Feature Articles
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
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Updates every hour. Last Updated: 17-May-2026 16:15 ET (17-May-2026 20:15 GMT/UTC)
1-Oct-2021
Perfecting the pellet
DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
A team of experts at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is taking aim at one of the biggest challenges facing the international ITER fusion facility: turning cold gas into wine-cork-sized, solid pellets to help keep ITER’s plasma in check.
30-Sep-2021
Microbial “theft” enables breakdown of methane, toxic methylmercury
DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
A team led by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Michigan has discovered that certain bacteria can steal an essential compound from other microbes to break down methane and toxic methylmercury in the environment.
29-Sep-2021
IDREAM illustrates realities of research during COVID-19
DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Department of Energy art contest entry illuminates how IDREAM scientists pivoted during pandemic to accomplish critical nuclear research.
29-Sep-2021
Machine learning in charge: Improving battery safety for electric vehicles
DOE/Idaho National Laboratory
Fast charging could recharge an electric vehicle battery in minutes rather than hours, but doing so can rapidly age a battery. The key word, though, is “can.” Batteries react differently to fast charging because of design, material and manufacturing variations. Early detection and classification of battery aging during fast charging would benefit researchers studying how to improve batteries, battery makers, and eventually the public by helping to ensure batteries last and improving battery safety. Now, a new technique developed by Idaho National Laboratory (INL) researchers makes it easier to spot possible battery troubles earlier than ever before.
- Journal
- Cell Reports Physical Science
27-Sep-2021
Does pollution make thunderstorms more severe?
DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory
A team of atmospheric scientists from around the nation is descending on the Houston, Texas, area for the next 14 months to seek answers to a vexing question: Do tiny specks of soot, dust, smoke, and other particles suspended in Earth’s atmosphere help determine the severity of thunderstorms? The knowledge gained may make weather forecasts more accurate and provide crucial data for improving predictions about how aerosols may affect Earth’s future climate. It will also give scientists a unique opportunity to explore the effects of industry, vehicle emissions, and the built environment on weather and climate.
27-Sep-2021
Mimicking mother nature: New membrane to make fresh water
DOE/Sandia National Laboratories
Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories and their collaborators have developed a new membrane, whose structure was inspired by a protein from algae, for electrodialysis that could be used to provide fresh water for farming and energy production.
- Journal
- Soft Matter
24-Sep-2021
Mobile observatory surveys Manhattan atmosphere
DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory
Atmospheric scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have deployed a unique method of collecting climate data in cities, aiming to address infrastructure and energy needs across the Nation. Rather than relying on stationary instruments, researchers at Brookhaven’s Center for Multiscale Applied Sensing (CMAS) have integrated sophisticated research tools into a pickup truck, creating a mobile observatory that captures precise, local data on wind, temperature, rain, and clouds across entire cities.
24-Sep-2021
Accelerators may get a boost from oxygen
DOE/Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility
Accelerator scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility have developed a model for a cheaper and easier preparation method for getting better performance from particle accelerators. Preliminary tests show the model may soon provide scientists the ability to predict the best material preparation method for specific performance goals. The results were recently published in Applied Physics Letters.
- Journal
- Applied Physics Letters
- Funder
- U.S. Department of Energy
23-Sep-2021
Physicist Greg Hammett honored for his work advancing understanding of fusion plasmas
DOE/Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Theoretical and computational physicist Greg Hammett, a leader in advancing understanding of the complex turbulence that controls the performance of fusion plasmas and a dedicated educator, has been named a 2021 Distinguished Scientist Fellow by the DOE’s Office of Science.