Hidden Medical Text Read for the First Time in a Thousand Years
With X-ray imaging at SLAC’s synchrotron, scientists uncovered a 6th century translation of a book by the Greek-Roman doctor Galen. The words had been scraped off the parchment manuscript and written over with hymns in the 11th century.
First Nanoscale Look at How Lithium Ions Navigate a Molecular Maze to Reach Battery Electrode
Streamlining their journey through the electrolyte could help lithium-ion batteries charge faster.
Arthur Bienenstock Recognized for Contributions to the Advancement of Science
Bienenstock is the winner of the 2018 Philip Hauge Abelson Prize, given by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
SLAC Scientists Investigate How Metal 3-D Printing Can Avoid Producing Flawed Parts
The goal of these X-ray studies is to find ways to improve manufacturing of specialized metal parts for the aerospace, aircraft, automotive and healthcare industries.
Q&A: Sam Webb Teaches X-Ray Science from a Remote Classroom
The staff scientist at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource discusses his research and teaching, which includes training an international group of students to conduct geobiology experiments at the synchrotron from an island about 350 miles away.
Scientists Discover Path to Improving Game-Changing Battery Electrode
They created a comprehensive picture of how the same chemical processes that give these cathodes their high capacity are also linked to changes in atomic structure that sap performance.
LIGO Mirror Coatings Get Upgrade with New National Collaboration
Effort to improve the next generation of gravitational wave detectors includes atomic studies of new and better coatings for LIGO’s mirrors at SSRL.
Slideshow: 2017 SSRL/LCLS Users’ Meeting
About 400 people attended the annual conference and workshops for scientists who conduct experiments at SLAC’s light sources.
A Battery Based on Sodium May Offer More Cost-Effective Storage Than Lithium
Lithium ion batteries may remain tops for sheer performance, but when cost-per-storage is factored in, a design based on sodium ions offers promise; research was conducted in part at SSRL.
Matthew Latimer Receives 2017 Lytle Award
The X-ray scientist is honored for 20 years of beamline and instrumentation design, operation and scientific support at SLAC’s synchrotron.
Researchers Develop a Way to Better Predict Corrosion from Crude Oil
The X-ray studies performed at SLAC will help the oil industry improve guidelines for corrosion from sulfur in crude oil.
From Science to Finance: SLAC Summer Interns Forge New Paths in STEM
More than 100 students worked on projects ranging from website development to imaging techniques for X-ray studies, learning new ways to apply their talents.
Hewlett Packard’s Suhas Kumar Wins 2017 Klein Award
Kumar’s work, carried out in part at SSRL, explains how memristors work – a new class of electronic devices with applications in next-generation information storage and computing.
Kathryn Hastie Wins Spicer Award for Lassa Virus Work at SLAC’s X-ray Synchrotron
The Scripps researcher is honored for groundbreaking research at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource that accelerated the development of a vaccine for deadly Lassa fever.
Scientists Watch ‘Artificial Atoms’ Assemble into Perfect Lattices with Many Uses
A serendipitous discovery lets researchers spy on this self-assembly process for the first time with SLAC’s X-ray synchrotron. What they learn will help them fine-tune precision materials for electronics, catalysis and more.
How a Single Chemical Bond Balances Cells Between Life and Death
With SLAC’s X-ray laser and synchrotron, scientists measured exactly how much energy goes into keeping this crucial bond from triggering a cell's death spiral.
SLAC X-Ray Beam Helps Uncover Blueprint for Lassa Virus Vaccine
A decade-long search ends at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, where researchers from The Scripps Research Institute emerge with a clear picture of how the deadly Lassa virus enters human cells.
Researchers Develop a New Catalyst for Water Splitting
Scientists have developed a new molybdenum-coated catalyst that more efficiently generates hydrogen gas, which could lead to a sustainable clean fuel source in the future.
Shunned by Microbes, Organic Carbon Can Resist Breakdown in Underground Environments
A new study reveals that organic matter whose breakdown would yield only minimal energy for hungry microorganisms preferentially builds up in floodplains, illuminating a new mechanism of carbon sequestration.
Where Scientist Meets Machine: A Fresh Approach to Experimental Design at SLAC X-Ray Laser
Paul Fuoss, the new head of experimental design at LCLS, aims to make experiments at light sources here and around the world more productive and user-friendly.