Finding the Controls of a Go-To Enzyme

December 16, 2008

Research at three U.S. Department of Energy x-ray light sources, including the Advanced Photon Source, may provide the key to understanding how to better treat a wide array of disorders brought on by one of the body’s workhorse molecular enzymes.

Watching Liquids Separate at White Heat

October 30, 2008

Using temperatures approaching those found on the surface of the sun and intense x-ray beams from two synchrotron x-ray facilities, including the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory, researchers have observed liquids separating into two different states – one lighter and more perfect than the other – the first time the phenomenon has been seen in any liquid at any temperature. The researchers expect this discovery to have profound implications for gaining a greater understanding of liquids.

A New Spin on Inducing Chirality in Pre-biological Molecules

October 23, 2008

Researchers using an x-ray beamline at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source demonstrated that a previously unconsidered mechanism can play a role in chiral-selective chemistry: namely low-energy spin-polarized secondary electrons, produced by irradiation of a magnetic substrate.

How Ancient Rock Got Off to a Hot Start

October 22, 2008

A new technique that uses high-brightness x-ray beams at the Argonne Advanced Photon Source has enabled scientists to play “detective” and solve a debate about the origins of a three-billion-year-old fragment of magma, opening the door to the possibility of new discoveries about our planet's past.

A Virus That Can Infect Lung Cancer Cells

October 21, 2008

The structure of a virus that is harmless to normal human cells but an enemy of certain cancer cells has been determined by researchers using the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory. This new knowledge may help drug designers tweak the pathogen enough so that it can attack other tumor subtypes.