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

Stanford Study Shows U.S. Grasslands ffected More by Atmospheric Dryness than Precipitation

According to 33 years of remote sensing data, productivity of U.S. grasslands is more sensitive to dryness of the atmosphere than precipitation, important information for understanding how ecosystems will respond to climate change.

Toward “Valleytronic” Devices for Data Storage or Computer Logic Systems

Faster, more efficient data storage and computer logic systems could be on the horizon thanks to a new way of tuning electronic energy levels in two-dimensional films of crystal, discovered by researchers at MIT.

Concurrent Heat Waves, Air Pollution Exacerbate Negative Health Effects of Each

The combination of prolonged hot spells with poor air quality greatly compounds the negative effects of each and can pose a major risk to human health, according to new research from the University of California, Irvine.

New Types of Structures for Cage-Like Clathrates

UC Davis chemists just discovered a whole new class of clathrates, potentially opening new ways to make and apply these materials.

Thomas Sharkey Joins the PRL

Thomas D. Sharkey, Michigan State University Distinguished Professor and former chair of the MSU Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) in the College of Natural Science, has become a faculty member of the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory (PRL).

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Guts to Glory?

In findings published in the journal Nature Microbiology, researchers at UC Santa Barbara and more than 20 co-investigators describe a new complex of enzymes discovered in herbivore gut fungi that may have applications in sustainable fuels and chemicals.

Controlled Atomic Disorder Helps Researchers Understand Superconductivity

Ruslan Prozorov, professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Iowa State University and faculty scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Ames Laboratory, and his research group are using disorder in crystal structure to understand the mechanisms of superconductivity — conducting electricity without resistance, in other words, without any loss of energy to heat.

Stanford Physicist Suggests Looking for Dark Matter in Unusual Places

Most experiments searching for mysterious dark matter require massive colliders, but assistant physics professor Peter Graham advocates a different, less costly approach with new techniques going in new directions.

Some Catalysts Contribute Their Own Oxygen For Reactions

A team at MIT has shown that when metal oxide (flat array of atoms at bottom) is used as a catalyst for splitting water molecules, some of the oxygen produced comes out of the metal oxide itself, not just from the surrounding water.

Germanium’s Semiconducting and Optical Properties Probed Under Pressure

Researchers at Carnegie Institution for Science and Yanshan University synthesized sufficient ST12-germanium and, using a variety of spectroscopic techniques, quantified its optical band gap and its electrical and thermal properties, which will help define its potential for practical applications such as infrared detection and imaging technology.

UTSW Scientists Invent New Way to See Proteins in Motion

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers developed a new imaging technique that makes X-ray images of proteins as they move in response to electric field pulses.

Study Finds Potential Instability in Atlantic Ocean Water Circulation System

One of the world’s largest ocean circulation systems may not be as stable as today’s weather models predict, according to a new study conducted by Yale University researchers.