Researchers traced the evolution of minerals (“salts”) in an ancient brine, as recorded in samples from the asteroid Bennu, returned to Earth by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission. The results support the idea that asteroids like Bennu may have delivered water and essential chemical building blocks of life to Earth in the distant past. Read more »
A New Way to Engineer Composite Materials
A new study led by researchers at Berkeley Lab outlines a way to engineer pseudo-bonds in materials. Instead of forming chemical bonds, which is what makes epoxies and other composites so tough, the chains of molecules entangle in a way that is fully reversible. Read more »
Apply by April 4 for ALS Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships
Applications will be accepted from mid-March–April 4 for ALS Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships that begin September 1, 2025. Fellows spend a year in residence at the ALS conducting research and instrumentation development in collaboration with their home institution. Read more »
Taimoor Hassan, ALS and ALS-U Electrical Safety Officer
In the eight months that Taimoor Hassan has been with the ALS and ALS-U, he has been able to apply his background in electrical safety, engineering, and RF systems. Learn more about the giant microwave he worked on in a previous job, and how all of his experience serves the interconnected work of the ALS and ALS-U. Read more »
Mind-Blowing Materials: Mimicking Neurons for Faster Computing
Researchers used x-ray absorption spectroscopy and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering at the ALS to uncover the atomic-level mechanism of conductance switching for a neuromorphic material that has the potential for energy-efficient computing. Read more »