Mechanics of a Floating Molecular Layer for CO2 Reduction April 30, 2024 - Researchers discovered how a layer of organic molecules on a nanoparticle surface detaches to create a highly catalytic pocket for reducing CO2 to CO. Read more »
Pacific Kelp Forests Are Far Older than We Thought April 29, 2024 - Researchers scanned newly discovered kelp fossils using x-ray tomography at the ALS. The images provided morphological information about the ancient kelp and, along with isotopic analyses, provided insights into the evolutionary history of northeastern Pacific Ocean kelp forests, which flourished more than 32 million years ago. Read more »
Surtsey Volcano: A Rare Window into Earth’s Oceanic Crust April 28, 2024 - Surtsey, a very young oceanic island in Iceland, emerged through explosive volcanic activity in 1963. Utilizing various techniques, including x-ray microdiffraction at the ALS, researchers gained unique insights into the transformation of volcanic glass to form mineral cements in the basaltic rock of underwater volcanoes. Read more »
Symbiotic Nitrogen-Fixing Microbe Evolves into Organelle April 25, 2024 - Researchers found that a symbiont capable of fixing nitrogen (turning it into a biologically usable form) has evolved into an organelle—an intrinsic part of the algae cells that host it. The discovery is of great interest for understanding organelle genesis and for efforts to engineer agricultural plants with built-in nitrogen-fixing capabilities. Read more »
Room-Temperature 2D Magnet: Electronic-Structure Insights March 25, 2024 - Researchers found that small changes in how electron spins interact with each other can make a big difference in the magnetic transition temperatures of 2D magnets. Understanding such factors can help create better magnetic materials for information storage, sensors, medical imaging, and energy-efficient computing. Read more »
Clarifying the FLASH Effect for Cancer Radiation Therapy March 25, 2024 - To clarify the underlying mechanisms of the FLASH effect, in which the delivery of ultrafast, high-intensity doses of radiation to tumors counterintuitively reduces damage to surrounding healthy cells, researchers directly compared the oxidative effects of conventional and FLASH techniques using x-ray footprinting at the ALS. Read more »
Case Study of Aerosol Particles Influenced by Wildfire March 23, 2024 - Researchers studied atmospheric aerosols influenced by wildfires in the Pacific Northwest. They examined the connection between particle size, chemical composition, and phase state, in particles collected during the day and at night. The information is important for modeling the effects of wildfire smoke on atmospheric properties. Read more »
Big Twist Leads to Tunable Energy Gaps in a Bilayer Stack March 20, 2024 - Researchers found that twisting 2D layers at atypically large angles opens up potentially useful energy gaps in the material’s band structure. The results suggest a new way to tune materials for optoelectronic applications and provides a platform for exploring novel “moiré” phenomena beyond those observed at small twist angles. Read more »
Bifurcation of High- and Low-Energy Electrons in Microbial Metabolism February 26, 2024 - A class of chemical reaction found only in biology, electron bifurcation channels two electrons from one donor to two separate acceptors, with one electron elevated in energy at the expense of lowering the energy of the second. Researchers used the ALS to study this process in a microbial protein involved in this bioenergetic pathway. Read more »
The Effects of Diabetes on Spinal-Column Biomechanics February 26, 2024 - Researchers found that type 2 diabetes induces earlier onset of plastic (nonrecoverable) deformation in intervertebral discs by impairing the biomechanical behavior of collagen. A greater understanding of the underlying causes of tissue failure in diabetes—a growing problem worldwide—is important in helping to prevent and treat symptoms. Read more »