Filter News
Area of Research
- (-) Biology and Environment (19)
- Advanced Manufacturing (3)
- Clean Energy (21)
- Computational Biology (1)
- Computational Engineering (1)
- Computer Science (6)
- Electricity and Smart Grid (1)
- Fuel Cycle Science and Technology (1)
- Functional Materials for Energy (1)
- Fusion and Fission (29)
- Fusion Energy (10)
- Isotope Development and Production (1)
- Isotopes (4)
- Materials (26)
- Materials for Computing (1)
- National Security (22)
- Neutron Science (11)
- Nuclear Science and Technology (36)
- Nuclear Systems Modeling, Simulation and Validation (1)
- Renewable Energy (1)
- Sensors and Controls (1)
- Supercomputing (44)
News Topics
- (-) Artificial Intelligence (9)
- (-) Hydropower (8)
- (-) Nuclear Energy (1)
- (-) Security (2)
- 3-D Printing/Advanced Manufacturing (11)
- Advanced Reactors (1)
- Big Data (9)
- Bioenergy (45)
- Biology (73)
- Biomedical (16)
- Biotechnology (13)
- Buildings (2)
- Chemical Sciences (11)
- Clean Water (11)
- Climate Change (40)
- Composites (5)
- Computer Science (19)
- Coronavirus (13)
- Critical Materials (1)
- Cybersecurity (1)
- Decarbonization (19)
- Energy Storage (7)
- Environment (89)
- Exascale Computing (4)
- Frontier (3)
- Fusion (1)
- Grid (3)
- High-Performance Computing (20)
- Isotopes (2)
- Machine Learning (8)
- Materials (12)
- Materials Science (6)
- Mathematics (3)
- Mercury (7)
- Microscopy (10)
- Molten Salt (1)
- Nanotechnology (7)
- National Security (3)
- Net Zero (2)
- Neutron Science (4)
- Partnerships (5)
- Physics (2)
- Polymers (2)
- Renewable Energy (1)
- Simulation (14)
- Summit (10)
- Sustainable Energy (30)
- Transformational Challenge Reactor (1)
- Transportation (3)
Media Contacts
![ORNL scientists developed a method that improves the accuracy of the CRISPR Cas9 gene editing tool used to modify microbes for renewable fuels and chemicals production. This research draws on the lab’s expertise in quantum biology, artificial intelligence and synthetic biology. Credit: Philip Gray/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2023-11/CRISPR%20Quantum%20AI_2_23-G07105-DOE-BER-BESSD-comms-graphic-pcg_2.jpg?h=847b7ff0&itok=WD2dBsAC)
Scientists at ORNL used their expertise in quantum biology, artificial intelligence and bioengineering to improve how CRISPR Cas9 genome editing tools work on organisms like microbes that can be modified to produce renewable fuels and chemicals.
![Mirko Musa was always fascinated by the power of rivers, specifically how these mighty waterways sculpt landscapes. Now, as a water power researcher, he’s finding ways to harness that power and protect rivers at the same time. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2023-08/mirkomusa_2023-p05038.jpg?h=c6980913&itok=3Az47BKS)
Mirko Musa spent his childhood zigzagging his bike along the Po River. The Po, Italy’s longest river, cuts through a lush valley of grain and vegetable fields, which look like a green and gold ocean spreading out from the river’s banks.
![Clouds of gray smoke in the lower left are funneled northward from wildfires in Western Canada, reaching the edge of the sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean. A second path of thick smoke is visible at the top center of the image, emanating from wildfires in the boreal areas of Russia’s Far East, in this image captured on July 13, 2023. Credit: NASA MODIS](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2023-07/NASA%20Arctic%20Circle%20wildfire%20smoke_image07182023_1km_1.jpg?h=dbdc3f84&itok=oHQVs6Bn)
Wildfires have shaped the environment for millennia, but they are increasing in frequency, range and intensity in response to a hotter climate. The phenomenon is being incorporated into high-resolution simulations of the Earth’s climate by scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, with a mission to better understand and predict environmental change.
![Researchers Melissa Cregger, left, and Xiaohan Yang examine plants in an ORNL greenhouse where biosensors are installed to accelerate plant transformations. Credit: Genevieve Martin/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy.](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2023-05/Greenhouse%202023%20Xiaohan%20SEED_0.jpg?h=8f9cfe54&itok=oqtdFCJG)
Nature-based solutions are an effective tool to combat climate change triggered by rising carbon emissions, whether it’s by clearing the skies with bio-based aviation fuels or boosting natural carbon sinks.
![Climate change often comes down to how it affects water, whether it’s for drinking, electricity generation, or how flooding affects people and infrastructure. To better understand these impacts, ORNL water resources engineer Sudershan Gangrade is integrating knowledge ranging from large-scale climate projections to local meteorology and hydrology and using high-performance computing to create a holistic view of the future.](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2023-04/2023-P03062_0.jpg?h=036a71b7&itok=56ulGk2H)
Climate change often comes down to how it affects water, whether it’s for drinking, electricity generation, or how flooding affects people and infrastructure. To better understand these impacts, ORNL water resources engineer Sudershan Gangrade is integrating knowledge ranging from large-scale climate projections to local meteorology and hydrology and using high-performance computing to create a holistic view of the future.
![This newly manufactured fixed guide vane of a hydropower turbine system was printed at the DOE Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL. Credit: Genevieve Martin/ORNL, U.S Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2023-06/2018-P00570_0.png?h=82f92a78&itok=9y4_5upC)
A new report published by ORNL assessed how advanced manufacturing and materials, such as 3D printing and novel component coatings, could offer solutions to modernize the existing fleet and design new approaches to hydropower.
![Technology to retrofit nonpowered dams such as the Lake Sequoyah Dam in North Carolina could be tested before deploying to ensure performance and reliability. Credit: Scott DeNeale/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-12/Sequoyah%20png.png?h=3873714b&itok=rYD7mUje)
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have identified a key need for future hydropower innovations – full-scale testing – to better inform developers and operators before making major investments.
![ORNL researchers led by Michael Garvin, left, and David Kainer discovered genetic mutations called structural variants and linked them to autism spectrum disorders, demonstrating an approach that could be used to develop better diagnostics and drug therapies. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-11/Novstorytip_autism_0.png?h=707772c7&itok=6_DcjloQ)
ORNL researchers discovered genetic mutations that underlie autism using a new approach that could lead to better diagnostics and drug therapies.
![Conduit hydropower presents opportunities in every state. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-10/Picture1.png?h=3fe30658&itok=8NCUQOmV)
Millions of miles of pipelines and conduits across the United States make up an intricate network of waterways used for municipal, agricultural and industrial purposes.
![ORNL is studying how climate change may impact water availability for hydropower facilities such as the Shasta Dam and Lake in California. Credit: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-09/Shasta%20Dam.png?h=2664774c&itok=F-QELlkQ)
ORNL has provided hydropower operators with new data to better prepare for extreme weather events and shifts in seasonal energy demands caused by climate change.