2014 | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

Science Study Links Greenhouse Gases to African Rainfall

Scientists at Oregon State University may have solved a long-standing enigma known as the African Humid Period – an intense increase in cumulative rainfall in parts of Africa that began after a long dry spell following the end of the last ice age and lasting nearly 10,000 years.

45-year Physics Mystery Shows a Path to Quantum Transistors

Physicists at the University of Michigan have discovered or confirmed several properties of the compound samarium hexaboride that raise hopes for finding the silicon of the quantum era

Looking at El Nino’s Past to Predict its Future

A new study at Georgia Tech shows how this climate system responds to various pressures, such as changes in carbon dioxide and ice cover, in one of the best models used to project future climate change.

Hunting For Dark Matter in a Gold Mine

Distinctively timed flashes of light in a vat of xenon might betray the presence of dark-matter particles.

Most of Earth's Carbon May Be Hidden in the Planet's Inner Core, New Model Suggests

University of Michigan researchers and their colleagues suggest that iron carbide, Fe7C3, provides a good match for the density and sound velocities of Earth's inner core under the relevant conditions.

Science Casts Light on Persimmon Pairing and Plant Hybrids

Scientists at the University of California, Davis, and Kyoto University in Japan have discovered how sex is determined in a species of persimmon, potentially opening up new possibilities in plant breeding

"Mind the Gap" Between Atomically Thin Materials

For the first time, the Penn State researchers grew a single atomic layer of tungsten diselenide on a one- atom-thick substrate of graphene with pristine interfaces between the two layers.

Study Gets to the Roots of Plants' Natural Sunscreen

A new study at Purdue University examined the properties and mechanics of the molecule plants use to absorb harmful ultraviolet-B radiation, and its SPF rating would be off the charts.

Carbon Deep Beneath Earth's Surface Offers Clues to History of Life

Johns Hopkins University led team also developed new theory about how diamonds form.

New Versatile Process Efficiently Converts Biomass to Liquid Fuel

Researchers at Purdue University have demonstrated a new process to convert all biomass into liquid fuel, and the method could make possible mobile processing plants.

A Billion Holes Can Make a Battery

Researchers at the University of Maryland have invented a single tiny structure that includes all the components of a battery that they say could bring about the ultimate miniaturization of energy storage components.

Formula Developed by Wright State Scientists Could Shed Light on Global Climate Change

Wright State University researchers have discovered a formula that accurately predicts the rate at which soil develops from the surface to the underlying rock.