Archived Story Tips for 2006
For more information on ORNL and its research and development activities, please refer to the resources listed below or to one of our Media Contacts. If you have a general media-related question or comment, you can send it to news@ornl.gov.
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Military—Hot mission . . .
A patented technique originally developed to measure temperatures inside turbine engines and fuel cells could play a key role in making electromagnetic weapons, or railguns, a reality.
Materials—Lasers in a stir . . .
Researchers at ORNL have developed a hybrid process where they use a laser in combination with friction-stir welding (FSW) -- a technique that has been in development for about 10 years for joining small metal alloys parts -- to extend its application to more materials.
Bioenergy—Analyzing wood . . .
Soon, men and mice won't be the only beneficiaries of CT technology's diagnostic wonders.
Homeland Security—Thwarting threats . . .
Oak Ridge National Laboratory's SensorNet augmented by a system being developed by Enterra Solutions could become a first line of defense against terrorist attacks or natural disasters.
Engineering—Real world stress . . .
To see if your system or instrument will stand up to real-world stresses, put it through its paces in Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Environmental Effects Laboratory.
Biology—Determining protein function . . .
With genetic sequencing now routine, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are taking the next step toward understanding the molecular function of living things by identifying and characterizing protein interactions in cells.
Electricity—Power to spare . . .
With thousands of substation power transformers around the nation operating on borrowed time, the need to develop a new generation of transformers is taking on increased importance.
Homeland Security—Threat identification . . .
Methods to search tens of thousands of documents could become more effective with a system developed by a team led by Cathy Jiao of ORNL's Computational Sciences and Engineering Division.
Emissions—Ultra-low sulfur . . .
New low-sulfur diesel available at gas stations and travel centers across the nation has Oak Ridge National Laboratory research behind it, proving that reducing sulfur content in diesel fuel is critical to lessening emissions.
Microscopy—New understanding . . .
Highly detailed images that show how matter organizes first into clusters and then into particles with thousands of atoms are helping researchers better understand catalytic processes.
Transportation—Ultralight transit bus . . .
A bus that weighs half as much as conventional buses, boasts three times the fuel economy and can carry 20 percent more passengers could debut by the middle of next year.
Energy—Easier hydrogen flow . . .
Oak Ridge National Laboratory research on fiber-reinforced polymer pipes could help distribute hydrogen more efficiently to service stations of the future.
Materials—Monster cutters . . .
Underground rock formations in Atlanta will provide a real-world test for monster disc cutters coated with an iron-based nano-composite developed by a team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers.
Energy—Checking the grid . . .
In the aftermath of last year's Hurricane Katrina, responders looked to the Department of Energy for information on the condition of vital infrastructural resources such as the electric power grid.
Nanoscience—Flipping the spin . . .
In a discovery that could contribute to the emerging field of spintronics, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, have demonstrated a way to measure the distance an electron travels in nanoscale materials before its spin is reversed due to scattering.
Materials—Molecular electronics . . .
Computational simulations aimed at resolving a debate about how molecules bond to metal surfaces could help pave the path to smaller, faster and more powerful electronic devices such as MP3 players.
Energy—A warmer future . . .
Atmospheric CO2 levels are projected to increase in the future and result in the Earth's warming.
Biology—New genetics tool . . .
Geneticists studying molecular pathways of health and disease have a novel new computational method to identify networks of the interacting genes that underlie complex traits.
Geology—Potential CO2 vault . . .
Depleted oil wells and deep saline aquifers may hold promise as repositories for atmospheric carbon dioxide, according to a team of researchers whose study is published in Geology.
Medical—Bone clone . . .
Life for the 2.2 million people worldwide needing bone grafts could get a lot better if a new hybrid material developed by researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee lives up to expectations.
Geology—New old detectives . . .
Geologists like Larry Anovitz may have a new weapon of choice for reconstructing ancient climates.
Nonotech—Electromechanics in liquids . . .
Recent advances in electromechanical imaging in liquid environments by researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are paving the way to new analytical tools for the biological research community.
Energy—Wider truck tires; longer miles . . .
Replacing the standard two thinner tires per wheel with a single wider tire makes heavy tractor-trailer trucks more fuel efficient and allows them to be made to run with more stability, Oak Ridge National Laboratory studies show.
Computing—Preparing for duty . . .
Extensive systems design, computational and visualization capabilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are playing a vital role in providing a "virtual soldier" for use in the treatment of battlefield wounds.
Biology—New DNA detector . . .
Disease diagnosis, forensics and environmental monitoring are among the areas likely to benefit by a system that combines the best of two proven technologies.
Energy—Off the wall . . .
A steel wall stud that improves thermal performance within wall systems over traditional steel studs has significantly improved the R-values based on the results of several tests conducted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Buildings Technology Center.
SNS—Neutrons to instruments . . .
DOE's Spallation Neutron Source has posted more firsts in its procession to full operation.
Military—Super - smart radios . . .
Soldiers of tomorrow could be equipped with radios immune to the enemy's attempts to jam communication and able to perform numerous functions that increase a soldier's chances of survival.
Bioprocessing—New era for nano . . .
Barriers to commercializing high-quality nanomaterials useful for an array of applications could tumble because of a process invented at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Energy—Reducing industrial energy costs . . .
A new DOE initiative is helping large industrial plants and factories to quickly assess and identify how they can operate with greater energy efficiency.
Swarm Intelligence—Nature's way . . .
By borrowing from nature, Xiaohui Cui of Oak Ridge National Laboratory is devising more efficient ways to analyze large amounts of publicly available data and perform other tasks to make information more accessible and useful.
Nanotechnology—Promise and perils . . .
Anthropologists like Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Amy Wolfe don't assume that technology always makes for a better life.
Energy—Heat exchange . . .
Research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is helping to design a more practicable and energy efficient heat exchange unit in air-conditioning systems for buildings.
Biology—Skull and spinal defects . . .
Researchers at the Russell Lab, the Mammalian Genetics Research Facility at DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, have generated a mutant mouse with spinal curvature and defects in the skull.
Supercomputing—SciDAC event set . . .
Phani Nukala and Robert Harrison of Oak Ridge
National Laboratory are among some three dozen
researchers who will be presenting invited talks
at the 2006 Scientific Discovery through Advanced
Computing Program June 25-30 in Denver.
Biosensors—Advanced water sentinel . . .
Naturally occurring photosynthetic microorganisms
are the focus of an invention to rapidly detect
contamination of water supplies.
National Security—Striking a nerve . . .
In a project funded by the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency, Bill Whitten and Peter
Reilly of ORNL'S Chemical Sciences Division are
teaming with Honeywell to develop a micro gas
analyzer the size of a cell phone that combines a
very small gas chromatograph with a tiny mass
spectrometer.
Energy—Biofuels on brink . . .
Technological advances along with strong societal and economic forces make the timing perfect for development of biorefineries for the production of biofuels and biomaterials from renewable energy crop resources.
Military—Weigh-in-motion on the move . . .
A portable weigh-in-motion system developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is near ready for action as field testing is under way.
Energy—Cool cars . . .
A technology that integrates multiple cooling systems in hybrid vehicles to create greater energy efficiency is being developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Physics—More, better MIRF . . .
The atomic physics community is getting a boost with the just-completed upgrade of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Multicharged Ion Research Facility.
Environment—Herbivore rampage . . .
Tiny insects that feast on juvenile pinon pine needles can have a dramatic impact on soil microclimates, which can cause a cascade effect sufficient to cause changes on a far greater scale.
Health—Early skin cancer detector . . .
Preliminary results of an optical sensing technique for early detection of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, are encouraging, according to developer Justin Baba of Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Energy—Cleaner diesel emissions . . .
With federal requirements calling for a 90 percent reduction in particulates from diesel engines by 2007, Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers are working with Industrial Ceramic Solutions of Oak Ridge, Tenn., in testing a cylindrical silicon carbide fiber filter to capture the diesel soot before it is emitted into the atmosphere.
Physics—SNS instruments get ready . . .
The Department of Energy's Spallation Neutron Source, located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is homing in on this year's completion, with focus being directed to the neutron analysis facility's scientific instruments.
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