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

Study Advances Limits for Ultrafast Nano-devices

A recent study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign provides new insights on the physical mechanisms governing the interplay of spin and heat at the nanoscale, and addresses the fundamental limits of ultrafast spintronic devices for data storage and information processing.

U.S. Department of Energy Projects Win 31 R&D 100 Awards for 2014

The R&D 100 awards, sometimes called the “Oscars of Innovation,” are given annually in recognition of exceptional new products or processes that were developed and introduced into the marketplace during the previous year.

Researchers Led by Stanford Engineer Figure Out How to Make More Efficient Fuel Cells

Using high-brilliance X-rays, researchers track the process that fuel cells use to produce electricity, knowledge that will help make large-scale alternative energy power systems more practical and reliable.

Researchers Develop Method to Measure Positions of Atomic Sites with Groundbreaking Precision

Using a state-of-the-art microscope and new methods in image processing, a multi-institutional team of researchers has devised an inventive way to measure the positions of single atomic sites in materials more precisely than ever before.

ASU-led Study Yields First Snapshots of Water Splitting in Photosynthesis

Groundbreaking study shows the first snapshots of photosynthesis in action as it splits water into protons, electrons and oxygen – the process that maintains Earth’s oxygen atmosphere.

Catching Invisible Light

A unique semiconductor manipulates light in the invisible IR/terahertz range, paving the way for new and enhanced electronic applications.

Read more about Catching Invisible Light

A Higgs It Was: But Which Higgs Was It?

Researchers supported by the DOE Office of Science made significant contributions to the discovery of the Higgs boson, which was announced two years ago. In this new video, a physicist from Purdue University looks back at the discovery and wonders if it marked the detection of just a single particle, or one of larger group of particles.

Discovery Provides Insights on How Plants Respond to Elevated CO2 Levels

Biologists at UC San Diego have solved a long-standing mystery concerning the way plants reduce the numbers of their breathing pores in response to rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

The Department of Energy Extends Nomination Deadline for the 2014 Ernest Orlando Lawrence and Enrico Fermi Awards

Nominations for the 2014 Ernest Orlando Lawrence and Enrico Fermi Awards are now being accepted until July 31, 2014.

Unprecedented Detail of Intact Neuronal Receptor Offers Blueprint for Drug Developers

Argonne, Ill.– Scientists succeeded in obtaining an unprecedented view of a type of brain-cell receptor that is implicated in a range of neurological illnesses, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, depression, schizophrenia, autism, and ischemic injuries associated with stroke.

With ‘Ribbons’ of Graphene, Width Matters

Using graphene ribbons of unimaginably small widths – just several atoms across – a group of researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) has found a novel way to “tune” the wonder material, causing the extremely efficient conductor of electricity to act as a semiconductor.

New Detector Continues Search for Fourth Neutrino

Physicists from Virginia Tech will soon have a new detector to monitor as a 30-ton, 40-foot-long metal tank was lowered into place June 23 at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermilab site.