X-rays allow researchers to map out the 3D structure of proteins relevant to diseases at the scale of molecules and atoms, and the ALS has been recalled to action to support research related to COVID-19, the coronavirus disease that has already infected about 2 million people around the world. Read more »
Carolyn Larabell to Receive Shirley Award at ALS User Meeting
Carolyn Larabell, Director of the National Center for X-Ray Tomography (NCXT), centered around ALS Beamline 2.1, has been selected by the ALS Users’ Executive Committee to receive the 2017 David A. Shirley Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement at the ALS. Read more »
Sequencing of Green Alga Genome Provides Blueprint to Advance Clean Energy, Bioproducts
Scientists have sequenced the genome of a green alga that has drawn commercial interest as a strong producer of quality lipids for biofuel production. The chromosome-assembly genome of Chromochloris zofingiensis provides a blueprint for new discoveries in sustainable biofuels, antioxidants, and other valuable bioproducts. Read more »
Mapping the Migration of Genetic Material
A powerful soft x-ray microscope captures tomographic images of the genetic material in the nuclei of nerve cells at different stages of maturity. The detailed 3D visualizations show an unexpected connectivity in the genetic material and provide a new understanding of a cell’s evolving architecture. Read more »
3-D Imaging Technique Maps Migration of DNA-carrying Material at the Center of Cells
Scientists have mapped the reorganization of genetic material that takes place when a stem cell matures into a nerve cell. Detailed 3-D visualizations show an unexpected connectivity in the genetic material in a cell’s nucleus, and provide a new understanding of a cell’s evolving architecture. Read more »
What I Did Last Summer: Co-Authored a Scientific Paper!
Young ALS user Jessica Guo may still be in high school, but she already has a peer-reviewed journal publication to her credit, based on work done at the ALS. She is a co-author of a paper published in Biology of the Cell on mesoscale imaging with cryo-light and x-rays. Read more »
Molecular Switch Triggers Bacterial Pathogenicity
Using an array of high-powered x-ray imaging techniques at the ALS, scientists have revealed for the first time the molecular steps that turn on bacteria’s pathogenic genes. The study could open up new avenues in the development of drugs to prevent or treat bacterial infection. Read more »
Mapping the Topology of the Human Genome
To determine how a gene will function, we need to know the spatial arrangement of the genome in the nucleus. Researchers have made a significant advance in determining this 3D organization by combining modeling and probabilistic calculations with minimally perturbing imaging techniques. Read more »