2017 | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

Controlling Fast X-ray Pulses with Laser Light

Researchers at Lund University and LSU have used laser pulses to change a gas of atoms so that rather than absorbing the x-ray light along one direction, the atoms are instead stimulated to emit x-ray light along a completely different direction, and at a time that the scientists can control.

Stanford Scientists Reveal How Grass Developed a Better Way to Breathe

Grasses are better able to withstand drought or high temperatures than many other plants in large part due to changes in their pores, called stomata. Stanford scientists have discovered how grasses produce these altered pores, which could someday lead to crops that can better survive climate change.

MSU Researcher Recreates Evolution Process of Protein

In a recent study published in The Plant Journal, Michigan State University researchers have shown how the two parts of the orange carotenoid protein, or OCP, interact by splitting the native protein into its two building blocks.

Discovery Could Lead to New Catalyst Design to Reduce Nitrogen Oxides in Diesel Exhaust

Researchers at Purdue University have discovered a new reaction mechanism that could be used to improve catalyst designs for pollution-control systems to further reduce emissions of smog-causing nitrogen oxides in diesel exhaust.

Plant Scientists Aim to Turn Sorghum into Jet Fuel

As members of a new federally funded bioenergy research center, two Nebraska plant scientists plan to spend the next five years working to expand the oil-producing capability of the sorghum plant.

Indiana University-led Team Maps Zika Virus Protein to Speed Search for Cure

A new study shows how Indiana University scientists are speeding the path to new treatments for the Zika virus, an infectious disease linked to birth defects in infants in South and Central America and the United States.

New Way to Characterize Cellulose, Advance Bioproducts

Researchers at Washington State University Tri-Cities and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have found a new way to define the molecular structure of cellulose, which could lead to cheaper and more efficient ways to make a variety of crucial bioproducts.

Primordial Cosmic Soup Easier to Create than Previously Thought

In a series of experiments at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory, physicists have found the signature of this primordial liquid, called the quark gluon plasma (QGP), in subatomic collisions at much lower energies and in much smaller volumes than those at which it has previously been detected.

From the Lab to the World: Solving Big Problems in Agriculture and Energy

The Kramer lab at Michigan State University has unveiled a sophisticated, user-friendly, and cheap scientific instrument to measure plant health and photosynthesis parameters.

Sunlight and the Right Microbes Convert Arctic Carbon into Carbon Dioxide

A new study published this week in Nature Communications outlines the mechanisms and points to the importance of both sunlight and the right microbial community as keys to converting permafrost carbon to CO2.

Research Reveals Inner Workings of Liquid Crystals

New research led by Juan de Pablo, the Liew Family Professor at the Institute for Molecular Engineering, uncovers previously unknown features that develop from the interface between air and certain widely studied liquid crystals.

An NJIT Device Aimed at Early Detection of Deadly Diseases Wins NJ Health Foundation Backing

New Jersey Health Foundation (NJHF) has awarded NJIT engineer Eon Soo Lee a $50,000 Innovation Grant to develop a nanotechnology-enhanced biochip that would give doctors and patients in a range of healthcare settings the ability to detect deadly diseases such as ovarian cancer and pneumonia early in their progression.