To Pump or Not to Pump: New Tool Will Help Water Managers Make Smarter Decisions
June 3rd, 2019The overpumping of groundwater in California has led to near environmental catastrophe in some areas – land is sinking, seawater is intruding, and groundwater storage capacity has shrunk. But researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory believe machine learning could be part of the solution to restoring groundwater to sustainable levels and quality.
Berkeley Lab-Built Electron Gun Fires Up for LCLS-II X-Ray Laser Project
May 30th, 2019A new electron gun, designed and built at Berkeley Lab to supply electrons for a next-gen X-ray laser, fired its first electrons today. The X-ray laser is part of the LCLS-II project, which is an upgrade of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory’s Linac Coherent Light Source X-ray laser.
Cyclotron Road Announces Its Fifth Cohort of Entrepreneurial Fellows
May 22nd, 2019Fourteen scientists and engineers will join the prestigious Cyclotron Road program for a two-year fellowship based at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and UC Berkeley. With access to world-class scientists and research facilities, fellows will define optimal paths for turning their science into value for industry, national security, and society.
Berkeley Lab Project to Pinpoint Methane ‘Super Emitters’
May 21st, 2019Methane, a potent greenhouse gas that traps about 30 times more heat than carbon dioxide, is commonly released from rice fields, dairies, landfills, and oil and gas facilities – all of which are plentiful in California. Now Berkeley Lab has been awarded $6 million by the state to find “super emitters” of methane in an effort to quantify and potentially mitigate methane emissions.
Breakthrough Technique for Studying Gene Expression Takes Root in Plants
May 16th, 2019An open-source RNA analysis platform has been successfully used on plant cells for the first time – a breakthrough that could herald a new era of fundamental research and bolster efforts to engineer more efficient food and biofuel crop plants. The technology, called Drop-seq, is a method for measuring the RNA present in individual cells, allowing scientists to see what genes are being expressed and how this relates to the specific functions of different cell types.
‘A Day in the Light’ Videos Highlight How Scientists Use Light in Experiments
May 16th, 2019In recognition of the International Day of Light (@IDL2019) on May 16, the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is highlighting how scientists use light in laboratory experiments. From nanolasers and X-ray beams to artificial photosynthesis and optical electronics, Berkeley
Study Concludes Glassy Menagerie of Particles in Beach Sands Near Hiroshima is Fallout Debris from A-Bomb Blast
May 13th, 2019A years-long study that involved scientists and experiments at Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley concludes that an odd assortment of particles found in beach sands in Japan are most likely fallout debris from the 1945 Hiroshima A-bomb blast.