Science Highlights

Approximately 1,700 scientists visit SSRL annually to conduct experiments in broad disciplines including life sciences, materials, environmental science, and accelerator physics. Science highlights featured here and in our monthly newsletter, Headlines, increase the visibility of user science as well as the important contribution of SSRL in facilitating basic and applied scientific research. Many of these scientific highlights have been included in reports to funding agencies and have been picked up by other media. Users are strongly encouraged to contact us when exciting results are about to be published. We can work with users and the SLAC Office of Communication to develop the story and to communicate user research findings to a much broader audience. 

Science Highlight Archive Science Highlight Banner Images

Experiments Provide First Direct Signatures of a Topological Insulator - a New Phase of Quantum Matter

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One of the strangest consequences of quantum mechanics is the seemingly instantaneous communication of subatomic particles over long distances.

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Localizing Organomercury Uptake and Accumulation in Zebrafish Larvae at the Tissue and Cellular Level

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Organomercury is a well-known poison, and the potential for exposure worries many communities worldwide.

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Ions in the Clutches of Carbon Nanotubes

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Currently, more than 1/6th of the people in the world lack safe and clean water.

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The Competition for Iron Impacts the Global Carbon Cycle

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Phytoplankton are microorganisms that live in the ocean surface waters and are important because they act as lungs for the planet, consuming carbon dioxide and producing oxygen.

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A Golden Ruler Used to Measure DNA Structure in Solution

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DNA is softer and stretchier than previously believed, at least on the short length scales of up to 20 base pairs.

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Structure of the Ebola Virus Glycoprotein Bound to an Antibody from a Human Survivor

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Scientists are one step closer to conquering the deadly Ebolavirus, thanks to research conducted at SSRL structural biology Beam Lines 9-2 and 11-1 and ALS Beam Line 5.02 by

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Structures and Activities Shed Light into Cancer and Aging Phenotypes of Helicase XPD Mutations

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Scientists are one step closer to understanding a piece of the machinery involved in DNA transcription and repair, thanks to work done in part at the SSRL macromolecular crystallogr

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Structure of the Membrane Proximal Oxidoreductase Domain of Human Steap3, the Dominant Ferrireductase of the Erythroid Transferrin Cycle

Figure 1Iron plays an integral role in many biochemical processes essential for life.

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Electronic Structure of LaOFeP - a Different Type of High Temperature Superconductor

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The recent discovery of superconductivity in iron-based layered compounds known as iron oxypnictides has renewed interest in high-temperature superconductivity.

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Panoramic Holography: Toward a Single Shot Stopwatch

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Panoramic images are captivating in any form, with their wide field of view and extremely high resolution.

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Collaborate on Science Highlights

We can work with users and the SLAC Office of Communication to develop the story and to communicate user research findings to a much broader audience. 

SSRL User Office