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A Department of Energy program that opens some of the world's most powerful computers to researchers around the globe has generated a promising lead for a Parkinson's disease treatment.

The Department of Energy and NASA announced today that the Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope has revealed its first all-sky map in gamma rays. The onboard Large Area Telescope's all-sky image -- which shows the glowing gas of the Milky Way, blinking pulsars and a flaring galaxy billions of light-years away -- was created using only 95 hours of "first light" observations, compared with past missions which took years to produce a similar image.

DOE and USDA today announced plans to award 10 grants totaling more than $10 million to accelerate fundamental research in the development of cellulosic biofuels. The grants will be awarded under a joint DOE-USDA program which aims to accelerate fundamental research in biomass genomics to further the use of cellulosic plant material for bioenergy and biofuels.

The US Climate Change Science Program today announced the release of the report "Climate Models: An Assessment of Strengths and Limitations," the 10th in a series of 21 Synthesis and Assessment Products. This report describes computer models of the Earth's climate and their ability to simulate current climate change.

Global energy demand is forecast to be 50 percent higher in 2030 than it is today and according to the International Energy Agency, seventy percent of this growth is expected to come from developing countries. The question is: what will provide the additional energy?

US Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman today concluded his weekend visit to Aomori, Japan where he participated in the Five-Country and the Group of Eight, China, India and Korea Energy Ministerial meetings hosted by Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Akira Amari. While in Japan, the Secretary met with ministers and other high-level government officials from G8 countries, China, India and Korea to discuss ways to enhance global energy security, while simultaneously combating global climate change.

US Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman today announced that Mississippi State University in Starkville, Miss. is the first place winner of Challenge X, in which 17 university teams from across the US and Canada competed to reengineer a General Motors Chevrolet Equinox Crossover SUV with advanced powertrain configurations.

US Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman on Earth Day launched a joint Department of Energy and Defense campaign to challenge military bases nationwide to change their incandescent light bulbs to energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs in on-base housing. The ENERGY STAR campaign, called Operation Change Out, will help bases across the country increase energy efficiency, save money and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Australia has launched the first carbon sequestration project in the southern hemisphere with the help of technology developed by researchers at the US Department of Energy. The Otway Basin Pilot Project will inject and monitor carbon dioxide in a depleted gas field in southeastern Australia to demonstrate the feasibility of storing the greenhouse gas in the Waarre Formation of the Otway Basin, and similar formations worldwide, to fight global climate change.

US Department of Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman today announced that DOE will make available up to $2.4 million to 12 cities across the country selected as Solar America Cities, chosen for their commitment and comprehensive approach to the deployment of solar technologies and the development of sustainable solar infrastructures. These projects further President Bush's Solar America Initiative, which aims to make electricity from solar photovoltaics cost-competitive with conventional electricity by 2015.