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Bacteriophages are the most common biological entities in microbial communities, but it has been challenging to study their biology. As a result, the genomes of most phages contain many genes of unknown function. In this study, researchers developed a new CRISPR-based technology to reduce the activity of genes  in phages to determine if those genes are essential.

Astatine-211 is a promising alpha emitter for targeted alpha therapy for cancer, but astatine is among the least-studied elements. In this research, scientists investigated astatine’s behavior when interacting with ion exchange and extraction chromatography resins used to produce radioisotopes and delivering them to targets in the body. The results will help scientists understand how astatine binds to molecules that target the isotope’s delivery.

Previous research found that twisted bilayer graphene is superconductive when the layers are rotated by 1.08 degrees. Electrons in parts of these materials move very slowly and should therefore not conduct electricity at all, much less display superconductivity. New research shows how the current theory of superconductivity, the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory, must be modified to fit the observations of twisted bilayer graphene.

Ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOMs) use ammonia as an energy source while converting it to nitrite and play a pivotal role in the global nitrogen cycle. This study explored whether different AOM species preferred to use urea over ammonia. It found that some AOMs preferred urea while others used ammonia and urea simultaneously. This result helps explain the role of AOMs in the global carbon and nitrogen cycles.

With her Early Career Research Award, Stanford University associate professor Sigrid Elschot studied the effects of fast-moving, microgram-sized particles that collide with spacecraft. These particles vaporize, ionize, and produce a plasma that radiates electromagnetic energy.

The Princeton Plasma Innovation Center (PPIC) will be the first new building at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in decades. It will provide much needed modern state-of-the-art adaptable laboratory and collaboration space. It is the “centerpiece” to a reinvigorated campus and heralds a new era for PPPL. DOE was honored to celebrate the groundbreaking of this new building with PPPL, Princeton Site Office, Congressional and Princeton University officials on May 9^th.

For the first time, nuclear physicists made precision measurements of the short-lived radioactive molecule, radium monofluoride (RaF). The researchers combined ion-trapping and specialized laser systems to measure the fine details of the quantum structure of RaF. This allowed them to study the rotational energy levels of RaF and determine its laser-cooling scheme.

Spectroscopy allows scientists to study the structure of atoms and molecules, including the energy levels of their electrons. This research examines the potential of spectroscopy techniques that rely on quantum entanglement of these photons. These methods can reveal information about molecules not possible with traditional spectroscopy. They also reduce the damage spectroscopy causes to samples.

Scientists have the first direct evidence that the powerful magnetic fields created in off-center collisions of atomic nuclei induce an electric current in “deconfined” nuclear matter. The study used measurements of how charged particles are deflected when they emerge from the collisions. The study provides proof that the magnetic fields exist and offers a new way to measure electrical conductivity in quark-gluon plasma.