News By Location

News from CA

Select a state to view local articles and features

A little less force: Making atomic force microscopy work for cells

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists with Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry have developed a nanowire-based imaging technique by which atomic force microscopy could be used to study biological cells and other soft materials in their natural, liquid environment without tearing apart or deforming the samples. This could provide scientists with the long coveted non-destructive means of dynamically probing soft matter.

Journal: Physical Review Letters
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy

Berkeley Lab generates thousands of jobs and millions of dollars to the economy

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Business Announcement

Berkeley Lab generated 5,600 jobs and $446.5 million in personal income and contributed $690 million to the Bay Area's embattled economy in 2009 according to an economic impact study prepared by CBRE Consulting of San Francisco. The study also determined that Berkeley Lab was responsible for creating more than 12,000 jobs nationally.

Berkeley Lab scientists create 'molecular paper'

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Berkeley Lab scientists have created "molecular paper," the largest two-dimensional polymer crystal self-assembled in water to date. This entirely new sheet material is made of peptoids, engineered polymers that can flex and fold like proteins while maintaining the robustness of manmade materials.

Journal: Nature Materials
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy

Graphene films clear major fabrication hurdle

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry have successfully used direct chemical vapor deposition to synthesize single-layer graphene films on dielectric substrates. This represents a major step towards future applications of graphene in both the electronics and the photonics industries, starting with superfast transistors and computer memory chips.

Journal: Nano Letters
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy

International team discovers new species of hominid

DOE/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An international team of scientists has described a new fossil find and a new species of hominid, Australopithecus sediba, thought to be at least 2 million years old in an area of South Africa known as the Cradle of Humankind.

Journal: Science

International team discovers element 117

DOE/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An international team of scientists from Russia and the United States, including two Department of Energy national laboratories and two universities, has discovered the newest superheavy element, element 117.

Time's rising tide may swamp Delta marshes

DOE/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

While marshes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta area are currently keeping pace with rising sea levels, they may not be sustainable under future sea-level increases.

Berkeley Lab to build DOE advanced biofuels user facility

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Grant and Award Announcement

Berkeley Lab has been awarded nearly $18 million by the US Department of Energy through its Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to establish the Advanced Biofuels Process Development Unit, a facility aimed at expediting the commercialization of next generation biofuels by providing industry-scale test beds for innovative technologies. This will be the only facility of its kind available for public use.

Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy

New path to solar energy via solid-state photovoltaics

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Berkeley Lab researchers have found a new mechanism by which the photovoltaic effect can take place in semiconductor thin-films. This new path to energy production brightens the future for photovoltaic technology by overcoming voltage limitations that plague conventional solid-state solar cells.

Journal: Nature Nanotechnology
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy

DOE JGI wins 2010 Ergo Cup

DOE/Joint Genome Institute
Grant and Award Announcement

The US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute now has a matched pair of Ergo Cups after winning at the 13th Annual Applied Ergonomics Conference held March 22-25, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas.