2008 Argonne News Releases and Features

Science world celebrates startup of 'Big Bang' machine

ARGONNE, Ill. (Sept. 10, 2008) — Some of the biggest questions in particle physics could only be worked through on paper – until now. More...

'Omnivorous engine' hopes to run on many fuels

ARGONNE, Ill. (Sept. 5, 2008) — The “omnivorous engine” is no picky eater. Gasoline? Down the hatch. Ethanol? Butanol? It'll slurp those up too. The creators of the omnivorous engine, engineers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, seek to fashion an engine that can run on just about any type of spark-ignited fuel. More...

NIH awards Argonne $800,000 to develop tool to measure distances within proteins

ARGONNE, Ill. (Sept. 3, 2008) — Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have won an $800,000 EUREKA award from the National Institutes of Health to develop MADMAX, a precise molecular ruler for measuring distances within a protein. More...

Argonne hosts 1st Int'l Conference on Advanced Lithium Batteries for Automotive Applications Sept. 15-17

ARGONNE, Ill. (Aug. 27, 2008) — The U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory will host the 1st International Conference on Advanced Lithium Batteries for Automotive Applications Sept. 15-17, 2008. More...

New process extracts pure hydrogen from contaminant in unrefined oil

ARGONNE, Ill. (Aug. 22, 2008) — A commercial-scale process to extract and reuse pure hydrogen from the hydrogen sulfide that naturally contaminates unrefined oil, including oil sands, is one step closer to reality thanks to a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and Kingston Process Metallurgy Inc. of Kingston, Ontario. More...

Computation Institute to bulk up data analysis capability with $1.5 million grant

ARGONNE, Ill. (Aug. 5, 2008) — The Computation Institute, a joint effort of the University of Chicago and the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, has received a grant for a computer system that will enable researchers to store, access and analyze massive datasets. More...

Argonne scientists discover networks of metal nanoparticles are culprits in alloy corrosion

ARGONNE, Ill. (Aug. 4, 2008) – Oxide scales are supposed to protect alloys from extensive corrosion, but scientists at U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have discovered metal nanoparticle chinks in this armor. More...

New bottle cap thwarts wine counterfeiters

ARGONNE, Ill (Aug. 1, 2008) — When the Roman historian Pliny the Elder wrote " in vino veritas " – in wine, there is truth – he must not have been drinking from a counterfeit bottle. Researchers Roger Johnston and Jon Warner of the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have created a device to ensure that modern wine connoisseurs can have faith that they are drinking what they pay for. More...

Argonne scientists discover new class of glassy material

ARGONNE, Ill. (July 28, 2008)–Scientists at U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory are dealing with an entirely new type of frustration, but it's not stressing them out. Dynamic frustration has been found to be the cause of glassy behavior in materials that previously had none of the features of a normal glass. More...

Graphics processing installation to boost Blue Gene/P visualization capabilities

ARGONNE, Ill. (July 22, 2008) — Argonne's Blue Gene/P Intrepid supercomputer will soon have the data analytics and visualization capability to complement its distinction as the fastest computer in the world for open science and the third fastest overall computer in the world. More ...

Argonne, University of Chicago researchers pursue grasses as Earth-friendly biofuel

ARGONNE, Ill. (July 18, 2008)—At a small site on the Batavia campus of Fermilab, ecologist Julie Jastrow of Argonne National Laboratory pushes the scientific frontier in a new and exciting way: She watches the grass grow. More...

Argonne scientist to become ATLAS physics coordinator for CERN

ARGONNE, Ill. (July 17, 2008)—Tom LeCompte of the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory has been tapped to be the physics coordinator for the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland. More...

Argonne researchers win 2 R&D 100 Awards

ARGONNE, Ill. (July 17, 2008)—Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and their industrial partners have won two R&D 100 Awards for innovative fluid sealing and lithium-ion battery technologies. More...

Newly described 'dragon' protein could be key to bird flu cure

ARGONNE, Ill. (July 15, 2008)—Scientists and researchers have taken a big step closer to a cure for the most common strain of avian influenza, or "bird flu," the potential pandemic that has claimed more than 200 lives and infected nearly 400 people in 14 countries since it was identified in 2003. More...

New tool provides better, faster onboard PHEV performance evaluation

ARGONNE, Ill. (July 4, 2008)—Analysis and evaluation of plug-in hybrid vehicle performance is faster and better, thanks to a new tool developed by Argonne engineers. Called the Argonne Real-Time Data Acquisition (ARDAQ) system, it provides onboard data collection and diagnostics of PHEVs. More...

Integrated Fuel Technologies gets worldwide license for Argonne-developed Diesel DeNOx Catalyst

ARGONNE, Ill. (July 1, 2008)—A new, patented catalyst developed by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory to reliably and economically reduce 95 to 100 percent of the nitrogen oxide emissions from diesel-fueled engines has been licensed to Integrated Fuel Technologies, Inc., a start-up company based in Kirkland, Wash. More...

Argonne's Hard X-ray Nanoprobe provides new capability to study nanoscale materials

ARGONNE, Ill. (June 24, 2008) — The Center for Nanoscale Materials' newly operational Hard X-ray Nanoprobe at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory is one of the world's most powerful X-ray microscopes. More...

DARPA funds Argonne-led project to develop technology for advanced radar, communications systems

ARGONNE, Ill. (June 23, 2008) — The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is providing $1.4 million to a Phase III research project led by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory to develop high-performance integrated diamond microelectro-mechanical system (MEMS) and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor devices (CMOS) for radar and mobile communications using an Argonne-developed and patented Ultrananocrystalline Diamond (UNCD™) film technology. More...

Student at Argonne earns spot at prestigious Nobel conference

ARGONNE, Ill. (June 23, 2008)—An Illinois Institute of Technology student working on her doctoral thesis at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory Materials Science Division has been accepted to participate in the 58th Meeting of Nobel Laureates in Lindau, Germany. More...

Argonne's supercomputer named world's fastest for open science, third overall

ARGONNE, Ill. (June 18, 2008) — The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory's IBM Blue Gene/P high-performance computing system is now the fastest supercomputer in the world for open science, according to the semiannual Top500 List of the world's fastest computers. More...

Argonne materials scientist wins young investigator award for work that could shape frontier of information technology

ARGONNE, Ill. (June 12, 2008) – Seungbum Hong, a materials scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, received the Young Investigator Outstanding Achievement Award from the International Symposium on Integrated Ferroelectrics, a prize that recognizes his contributions to the study of a class of materials that could shape the frontier of information technology. More...

Argonne-University of Chicago joint venture bolsters genomic sequencing capabilities

ARGONNE, Ill. (June 9, 2008)—The Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology, a joint venture of the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago, has acquired two new instruments that provide an enhanced ability to sequence genomes more quickly and broadly. More...

New research shows how marine organisms help oceans sequester carbon

ARGONNE, Ill. (June 6, 2008)—As the international search for ways to remove carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the environment intensifies, a team of scientists has identified a process by which marine organisms influence the amount of atmospheric carbon the sea absorbs. More...

Argonne research unveiling the secrets of nanoparticle haloing

ARGONNE, Ill. (June 5, 2008)—A new colloidal stabilization method characterized by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory may give scientists a new way to control the stability of some colloidal suspensions. More...

New Argonne algorithm increases accuracy of air-pollution predictions

ARGONNE, Ill. (May 23, 2008) – More accurate predictions of air-pollution "hot spots" are expected thanks to a new Argonne-developed algorithm that quickly and accurately assimilates observational data into climate models. More...

Argonne scientists develop way to predict properties of light nuclei

ARGONNE, Ill. (May 21, 2008) – Scientists have spent 70 years trying to predict the properties of nuclei, but have had to settle for approximate models because computational techniques were not equal to the task. Now they are learning to compute what happens when nuclei collide. More...

Scientists characterize protein structure of environmentally friendly bacteria

ARGONNE, Ill. (May 19, 2008) – Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have determined the structure of a key protein domain in a bacterium that could help with bioremediation of uranium-contaminated land sites. More...

Eric Isaacs appointed Argonne National Laboratory's Deputy Laboratory Director for Science Programs

ARGONNE, Ill. (May 16, 2008) – Eric Isaacs, director of the Center for Nanoscale Materials at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, was appointed Argonne's deputy laboratory director for science programs. More...

Argonne Anti-Jet-Lag Diet helps summer travelers beat jet lag

ARGONNE, Ill. (May 16, 2008) – As the summer travel season begins, many vacation and business travelers will beat jet lag with the Anti-Jet-Lag Diet developed at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. More...

Argonne-SRNL agreement supports critical DOE, national priorities

ARGONNE, Ill. (May 15, 2008) – Argonne National Laboratory has signed a memorandum of understanding with Savannah River National Laboratory to collaborate on nuclear energy and environmental management research projects in support of critical U.S. Energy Department needs and other important national priorities. More...

Argonne scientists use lasers to align molecules; technique could revolutionize human protein imaging

ARGONNE, Ill. (May 13, 2008) – Protein crystallographers have only scratched the surface of the human proteins important for drug interactions because of difficulties crystallizing the molecules for synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Now scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have devised a way to eliminate the need for crystallization by using lasers to align large groups of molecules. More...

Biochips can detect cancers before symptoms develop

ARGONNE, Ill. (May 9, 2008) — In their fight against cancer, doctors have just gained an impressive new weapon to add to their arsenal. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have developed a chip that can save lives by diagnosing certain cancers even before patients become symptomatic. More...

Newest GREET model updates environmental impacts of latest transportation fuels, vehicle technologies

ARGONNE, Ill. (May 8, 2008) – The newest version of the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) model from the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory will provide researchers with even more tools to evaluate and compare the environmental impacts of new transportation fuels and advanced vehicle technologies. More...

Shpyrko receives APS organization's Young Investigator Award

ARGONNE, Ill. (May 6, 2008) – The Advanced Photon Source Users Organization has named Oleg G. Shpyrko as the recipient of the 2008 Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award. More...

Argonne's Crabtree elected to National Academy of Sciences

ARGONNE, Ill. (April 29, 2008) – George W. Crabtree, a senior scientist and administrator at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences for his excellence in original scientific research. More...

Innovative cement helps DOE safeguard nuclear facilities

ARGONNE, Ill. (April 25, 2008) — When Argonne materials scientists Arun Wagh and Dileep Singh initially developed Ceramicrete®, a novel phosphate cement that stabilizes radioactive waste streams, they did not immediately recognize that with one or two extra ingredients, the cement could solve another problem in the nuclear complex. More...

Argonne engineer earns alumni award from Cornell University

ARGONNE, Ill. (April 23, 2008) – Argonne Senior Engineer Roger Poeppel recently received the 2008 Materials Science and Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. More...

Scientists discover how the structure of plutonium nanocluster contaminants increases risk of spreading

ARGONNE, Ill. (April 22, 2008) — For almost half a century, scientists have struggled with plutonium contamination spreading further in groundwater than expected, increasing the risk of sickness in humans and animals. More...

DOE dedicates Argonne Leadership Computing Facility

ARGONNE, Ill. (April 21, 2008) – The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory today celebrated the dedication of the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility during a ceremony attended by key federal, state and local officials. More...

Argonne scientists develop techniques for creating molecular movies

ARGONNE, Ill. (April 15, 2008) — They may never win an Oscar, but scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have developed techniques for creating accurate movies of biological and chemical molecules, a feat only theorized up until now. More...

Newly discovered 'superinsulators' promise to transform materials research, electronics design

ARGONNE, Ill. (April 4, 2008) – Superinsulation may sound like a marketing gimmick for a drafty attic or winter coat. But it is actually a newly discovered fundamental state of matter created by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory in collaboration with several European institutions. This discovery opens new directions of inquiry in condensed matter physics and breaks ground for a new generation of microelectronics. More...

Algae could one day be major hydrogen fuel source

ARGONNE, Ill. (April 1, 2008) — As gas prices continue to soar to record highs, motorists are crying out for an alternative that won't cramp their pocketbooks. Scientists at U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory are answering that call by working to chemically manipulate algae for production of the next generation of renewable fuels – hydrogen gas. More...

Argonne tests find near-zero emissions for BMW Hydrogen 7

ARGONNE, Ill. (March 28, 2008) – Independent tests conducted by engineers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory on the mono-fueled version of the BMW Hydrogen 7 prototype have found that the car's hydrogen-powered engine surpasses the super-ultra low-emission vehicle level, the most stringent emissions performance standard to date. More...

Argonne, DOT open transportation research, computing center

ARGONNE, Ill. (March 25, 2008) — The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation's Research and Innovative Technology Administration, has announced the opening of the Transportation Research and Analysis Computing Center in suburban Chicago. More...

Pekin H.S. wins 10th annual Illinois State Championship Rube Goldberg machine contest

ARGONNE, Ill. (March 22, 2008) — A team from Pekin High School, Pekin, Ill., today won the 10th annual Illinois State Championship Rube Goldberg Machine, co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, at the Chicago Children's Museum at Navy Pier. More...

Re-greening of Murdock wetlands is a joint effort

ARGONNE, Ill. (March 21, 2008) — In Murdock, Neb., a small village south of Omaha, Argonne planted more than 2,000 trees in 2005. These new flora not only improve the wildlife habitat and provide aesthetic recreational value, but they also play a key role in an integrated plan to take up and degrade the carbon tetrachloride that has contaminated the community's water. More...

Students trade in school books for spatulas for 10th Illinois Rube Goldberg Machine Championship

ARGONNE, Ill. (March 17, 2008) — Students from across the state will flip burgers and toss condiments during the 10th annual Illinois State Championship Rube Goldberg machine contest, co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. More...

Bioinformatics technology developed at Argonne provides new insight into microbial activities

ARGONNE, Ill. (March 14, 2008) – Scientists may gain a new insight into the relationship between viruses and their environments thanks to a new computational technology developed by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. This technology has already been used to identify subtle differences in the metabolic processes of microbial communities. More...

Compound removes radioactive material from power plant waste

ARGONNE, Ill. (March 13, 2008) — Strontium 90 is a common radioactive by-product of fission in nuclear power plants. When extracted from the reactor along with other isotopes, a mixture is created made up of the radioactive material and inert ions like sodium and calcium. More...

Argonne's lithium-ion battery technology to be commercialized by Japan's Toda Kogyo

ARGONNE, Ill. (March 13, 2008) — The U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and Toda Kogyo Corp. of Japan have reached a world-wide licensing agreement for the commercial production and sales of Argonne's patented composite cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries, which result in longer-lasting, safer batteries for hybrid-electric vehicles, cell phones, laptop computers and other applications. More...

New crystallization method to ease study of protein structures

ARGONNE, Ill. (March 7, 2007) – Researchers at the Midwest Center for Structural Genomics, the Structural Genomics Consortium and the Structural Biology Center at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have developed a new technique for crystallizing proteins that will ease experimentation into protein structures. More...

Last large piece of ATLAS detector lowered underground

ARGONNE, Ill. (Feb 29, 2008) — Today, researchers in the U.S. ATLAS collaboration joined colleagues around the world to celebrate a pivotal landmark in the construction of the Large Hadron Collider – the lowering of the final piece of the ATLAS particle detector into the underground collision hall at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. More...

Structure of protein collagen seen at unprecedented level of detail

ARGONNE, Ill. (Feb. 22, 2008) — The structure and behavior of one of the most common proteins in our bodies has been resolved at a level of detail never before seen, thanks to new research performed at the Advanced Photon Source at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. More...

Wilmington High School wins 13th annual Rube Goldberg Machine Contest

ARGONNE, Ill. (Feb. 22, 2008) — A team from Wilmington High School today won Argonne National Laboratory's 13 th annual Rube Goldberg Machine Contest held at Chicago Children's Museum on Navy Pier. More...

Argonne scientist named VP of American Crystallographic Association

ARGONNE, Ill. (Feb. 21, 2008) –Senior Physicist Robert Von Dreele of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has been voted vice president of the American Crystallographic Association. More...

Lensless camera uses X-rays to view nanoscale materials and biological specimens

ARGONNE, Ill. (Feb. 19, 2007) – X-rays have been used for decades to take pictures of broken bones, but scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and their collaborators have developed a lensless X-ray technique that can take images of ultra-small structures buried in nanoparticles and nanomaterials, and features within whole biological cells such as cellular nuclei. More...

New X-ray technique may lead to better, cleaner fuel injectors for automobiles

ARGONNE, Ill. (Feb. 19, 2008) — Standard microscopy and visible light imaging techniques cannot peer into the dark and murky centers of dense-liquid jets, which has hindered scientists in their quest for a full understanding of liquid breakup in devices such as automobile fuel injectors. More...

Argonne transportation expert: U.S. leads world in PHEV battery R&D, lags in capabilities to make them

ARGONNE, Ill. (Feb. 14, 2008)—During opening testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, Argonne's Don Hillebrand noted that while the United States is the dominant player in the development of battery materials and chemistries for hybrid vehicles and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles with the help of progressive research conducted at U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories, including Argonne, the nation lags behind the world in adopting capabilities to make such batteries. More...

Students get grilled on how to build the better burger at the 13th annual Rube Goldberg Machine Contest

ARGONNE, Ill. (Feb. 13, 2008) — The food will be anything but fast as local high school students compete to build a hamburger using at least 20 steps during in Argonne National Laboratory's 13th annual Rube Goldberg Machine Contest on Friday, Feb. 22. More...

New component design could reduce cost of proposed Facility for Rare Isotope Beams

ARGONNE, Ill. (Feb. 8, 2008) — Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have developed new state-of-the-art techniques that will lead to significant improvements in the performance of superconducting niobium cavities. Argonne's superconducting spoke cavities can operate at lower temperatures and at higher magnetic fields than previous designs, translating into a potential savings in the cost of a heavy-ion linear accelerator, such as that required for the proposed Facility for Rare Isotope Beams. More...

Young women explore engineering careers during Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day at Argonne

ARGONNE, Ill. (Feb. 6, 2008)—Young women from throughout the area will learn about opportunities in science and engineering during the annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day Thursday, Feb. 21, at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. More...

Argonne breakthrough may revolutionize ethylene production

ARGONNE, Ill. (Feb. 5, 2008) — A new environmentally friendly technology created by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory may revolutionize the production of the world's most commonly produced organic compound, ethylene. More...

Symposium to focus on next-generation solar energy technology

ARGONNE, Ill. (Feb. 1, 2008) — The future of global energy, next-generation solar cells, artificial photosynthesis and thermoelectric materials are the central topics at the Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Research Center's (ANSER) inaugural symposium, to be held Feb. 12-13 at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. More...

Magnetism loses under pressure

ARGONNE, Ill. (Jan. 29, 2008)—Scientists have discovered that the magnetic strength of magnetite—the most abundant magnetic mineral on Earth—declines drastically when put under pressure. More...

Helium-8 study gives insight into nuclear theory, neutron stars

ARGONNE, Ill. (January 25, 2008) — The most neutron-rich matter that can be made on Earth—the nucleus of the helium-8 atom—has been created, trapped and characterized by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. This new measurement gives rise to several significant consequences in nuclear theory and the study of neutron stars. More...

African-American, Hispanic students to learn science hands-on at Argonne National Laboratory

ARGONNE, Ill. (Jan. 24, 2008) — The discoveries of tomorrow will be made by the students of today, but they first must be exposed to the world of science and technology. More...

Chicago mayor, council honor Argonne physicists for creating innovative science program at city high school

ARGONNE, Ill. (January 23, 2008) — Two physicists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have been honored for their work in creating one of the nation's premiere science programs for high school students. More...

Six Argonne scientists elected American Physical Society fellows

ARGONNE, Ill. (Jan. 22, 2008) — The American Physical Society (APS) has recently announced new fellows for 2007, and six Argonne scientists have been elected. More ...

Argonne's Blue Gene/P to host large cadre of INCITE researchers

ARGONNE, Ill. (Jan. 17, 2008) — Twenty research projects have been awarded more than 111 million hours of computing time at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility at Argonne National Laboratory. More...

New study may shed light on protein-drug interactions

ARGONNE, Ill. (Jan. 11, 2008) — Proteins, the biological molecules that are involved in virtually every action of every organism, may themselves move in surprising ways, according to a recent study from the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory that may shed new light on how proteins interact with drugs and other small molecules. More...

Argonne announces impacts in wake of Omnibus bill

ARGONNE, Ill. (Jan.7, 2008) – The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory today announced the shutdown of its Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS), one of the most productive neutron scattering facilities in the world, as the result of the fiscal year 2008 spending bill approved by Congress prior to the holidays. Moreover, the lab may have to scale back other operations at its Advanced Photon Source (APS) and High Energy Physics (HEP) Division due to lack of funding. More ...

CNN reports focus on Argonne anti-terror technologies

ARGONNE, Ill. (Jan. 3, 2008) — CNN's "Situation Room" recently focused on Argonne technologies with anti-terrorism applications. Video clips are available online. More...