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

A Seat at the Table: Colleen Iversen

Iversen, a senior scientist in the Environmental Sciences Division, has seen her research progress from the temperate forests of East Tennessee to the boreal forests of Minnesota, the Alaskan tundra, and to tropical rainforests in Puerto Rico and Brazil.

Special X-ray Technique Allows Scientists to See 3-D Deformations

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have developed a new X-ray technique to see inside continuously packed nanoparticles, also known as grains, to examine deformations and dislocations that affect their properties.

NXS Grads Seek Atomistic Insights Into Ferroelectric Materials

Researchers Abhijit Pramanick of the City University of Hong Kong and Mads Ry Jørgensen of Aarhus University are studying ferroelectric properties on TOPAZ, SNS beam line 12, to better understand how ferroelectric materials behave under high temperatures and the application of electric fields.

Insight Into Enzyme’s 3D Structure Could Cut Biofuel Costs

Using neutron crystallography, a Los Alamos research team has mapped the three-dimensional structure of a protein that breaks down polysaccharides, such as the fibrous cellulose of grasses and woody plants, a finding that could help bring down the cost of creating biofuels.

FY 2018 Budget Request to Congress

“This budget delivers on the promise to reprioritize spending in order to carry out DOE’s core functions efficiently and effectively while also being fiscally responsible and respectful to the American taxpayer,” said Secretary Perry.

Sleuths Use Bubbles to Look for WIMPs

The multi-institution PICO search for WIMPs - weakly interacting massive particles, a hypothesized type of dark matter particle - relies on a simple phenomenon and a fairly low-key detector: bubbles and a bubble chamber.

Report Sheds New Insights on the Spin Dynamics of a Material Candidate for Low-Power Devices

To minimize heat loss and optimize performance for low-power technology, researchers are exploring other ways to process information that could be more energy-efficient. One approach that researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory are exploring involves manipulating the magnetic spin of electrons, a scientific field known as spintronics.

Sequencing of Green Alga Genome Provides Blueprint to Advance Clean Energy and Bioproducts

Plant biologists have sequenced the genome of a particularly promising species of green alga, providing a blueprint for new discoveries in producing sustainable biofuels, antioxidants, and other valuable bioproducts.

Department of Energy Secretary recognizes Argonne scientists’ work to fight Ebola, cancer

Two groups of researchers at DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory earned special awards from the office of the U.S. Secretary of Energy for addressing the global health challenges of Ebola and cancer.

Physicists discover that lithium oxide on tokamak walls can improve plasma performance

A team of physicists at DOE’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has found lithium compounds improve plasma performance in fusion devices just as well as pure lithium.

A 'Wearable' Brain Scanner Inspired by Brookhaven Technology

Building on a Brookhaven Lab innovation designed for brain imaging in moving rats, a team in Virginia and West Virginia designs a device for studies of human interaction, dementia, movement disorders, and more.

Scientists Perform First Basic Physics Simulation of Spontaneous Transition of the Edge of Fusion Plasma to Crucial High-Confinement Mode

Physicists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have simulated the spontaneous transition of turbulence at the edge of a fusion plasma to the high-confinement mode (H-mode) that sustains fusion reactions.