Feature Articles

Ames Laboratory

.

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 19-May-2026 18:15 ET (19-May-2026 22:15 GMT/UTC)

SLAC’s superconducting X-ray laser reaches operating temperature colder than outer space

DOE/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Nestled 30 feet underground in Menlo Park, California, a half-mile-long stretch of tunnel is now colder than most of the universe. It houses a new superconducting particle accelerator, part of an upgrade project to the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray free-electron laser at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

Funder: Office of Science

Minerals called perovskites open new avenues of energy research

DOE/Idaho National Laboratory

Over the past decade, just as the invention of the silicon microchip revolutionized electronics, crystalline minerals called perovskites have helped researchers discover new, innovative electronics and energy technologies. Now, at Idaho National Laboratory, researchers are using perovskites for different energy applications: converting fuel into electricity or producing valuable chemicals such as ethylene, hydrogen or ammonia.

Argonne people of climate change

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory

From simulating climate to creating more fuel-efficient vehicles, Argonne is home to many teams that tackle different aspects of climate change. Here are a few of those innovators.

Can the U.S. become a global leader in battery manufacturing?

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory

The U.S. has great potential to become a global leader in battery manufacturing, but critical challenges still need to be addressed to realize that potential. This was a key takeaway of Bridging the Gap, a recent two-day workshop hosted by Li-Bridge.

COVID-19 research campaign moves from basic science to antiviral drug design

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

ORNL researchers have developed and tested novel small-molecule antivirals in an effort to design new drugs to treat COVID-19. The so called hybrid inhibitor molecules are made from repurposed drugs used to treat hepatitis C and the original coronavirus outbreak in the early 2000s. The experimental research results show the molecules are similarly as effective as some of the leading drugs on the market today.

Journal: Nature Communications

A new research priority for next-generation batteries

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory

Large ion clusters known as aggregates are an important emerging topic for research on electrolytes in batteries. The research indicates that aggregates can affect electrolyte properties, including stability and ion transport.

Journal: ACS Energy Letters

Argonne scientists discover new way to diagnose cracks in concrete

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory

A chemical reaction that causes concrete to crack and deteriorate can now be identified without harm, according to Argonne scientists.

Argonne and Parallel Works win highest honor from Federal Laboratory Consortium for Excellence in Technology Transfer

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory

Argonne National Laboratory and Parallel Works, Inc., won the 2022 Federal Laboratory Consortium’s (FLC) National Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer for their effort to bring Machine Learning–Genetic Algorithm software to commercialization.

Smart lighting controls primed for data mining

DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

The smarter our buildings become, the more data they generate. Lighting controls data, in particular, could prove valuable for facilities managers, manufacturers, and lighting designers. But as valuable as the data are, the buildings industry is still learning how to interpret and leverage the data.

Journal: Energy and Buildings
Funder: U.S. Department of Energy

Different particles get different treatment inside nuclei

DOE/Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility

For nearly four decades, scientists have known that protons and neutrons cozily bundled up inside an atom’s nucleus are different from those roaming free in the cold emptiness of space. Now, for the first time, nuclear physicists at the Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility have shown that while both particles are altered by their residence inside a nucleus, they may be affected differently.

Journal: Physical Review Letters
Funder: University of Adelaide, Australian Research Council