News from April 2023
Soaking up sunlight with a microscopic molecular device
By DOE Newswire Report | Apr 23, 2023
A Yale-led research team has discovered a molecular “device” found in nature that harvests a particular sliver of the sunlight spectrum in order to convert it into chemical energy.
Researchers prove that tough, woody lignin can be broken down in an anaerobic environment
By DOE Newswire Report | Apr 23, 2023
t’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it. In this case, the “job” is the breakdown of lignin, the structural biopolymer that gives stems, bark and branches their signature woodiness.
How biofuel crops harness fungal defenders
By DOE Newswire Report | Apr 23, 2023
Thankfully, no known fungus has the power to turn people into monsters and upend society.
Five things to know: Recent breakthrough in neutrino detection
By DOE Newswire Report | Apr 23, 2023
Research published in the journal Physical Review Letters conducted by an international team of scientists including Joshua Klein, the Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor in the School of Arts & Sciences, has resulted in a significant breakthrough in detecting neutrinos.
Physicists gather to chart a path for the next kind of particle collider
By DOE Newswire Report | Apr 23, 2023
The most powerful particle collider currently lies about 100 meters underground, circling several French and Swiss towns northwest of Geneva.
From bon appétit to biofuels
By DOE Newswire Report | Apr 23, 2023
A study by Clark University Biology Professor David Hibbett and 38 other researchers from across the world traces the evolution of the shiitake mushroom — which humans have cultivated and spread globally for centuries — that could inform the production of biofuels.
MSU professor Eric Boyd’s pyrite research featured by Department of Energy
By DOE Newswire Report | Apr 23, 2023
Ongoing microbiological research at Montana State University was featured last week by the federal Department of Energy for its unique impact.
A New Experiment Recreates Soupy Leftovers Of The Big Bang
By DOE Newswire Report | Apr 23, 2023
Millionths of a second after the Big Bang, the cosmic explosion that gave birth to the universe, a sea of gluons and quarks formed in a soupy mix today known as quark-gluon plasma.
Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center receives funding renewal
By DOE Newswire Report | Apr 23, 2023
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, or GLBRC, another five years of funding to develop sustainable alternatives to gasoline, diesel and other hydrocarbon fuels as well as products currently made from petroleum.
Wastewater to Energy: New Treatment Process Can Improve Biorefinery Sustainability
By DOE Newswire Report | Apr 23, 2023
Wastewater from biorefineries that convert plants into fuel is full of organic materials that cannot be efficiently treated with conventional wastewater systems, making it costly and energy-intensive to manage.
LSU Research Professors Awarded $800K from U.S. Department of Energy
By DOE Newswire Report | Apr 24, 2023
Quantum computers have the potential for computational breakthroughs in classically unsolvable nuclear physics problems.
UChicago scientists discover easy way to make atomically thin metal layers for new technology
By DOE Newswire Report | Apr 24, 2023
Economic method to create MXene material could enable new electronics or energy storage methods.
Researcher to image lab earthquake formation, precursory signals with ultrasound
By DOE Newswire Report | Apr 24, 2023
Earthquakes are notoriously hard to predict, and scientists currently rely on seismic hazard maps to predict the likelihood of an earthquake to strike a particular region.
Imaging technique reveals electronic charges with single-atom resolution
By DOE Newswire Report | Apr 24, 2023
New scanning tunneling microscopy method demystifies what electrons are doing on the surface of a compound.
Department of Energy grant funds next five years of Great Lakes biofuel research
By DOE Newswire Report | Apr 24, 2023
As the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a summary on Monday declaring “a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all,” researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are investigating methods to turn plant waste into sustainable biofuel and bioproducts with renewed funding from the United States Department of Energy (DOE).
First real-time glimpse into the growth habits of nanoparticles
By DOE Newswire Report | Apr 24, 2023
For the first time ever, researchers have watched the mesmerizing process of nanoparticles self-assembling into solid materials.
VIMS study: sea-level rise is double-edged sword for carbon storage
By DOE Newswire Report | Apr 24, 2023
Coastal ecosystems are a natural storehouse for carbon, with policymakers looking to bays, marshes, and seaside forests as nature-based solutions to help combat climate change.
Beating the heat: Exploring algae's ability to thrive in extreme environments
By DOE Newswire Report | Apr 24, 2023
Found in acidic volcanic hot springs, the extremophilic alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae contains a unique process that allows them to survive in extreme environments.
DOE extends funding for Bioenergy Research Center involving CSU scientists
By DOE Newswire Report | Apr 24, 2023
The U.S. Department of Energy has renewed funding for the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI), led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, for a total investment of $237.9 million from 2017 to 2027.
Catching Dark Matter in a Basement
By DOE Newswire Report | Apr 24, 2023
Few things carry the same aura of mystery as dark matter.