News Releases

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a tool condition monitoring system that can detect the wear of cutting tools used in machining. On-machine feedback helps manufacturers avoid premature tool wear to cut downtime.

A new biosensor developed at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory detects the emerging presence of fungus on plants at the molecular level, paving the way for next-generation crop protection and the development of stress-tolerant plants. The innovation advances technology for the U.S. agricultural and biomanufacturing sectors. 

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and collaborators found a new way to control how heat moves through certain ceramic materials. By applying an electric field, they changed the behavior of tiny vibrations in the material (called phonons), making heat travel much more easily in the direction of the field—nearly tripling thermal conductivity compared with other directions. The discovery could help create solid-state devices that manage heat more efficiently in electronics, energy systems and other technologies.

A paper published in Nature Communications shows how AI at Sandia National Laboratories is advancing beyond a mere automation tool toward becoming a powerful engine for clear, comprehensible scientific discovery.

Neuromorphic computers, inspired by the architecture of the human brain, are proving surprisingly adept at solving complex mathematical problems that underpin scientific and engineering challenges.