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From Magnetite to Ammonia, A New Line of Production

Ammonia is a critical ingredient in many important industrial and agricultural applications. The Haber–Bosch process is the primary process for large-scale ammonia production. A new study uses an experimental–theoretical approach to uncover how interfacial chemistry at the magnetite–water interface drives ammonia synthesis under ambient temperature and pressure. Read more »

Separating an Electron into Waves of Spin and Charge

Researchers are exploring how a thin film can host a Tomonaga–Luttinger liquid, which separates an electron’s charge and spin. The research findings could contribute to the development of ultra-compact and energy-efficient technologies. Read more »

The Quest for an Altermagnet

Researchers determine the unique electronic structure of altermagnets, which offers numerous benefits in creating energy-efficient devices based on spin-polarized electron currents. Understanding how altermagnetism works could contribute to the development of next-generation memory, logic, or sensing devices that are faster and consume less power. Read more »

Characterizing Membrane Fouling with Operando Experiments

Membrane filtration offers a cost-effective, energy-efficient approach to purify and desalinate water, but fouling limits the performance of these devices. A new study explored the new experimental design that allows one to study the dynamic fouling process in real time to improve the field’s understanding of how materials deposit, accumulate, and/or crystallize on the membrane’s surface. Read more »

Sharks Shed Light on Origins of Adaptive Immune System

A team of researchers identified the three-dimensional structure of a protein expressed by a gene of a modern nurse shark that is proposed to be a close homologue to a gene that, more than 500 million years ago, gave rise to the adaptive immune system shared by all vertebrates. By understanding the emergence and evolution of the immune system, researchers may advance work in immunology, genetics, and biotechnology. Read more »

Greg Hura, SIBYLS Team Receive Halbach Award

Greg Hura and the Structurally Integrated BiologY for the Life Sciences (SIBYLS) team received the 2025 Klaus Halbach Award for Innovative Instrumentation at the recent 2025 User Meeting “for their pioneering work in developing the time-resolved, high-throughput, small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) technique at Beamline 12.3.1.” Read more »

Designing Quantum Materials for Future Electronics

Researchers bring theory into practice and confirm a new material’s characteristics at the ALS. The study opens new opportunities to design a substance that renders extra “handles” on the electron—not just its charge, but its spin and valley—so we can build computers that are faster, cooler, and more energy-efficient compared to traditional electronics. Read more »

Researchers Identify Viral Swiss Army Knife, Clarifying How Replication Occurs

Viruses are ingenious, infectious agents, capable of replicating inside the living cells of a host organism. Enterovirus, a common viral pathogen, is responsible for a range of diseases from mild colds to severe conditions, including viral meningitis, myocarditis, and paralysis. A new study sheds light on how enteroviruses use structured RNA elements and multifunctional proteins to coordinate viral replication efficiently using minimal genetic material. Read more »