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Oldest objects in solar system indicate a turbulent beginning

DOE/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists have found that calcium, aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs), some of the oldest objects in the solar system, formed far away from our sun and then later fell back into the mid-plane of the solar system.

Journal: Science

Berkeley scientists highlight challenges of meeting state energy goals by 2050

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Energy efficiency, electrification and low carbon fuels are essential for California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2050. While the challenges are great, they can be met, say Berkeley Lab scientists.

Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy
Meeting: 2011 AAAS Annual Meeting

Brown tide culprit sequenced: Genome of the first of algal bloom species

DOE/Joint Genome Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Some algal species can bloom and discolor coastal waters and reduce the amount of light and oxygen available in the ecosystem. Previously known as "red tide," the term "harmful algal blooms" now denotes accumulation of algal biomass that can sometimes turn the ocean waters brown or green and disrupt an ecosystem. The first species of these algae has now been sequenced, analyzed and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: US Department of Energy's Office of Science

Firefly glow: Berkeley Lab scientists develop a hydrogen peroxide probe based on firefly luciferin

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Berkeley Lab scientists have developed a probe for monitoring hydrogen peroxide levels in mice that enables them to track the progression of cancerous tumors or infectious diseases without harming the animals or even having to shave their fur. This new probe is based on luciferase, the enzyme that gives fireflies their glow.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: National Institutes of Health

Challenges for biofuels: New life cycle assessment report from Energy Biosciences Institute

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Berkeley Lab scientistst co-authored a report that presents seven grand challenges for addressing the social, economic and environmental issues that must be confronted before advanced biofuels can replace gasoline on a widescale basis. The report was funded by the Energy Biosciences Institute.

Journal: ACS Chemical Biology
Funder: Energy Biosciences Institute

A second pathway for antidepressants

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Berkeley Lab researchers developed a unique cell-based fluorescent assay that enabled them to identify a means by which fluoxetine, the active ingredient in Prozac, suppresses the activity of the TREK1 potassium channel. TREK1 could be an important new target for antidepressant drugs.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: National Institutes of Health

Seeing the light: Berkeley Lab scientists bring plasmonic nanofields into focus

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Berkeley Lab scientists have engineered an innovative imaging technique to visualize plasmonic fields with nanoscale resolution. This technique, which harnesses light within a bowtie-shaped structure, could be used to measure the performance of plasmonic devices.

Journal: Physical Review Letters
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy

Sentinel of change: Waterflea genome to improve environmental monitoring capabilities

DOE/Joint Genome Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A tiny crustacean that has been used for decades to develop and monitor environmental regulations is the first of its kind to have its genetic code sequenced and analyzed -- by the Daphnia Genomics Consortium and the US Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) -- revealing the most gene-packed animal characterized to date. The information deciphered could help researchers develop and conduct real-time monitoring systems of the effects of environmental remediation efforts.

Journal: Science
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy

Giant virus, tiny protein crystals show X-ray laser's power and potential

DOE/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Two studies published in Nature demonstrate how the unique capabilities of the world's first hard X-ray free-electron laser -- the LCLS -- could revolutionize the study of life. In one study, researchers used the LCLS to demonstrate a shortcut for determining the 3-D structures of proteins. In a separate paper, the same team reported making the first single-shot images of intact viruses, paving the way for snapshots and movies of molecules, viruses and live microbes in action.

Journal: Nature
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy

BigBOSS receives favorable review from the National Optical Astronomy Observatory

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Business Announcement

The National Optical Astronomy Observatory has announced its conditional approval of a proposal by the BigBOSS Collaboration, based at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, to use the NOAO 4-meter Mayall Telescope at Kitt Peak in Arizona to build the biggest-ever map of the universe. By establishing a cosmic ruler to measure the expansion history of the universe, BigBOSS seeks to determine the nature of dark energy.

Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy, National Science Foundation