Scientists at Berkeley Lab have developed a “spongy,” light-activated material that converts carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide, which can be further turned into liquid fuels and other useful products. This is done without generating unwanted chemical reactions and byproducts, a significant step forward in developing technology that could help mitigate levels of a potent greenhouse gas while generating solar-powered fuel.
NIH Awards $9.3M for Further Development of PHENIX Structural Biology Software
PHENIX, a software suite launched 17 years ago at Berkeley Lab to automate the analysis of structural biology data, has received $9.3 million from the National Institutes of Health for continued development. The grant will support the use of PHENIX to build and refine models to solve three-dimensional macromolecular structures.
Making Polymer Chemistry ‘Click’
A team including Berkeley Lab scientists has developed a faster and easier way to make a class of sulfur-containing plastics that will lower the cost of large-scale production.
New Studies of Ancient Concrete Could Teach Us to Do as the Romans Did
A new look inside 2,000-year-old concrete – made from volcanic ash, lime, and seawater – has provided new clues to the evolving chemistry and mineral cements that allow ancient harbor structures to withstand the test of time.
Researchers ID New Mechanism for Keeping DNA Protein in Line
Electrostatic forces known as phosphate steering help guide the actions of an enzyme called FEN1 that is critical in DNA replication and repair, finds a new study led by Berkeley Lab researchers. The findings help explain how FEN1 distinguishes which strands of DNA to target, revealing key details about a vital process in healthy cells as well as providing new directions for cancer treatment research.
What’s On Your Skin? Archaea, That’s What
It turns out your skin is crawling with single-celled microorganisms – and they’re not just bacteria. A study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Medical University of Graz has found that the skin microbiome also contains archaea, a type of extreme-loving microbe, and that the amount of it varies with age.
Could This Strategy Bring High-Speed Communications to the Deep Sea?
Berkeley Lab researchers are proposing a new method for sending acoustic waves through water that could dramatically increase communication speeds for scuba divers, deep sea robots, and remote ocean monitors. By taking advantage of the dynamic rotation generated as waves travel, the researchers were able to pack more channels onto a single frequency, effectively increasing the amount of information capable of being transmitted.
New Class of ‘Soft’ Semiconductors Could Transform HD Displays
New research by Berkeley Lab scientists could help usher in a new generation of high-definition displays, optoelectronic devices, photodetectors, and more. They have shown that a class of “soft” semiconductors can be used to emit multiple, bright colors from a single nanowire at resolutions as small as 500 nanometers. The work could challenge quantum dot displays that rely upon traditional semiconductor nanocrystals to emit light.
2-D Material’s Traits Could Send Electronics R&D Spinning in New Directions
Researchers created an atomically thin material at Berkeley Lab and used X-rays to measure its exotic and durable properties that make it a promising candidate for a budding branch of electronics known as “spintronics.”
Study Sheds Light on How Bacterial Organelles Assemble
Scientists at Berkeley Lab and Michigan State University are providing the clearest view yet of an intact bacterial microcompartment, revealing at atomic-level resolution the structure and assembly of the organelle’s protein shell. This work could benefit research in bioenergy and pathogenesis, and it could lead to new methods of bioengineering bacteria for beneficial purposes.
