Category: Science News

A Lab study shows how battery-electric trains can deliver environmental justice, cost-savings, and resilience to the U.S. The study shows that retrofitting diesel-electric trains with batteries can make them cost-competitive with diesel and save billions of dollars from reduced air pollution. https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2021/11/23/big-batteries-on-wheels-can-deliver-zero-emissions-rail-while-securing-the-grid/

Comparison of human and insect enzyme structures obtained at the ALS revealed a new family of related immune-system sensors that are triggered by viral RNA or DNA. The results shed new light on the diversity and development of immune defenses in animals. https://als.lbl.gov/sounding-the-antiviral-alarm-a-new-family-of-immune-system-sensors/

Thermal energy storage technology has been around for a long time but has often been overlooked. Now, Lab scientists are making a concerted push to take thermal energy storage to the next level by looking at developing next-generation materials and systems to be used as a heating or cooling medium. https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2021/11/18/turning-up-the-heat-thermal-energy-storage-could-play-major-role-in-decarbonizing-buildings/

Congratulations to the Lab researchers named in the 2021 Highly Cited Researchers List. The annual list identifies researchers who demonstrated significant influence in their chosen fields through the publication of multiple highly cited papers during the last decade. Use Berkeley as a search term. https://recognition.webofscience.com/awards/highly-cited/2021/?campaignname=Highly_Cited_Researchers_SAR_global_2021&campaignid=7014N000001r&utm_campaign=Highly_Cited_Researchers_SAR_global_2021&utm_source=earned_coverage&utm_medium=press

Researchers at the Lab have demonstrated how coating copper catalysts with thin films can improve a standard technique for converting carbon dioxide emissions into useful chemicals and liquid fuels. https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2021/11/17/carbon-dioxide-into-liquid-fuels/

Lab scientists have developed a new sensing technology to assess crops by “seeing” into the soil while keeping a plant’s roots intact. Tomographic Electrical Rhizosphere Imager (TERI) helps track root growth and health over time to understand how plants adapt to environmental stressors. https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2021/11/08/new-technology-sees-underground-to-assess-crop-roots/

Over 50 years ago, renowned physicists formulated models for the electronic structure of liquid metals. Now, at the ALS, researchers observed for the first time the distinct spectral features predicted by those models at the interface of a crystalline insulator and disordered dopants. https://als.lbl.gov/the-elusive-electronic-structure-of-liquid-metals-unveiled/

A team at the Advanced Quantum Testbed demonstrated low-cost and high-performance radio frequency mixing modules for superconducting qubit controls at room temperature. This kind of compact design may adapt to a variety of quantum computing facilities. https://crd.lbl.gov/news-and-publications/news/2021/how-a-novel-radio-frequency-control-system-enhances-quantum-computers/

This Q&A with Lab scientist Sébastien Biraud shares how a comprehensive low-cost, high-tech approach to pinpointing California super emitters could bring about rapid methane emissions reduction within a decade. https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fnewscenter.lbl.gov%2F2021%2F11%2F10%2Fmethanes-short-lifespan-presents-golden-opportunity-to-quickly-address-climate-change%2F&sa=D&ust=1636916404864000&usg=AOvVaw2fgszOyjyjO1BahodxnWqy