Mysterious soil virus gene seen for first time
The protein could play a key role in soil carbon cycling and soil decomposition.
Chengcheng Fan wins 2022 Klein Award for coronavirus vaccine and protein transporter research
Fan’s X-ray crystallography work at SLAC’s synchrotron moves us closer to a more protective coronavirus vaccine and a better understanding of how vital materials flow in and out of cells.
SARS-CoV-2 protein caught severing critical immunity pathway
Powerful X-rays from SLAC’s synchrotron reveal that our immune system’s primary wiring seems to be no match for a brutal SARS-CoV-2 protein.
Exploring quantum electron highways with laser light
Spiraling laser light reveals how topological insulators lose their ability to conduct electric current on their surfaces.
SLAC expands and centralizes computing infrastructure to prepare for data challenges of the future
An extension of the Stanford Research Computing Facility will host several data centers to handle the unprecedented data streams that will be produced by a new generation of scientific projects.
A new leap in understanding nickel oxide superconductors
Researchers discover they contain a phase of quantum matter, known as charge density waves, that’s common in other unconventional superconductors. In other ways, though, they’re surprisingly unique.
X-rays help researchers piece together treasured cellular gateway for first time
After almost two decades of synchrotron experiments, Caltech scientists have captured a clear picture of a cell’s nuclear pores, which are the doors and windows through which critical material in your body flows in and out of the cell’s nucleus. These findings could lead to new treatments of certain cancers, autoimmune diseases and heart conditions.
Q&A with Stephen Streiffer, the new Stanford VP for SLAC
After decades of experience in the DOE lab system and as director of a leading synchrotron light source, he’s back to where he earned his PhD – with a much bigger mission.
Researchers aim X-rays at century-old plant secretions for insight into Aboriginal Australian cultural heritage
By revealing the chemistry of plant secretions, or exudates, these studies build a basis for better understanding and conserving art and tools made with plant materials.
Superconductivity and charge density waves caught intertwining at the nanoscale
Scientists discover superconductivity and charge density waves are intrinsically interconnected at the nanoscopic level, a new understanding that could help lead to the next generation of electronics and computers.
How a soil microbe could rev up artificial photosynthesis
Researchers discover that a spot of molecular glue and a timely twist help a bacterial enzyme convert carbon dioxide into carbon compounds 20 times faster than plant enzymes do during photosynthesis. The results stand to accelerate progress toward converting carbon dioxide into a variety of products.
What drives rechargeable battery decay? Depends on how many times you've charged it
How quickly a battery electrode decays depends on properties of individual particles in the battery – at first. Later on, the network of particles matters more.
San Jose State students study nanodiamonds at SLAC’s synchrotron
A physical chemist and a diverse group of his students are working on applications for the microscopic diamonds.
Q&A: From particle beams to cancer treatment – fundamental research that affects everyday life
SLAC’s Matt Garrett and Susan Simpkins talk about tech transfer that brings innovations from the national lab to the people, including advances for medical devices and self-driving vehicles.
A new way to shape a material’s atomic structure with ultrafast laser light
X-ray laser experiments show that intense light distorts the structure of a thermoelectric material in a unique way, opening a new avenue for controlling the properties of materials.
Study raises new possibilities for triggering room-temperature superconductivity with light
Scientists discover that triggering superconductivity with a flash of light involves the same fundamental physics that are at work in the more stable states needed for devices, opening a new path toward producing room-temperature superconductivity.
SLAC and Stanford researchers reveal the fourth signature of the superconducting transition in cuprates
The results cap 15 years of detective work aimed at understanding how these materials transition into a superconducting state where they can conduct electricity with no loss.
Analysis of the rock record rules out atmospheric oxygen before the Great Oxygenation Event
New research questions ‘whiff of oxygen’ in Earth’s early history.
Room-temperature crystallography aids new study of photosynthetic bacteria
Recently developed methods now in use at SLAC’s X-ray synchrotron helped a team of chemists better understand how certain bacteria turn light into chemical energy.
Bucket brigades and proton gates: Researchers shed new light on water’s role in photosynthesis
A better understanding of this process could inform the next generation of artificial photosynthetic systems that produce clean and renewable energy.