U.S. Department of Energy Research News

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Cell
New insight into how brain 'learns' cocaine addiction
A team of researchers says it has solved the longstanding puzzle of why a key protein linked to learning is also needed to become addicted to cocaine. Results of the study, published in the Aug. 1 issue of the journal Cell, describe how the learning-related protein works with other proteins to forge new pathways in the brain in response to a drug-induced rush of the "pleasure" molecule dopamine.

NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH/National Cancer Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, US Department of Energy

Public Release: 31-Jul-2013

Journal of Chemical Physics
VCU physicists discover theoretical possibility of large, hollow magnetic cage molecules
Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have discovered, in theory, the possibility of creating large, hollow magnetic cage molecules that could one day be used in medicine as a drug delivery system to non-invasively treat tumors, and in other emerging technologies.

US Department of Energy

Public Release: 14-Jul-2013

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology
Key step in molecular 'dance' that duplicates DNA deciphered
Scientists have captured new details of the biochemical interactions necessary for cell division -- molecular images showing how the enzyme that unwinds the DNA double helix gets drawn to and wrapped around its target. The research may suggest ways for stopping cell division when it goes awry.

National Institutes of Health, UK Medical Research Council, Japan Society for Promotion of Science, Uehara Memorial Foundation

Public Release: 11-Jul-2013

Proceedings of the Royal Society B
50-year-old assumptions about strength muscled aside
New understanding of where muscles get their power from turns 50 years of strength belief on its head. New insight could aid everything from bodybuilding to cardiac care.

Department of Energy, NIH, National Science Foundation

Public Release: 10-Jul-2013

Science Translational Medicine
Of aging bones and sunshine
Berkeley Lab researchers have shown that deficiencies in vitamin D -- the sunshine vitamin -- accelerates the aging of bone, reducing the quality and making it more susceptible to fracturing.

US Department of Energy Office of Science

Public Release: 2-Jul-2013

FEBS Letters
Scientists identify promising antiviral compounds
Scientists at the US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have identified two promising candidates for the development of drugs against human adenovirus, a cause of ailments ranging from colds to gastrointestinal disorders to pink eye. The researchers sifted through thousands of compounds to determine which might block the effects of a key viral enzyme they had previously studied in atomic-level detail.

National Institutes of Health, Department of Energy Office of Science

Public Release: 27-Jun-2013

Science
This image could lead to better antibiotics
Berkeley Lab scientists have created an atomic-scale structure of a bacterial ribosome attached to a molecule that controls its motion. The image is also a possible roadmap to better antibiotics. Somewhere in its twists and turns could be a weakness that a new antibiotic can target.

Public Release: 27-Jun-2013

Nano Letters
Tiny nanocubes help scientists tell left from right
A team of scientists at the US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and Ohio University has developed a new, simpler way to discern molecular handedness, known as chirality, which could improve drug development, optical sensors and more.

US Department of Energy Office of Science, National Science Foundation

Public Release: 27-Jun-2013

Angewandte Chemie
Chemists work to desalt the ocean for drinking water, 1 nanoliter at a time
By creating a small electrical field that removes salts from seawater, chemists have introduced a new method for the desalination of seawater that consumes less energy and is dramatically simpler than conventional techniques. The new method requires so little energy that it can run on a store-bought battery.

US Department of Energy, US Environmental Protection Agency

Public Release: 26-Jun-2013

IAEA International Conference on Nuclear Security: Enhancing Global Efforts
Los Alamos/Tribogenics create highly portable imaging system
Los Alamos National Laboratory and Tribogenics, the pioneer of innovative X-ray solutions, have partnered to create a unique, lightweight, compact, low-cost X-ray system that uses the MiniMAX (Miniature, Mobile, Agile, X-ray) camera to provide real-time inspection of sealed containers and facilities. The innovative technology will be featured at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) International Conference on Nuclear Security: Enhancing Global Efforts, July 1-5, in Vienna, Austria.

Public Release: 26-Jun-2013

PLOS ONE
Salmonella infection is a battle between good and bad bacteria in the gut
A new study in PLOS ONE that examined food poisoning infection as-it-happens in mice revealed harmful bacteria, such as a common type of Salmonella, takes over beneficial bacteria within the gut amid previously unseen changes to the gut environment. The results provide new insights into the course of infection and could lead to better prevention or new treatments.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 20-Jun-2013

Mutagenesis
Berkeley Lab confirms thirdhand smoke causes DNA damage
A study led by researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has found for the first time that thirdhand smoke -- the noxious residue that clings to virtually all surfaces long after the secondhand smoke from a cigarette has cleared out -- causes significant genetic damage in human cells.

Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program

Public Release: 12-Jun-2013

Journal of the American Chemical Society
Discovery of new material state counterintuitive to laws of physics
Dense materials made porous, doubling the number of nanotraps for use as water filters, chemical sensors, sequestration, hydrogen fuel cell storage, drug delivery, and catalysis.

US Department of Energy

Public Release: 6-Jun-2013

IEEE Conference on Intelligence and Security Informatics
Making sense of patterns in the Twitterverse
If you think keeping up with what's happening via Twitter, Facebook and other social media is like drinking from a fire hose, multiply that by seven billion -- and you'll have a sense of what Court Corley wakes up to every morning. Corley has created a powerful digital system, dubbed SALSA, capable of analyzing billions of tweets and other messages in just seconds, in an effort to discover patterns and make sense of all the information.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Public Release: 5-Jun-2013

Indoor Air
More fresh air in classrooms means fewer absences
If you suspect that opening windows to let in fresh air might be good for you, a new study by scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has confirmed your hunch. Analyzing extensive data on ventilation rates collected from more than 150 classrooms in California over two years, the researchers found that bringing classroom ventilation rates up to the state-mandated standard may reduce student absences due to illness by approximately 3.4 percent.

California Energy Commission

Public Release: 3-Jun-2013

Nature Cell Biology
Berkeley Lab researchers unlock mystery behind dormant breast tumor cells that become metastatic
Berkeley Lab researchers have identified the microenvironment surrounding microvasculature as a niche where dormant cancer cells may reside, and the sprouting of microvasculature blood vessels as the event that transforms dormant cancer cells into metastatic tumors.

NIH/National Cancer Institute, US Department of Defense

Public Release: 27-May-2013

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Salmonella uses protective switch during infection
For the first time, researchers have found a particular kind of molecular switch in the food poisoning bacteria Salmonella Typhimurium under infection-like conditions. This switch, using a process called S-thiolation, appears to be used by the bacteria to respond to changes in the environment during infection and might protect it from harm, researchers report this week online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 23-May-2013
PNNL staff recognized for scientific accomplishments, moving technologies into the marketplace
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory honored more than 165 staff for their creation, development and commercialization of intellectual property at PNNL's annual Intellectual Property Commercialization Recognition & Rewards Program banquet.

US Department of Energy

Public Release: 16-May-2013

Nature
New X-ray method shows how frog embryos could help thwart disease
An international team of scientists using a new X-ray method recorded the internal structure and cell movement inside a living frog embryo in greater detail than ever before. This result showcases a new method to advance biological research and the search for new treatments for genetic diseases.

Department of Energy

Public Release: 29-Apr-2013

Nature Methods
Comparing proteins at a glance
A revolutionary X-ray analytical technique enables researchers at a glance to identify structural similarities and differences between multiple proteins under a variety of conditions and has already been used to gain valuable new insight into a prime protein target for cancer chemotherapy.

US Department of Energy Office of Science, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 11-Apr-2013

Science
Tiny wireless device shines light on mouse brain, generating reward
Using a miniature electronic device implanted in the brain, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign have tapped into the internal reward system of mice, prodding neurons to release dopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure. The scientists report their findings in the journal Science.

NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, McDonnell Center for Systems Neuroscience, US Department of Energy

Public Release: 11-Apr-2013

Science
A bright idea: Tiny injectable LEDs help neuroscientists study the brain
A new class of tiny, injectable LEDs is illuminating the deep mysteries of the brain. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Washington University in St. Louis developed ultrathin, flexible optoelectronic devices -- including LEDs the size of individual neurons -- that are lighting the way for neuroscientists in the field of optogenetics, a new area of neuroscience that uses light to stimulate targeted neural pathways in the brain.

National Institutes of Health, US Department of Energy

Public Release: 9-Apr-2013

Journal of Nuclear Medicine
System provides clear brain scans of awake, unrestrained mice
Researchers have shown that the AwakeSPECT system can obtain detailed, functional images of the brain of a freely moving, conscious mouse.

US Department of Energy's Office of Science, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 4-Apr-2013

Nature
Antibody evolution could guide HIV vaccine development
Observing the evolution of a particular type of antibody in an infected HIV-1 patient, a study spearheaded by Duke University, including analysis from Los Alamos National Laboratory, has provided insights that will enable vaccination strategies that mimic the actual antibody development within the body.

NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 4-Apr-2013

Journal of Nuclear Medicine
ORNL's awake imaging device moves diagnostics field forward
A technology being developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory promises to provide clear images of the brains of children, the elderly and people with Parkinson's and other diseases without the use of uncomfortable or intrusive restraints.