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 »
ALSNews Vol. 472
August 27, 2025
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 »
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 »
Martin Kunz, Nobumichi Tamura, and Simon Teat Receive 2025 Shirley Award
The ALS Users’ Executive Committee recognized beamline scientists Nobumichi Tamura, Martin Kunz, and Simon Teat as the 2025 Shirley Award recipients. At the recent User Meeting, they presented a talk on their development of the Sector 12 hard x-ray diffraction program and the cold cases they’ve been able to solve. 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 »
Dula Parkinson Receives the 2025 Tim Renner User Services Award
In celebration of Dula Parkinson’s work, the ALS Users’ Executive Committee presented him with the 2025 Tim Renner User Services Award for his commitment to providing outstanding support at the ALS and helping users succeed in their research. Read more »
Highlights from the 2025 ALS User Meeting
This year’s ALS User Meeting brought a new energy of inspiration and envisioning of a future to come, with old traditions as well as new insights into using machine learning in experimentation. Read more »
Changes to Proposals for January–July 2026
The ALS-U project is evaluating a potential schedule shift, including a shutdown for dark time starting summer 2026. Since an earlier dark time is possible, our goal is to ensure active proposals receive needed beamtime and make beamtime requests accessible when possible. Learn more about the September proposal cycle changes. For any questions, contact alsproposals@lbl.gov. Read more »