Some Lab Magnet Work Proceeds on Particle Accelerator Upgrade
June 17th, 2020While COVID-19 risks had led to a temporary halt in fabrication work on high-power superconducting magnets built by a collaboration of three U.S. Department of Energy national labs for an upgrade of the world’s largest particle collider at CERN in Europe, researchers at Berkeley Lab are still carrying out some project tasks.
In International Physics Collaborations, Working Remotely Is Nothing New
June 17th, 2020Marjorie Shapiro, an experimental particle physicist and faculty senior scientist at Berkeley Lab, has been accustomed to working remotely and observing extreme social distancing from some colleagues for years, given that the scientific experiment she supports is 5,800 miles away.
Could the Answer to Groundwater Resources Come From High in the Sky?
June 11th, 2020A new computational approach developed by scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory offers a high-tech yet simple method for estimating groundwater: it pairs high-resolution images derived by satellite with advanced computer modeling to estimate aquifer volume change from observed ground deformation.
Showtime for Photosynthesis
June 4th, 2020Using a unique combination of nanoscale imaging and chemical analysis, an international team of researchers has revealed a key step in the molecular mechanism behind the water splitting reaction of photosynthesis, a finding that could help inform the design of renewable energy technology.
Scientists Aim Gene-Targeting Breakthrough Against COVID-19
June 4th, 2020Scientists at Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry have joined forces with a research team at Stanford to aim a gene-targeting, antiviral agent called PAC-MAN against COVID-19.
Smart Farms of the Future: Making Bioenergy Crops More Environmentally Friendly
June 2nd, 2020Farmers have enough worries – between bad weather, rising costs, and shifting market demands – without having to stress about the carbon footprint of their operations. But now a new set of projects by scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory could make agriculture both more sustainable and more profitable.
Now Complete, Telescope Instrument is Poised to Begin Its Search for Answers About Dark Energy
June 1st, 2020Even as the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, or DESI, lies dormant within a telescope dome on a mountaintop in Arizona, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the DESI project has moved forward in reaching the final formal approval milestone prior to startup.