Latest news from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on Newswise en-us Copyright 2025 Newswise 115 31 / /images/newswise-logo-rss.gif /articles/berkeley-lab-helps-explore-mysteries-of-asteroid-bennu/?sc=rsin /articles/berkeley-lab-helps-explore-mysteries-of-asteroid-bennu/?sc=rsin Wed, 29 Jan 2025 18:40:02 EST Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source and Molecular Foundry provided powerful tools to study asteroid samples returned by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission. Researchers found that asteroid Bennu contained a set of salty mineral deposits that formed in an exact sequence when a brine evaporated, leaving clues about the type of water that flowed billions of years ago. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/former-berkeley-lab-director-paul-alivisatos-receives-the-enrico-fermi-presidential-award/?sc=rsin /articles/former-berkeley-lab-director-paul-alivisatos-receives-the-enrico-fermi-presidential-award/?sc=rsin Thu, 19 Dec 2024 21:20:04 EST Paul Alivisatos, a world-renowned chemist and president of the University of Chicago who served as director of the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) from 2009 to 2016, has been named one of this year's winners of the Enrico Fermi Presidential Award. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/milestone-10-gev-experiment-shines-light-on-laser-plasma-interactions/?sc=rsin /articles/milestone-10-gev-experiment-shines-light-on-laser-plasma-interactions/?sc=rsin Wed, 11 Dec 2024 10:30:38 EST With dual lasers, researchers at the Berkeley Lab Laser Accelerator Center accelerated a high-quality beam of electrons to 10 billion electronvolts in just 30 centimeters. The experiment gives scientists a "frame-by-frame" look at how a petawatt laser interacts with a long plasma channel, knowledge that's crucial for building future compact particle accelerators. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/a-film-capacitor-that-can-take-the-heat/?sc=rsin /articles/a-film-capacitor-that-can-take-the-heat/?sc=rsin Thu, 05 Dec 2024 05:00:00 EST Berkeley Lab and several collaborating institutions have successfully demonstrated a machine-learning technique to accelerate discovery of materials for film capacitors -- crucial components in electrification and renewable energy technologies. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/ai-helps-researchers-dig-through-old-maps-to-find-lost-oil-and-gas-wells/?sc=rsin /articles/ai-helps-researchers-dig-through-old-maps-to-find-lost-oil-and-gas-wells/?sc=rsin Wed, 04 Dec 2024 08:00:10 EST Undocumented orphaned wells pose hazards to both the environment and the climate. Scientists are building modern tools to help locate, assess, and pave the way for ultimately plugging these forgotten relics. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/new-desi-results-weigh-in-on-gravity/?sc=rsin /articles/new-desi-results-weigh-in-on-gravity/?sc=rsin Tue, 19 Nov 2024 20:00:00 EST Researchers used the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument to map how nearly 6 million galaxies cluster across 11 billion years of cosmic history. Their observations line up with what Einstein's theory of general relativity predicts. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/scientists-capture-images-of-electron-molecular-crystals/?sc=rsin /articles/scientists-capture-images-of-electron-molecular-crystals/?sc=rsin Thu, 07 Nov 2024 11:00:15 EST Researchers have taken direct images of the Wigner molecular crystal, a new quantum phase of an electron solid. The breakthrough may advance future technologies for quantum simulations. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/exploring-the-cost-and-feasibility-of-battery-electric-ships/?sc=rsin /articles/exploring-the-cost-and-feasibility-of-battery-electric-ships/?sc=rsin Wed, 30 Oct 2024 11:00:25 EST Retrofitting a portion of the US shipping fleet from internal combustion engines to battery-electric systems could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and be largely cost effective by 2035, according to a new study from Berkeley Lab researchers. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/researchers-succeed-in-taking-3d-x-ray-images-of-a-skyrmion/?sc=rsin /articles/researchers-succeed-in-taking-3d-x-ray-images-of-a-skyrmion/?sc=rsin Tue, 22 Oct 2024 11:00:00 EST A difficult-to-describe nanoscale object called the magnetic skyrmion might one day yield new microelectronic devices that can do much more--for example, massive data storage--all while consuming much less power. But researchers need a more detailed understanding of skyrmions if they are ever to be used reliably in computational devices, including quantum computers. Berkeley Lab scientists led a project to make 3D X-ray images of skyrmions that can characterize or measure the orientations of spins inside the whole object. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/excitement-about-new-qsa-studies-propel-quantum-research-into-a-higher-energy-orbit/?sc=rsin /articles/excitement-about-new-qsa-studies-propel-quantum-research-into-a-higher-energy-orbit/?sc=rsin Wed, 09 Oct 2024 17:05:28 EST QSA is breaking new ground in particle physics and promoting interdisciplinary teamwork to address critical scientific challenges. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/qsa-pioneers-innovations-in-quantum-devices-and-algorithms-for-chemical-science/?sc=rsin /articles/qsa-pioneers-innovations-in-quantum-devices-and-algorithms-for-chemical-science/?sc=rsin Wed, 09 Oct 2024 11:30:07 EST Amid various efforts to develop algorithms and technologies that close the gap between today's noisy quantum systems and future fault-tolerant quantum computers, QSA researchers from partner institutions have concentrated on using quantum devices and novel techniques for significant applications such as complex molecular simulations in chemistry. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/manganese-cathodes-could-boost-lithium-ion-batteries/?sc=rsin /articles/manganese-cathodes-could-boost-lithium-ion-batteries/?sc=rsin Wed, 25 Sep 2024 11:05:05 EST Manganese is earth-abundant and cheap. A new process could help make it a contender to replace nickel and cobalt in batteries. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/magnifying-deep-space-through-the-carousel-lens/?sc=rsin /articles/magnifying-deep-space-through-the-carousel-lens/?sc=rsin Wed, 18 Sep 2024 09:05:57 EST A newly discovered cluster-scale strong gravitational lens, with a rare alignment of seven background lensed galaxies, provides a unique opportunity to study cosmology. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/new-computer-simulations-help-scientists-advance-energy-efficient-microelectronics/?sc=rsin /articles/new-computer-simulations-help-scientists-advance-energy-efficient-microelectronics/?sc=rsin Thu, 12 Sep 2024 11:00:35 EST Researchers have developed FerroX, a new open-source, 3D simulation framework that could advance record-breaking energy efficiency in microelectronics by unveiling the microscopic origins of a physical phenomenon called negative capacitance in ferroelectric thin films. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/neutral-atom-innovations-by-quantum-systems-accelerator-mark-quantum-computing-milestones/?sc=rsin /articles/neutral-atom-innovations-by-quantum-systems-accelerator-mark-quantum-computing-milestones/?sc=rsin Thu, 05 Sep 2024 15:05:25 EST Novel research developments as a result of multi-institution collaboration at the Quantum Systems Accelerator Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/five-ways-lisa-is-advancing-solar-fuels/?sc=rsin /articles/five-ways-lisa-is-advancing-solar-fuels/?sc=rsin Thu, 29 Aug 2024 11:00:05 EST Since its launch in 2020, the Liquid Sunlight Alliance has enabled major progress in artificial photosynthesis - including advances in device performance, materials durability, and computational modeling. Here are five breakthroughs LiSA research teams led by Berkeley Lab have achieved so far. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/lz-experiment-sets-new-record-in-search-for-dark-matter/?sc=rsin /articles/lz-experiment-sets-new-record-in-search-for-dark-matter/?sc=rsin Mon, 26 Aug 2024 13:00:51 EST New results from the world's most sensitive dark matter detector put the best-ever limits on particles called WIMPs, a leading candidate for what makes up our universe's invisible mass. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/revealing-the-mysteries-within-microbial-genomes/?sc=rsin /articles/revealing-the-mysteries-within-microbial-genomes/?sc=rsin Wed, 14 Aug 2024 11:00:12 EST A new technique developed at Berkeley Lab will make it much easier for researchers to discover the traits or activities encoded by genes of unknown function in microbes, a key step toward understanding the roles and impact of individual species within the planet's diverse microbiomes. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/rd-100-awards-honor-two-berkeley-lab-innovations/?sc=rsin /articles/rd-100-awards-honor-two-berkeley-lab-innovations/?sc=rsin Thu, 08 Aug 2024 14:05:32 EST Two technologies from Berkeley Lab have been honored with a 2024 R&D 100 Award. Berkeley Lab's winning innovations improve wastewater treatment and develop software for autonomous labs of the future. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory /articles/a-better-understanding-of-dna-unpacking/?sc=rsin /articles/a-better-understanding-of-dna-unpacking/?sc=rsin Tue, 06 Aug 2024 16:30:46 EST Researchers now have a better understanding of the protein complex that creates access to packed DNA, TIP60. Knowing the detailed structure and behavior of TIP60 could provide insight into different diseases where the protein complex plays a role, such as Alzheimer's and various cancers. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory