3 Sky Surveys Completed in Preparation for Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument
July 8th, 2019It took three sky surveys – conducted at telescopes in two continents, covering one-third of the visible sky, and requiring almost 1,000 observing nights – to prepare for a new project that will create the largest 3D map of the universe’s galaxies and glean new insights about the universe’s accelerating expansion.
With Little Training, Machine-Learning Algorithms Can Uncover Hidden Scientific Knowledge
July 3rd, 2019Researchers have shown that an algorithm with no training in materials science can scan the text of millions of papers and uncover new scientific knowledge. A Berkeley Lab-led team collected 3.3 million abstracts of published materials science papers and fed them into an algorithm. By analyzing relationships between words the algorithm was able to predict discoveries of new thermoelectric materials years in advance and suggest as-yet unknown materials as candidates for thermoelectric materials.
Berkeley Lab Receives DOE Support for Building to Study Microbe-Ecosystem Interactions for Energy and Environmental Research
July 3rd, 2019Berkeley Lab recently received federal approval to proceed with preliminary design work for a state-of-the-art building that would revolutionize investigations into how interactions among microbes, water, soil, and plants shape entire ecosystems. Research performed in the building could help address many of today’s energy, water, and food challenges.
Scientists Hit Pay Dirt with New Microbial Research Technique
June 24th, 2019Long ago, during the European Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci wrote that we humans “know more about the movement of celestial bodies than about the soil underfoot.” Five hundred years and innumerable technological and scientific advances later, his sentiment still holds true. But that could soon change. A new study in Nature Communications details how an improved method for studying microbes in the soil will help scientists understand both fine-grained details and large-scale cycles of the environment.
Blue Pigment from Engineered Fungi Could Help Turn the Textile Industry Green
June 21st, 2019A new biosynthetic production pathway developed by scientists at the Joint BioEnergy Institute could provide a sustainable alternative to conventional synthetic blue dye. The highly efficient fungi-based platform may also open the door for producing many other valuable biological compounds that are currently very hard to manufacture.
Berkeley Lab Celebrates the Integrative Genomics Building
June 19th, 2019Marking a step forward in Berkeley Lab’s vision to expand the footprint of the biological and environmental sciences, the Integrative Genomics Building (IGB) was dedicated during a two-hour ceremony that culminated in the cutting of a double helix ribbon representing DNA. By uniting leading experts and world-class technologies under one roof, the IGB will help transform plant and microbial genomics research into solutions for today’s most pressing environmental and energy issues.
Mineral Discovery Made Easier: X-Ray Technique Shines a New Light on Tiny, Rare Crystals
June 19th, 2019Like a tiny needle in a sprawling hayfield, a single crystal grain measuring just tens of millionths of a meter – found in a borehole sample drilled in Central Siberia – had an unexpected chemical makeup. And a specialized X-ray technique in use at Berkeley Lab confirmed the sample’s uniqueness and paved the way for its formal recognition as a newly discovered mineral: ognitite.