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15 November 2021
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The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science operates some of the world’s most advanced instruments and facilities. Planning and building the best tools for science can require as much expertise and precision as research itself.
Each year, the Secretary of Energy recognizes teams that completed major Office of Science projects on time, within budget, and ready for their science missions. The Project Management Awards are based on cost and schedule, complexity, problem solving, communication, and other achievements.
The three awardees for projects completed in fiscal year 2020 are providing new research capabilities in cosmology, genomics, and materials science.
Read more about the three Project Management Award winners and how they’re furthering DOE’s mission.
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New results from the MicroBooNE experiment at DOE’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory have dealt a blow to a theoretical particle known as the sterile neutrino. For more than 20 years, scientists have viewed this proposed fourth neutrino as a potential explanation for irregularities in earlier physics experiments. But four complementary analyses from the collaboration show no sign of the sterile neutrino. |
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have discovered a new way to train microbes to make a readily usable biofuel. They modified a microbe so it can produce a biofuel using only three ingredients: carbon dioxide, solar panel-generated electricity, and light. The resulting biofuel, n-butanol, is a carbon-neutral fuel that can be used in blends with diesel or gasoline. |
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A team of scientists from DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has identified a compound that could be used to treat respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19. They studied how the coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome damages patients’ lungs. They found a compound that stops virus replication in human tissue in the lab and reduces symptoms in mice.` |
Because perovskites are very efficient at converting light into electricity, they are a promising material for solar panels. Current perovskites are a hybrid of organic (containing carbon) and inorganic (not containing carbon) materials. But new research from UC Santa Barbara shows that all-inorganic perovskites have the potential to outperform hybrid ones. Researchers used the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center user facility to run their computations.
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The Office of Science posted two new highlights between 11/1/2021 and 11/15/2021.
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Scientists use satellite and other airborne systems to monitor the health and distribution of plants around the world. Most systems have low resolution, limiting their usefulness. Scientists on the Next Generation Ecosystem Experiment-Arctic recently started using unoccupied aerial systems (also called drones) to monitor changes in vegetation. The drones can take data at much higher resolution and scientists can use them in more remote areas than other methods. This data allows scientists to better understand plants’ responses to climate change. |
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Scientific American: Can sterile neutrinos exist?
Previous neutrino experiments showed neutrinos transforming into different types faster than expected, which could indicate an undiscovered type of neutrino. But the newest results from the MicroBooNE experiment at DOE’s Fermilab show no signs of this new type.
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Advanced Photon Source helps Pfizer create COVID-19 antiviral treatment
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Pharmaceutical company Pfizer has announced the results of clinical trials of its new oral antiviral treatment against COVID-19. The new drug candidate, Paxlovid, proved to be effective against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, according to results released by Pfizer on November 5. The antiviral drug has the potential to eliminate up to nine out of ten hospitalizations caused by the virus. Scientists at Pfizer created Paxlovid with the help of the ultrabright X-rays of the Advanced Photon Source, a DOE Office of Science user facility at Argonne National Laboratory. The National Virtual Biotechnology Consortium helped make the Advanced Photon Source available for COVID-19 research. The scientists used the facility to determine the atomic structure of the antiviral candidate.
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Video: The Future of Science at the Energy Sciences Center
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A clean-energy future relies on understanding the science of energy. Check out a video from DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory showcasing how its new Energy Sciences Center will accelerate scientific discovery in chemistry, materials science, and computing. These technologies are creating the foundations to improve alternative energy sources and energy-efficient industrial processes.
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CommUnique provides a review of recent Office of Science Communications and Public Affairs stories and features. This is only a sample of our recent work promoting research done at universities, national labs, and user facilities throughout the country.
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