convert plant material into bio-energy.

Scientists Find Static "Stripes" of Electrical Charge in Copper-Oxide Superconductor

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have demonstrated that static, as opposed to fluctuating, charge stripes coexist with superconductivity in a cuprate when lanthanum and barium are added in certain amounts.

Crystal Clear Imaging: Infrared Brings to Light Nanoscale Molecular Arrangement

A team of researchers working at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has demonstrated infrared imaging of an organic semiconductor known for its electronics capabilities, revealing key nanoscale details about the nature of its crystal shapes and orientations, and defects that also affect its performance.

Planetarium Show Brings ‘Phantom’ Matter to Life

Berkeley Lab collaborated with other national labs, universities, and international research institutions on the production of a new planetarium show, “Phantom of the Universe,” designed to immerse audiences in the search for dark matter.

Nano-Spike Catalyst Convert Carbon Dioxide Directly into Ethanol

In a new twist to waste-to-fuel technology, scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed an electrochemical process that uses tiny spikes of carbon and copper to turn carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into ethanol. Their finding, which involves nanofabrication and catalysis science, was serendipitous.

SUE Lends a Hand: Field Museum Scientists Remove T. rex’s Arm for Argonne Study

Two Field Museum scientists are leaving their labs and going face-to-face with SUE, the biggest Tyrannosaurus rex ever discovered, armed only with a wrench. And they’re going to take her arm off.

Still No 'Sterile' Neutrinos, But the Search Goes On

Reports of the non-existence of the so-called “sterile” neutrino are premature, say scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory—even as they release results from two experiments that further limit the places this elusive particle may be hiding.