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Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory are trying to design catalysts inspired by photosynthesis, the process by which green plants convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into oxygen and carbohydrates. The goal is to design a system that can produce methanol, methane, and hydrogen directly from water and carbon dioxide using renewable solar energy. Four Brookhaven chemists will discuss their research on this "artificial photosynthesis" at the 233rd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.

Platinum outweighs gold in the jewelry market, but as part of an ongoing effort to produce efficient and affordable fuel cells, scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory are using gold atoms to enhance the value of the pricier metal. Specifically, they're studying how gold can prevent the destruction of platinum in the chemical reactions in fuel cells. Brookhaven chemist Radoslav Adzic will describe this research during the 233rd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.

Although it was discovered more than 20 years ago, a particular type of high-temperature (Tc) superconductor is regaining the attention of scientists at the US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory. Brookhaven researchers have learned how to "grow" better samples of LBCO, a cuprate superconductor containing lanthanum, barium, copper and oxygen, and will discuss their most recent findings about the material at the March meeting of the American Physical Society.

Using genetic manipulation to modify the activity of a plant enzyme, researchers at the US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have converted an unsaturated oil in the seeds of a temperate plant to the more saturated kind usually found in tropical plants. The development of new plant seed oils has several potential biotechnological applications, including materials to replace petrochemicals as feedstocks for industrial processes and more nutritious edible oils.

A team of researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory has generated extremely short light pulses using a new technique that could be used in the next generation of light sources. Published on Jan. 19, 2007, in Physical Review Letters, the research team's findings describe using a laser to control the pulse duration of light from a free electron laser as well as the first experimental observation of a phenomenon called superradiance.

Platinum is the most efficient electrocatalyst for accelerating chemical reactions in fuel cells for electric vehicles. In reactions during the stop-and-go driving of an electric car, however, the platinum dissolves, which reduces its efficiency as a catalyst. This is a major impediment for vehicle-application of fuel cells. Now, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have overcome this problem.

Results from a brain-imaging study indicate that levels of a brain protein proposed as a diagnostic marker for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are not positively correlated with the disease. The results suggest that clinical measures of these dopamine transporter proteins should not be used as a basis for a diagnosis of ADHD.

Scientists at the US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have set the stage for the rapid identification of compounds to fight against severe acquired respiratory syndrome (SARS). Researchers from Brookhaven's biology department and the National Synchrotron Light Source characterized a component of the virus that will be the target of new anti-SARS virus drugs. The results were published online by Biochemistry on November 17, 2006.

By making a single substitution in the amino acid sequence of a modern enzyme, scientists at Brookhaven Lab have changed its function into that of a theoretical distant ancestor, providing the first experimental evidence for the common origin of the two distinct enzyme types.

People addicted to cocaine have an impaired ability to perceive rewards and exercise control due to disruptions in the brain's reward and control circuits, according to a series of brain-mapping studies and neuropsychological tests conducted at the US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory.