Researchers at Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley have developed a methodology that enabled them to compute piezoelectric constants for nearly 1,000 inorganic compounds.
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Berkeley Lab to Investigate Link between Thirdhand Smoke and Cancer
Berkeley Lab researchers have been awarded $1.3 million for two sets of studies to better understand the health impacts of thirdhand smoke, the noxious residue that clings to virtually all indoor surfaces long after the secondhand smoke from a cigarette has cleared out.
A Different Type of 2D Semiconductor
Berkeley Lab researchers have produced the first atomically thin 2D sheets of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites. These ionic materials exhibit optical properties not found in 2D covalent semiconductors such as graphene, making them promising alternatives to silicon for future electronic devices.
Small Businesses Invited to Participate in DOE National Lab Vouchers Pilot
Small businesses in the clean energy sector are invited to apply for assistance from the Department of Energy’s national laboratories through the department’s new Small Business Vouchers Pilot.
Dirty, Crusty Meals Fit for (Long-Dormant) Microbes
Biocrust’s microbes lie dormant for long periods until precipitation (such as a sudden downpour) awakens them. Understanding more about the interactions between the microbial communities—also called “microbiomes”—in the biocrusts and their adaptations to their harsh environments could provide important clues to help shed light on the roles of soil microbes in the global carbon cycle.
Best Precision Yet for Neutrino Measurements at Daya Bay
In the Daya Bay region of China a research project is underway to study ghostlike, elusive particles called neutrinos. Today, the international Daya Bay Collaboration announces new findings on the measurements of neutrinos, paving the way forward for further neutrino research, and confirming that the Daya Bay neutrino experiment, significant as the first equal partnership between the U.S. and China in a major physics project, continues to be one to watch.
Fortifying Computer Chips for Space Travel
Berkeley Lab’s particle accelerator blasts microprocessors with high-energy beams to toughen them up for trips into low-earth orbit and beyond.
Made from Solar Concentrate
A team of scientists with Berkeley Lab and the University of Illinois created solar cells that collect higher energy photons at 30 times the concentration of conventional solar cells, the highest luminescent concentration factor ever recorded.
Time-Lapse Analysis Offers New Look at How Cells Repair DNA Damage
Time-lapse imaging can make complicated processes easier to grasp. Berkeley Lab scientists are using a similar approach to study how cells repair DNA damage. Microscopy images are acquired about every thirty minutes over a span of up to two days, and the resulting sequence of images shows ever-changing hotspots inside cells where DNA is under repair.
Gaming Computers Offer Huge, Untapped Energy Savings Potential
In the first study of its kind, Berkeley Lab researcher Evan Mills co-authored an investigation of the aggregate global energy use of personal computers designed for gaming—including taking direct measurements using industry benchmarking tools—and found that gamers can achieve energy savings of more than 75 percent by changing some settings and swapping out some components, while also improving reliability and performance. This corresponds to a potential estimated savings of $18 billion per year globally by 2020, or 120 terawatt hours (TWh).
