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

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.

Study Finds More Extreme Storms Ahead for California

MIT scientists have found that extreme precipitation events in California should become more frequent as the Earth’s climate warms over this century.

Watching Atoms Move in Hybrid Perovskite Crystals Reveals Clues to Improving Solar Cells

A team of researchers led by the University of California San Diego has for the first time observed nanoscale changes deep inside hybrid perovskite crystals that could offer new insights into developing low-cost, high-efficiency solar cells.

New Research Finds Cause of Alloy Weakness

For years, materials scientists have been perplexed by the question of why alloys don’t meet their full potential strength. New research has found the answer to this problem with a study done as a collaboration between researchers at Binghamton University, the University of Pittsburg, the University of Michigan and Brookhaven National Laboratory.

New X-ray Spectroscopy Explores Hydrogen-Generating Catalyst

Using a newly developed technique, researchers from Japan, Germany and the U.S. have identified a key step in production of hydrogen gas by a bacterial enzyme. Understanding these reactions could be important in developing a clean-fuel economy powered by hydrogen.