New Atlas

Science Audio available

Melted remains of Hiroshima discovered on beaches seven miles from nuclear bomb site

Anthony Wood May 15, 2019

Tiny glassy particles that litter the beaches near Hiroshima in Japan are likely the resolidified remains of the city destroyed by a US atomic bomb on the morning of August 6, 1945, according to the results of a newly published study.

Particles collected from the sands near Hiroshima, some of which were coated in layers of silica, ...

Materials Audio available

New recyclable plastic can break its molecular bonds and start over

Michael Irving May 7, 2019

The vast majority of plastic waste can’t be recycled, meaning it ends up in landfills or the ocean. To help curb the problem, researchers at Berkeley Lab have now designed a new type of plastic that can apparently be reduced right back to its molecular parts, before being remade over and over.

Berkeley Lab researchers have developed a new type of plastic (not pictured) that can be broken ...

Space

Dark Energy instrument snaps its first shot of the sky

Michael Irving April 3, 2019

The first images from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) were snapped this week. DESI is designed to hunt for clues about dark energy by building a comprehensive 3D map of the sky. On April 1 DESI achieved “first light” with a mesmerizing image of the Whirlpool Galaxy.

The "first light" image taken by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), showing the red light ...

Environment Audio available

DNA study shows bacteria mixing and matching genes to survive

Michael Irving March 7, 2019

You can check the health of an environment by taking a census of the microorganisms that call it home. Researchers at Berkeley Lab have developed a new way to get a larger snapshot of what’s going on, looking specifically at the genes bacteria pass around to help each other adapt to a changing world

Researchers have found a new way to study the genes that bacteria swap to give each ...

Energy

Fluoride-based battery challenges lithium for stability and stamina

Michael Irving December 6, 2018

A new study shows how fluoride might be put to work in better batteries. Researchers at Caltech, JPL, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and the Honda Research Institute have developed fluoride-based batteries that could potentially last much longer than existing lithium-ion-based devices.

A fluoride ion (pink) floating in a liquid BTFE electrolyte

Energy

Hybrid cell turns sunlight and water into hydrogen and electricity

Michael Irving October 29, 2018

Artificial photosynthesis devices can split water into hydrogen and oxygen, but they still suffer from some efficiency issues. Now a new hybrid device may be able to recover some of the energy that would otherwise go to waste, by producing both hydrogen and electricity.

A new hybrid device could use artificial photosynthesis to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, and ...

Science

Ancient Egyptian pigment may find use on power-saving roofs

Ben Coxworth October 11, 2018

Thousands of years ago, the ancient Egyptians created a blue pigment which they used in their depictions of gods and royalty. Derived from calcium copper silicate, the substance is now known as Egyptian blue – and it could be used to both save power and generate electricity.

Egyptian blue is considered to be the world's first synthetic pigment

Energy

Nanoparticles are dyeing to convert infrared to visible light for solar cells

Michael Irving April 23, 2018

Most solar cells only capture the visible light. Now, researchers at Berkeley Labs have developed a way to use nanoparticles coated in special organic dyes to convert near-infrared light into visible light, which could allow solar cells to harvest more of the spectrum.

A close-up artist's rendition of an upconverting nanoparticle: after the nanoparticle has absorbed infrared light, an ...

3D Printing

Nanoscale "supersoap" allows liquid 3D structures to be printed within other liquids

Dario Borghino March 30, 2018

A new technique developed at Berkeley Lab allows liquid 3D structures to be printed within other liquids. This new form of 3D printing could give rise to flexible and stretchable liquid electronics, aid chemical synthesis, or serve as a transport and delivery system for nanoscale particles.

A new technique allows for all-liquid 3D printing, with applications in flexible and stretchable electronics, medicine, ...

Space

Ancient "ocean world" may have seeded meteorites with life's ingredients

Michael Irving January 10, 2018

Two meteorites that fell in 1998 were found to contain traces of liquid water and organic compounds vital to life. Now, a comprehensive chemical analysis of them suggests their organic matter could come from an ancient ocean world, giving them the potential to kickstart life wherever they land.

A tiny blue crystal containing organic compounds, taken from one of the meteorites