US Department of Energy

Using high-powered laser interferometers to determine if space-time is a quantum system made up of countless tiny bits of information, Fermilab scientists are conducting an experiment to see if the universe is "real" or a holographic 3-D illusion.

There may soon be a new use for discarded tires. Researchers from the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have devised a method of harvesting the carbon black from them, and using it to make anodes for better-performing lithium-ion batteries.

A team of researchers is seeking to challenge the theory that the anode, cathode and electrolyte of a battery can only work independently, experimenting with a dual functioning electrolyte that supplements the cathode, resulting in a significant improvement of the battery's capacity and lifespan.

For the past 26 years, the US Department of Energy (DOE), in partnership with the North American auto industry, has sponsored Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions (AVTCs). This year, teams are tasked with updating the iconic Chevrolet Camaro muscle car into a hybrid-electric vehicle.

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the US Department of Energy’s Joint BioEnergy Institute have engineered a bacterium that could yield a new source of high-energy hydrocarbon fuel for rocketry and other aerospace uses.

The best advice for surviving a nuclear bomb is to be somewhere else when it goes off. If that doesn't work out for you, though, a recent study carried out at the USDOE's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) provides some simple guidance for maximizing your chances of survival.

An inexpensive, high capacity, organic battery has been developed at Harvard. The technology, which uses carbon-based materials as electrolytes rather than metals, stands to improve the reliability and uptake of renewable energy.

Engineers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have created a continuous process that produces useful crude oil minutes after harvested algae is introduced. The final product of this process can be refined into aviation fuel, diesel, or gasoline.

A team of scientists from the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has demonstrated a robotic muscle with 1,000 times more power than that of a human's, and which has the ability to catapult items 50 times its own weight.

The Empowerhouse won first prize in the Affordability category of the 2011 US Solar Decathlon and was redesigned to become the first house in the city of Washington, DC built to Passive House standards. Its first family speak of a brighter future in their ultra-energy-efficient home.

Team Austria (Vienna University of Technology) has been announced the overall winner of Solar Decathlon 2013 after the closest competition in the history of the event. Second place went to University of Nevada Las Vegas, with the Czech Technical University achieving third place overall.

Researchers at the USDOE's Jefferson Accelerator Laboratory have measured the weak charge of the proton for the first time. Early results from the Q-Weak experiment find the weak charge of the proton and the neutron to be consistent with predictions of the Standard Model.