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ORNL fundamental discovery casts enzymes in new light

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A tree outside ORNL researcher Pratul Agarwal's office window provided the inspiration for a discovery that may ultimately lead to drugs with fewer side effects, less expensive biofuels and more.

First-of-a-kind tension wood study broadens biofuels research

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Tension wood, which forms naturally in hardwood trees in response to bending stress, is known to possess unique features that render it desirable as a bioenergy feedstock.

Journal: Energy & Environmental Science

Method of studying roots rarely used in wetlands improves ecosystem research

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A method of monitoring roots rarely used in wetlands will help researchers effectively study the response of a high-carbon ecosystem to elevated temperatures and levels of carbon dioxide.

ORNL awards contract to Cray for Titan supercomputer

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Grant and Award Announcement

The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has awarded a contract to Cray Inc. to increase the Jaguar supercomputer's science impact and energy efficiency.

US ITER contract awarded for ITER early delivery cooling water system equipment

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Business Announcement

The US ITER Project Office at the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has awarded a $13.2 million task order to AREVA Federal Services for fabrication of five drain tanks for the ITER tokamak cooling water system.

Story tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, October 2011

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

1) Getting to the finish line quickest with the least environmental impact. 2) A new instrument able to detect chemical residues from a distance. 3) BitTorrent tracker 4) Cybersecurity 5) Neutrons pierce polymers 6) Researchers are studying how to build coatings in which polymer layering will hold until drugs reach that part of the body for which they are intended.

High-performance simulation, neutrons uncover 3 classes of protein motion

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Molecular motion in proteins comes in three distinct classes, according to a collaboration by researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, in research reported in Physical Review Letters.

Journal: Physical Review Letters

ORNL discovers amazing electrical properties in polymers

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Crystals and ceramics pale when compared to a material researchers discovered that has 10 times their piezoelectric effect, making it suitable for perhaps hundreds of everyday uses.

Journal: Advanced Materials

Simulating turbulent combustion speeds design of power and propulsion devices

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

A team led by mechanical engineers Joseph Oefelein and Jacqueline Chen of Sandia National Laboratories simulates turbulent combustion at different scales. Chen and Oefelein were allocated 113 million hours on Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility's Jaguar supercomputer in 2008, 2009 and 2010 to simulate autoignition and injection processes with alternative fuels. For 2011 they received 60 million processor hours for high-fidelity simulations of combustion in advanced engines.

ORNL invention unravels mystery of protein folding

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An ORNL invention able to quickly predict three-dimensional structure of protein could have huge implications for drug discovery and human health.