Biosciences Division

News

• 'Zoomable' map of poplar proteins offers new view of bioenergy crop
  
• Plant Microbiomes Unfurl As DNA sequencing costs drop, scientists begin cataloging plants' beneficial band of microbial stowaways
• Extreme bacteria provide an unexpected boost to manufacturing
• Water-Wise Biofuel Crop Study to Alter Plants Metabolic, Photosynthesis Process
• Teacher Lauds 'Amazing Opportunity' to Participate in ORNL Fellowship Program
• Tapping into reservoir of heat-loving bacteria

  BESC scientists explore bacteria to break down cellulose

• Follow ORNL scientists in the Arctic as part of the Next Generation Ecosystem Experiment on the NGEE Blog
• Gerald A. Tuskan named Forest Biotechnologist of the Year

• Supercomputer reveals new details behind drug- processing protein model

  ORNL study of the motion of water molecules contributes to a broader understanding of drug processing by P450 enzymes.

• A Bioenergy Ecosystem

  BESC's innovative partnership of national laboratories, a private research foundation, universities and industries is translating R&D into biofuels.

• DOE program reaches thousands of students with 'farming for fuels' program

  More than 34,000 youngsters, teachers and parents around the country have had a chance to learn about bioenergy through hands-on experiments that are part of an outreach effort by the Department of Energy's BioEnergy Science Center.

• Key plant traits yield more sugar for biofuels

  New clues about plant structure are helping researchers from the Department of Energy's BioEnergy Science Center narrow down a large collection of poplar tree candidates and identify winners for future use in biofuel production.

• Neutron analysis yields insight into bacteria for solar energy

  Structural studies of some of nature's most efficient light-harvesting systems are lighting the way for new generations of biologically inspired solar cell devices.

Microbial Ecology and Physiology Group

The Microbial Ecology and Physiology Group focuses on microbial ecology and genomics of environmental organisms. The research is concerned with the basic science underlying bioenergy production,  bioremediation efforts, carbon cycling and sequestration, as well as other uses of biotechnology. The research couples molecular biology, DNA technology, genomics, and bioreporter techniques with traditional microbiological methods to investigate microbial communities and the processes by which microorganisms transform materials and energy. The goal of these investigations is to increase the understanding of bioenergy production, microbial ecology, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, and microbial degradation of hazardous contaminants; to demonstrate application of innovative microbial techniques and bioremediation approaches in solving the U. S. Department of Energy's (DOE) and the nation's sediment, soil, surface water, and ground water contamination problems; and to transfer new technology to industry. Much of the funding for the group is provided by the DOE Office of Biological and Environmental Research (OBER), and by the DOE Office of Fossil Energy.  The group participates in the research conducted at ORNL by the Bioenergy Science Center (BESC).

Further details are on the website. http://www.ornl.gov/sci/ees/bsd/mss/

(Contact: David E. Graham, grahamde@ornl.gov, 865-574-0559 )