Approximately 1,700 scientists visit SSRL annually to conduct experiments in broad disciplines including life sciences, materials, environmental science, and accelerator physics. Science highlights featured here and in our monthly newsletter, Headlines, increase the visibility of user science as well as the important contribution of SSRL in facilitating basic and applied scientific research. Many of these scientific highlights have been included in reports to funding agencies and have been picked up by other media. Users are strongly encouraged to contact us when exciting results are about to be published. We can work with users and the SLAC Office of Communication to develop the story and to communicate user research findings to a much broader audience.
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Time-Resolved Small-Angle X-ray Scattering Studies Revealed Three Kinetic Stages of a T=4 Virus Maturation
The capsid that surrounds viruses is formed from subunit proteins that interact in specific ways to form a tight shell.
Structural Basis of Pre-existing Immunity to the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic Influenza Virus
An unusual property of the last year's H1N1 "swine flu" virus pandemic is that it disproportionately affected the young.
Research Sheds Light on Workings of Anti-cancer Drug
Cells need copper to function, but too much copper can be toxic, leading to liver damage and neurological problems, as happens in disorders such as Wilson disease.
Archaeopteryx Feathers and Bone Chemistry Fully Revealed via Synchrotron Imaging
Archaeopteryx, the half-reptilian, half-avian creature that lived 150 million years ago is famous as the fossil record's link between dinosaurs and birds.
Particle-hole Symmetry Broken Pseudogap in High Temperature Superconductors
Superconductivity is a hot topic in physics for good reason. With an electrical resistance of zero, superconductors transport electrical current with no loss of energy.
Deadly Carcinogen Unraveled: The Molecular Origami of Fungal Polyketides
UC Irvine researchers have unveiled the mystery behind one of the deadliest toxins that causes liver cancer.
Researchers Directly Observe Oxygen Signature from the Oxygen-evolving Complex of Photosynthesis
The advent of photosynthesis gave life forms a new way to capture energy from the sun.
The New Face of Protein-bound Copper: The Type Zero Copper Site
Copper is an essential ingredient for animal and plant life.
Collaborate on Science Highlights
We can work with users and the SLAC Office of Communication to develop the story and to communicate user research findings to a much broader audience.