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Processing plutonium-238

Since its 1977 launch, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft has travelled farther than any other piece of human technology. It is also the only human-made object to have entered interstellar space. More recently, the agency’s New Horizons mission flew past Pluto on July 14, giving us our first close-up lo...

Oak Ridge National Laboratory
To test an instrument for a spacecraft that will fly closer to the sun than any before, engineers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of California–Berkeley used ORNL’s powerful plasma-arc lamp to simulate the sun’s intense heat flux. Tests at ORNL proved that the...
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A team of Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers — Jack Schryver, James Nutaro and Mallikarjun Shankar — has produced an agent-based simulation model for behaviors critical to the progression of diabetes type 2. This research approximates essential findings from a complex mode...
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Software developed by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory allows users to simulate the structure of advanced materials, explore the design of quantum computers and investigate battery performance. The technology, the Eclipse Integrated Computational Environment, greatly ...
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A new hybrid lubricant additive discovered by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Shell Global Solutions shows tremendous promise for improving energy efficiency and durability of the nation’s 250 million cars and trucks. The research team, led by Jun Qu, recently reported on syner...

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With the successful demonstration of a 6.9-kilowatt wireless power transfer system boasting 85 percent grid-to-vehicle efficiency, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and partners are gearing up for the next phase of the electrified vehicles project. The recent demonstration, hosted by...
A new study published in Nature reassesses China’s carbon emissions from fossil fuels and cement production. Image credit - iStockphoto

fuel carbon emissions, a distinction it still maintains. But exactly how much carbon China releases has been a topic of debate, with recent estimates varying by as much as 15 percent. “There’s great scruti...

The Neutron Sciences Directorate’s two most recent distinguished fellows, Panchao Yin (left) and Bianca Haberl (below), are making major contributions to their respective fields. Image credit - Genevieve Martin
For early career researchers, a fellowship can be a valuable foot in the door, exposing them to the opportunity to gain experience in areas of science and technology of national importance.
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Viruses are tiny—merely millionths of a millimeter in diameter—but what they lack in size, they make up in quantity.
The “Big, Deep and Smart Data Analytics in Materials Imaging” workshop

In the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages, the state of the art of materials science defined technology’s zenith and accelerated economies. Now, in the Information Age, data is beginning to drive the development of advanced materials, from photovoltaics for solar energy and superconductors for efficient el...