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Science Briefs

How Shark Egg Cases Balance Toughness and Permeability

Also known as “mermaid’s purses,” shark egg cases are both tough and permeable—two opposing characteristics that are necessary for the embryo’s survival. X-ray scattering at the ALS and electron microscopy helped explain how the material’s nanoarchitecture contributes to its toughness, informing future development of high-performance synthetic materials. Read more »

Spectral Phenotyping for Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease

Early detection of Alzheimer’s disease may soon be within reach, thanks to spectral phenotyping. Using infrared spectroscopy, Berkeley Lab researchers developed this technique to detect the subtle biochemical changes in a “cellular fingerprint” that is characteristic of the devastating disease. Read more »

DNA Synthesis: Flip It and Reverse It

What if the current model for DNA synthesis were flipped on its head? Using time-resolved x-ray crystallography, researchers gained new insights into this essential biological process, revealing that two steps in the synthesis pathway are, in reality, reversed. Read more »

How Iron Remediates Arsenic in Groundwater

Though iron has been demonstrated as an effective means to remediate arsenic contamination in groundwater, the mechanism was not well understood until now. For the first time, researchers have untangled the detailed steps of the interaction, informing more robust strategies for cleanup. Read more »

Sounding the Antiviral Alarm: A New Family of Immune-System Sensors

Comparison of enzyme structures from humans and insects revealed a new family of evolutionarily related immune-system sensors, triggered by viral RNA or DNA to produce tailored signals that initiate antiviral action. The results shed new light on the diversity and development of immune defenses in animals. Read more »

The Elusive Electronic Structure of Liquid Metals Unveiled

Over 50 years ago, renowned physicists formulated theoretical models for the electronic structure of liquid metals. Now, for the first time, researchers observed the distinct spectral features predicted by those models, at the interface of a crystalline insulator (black phosphorus) and disordered dopants (alkali metals). Read more »

3D View Reveals Shadow Effect after Rapid Battery Charging

Using 3D x-ray microtomography, researchers measured the lithiation levels of particles in Li-ion battery electrodes during charging. At faster charging rates, lithium metal accumulated on the electrode surface and created a “shadow effect,” a region of poor lithiation in the electrode at some distance away from the lithium plating. Read more »

When Timing Isn’t Everything: Spontaneous Chemical Dynamics

Researchers combined aspects of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) with correlation spectroscopy—a statistical method capable of detecting patterns in microscopic fluctuations across space and time. The new technique, called time-correlation XPS, allows researchers to monitor dynamics without the need for a timed trigger. Read more »

A Powerful Infrared Technique Broadens Its Horizons

Scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) focuses infrared light to dimensions below the diffraction limit, measuring properties with components perpendicular to the sample surface. Researchers have now devised a way to probe components parallel to the sample, where the technique has been less sensitive. Read more »

Sifting through Fragments for COVID-19 Treatments

COVID-19 vaccines are essential for preventing serious disease, but the identification of new drugs is still necessary for the treatment of patients who become sick as a result of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Here, scientists used computational docking and crystallography to screen large numbers of small molecules for potential use in drug compounds. Read more »