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Advanced light source uncovers new clues to high-temperature superconductivity

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from Stanford University and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have gathered surprising information about the electronic structure of the "stripe phase," a new electronic state of solids. Their findings provide new insights into the mysterious behavior of high-temperature superconductors.

Journal: Science
Funder: Department of Energy

Asthma-linked genes discovered at Berkeley lab

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have announced the discovery of two genes that contribute to the development of asthma. The finding suggests that decreasing the activity of these two genes could help reduce susceptibility to asthma attacks.

Journal: Nature Genetics
Funder: U.S. Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health

Superheavy element 107 may soon find a place on the chemist's periodic table

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists have determined the volatility of bohrium, element 107 -- the heaviest element yet whose chemistry has been successfully investigated. Crucial to the research was the use of a bohrium isotope detected earlier this year by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and UC Berkeley.

Advanced light source reveals secrets of ribosome structure

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Using the Macromolecular Crystallography Facility (MCF) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Advanced Light Source, researchers have produced the first high-resolution images of a complete ribosome, an achievement featured on the cover of this week's issue of Science magazine.

Journal: Science
Funder: U.S. Department of Energy

Microbes in basalt thrive on mixed diet of toxic waste

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Berkeley Lab scientists have shown that underground microbes can transform toxic pollutants into less toxic compounds. What's more, the process may be accelerated by the presence of volatile organic wastes, compounds often found at contaminated sites. These findings point the way toward benign new techniques for cleaning up mixed waste sites.

Journal: Geomicrobiology Journal
Funder: Department of Energy

Earthquake research finds new way to measure slippage deep within the earth

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Ticking clusters of identically repeating tiny earthquakes on a stretch of the San Andreas Fault can be timed to reveal the rate at which two great tectonic plates are grinding past each other deep within the earth according to research being reported by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Journal: Science
Funder: US Geological Survey

Researchers measure hot sparks from metallic glass

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Metallic glasses have high hardness, high strength-to-weight ratios, and excellent wear properties. Now, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers are examining an unexpected property of one form of metallic glass: When fractured in air, the material ejects a shower of sparks.

One-Angstrom Microscope achieves better than one-angstrom resolution -- and more

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Using the One-Angstrom Microscope (OAM) at the National Center for Electron Microscopy (NCEM), researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have made unprecedented images of columns of carbon atoms in a diamond lattice, only 0.89 angstrom apart -- less than one ten-billionth of a meter.

Funder: US Department of Energy

New elements 116 and 118 discovered at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab researchers have announced the discovery of new "superheavy" elements 116 and 118. Scientists were able to produce these superheavies using a reaction that opens up a whole world of new possibilities in nuclear science.

Journal: Physical Review Letters
Funder: US Department of Energy

Berkeley lab researchers explain the striking effects of nitrogen in a semiconductor alloy

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The search for more efficient solar cells recently has focused on an unexplained benefit derived from incorporating small amounts of nitrogen into the semiconductor alloy gallium indium arsenide. Researchers have discovered the basis for this phenomenon, which may suggest new approaches to the fabrication of better solar cells.

Journal: Physical Review Letters
Funder: Department of Energy