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Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a device, dubbed "ThraxVac," that can collect and kill anthrax and other bacterial spores. The patent-pending device has been licensed to Circle Group Holdings, Inc., a public company based in Mundeen, Illinois.

Using an experimental addiction treatment first investigated at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, a team of scientists from Brookhaven, the New York University (NYU) School of Medicine, and a national addiction treatment center in Mexico report prolonged abstinence and the elimination of drug craving in eight out of 20 hard-core, long-term cocaine addicts who enrolled in the study. This is the first human clinical data showing that GVG (vigabatrin) holds promise as a treatment for addiction.

Scientists at the U.S Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory are exploring the use of bacteria to increase the recovery of methane, a clean natural gas, from coal beds, and to decontaminate water produced during the methane-recovery process.

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory are using a very small and light ion, the electron, to study the structure and dynamics of ionic liquids and how those properties influence chemical reactivity.

Scientists studying the conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to carbon monoxide (CO) -- a crucial step in transforming CO2 to useful organic compounds such as methanol -- are trying to mimic what plants do when they convert CO2 and water to carbohydrates and oxygen in the presence of chlorophyll and sunlight. Such "artificial photosynthesis" could produce inexpensive fuels and raw materials for the chemical industry from renewable solar energy.

In an attempt to understand why ruthenium sulfide (RuS2) is so good at removing sulfur impurities from fuels, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have succeeded in making a model of this catalyst -- nanoparticles supported on an inert surface -- which can be studied under laboratory conditions.

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, who previously found reduced levels of the enzyme monoamine oxidase B (MAO B) in the brains of smokers, now provide compelling evidence that MAO in peripheral organs -- the kidneys, heart, lungs, and spleen -- is also affected by smoking.

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have used a new way to isolate and study an important intermediate in the epoxidation of olefins such as ethylene: They run the reaction in reverse. By starting with the final products (epoxides) and placing them on the surface of a model catalyst, the scientists are able to use surface chemistry techniques to "catch" the intermediate.

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory are developing counterterrorism technologies to help protect the United States from would-be terrorists wielding nuclear weapons, dirty bombs, toxic chemicals, or explosives.

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a catalyst that can be recycled with no waste-eliminating the need for solvents used in synthesis of organic compounds such as agricultural products and pharmaceutical agents. The catalyst--beneficial for reducing waste and manufacturing costs--is described in the July 31, 2003, issue of Nature.