Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory News - SciTechDaily

Tiny Titans: Revolutionary Microcapacitors Set to Supercharge Next-Gen Electronics

Alison Hatt, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Sat, 18 May 2024 03:47:46 +0000

New microcapacitors developed by scientists show record energy and power densities, paving the way for on-chip energy storage in electronic devices. Researchers are striving to...

CRISPR-Crafted Cuisine: How Genetic Engineering Is Changing What We Eat

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 10:04:56 +0000

Hacking the genome of fungi for smart foods of the future. With animal-free dairy products and convincing vegetarian meat substitutes already on the market, it’s...

New Alloy Shocks Scientists With Its Nearly Impossible Strength and Toughness

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 08:16:55 +0000

Researchers have discovered an extraordinary metal alloy that won’t crack at extreme temperatures due to kinking, or bending, of crystals in the alloy at the...

Quantum Control Unlocked: Creating Resistance-Free Electron Channels

Theresa Duque, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 15:26:44 +0000

For the first time, scientists electrically manipulate a ‘chiral interface state’ in a 2D material, with promise for energy-efficient microelectronics and quantum computing. Scientists have...

Dark Energy Revealed Through Largest 3D Map of the Universe Ever Made

Lauren Biron, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 20:48:13 +0000

Researchers have used the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument to make the largest 3D map of our universe and world-leading measurements of dark energy, the mysterious...

More Complex Than Human Genome: Unlocking the Sweet Mysteries of Sugarcane DNA

Lauren Biron, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 00:49:20 +0000

Scientists created a highly accurate reference genome for one of the most important modern crops and found a rare example of how genes confer disease...

Category 6 Hurricanes: A New Reality in Climate Change Science

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 15:29:45 +0000

For over half a century, the National Hurricane Center has employed the Saffir-Simpson Windscale to convey the potential for property damage; this system classifies hurricanes...

Unlocking the Secrets of Soil Microbes to Improve Climate Predictions

Julie Bobyock, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 18:54:47 +0000

Scientists are using the DNA from soil microbes to model how they function and use carbon, ultimately helping to advance the accuracy of climate models....

Researchers Add New “Twist” to Classical Material Design

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 06:46:41 +0000

Scientists have discovered that crystals can twist when they are sandwiched between two substrates – a critical step toward exploring new material properties for electronics...

Unlocking the Mystery of Arctic Wetlands’ Methane Emissions Surge

Julie Bobyock, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 08:25:29 +0000

Berkeley Lab scientists show decadal increases in wetland methane emissions in Arctic and Boreal ecosystems. Wetlands are Earth’s largest natural source of methane, a potent...

Google Scientists Discovered 380,000 New Materials Using Artificial Intelligence

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 21:01:49 +0000

The expansion of the open-access resource is instrumental for scientists in developing novel materials for future technologies. New advancements in technology frequently necessitate the development...

Increasing the Energy Density of Hybrid Supercapacitor Electrodes

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Sat, 23 Dec 2023 17:20:09 +0000

New research enhances hybrid supercapacitors by creating more efficient electrodes, marking a significant step forward in energy storage technology. Like batteries, supercapacitors are a type...

Scientists Identify Hidden Phase Transition Between Liquid and Solid

Rachel Berkowitz, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 08:32:59 +0000

Improved understanding of glassy dynamics could help scientists explain why a liquid behaves like a solid, and develop useful new materials. Researchers have identified a...

Powering Ahead: Nobel-Winning Chemistry Unleashes Next-Generation Energy Storage Devices

Rachel Berkowitz, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 17:39:38 +0000

Flexible polymers made with a new generation of the Nobel-winning “click chemistry” reaction find use in capacitors and other applications. Society’s increasing demand for high-voltage...

Nature’s Quantum Code: Unraveling the Secrets of Photosynthesis

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 02:35:13 +0000

A cutting-edge experiment has unveiled the quantum dynamics underlying one of nature’s most essential processes. Using a complex cast of metal-studded pigments, proteins, enzymes, and...

Scientists Use Bacteria To Make Renewable, Infinitely Recyclable Plastics

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 05:44:15 +0000

Scientists have successfully engineered microbes to produce ingredients for recyclable plastics, offering an environmentally friendly substitute to finite and polluting petrochemicals. Plastic waste poses a...

Engineered Bacteria Offer a Powerful New Way To Combat Climate Change

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Wed, 10 May 2023 23:16:21 +0000

Researchers have uncovered a novel pathway in bacteria that holds the potential to decarbonize various industries. This breakthrough could significantly decrease the emission of greenhouse...

Researchers Discover That Electrons Play a Surprising Role in Heat Transfer Between Layers of Semiconductors

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 11:47:42 +0000

An electronic bridge facilitates the fast transfer of energy between semiconductors. Researchers are exploring the potential applications of two-dimensional (2D) materials in transistors and optoelectronics,...

Scientists Successfully Edit the Genes of Nature’s Master Manipulators

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 03:02:46 +0000

Researchers are utilizing the gene-editing technology CRISPR to modify the viruses that have evolved to engineer bacteria. CRISPR, the revolutionary gene-editing tool, is making waves...

Scientists Develop a Cool New Method of Refrigeration: “Ionocaloric Cooling”

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 09:36:36 +0000

Researchers hope that ionocaloric cooling could someday help replace refrigerants with high global warming potential and provide safe, efficient cooling and heating for homes. Adding...

Scientists Blown Away by the Toughest Material on Earth – “Unexpected Transformation”

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Sun, 11 Dec 2022 17:08:39 +0000

A new study reveals the profound properties of a simple metal alloy. Scientists have measured the highest toughness ever recorded, of any material, while investigating...

Mysterious Soil Virus Gene Seen for the First Time

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 18:58:32 +0000

The protein could be important in both soil decomposition and soil carbon cycling. There are billions of bacteria, fungi, and viruses in every handful of...

Not Science Fiction: Methane-Eating “Borgs” Have Been Assimilating Earth’s Microbes

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Sat, 22 Oct 2022 15:25:13 +0000

A newly discovered type of transferable DNA structure with a sci-fi name appears to play a role in balancing atmospheric methane. In Star Trek, the...

Physicists Discover Unexpected Mirror Nuclei Pairings

Ben Brubaker, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 11:06:52 +0000

Physicists peer into mirror nuclei. The atomic nucleus is a busy place. Its protons and neutrons periodically collide and fly apart with high momentum before...