Scientists Publish Complete Genetic Blueprint of Key Biofuels Crop

Scientists at the Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and several partner institutions have published the sequence and analysis of the complete genome of sorghum, a major food and fodder plant with high potential as a bioenergy crop. The genome data will aid scientists in optimizing sorghum and other crops not only for food and fodder use, but also for biofuels production. The comparative analysis of the sorghum genome appears in the January 29 edition of the journal Nature.   More>

A Virus That Rebuilds
Damaged Nerves

Viruses that mimic supportive nerve tissue may someday help regenerate injured spinal cords. Genetically engineered viruses have the advantage of being self- replicating and self-assembling and can be made into complex tissue-like structures. Berkeley Lab physical bioscientists Seung-Wuk Lee and Anna Merzlyak are using scaffolds made of polymers to try to mimic the supportive matrix of real tissue. More>

A Supercharged Metal-Ion Generator

Berkeley Lab scientists have developed a powerful new kind of sputter process for the electronics industry—and other, more exotic applications, including outer space—which deposits high-quality metal films in complex, three-dimensional nanoscale patterns at a rate that by one important measure is orders of magnitude greater than most existing systems.
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Domain Walls that Conduct Electricity

Scientists in the Quantum Materials program have discovered domain walls that conduct electricity, a phenomenon never seen before. Mere billionths of a meter wide, conducting domain walls could be the ultimate nanoscale feature for future electronics. The researchers not only found the novel features but have learned how to write, erase, and manipulate them. More>