New Sensor Could Shake Up Earthquake Response Efforts
July 11th, 2019An optical sensor developed at Berkeley Lab could speed up the time it takes to evaluate whether buildings are safe to occupy after a major earthquake. After four years of extensive peer-reviewed research and simulative testing at the University of Nevada’s Earthquake Engineering Laboratory, the Discrete Diode Position Sensor (DDPS) will be deployed for the first time this summer in a multi-story building at Berkeley Lab – which sits adjacent to the Hayward Fault, considered one of the most dangerous faults in the United States.
Epic Research Endeavor Reveals Cause of Deadly Digestive Disease in Children
July 10th, 2019Nearly ten years ago, a group of Israeli clinical researchers emailed Berkeley Lab geneticist Len Pennacchio to ask for his team’s help in solving the mystery of a rare inherited disease that caused extreme, and sometimes fatal, chronic diarrhea in children. Now, following an arduous investigative odyssey that expanded our understanding of regulatory sequences in the human genome, the multinational scientific group has announced the discovery of the genetic explanation for this disease.
Can’t Take the Heat? ‘Cool Walls’ Can Reduce Energy Costs, Pollution
July 9th, 2019A study by scientists at Berkeley Lab modeled several different types and ages of homes, retail stores, and office buildings in cities across California and the U.S. and found that sunlight-reflecting “cool” exterior walls can save as much or more energy than sunlight-reflecting cool roofs in many places.
Berkeley Lab Scientists Earn Prestigious White House Early Career Award
July 8th, 2019Two scientists with Berkeley Lab are among 315 researchers named on July 2 by President Donald Trump to receive the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. Two faculty scientists jointly affiliated with Berkeley Lab and the University of California, Berkeley are also among those selected to receive the honor.
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.