University Research | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

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.

Identifying a New Family of Light-Responsive Proteins

The new family of proteins protects cyanobacteria from sunlight damage, and they are interesting for use in synthetic medical or renewable energy applications.

Studies of ‘Amorphous Ice’ Reveal Hidden Order in Glass

Researchers at Princeton University and the City University of New York used computer simulations to show that the water molecules in amorphous ice are arranged in a previously undetected order, which the original liquid did not contain.

Researchers Get First Look at Electrons Escaping Atoms

Researchers at Ohio State University have succeeded for the first time in tracking an electron leaving the vicinity of an atom as the atom absorbs light. In a way akin to taking “snapshots” of the process, they were able to follow how each electron’s unique momentum changed over the incredibly short span of time it took to escape its host atom and become a free electron.

UC San Diego Researchers Explain the Mechanism of Asexual Reproduction in Freshwater Flatworms

Freshwater planarians, found around the world and commonly known as “flatworms,” are famous for their regenerative prowess. Through a process called “fission,” planarians can reproduce asexually by simply tearing themselves into two pieces— a head and a tail—which then go on to form two new worms within about a week.