News
The initial steps of ice cloud formation – key for climate understanding – observed in the laboratory
Released: December 20, 2016
Scientists recreate ice clouds in the laboratory and document the first steps of cloud formation.
For first time, researchers measure properties of water at deeply supercooled temperatures
Released: December 14, 2016
Water -- unlike other substances -- has oddities. Among them, its solid form is less dense than its liquid form. The results of this study provide valuable insight into how water behaves.
Applications accepted until Dec. 31
Released: December 12, 2016
EMSL's Terrestrial and Subsurface Ecosystems science program has an opening for a postdoctoral researcher who has direct experience and expertise in the investigation of ecosystems at either field or laboratory scale.
Activities include a town hall, talks and poster presentations
Released: December 09, 2016
EMSL scientists are holding a town hall and presenting talks and technical posters at the American Geophysical Union Fall meeting Dec. 12-16 in San Francisco.
State-of-the-art mass spectrometer delivers unprecedented capability
Released: December 05, 2016
By greatly advancing molecular-level understanding of complex systems, the revolutionary mass spectrometry capability will enable better-informed technical and policy decisions affecting environmental remediation, waste processing, energy production and associated impacts to the environment.
The reference work is an authoritative, comprehensive review of spectroscopy
Released: December 01, 2016
EMSL's David Koppenaal is a co-editor of a major revision of the Encyclopedia of Spectroscopy and Spectrometry that includes articles by several EMSL scientists.
Transformation happens quickly, study shows
Released: November 30, 2016
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers used EMSL expertise and resources to validate carbon dioxide injected deep into basalt formations become a carbonate mineral after a few years.
The 'hometown effect,' genetics play key roles
Released: November 28, 2016
A research team used EMSL resources to study the roles early environmental exposure and genetics play in shaping the gut microbiome in mice.
Researchers peer inside catalytic mineral used in oil processing to investigate why it clogs
Released: November 28, 2016
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers used EMSL and Advanced Light Source capabilities to understand how zeolite catalysts become clogged to improve their lifespans.
Released: November 22, 2016
Could your research use a boost? Plan now to attend EMSL’s town hall at the AGU Fall Meeting in December.
ECASIA'17 is a major international event in surface and interface analysis
Released: November 17, 2016
EMSL Science Theme Lead Don Baer will join the scientific advisory committee for the 17th European Conference on Applications of Surface and Interface Analysis to be held September 2017 in France.
Project funded by $3.59M DOE grant
Released: November 16, 2016
EMSL scientist Mary Lipton is a co-PI on a three-year Cornell University-led study funded by DOE to understand soil microbes and the carbon cycle.
International workshop held for the first time in U.S.
Released: November 15, 2016
EMSL recently hosted the 3rd international workshop on Advanced Techniques in Actinide Spectroscopy attended by nearly 60 scientists from around the world.
His three-year appointment starts 2017
Released: November 11, 2016
AVS members have chosen EMSL senior scientist Mark Engelhard to be an executive committee member for the Society's Applied Surface Science Division.
Call for FY 2018 proposals includes two tracks –Science Theme Research and FICUS
Released: November 07, 2016
EMSL's annual call for proposals opens Jan. 3. The FY 2018 call will offer two tracks – Science Theme Research and FICUS, with the DOE JGI – each track will have its own closing date.
Research at EMSL featured in Science, Nature and PNAS journals
Released: November 04, 2016
Scientists publish their research in peer-reviewed scientific journals to share the significance of their findings for the greater good of the scientific community. Top-tier journals – Science, Nature and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences – featured several studies conducted at EMSL, including modifying cells to produce biofuels;...
Released: November 01, 2016
In this issue, read about research at EMSL, FY 2017 FICUS projects and a new pilot program.
Snacking on fracking fluid sustains microbes, enlivens the chemical mix
Released: October 31, 2016
Microbes have a remarkable ability to adapt to the extreme conditions in fracking wells, according to a study published in the October issue of Nature Microbiology.
Insights into the formation of foraminifera Orbulina universa could improve the accuracy of climate models
Released: October 31, 2016
A group of marine protozoans with a fossil record that extends back to the earliest Cambrian period will help researchers adjust their approach for more accurate climate information.
Visitors at EMSL to discuss collaboration opportunities
Released: October 25, 2016
UCLA-DOE Institute principal investigators recently visited EMSL to discuss possible collaborative research projects. While at EMSL, the visitors presented a series of seminars before touring labs and meeting with staff.
Results quantitatively improve previous conceptual models describing microbial metabolic networks in oxygen minimum zones
Released: October 24, 2016
The integration of biogeochemistry and multi-omic sequence data provides holistic insight into microbial metabolic networks.
She will serve as an adviser to the ACS proteome journal
Released: October 24, 2016
Laboratory Fellow and EMSL lead scientist Lili Paša-Tolić will join the editorial advisory board for Journal of Proteome Research, a peer-reviewed journal that publishes research on global protein analysis and function.
Experimental and computational studies used to understand how a volatile organic compound from pine trees helps form new atmospheric aerosol particles
Released: October 21, 2016
An international team improved scientific understanding of atmospheric organic aerosols formation.
Enzyme has the highest known activity for hydrolyzing recalcitrant crystalline cellulose found in plant cell walls
Released: October 20, 2016
A multi-institutional team of researchers collaborated on a microbial enzyme that shows promise for converting plant biomass to fuels and chemicals.
Combining DOE JGI and EMSL capabilities for greater scientific impact
Released: October 19, 2016
Work on the 10 FY 2017 FICUS projects began Oct. 1, highlighting the synergy between DOE JGI and EMSL. These Office of Science user facilities teamed up to provide complementary capabilities to expand scientific understanding.
In situ real-time imaging now possible for solid-liquid interface
Released: October 17, 2016
Scientists at PNNL and EMSL used EMSL capabilities to develop a way to make in situ real-time imaging of solid-liquid interface possible, which has implications for energy storage and production.
Researchers license patents to improve technologies that advance science
Released: October 14, 2016
EMSL scientist Ryan Kelly is part of PNNL team recognized for developing technologies improving mass spectrometry for use in chemical, biological and medical applications.
Released: October 12, 2016
EMSL scientist Scott Lea is leading a DOE Office of Science-funded program to develop an imaging method that uses three chemical imaging techniques -- the first of its kind.
Researchers study processes causing aerosol layers in the mid-Atlantic coastal atmosphere
Released: October 10, 2016
A multi-institutional team of scientists used resources at EMSL and other user facilities to study the processes that contribute to the motion and distribution of atmospheric particles to more accurately simulate them in models to improve climate and weather projections.
Released: October 07, 2016
Associate Laboratory Director Allison Campbell talks with EMSL's new Director Liyuan Liang about her education and career history and her studies of mercury transformation in the environment.
Honoree presents seminar on his battery research done at EMSL
Released: September 29, 2016
Manjula Nandasiri, now a research scientist at Montana State University, accepted EMSL's 2015 M.T. Thomas Award for Outstanding Postdoctoral Achievement at a recognition ceremony on Sept. 27. Nandasiri earned the award for the quality of his work, his impactful publications and his major accomplishments while at EMSL.
Highly ordered iron nanoparticles found in close association with wetland plant roots in the rhizosphere may be key to immobilizing uranium in wetlands
Released: September 23, 2016
Iron nanoparticles enriched near wetland plants bind natural organic matter and slow the flow of groundwater contaminants.
Radioactive material acts like a salt, could benefit nuclear detectors and reactors
Released: September 22, 2016
Plutonium has ties to energy, security and environmental cleanup. Scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Washington State University used RadEMSL and found plutonium's behavior in PuF4 can be attributed to the hoarding of electrons by the atoms.
Cutting-edge sequencing overcomes grand challenge in soil metagenomics
Released: September 22, 2016
Soil microorganisms provide key functions for life on Earth. Long and accurate reads from Moleculo sequencing may point the way to a direct, reliable assessment of how communities of soil microbiomes function.
Streamlined proposal call focuses on aerosol sampling at ARM site with analysis at EMSL
Released: September 20, 2016
A collaborative agreement launched last December allowed scientists to use EMSL and the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility to study how molecular-level processes affect the atmosphere. Scientists submitted a single proposal to the joint call to use the capabilities of both ARM and EMSL to do science that could not be done...
Released: September 20, 2016
John Shilling, EMSL's Atmospheric Aerosol Systems Science Theme lead, answers questions about atmospheric aerosol research, including its scientific importance, the societal implications of the findings and EMSL’s role in aerosol research.
Scientists discover a way to control the electrical current in a new ultra-thin layered material
Released: September 15, 2016
Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Minnesota working at EMSL and other facilities found a way to control the electrical current in a new ultra-thin layered material.
New computational methods enable custom peptide design for drug discovery
Released: September 14, 2016
This major advance in peptide-based drug discovery provides the foundation for development of a new generation of peptide-based drugs with enhanced pharmacological properties.
Harnessing wood-degrading fungi could be key to efficient biofuel production
Released: September 14, 2016
A recent paper in PNAS explains how brown rot fungi efficiently degrades wood and could lead to efficient and cost-effective renewable energy production.
Highly efficient and lower-cost sodium-ion batteries could replace lithium-ion batteries for large-scale grid and electric vehicle energy storage needs
Released: September 13, 2016
Sodium-Ion batteries promising for widespread use.
Computational chemistry code set to grow under new ECP project
Released: September 13, 2016
Battelle Fellow Thom Dunning will lead the NWChemEx project, a four-year effort for the national Exascale Computing Project. NWChemEx will enhance EMSL's NWChem computational chemistry code to take full advantage of exascale computing technologies.
Scientists precisely measure the charge state of manganese
Released: September 12, 2016
A team of scientists devised an easy-to-implement method that determines the oxidation state of manganese using an EMSL instrument, which has implications for water and soil quality.
DOE-funded pilot program will create novel live-cell imaging capability
Released: September 09, 2016
The DOE Office of Science awarded EMSL three-year funding of almost $1M per year for a pilot program to develop an innovative chemical imaging platform to interrogate biomolecules in living systems. EMSL scientist Scott Lea will lead the multi-institutional project team.
Researcher at EMSL tapped for knowledge of rock chemistry, microbial life
Released: September 06, 2016
EMSL scientist Sherry Cady, a geomicrobiologist, is a member of a research team searching for fossilized life on Mars.
Microbial communities adapt and thrive in extreme fracking conditions
Released: September 06, 2016
Many factors support long-term microbial persistence and adaptation to extreme environmental conditions in hydraulically fractured shales.
Liang will be doing lots of listening to staff, users and sponsors
Released: August 22, 2016
Renowned chemist Liyuan Liang is the new director of EMSL. A longtime user, she has plans to elevate the recognition of EMSL's sciences and make it the best facility of its kind in the world.
Sticky organic molecules hop aboard oily floaters and may influence the amount of sunlight reflected by marine clouds
Released: August 15, 2016
Scientists used EMSL resources to study how sugar and fatty molecules from decaying microalgae near the ocean surface bind together and get sea-sprayed into the atmosphere, seeding marine clouds.
Naturally derived organic coatings on sulfate particles from fossil fuel combustion affect the formation of Secondary Organic Aerosols
Released: August 01, 2016
A better understanding of isoprene transformation in the atmosphere could improve climate and air quality.
Fast-growth cyanobacteria have allure for biofuel, chemical production
Released: August 01, 2016
A team of scientists used EMSL resources to study an ultra-robust, fast-growing, light-loving cyanobacteria whose unique properties could be useful for making economically viable biofuels and other bioproducts.
A photochemical process yields precisely controlled gold nanocrystals for industry
Released: July 29, 2016
New study reveals novel insights into molecular mechanisms driving the growth of gold nanocrystals.
PNNL-led, 5-year $50M effort seeks to almost triple energy stored in electric car batteries
Released: July 28, 2016
Led by PNNL and using EMSL capabilities, the Battery500 consortium is a multi-institutional partnership challenged with developing the most powerful next-generation lithium batteries for electric cars.
She will advise on the use and development of facilities
Released: July 27, 2016
Laboratory Fellow Ljiljana Paša-Tolić will join the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory's users’ advisory subcommittee starting in January 2017.
Predictive understanding of molecular transformations central to energy and other science themes
Released: July 27, 2016
EMSL supplants its Energy Materials and Processes Science Theme with Molecular Transformations Science Theme for a greater focus on a predictive understanding of molecular transformations in biology and chemistry.
Genomic and proteomic analyses reveal diversity in carbon turnover and other degradation processes
Released: July 26, 2016
Genomic and proteomic analyses of multiple types of fungi reveal diversity of decomposition enzymes involved in carbon turnover and other degradation processes.
Researchers used diesel pollution to understand how soot forms ice in cirrus clouds
Released: July 25, 2016
A team of scientists used EMSL capabilities to study how altering diesel soot properties in the atmosphere affect ice crystal concentration observed in cirrus clouds.
Integration 2016 focuses on multiscale ecosystems analysis and design
Released: July 21, 2016
Make sure you register for Integration 2016 scheduled for Sept. 12 and 13 at EMSL. The agenda includes a science meeting with keynote and plenary presentations and a workshop with tutorials on rhizosphere science challenges and recent innovations.
He will oversee EMSL's science vision for aerosol research
Released: July 13, 2016
EMSL leadership has appointed John Shilling Atmospheric Aerosol Systems Science Theme lead, a role he has held in an interim capacity.
New findings may improve predictions using decomposition models plus shed light on potential changes in protein activity
Released: July 12, 2016
A team of researchers conducted molecular dynamics simulations to determine how interactions with surfaces of five common soil minerals affect the structure of a small bacterial protein called Gb1.
Recognized for his research in energy and atmospheric materials
Released: July 12, 2016
EMSL has selected Manjula Nandasiri to receive the 2015 M.T. Thomas Award for Outstanding Postdoctoral Achievement. His research focuses on surface analysis of materials for catalysis, energy production and storage, and environmental and biological applications using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
Scientists show how water molecules add unwanted stability
Released: July 05, 2016
Scientists from PNNL and Technische Universität München used EMSL computational resources to discover how water interferes with two oxygen-removal paths of a zeolite catalyst by creating a highly stable intermediate, impacting the production of biofuels.
Using community-level data to reconstruct elusive multi-species metabolic networks
Released: July 01, 2016
Scientists use EMSL capabilities to help devise a new method to model and predict the metabolic interactions across species in microbial communities that could be used to better understand and improve the production of biofuels and biochemicals.
Ovarian cancer study focuses on proteins, cancer biology's key molecular players
Released: June 30, 2016
In what is believed to be the largest study of its kind, scientists at PNNL, Johns Hopkins University and other institutions used EMSL capabilities to analyze proteins in ovarian cancer tumors to help researchers identify the biological factors of ovarian cancer patients who suffer from the most malignant form of the disease.
EMSL’s bi-monthly newsletter: The Molecular Bond
Released: June 29, 2016
In this issue: A feature on four of EMSL's current postdocs and their research interests; articles on EMSL's new director, registration information for EMSL Integration 2016, two new PNNL Laboratory Fellows at EMSL and an EMSL scientist receives DOE Early Career funding; and science highlights.
Postdocs develop expertise in broad-reaching research and applicable techniques
Released: June 26, 2016
EMSL offers postdoctoral researchers, better known as postdocs, a unique opportunity to explore their personal research interests, collaborate with a community of users, assist an internationally recognized team of scientists, and enhance personal skills and expertise as they develop themselves for a career in the sciences. Four current EMSL...
Stahl to focus more on EMSL's biological sciences efforts
Released: June 22, 2016
Laboratory Fellow Lili Paša-Tolić will assume the role of interim chief scientist for the EMSL user program currently held by David Stahl, who will become the EMSL chief scientist for microbiology.
Researchers address DOE mesoscale sciences and bioimaging challenges
Released: June 16, 2016
An international research team using EMSL capabilities has developed a new technique that lets scientists study a cell membrane in unmatched detail and examine cell dynamics at the molecular level.
New research sheds light on variability of host responses to viral infection
Released: June 14, 2016
Researchers gained a better understanding of infection efficiency regulation in an emerging environmental Bacteroidetes virus model system.
Device an innovation for in situ studies
Released: June 14, 2016
EMSL scientist Zihua Zhu and a team of PNNL scientists recently received a patent for a device that allows imaging instruments to study liquid samples reacting in real-time and a realistic environment.
Carbon-rich nanorods exhibit unique behavior
Released: June 13, 2016
This is the first example of an inorganic nanomaterial adsorbing water at low humidity and releasing it at higher humidity; furthermore, this is believed to be the first experimental observation of confinement-mediated solvent cavitation in any nanomaterial.
Integration 2016 focuses on multiscale ecosystems analysis and design
Released: June 10, 2016
Register now for EMSL Integration 2016 to be held Sept. 12 and 13 at EMSL. This year’s meeting focuses on multiscale ecosystems analysis and design. Mary Firestone, University of California at Berkeley, is the keynote speaker. The agenda also includes plenary speakers, tutorials and more.
With mid-ocean hunger pangs, SAR 11 has two metabolic pathways ready for action
Released: June 09, 2016
An international team of scientists working at EMSL studied the metabolic strategies in the ocean bacterium Pelagibacterales, or SAR11, which account for a third of all microbes living on the surface of the world's oceans.
Fixing interior defects could lead to a more stable, efficient catalyst for biofuel production
Released: June 08, 2016
Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and EMSL demonstrated how defects deep inside a zeolite catalyst could be fixed, allowing the catalyst to drive reactions in hot water, a common environment for materials involved in converting biomass into fuels.
She brings extensive experience addressing nation’s scientific challenges
Released: June 07, 2016
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distinguished Scientist Liyuan Liang has been appointed director of EMSL. She will join the user facility mid-summer.
Lab Fellow one of highest honors conferred by PNNL
Released: June 06, 2016
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory recently bestowed one of its highest honors on EMSL scientists Ljiljana Paša-Tolić and Timothy Scheibe by naming them Laboratory Fellows.
Researchers review factors that influence the scaling of subsurface reactions
Released: June 03, 2016
Geoscientists develop a comprehensive review of the factors that influence scaling geochemical and biogeochemical reactions, and using EMSL resources devised a mathematical formula that accurately scales different results.
Research team studying microbes' effects on climate, food production and human health
Released: June 01, 2016
EMSL scientist Ljiljana Paša-Tolić is part of a core group of researchers helping to lead a national effort to understand communities of microorganisms and their role in climate science, food production and human health.
Applications accepted until June 16
Released: May 27, 2016
The Terrestrial and Subsurface Ecosystems science program at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) in Richland, WA has an opening for a Postdoctoral Research staff member. We are seeking a high-performing recently graduated Ph.D. scientist interested in conducting integrated experimental and modeling research in the area of...
Manganese oxides found in some minerals interact with proteins to release organic nitrogen compounds into soils
Released: May 27, 2016
A team of scientists characterized reactions of a model protein to understand how minerals interact with proteins to affect nitrogen availability in soil environments.
Precipitation events in agricultural areas and grasslands might be important contributors to cloud formation
Released: May 26, 2016
The findings suggest raindrop-induced formation of solid organic particles from soils may be a widespread phenomenon in ecosystems, such as agricultural systems and grasslands, where soils are exposed to strong, episodic precipitation events.
Understanding how methane forms could improve catalysts for fuel production
Released: May 20, 2016
The findings have broad applicability for developing technologies to make and activate methane for alternative fuel as well as reducing greenhouse gas warming.
Antimony fails to work inside a magnesium battery, but it's just what tin needs to store energy
Released: May 20, 2016
Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and EMSL found the interface between antimony and tin stabilizes an alloy electrode in higher capacity magnesium batteries; this offers insights into the interface and adds to the scientific foundation necessary for new energy technologies.
Water droplets defy predictions, offering insights into fuel cells and cloud formation
Released: May 12, 2016
Scientists working at EMSL made a "stop action movie" showing tiny ice crystals melting and eventually wetting a platinum surface using a nanoscale technique they devised; the physics of wetting is crucial to making fuel cells and understanding cloud formation.
Studying how atmospheric aerosol particles form could improve climate models
Released: May 11, 2016
Findings suggest dicarboxylic acid homodimer complexes play an important role in promoting the formation and growth of atmospheric aerosol particles.
Direct imaging of two chemical processes shows reason behind material's collapse
Released: May 10, 2016
For the first time, a team of scientists using EMSL capabilities obtained an atomic view of two key processes in batteries as they are charged. This study offers new insights about the underlying principles involved in energy storage.
She oversees the user facility's communications activities
Released: May 09, 2016
Denice Bruce is EMSL's new communications lead effective May 2. She will direct the user facility's communications program.
Data acquisition time dramatically reduced and metabolite identification amplified
Released: May 09, 2016
Data acquisition time was dramatically reduced and metabolite identification amplified using new synthetic biology-based engineering method.
Program provides support to exceptional researchers
Released: May 04, 2016
DOE's Office of Science has named Kirsten Hofmockel, EMSL scientist, and 48 other scientists to receive significant funding for research as part of DOE’s Early Career Research Program.
Raindrop splash is a surprise source of fine soil particles in the atmosphere
Released: May 03, 2016
A team of scientists using the capabilities at three DOE user facilities study how rain triggers the release of particles from wet soils into the air, a finding with consequences for climate.
New way of building supercapacitor-battery electrodes eliminates interference
Released: May 03, 2016
A team of scientists improved hybrid battery materials using ion soft-landing. The technique produced better performing electrodes that could improve rechargeable batteries. The study was published in Nature Communications.
She will help support users’ mass spectrometry needs
Released: May 02, 2016
Mary Lipton has been named capability lead for EMSL’s mass spectrometry capability. She started in her new role on May 1.
Released: April 28, 2016
In this issue: A feature on how the Facilities Integrating Collaborations for User Science, or FICUS, program is enhancing user studies at EMSL and DOE JGI; articles on the dedication ceremony for the 21T mass spectrometer, EMSL Integration 2016, JMR Paper of the Year now a video, EMSL scientist named a principal editor of JMR and special issue...
Dual collaborations using EMSL and DOE JGI to speed and amplify research impact
Released: April 28, 2016
The EMSL and Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute annual collaborative call for proposals known as Facilities Integrating Collaborations for User Science, or FICUS, program helps researchers generate datasets unique to the two facilities, but beyond what could be generated by either facility by itself. FICUS is enhancing a variety of...
New insights into lipid metabolism in yeast could benefit biofuel production
Released: April 25, 2016
A team of researchers studied metabolic pathways that regulate lipid accumulation in the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. Their findings could improve lipid yields and enhance the efficiency of biofuel production.
Renewable energy storage possible thanks to chemical conversions
Released: April 22, 2016
Scientists working at EMSL and PNNL discover why zinc-manganese batteries stop working after a few charges and how to fix the problem. The findings could make zinc-manganese oxide batteries a more viable solution for large-scale energy storage.
Study unravels a bacterium's protein pathways to digesting tough cellulose
Released: April 21, 2016
Scientists doing some of their research at EMSL found a bacterium in the rumen of cows and other herbivores may hold the key to breaking down cellulose in plant matter, opening the way to clean-energy biofuels.
The secret is to stay at the right temperature
Released: April 20, 2016
A team of scientists working at EMSL cracked the secret to growing clean, ultra-thin layers of molybdenum trioxide, or α-MoO3, with potential use in smart windows, lithium-ion batteries, LEDs and biosensors.
Award recognizes six years of hard work and dedication
Released: April 18, 2016
DOE recently presented its Achievement Award to the Office of Science's High Resolution and Mass Accuracy Capability Development Project that led to the development of EMSL's 21T FTICR mass spectrometer.
Unique capability enables researchers to identify molecules involved in processes related to biology, environment and energy
Released: April 14, 2016
Officials and scientists gathered on April 14 at EMSL to celebrate the science that will be made possible by the 21T mass spectrometer, which is available for use by scientists around the world.
Released: April 12, 2016
EMSL's annual science meeting, EMSL Integration 2016: Multiscale Ecosystems Analysis & Design, will be held Sept. 12-13 at EMSL in Richland, Wash.