ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory New Catalyst Boosts Selective Formation of Olefins from Syngas Experiments at the ALS have helped to explain how a new catalyst significantly boosts the selective formation of light olefin molecules—important building blocks in the petrochemical industry—from syngas. The new process could allow forRead More Read more »

ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory How Antidepressants Block Serotonin Transport Malfunctions in the complex protein “machinery” of serotonin transport can result in depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, aggression, anxiety, and Parkinson’s disease. Now, researchers have obtained x-ray crystallographic structures of the difficult-to-crystallize human serotonin transporter bound to two commonly prescribedRead More Read more »

ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory ALS-U Update: BESAC Announces Results of Facility Upgrade Prioritization On Thursday, June 9, DOE’s Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC) released the recommendations of the BES Facility Upgrade Prioritization Subcommittee. I’m pleased to announce that the subcommittee considers ALS-U “absolutely central” to contributeRead More Read more »

ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory An Atomic-Level Understanding of Copper-Based Catalysts Copper-based catalysts are widely used in chemical industries to convert water and carbon monoxide to hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methanol. There are theoretical models used to explain this reaction, but a complete understanding of the process hasRead More Read more »

ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory A New Universal Parameter for Superconductivity Scientists have been researching high-temperature (high-Tc) superconductors for decades with the goal of finding materials that express superconducting capabilities at room temperature, which would be a requirement for practical and cost-effective applications. The newest materials to gainRead More Read more »

ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Aerosol Oxidation Speeds Up in Smoggy Air To better understand the effects of organic aerosols on climate, pollution, and health, researchers measured aerosol reaction rates at ALS Beamline 9.0.2. They discovered an unexpectedly large acceleration in aerosol oxidation in the presence of anthropogenicRead More Read more »

ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory ALS Director’s Update: Reflections on Our Past, Present, and Future We entered the new year on a very positive note with the passage of a federal budget for fiscal year 2016 that will provide a modest increase in funding for ALS operations. OurRead More Read more »

ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Weyl Fermions Discovered After 85 Years Weyl fermions, elusive massless particles first theorized 85 years ago, have now been detected as emergent quasiparticles in synthetic crystals of the semimetal TaAs. The discovery could allow for the nearly free and efficient flow of electricity,Read More Read more »

ALSNews Monthly Newsletter of the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory A Designed Protein Maps Brain Activity Scientists designed and validated via crystallographic studies a fluorescent protein that allows the permanent marking of active brain cells. The protein was then used to study live changes via fluorescence in the active nerve cells in brainsRead More Read more »