Berkeley Lab

06/17/2026

What happens when scientists no longer have to wait months for answers?

A new Scientific American feature highlights A-Lab at Berkeley Lab, where researchers are exploring how autonomous experimentation can reshape the pace of scientific discovery.

"I've also learned that speed makes people think differently," says Berkeley Lab scientist Gerbrand Ceder. "When people get rapid answers, they stay engaged with things, and they tend to ask different questions."

The future of science may not just be about doing research faster. It may be about asking better questions.

Read the full story via link in comments below 🦾⬇️ / Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

📷: A robotic gripper moves cup-shaped containers among trays of prepared samples. (Credit: Marilyn Sargent / Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

06/17/2026

Science doesn't stop when the workday ends.

Berkeley Lab's A-Lab is featured in a new Scientific American story exploring how and are helping researchers run experiments 24 hours a day and accelerate discovery.

"Our job is to show that you can double the pace of science by using AI appropriately," says Berkeley Lab Director Michael Witherell.

By combining autonomous experimentation, AI, and world-class computing resources, researchers are exploring new ways to tackle some of society's biggest challenges.

Read the full story via link in comments below 🦾⬇️

06/15/2026

Developed through more than 15-years of collaborative R&D, the laser phase plate is boosting the power of electron microscopy. Scientists can now generate detailed maps of the small molecules and cell structures that are crucial for understanding the biology that drives disease, but have been out of reach of existing cryo-EM systems. 🔬

🔗 Learn more via link in comments below ⬇️

🎥: A visualization of the dual-laser phase plate — a collaboration between UC Berkeley and Biohub. Two precision mirrors bounce laser light back and forth, building to an intensity 100 million times brighter than the Sun’s surface, enabling scientists to see the detailed inner workings of cells with more clarity and contrast than ever before. (Credit: Alexandre Dizeux)

University of California
UC Berkeley
Biohub

06/12/2026

Scientists can now image smaller molecules that are critical to biomedical research using a new form of cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM).

"Before, studying structures with cryo-EM was like trying to look at paintings in a dark gallery. With Theia, it’s like the lights have been turned on for the first time." — Holger Müller, Berkeley Lab Faculty Scientist and UC Berkeley professor.

Developed by Berkeley Lab, UC Berkeley, and Biohub, the new technology enables researchers to study molecular structures that were previously out of reach, opening new possibilities for understanding biology and disease.

Learn more via link in comments below ⬇️

University of California

06/09/2026

Aeron Tynes Hammack used his expertise in physics, nanofabrication, and AI to develop antibiotic therapies using . By moving past conventional treatments, this field hopes to address the growing antibiotic resistance crisis. His work is an incredible example of the innovations that come from cross-disciplinary work.

Learn more about his story in our new Q&A via link in comments below.

🎥: This time-lapse video, taken with phase contrast microscopy, shows pathogenic E. coli bacteria being killed by phages that have evolved to precisely target that strain. The blue circles capture the moment when the phage activity kills the bacterial cell by causing its membrane to burst open. The streamlined process developed by Hammack and his colleagues greatly accelerates the process of finding the right phage to target an infectious bacteria. (Credit: Erya Dordi and Quentin Lamy-Besnier)

Molecular Foundry

06/05/2026

Happy International Donut Day! 🍩

What do donuts and the cyclotron have in common? They're both round. One changed breakfast. The other changed physics.

Berkeley Lab founder Ernest O. Lawrence's cyclotron wasn't shaped like a donut, but it did rely on two D-shaped electrodes called "dees" to accelerate charged particles in a spiral path.

In this archival video, Lawrence explains the concept himself. Nearly a century later, it's still fascinating to hear the inventor tell the story.

🎥 Watch the demonstration ⬇️

06/04/2026

Congratulations to incoming Berkeley Lab Director Kathy Yelick on receiving the AI Honors Public Science Award from the Washington AI Network.

A pioneer in high-performance computing and machine learning, Yelick has helped advance the computing tools that power discoveries across science. On July 1, she will become Berkeley Lab's Director, making history as the first computer scientist to lead the Lab in its 90-year history.

This recognition reflects a career dedicated to expanding the frontiers of computing and advancing science for the benefit of society. DOE Undersecretary for Science Dario Gil presented the award.

06/02/2026

✅ 15,000 miles of fiber
✅ 85 terabits per second of capacity
✅ 2.6 exabytes of scientific data moved each year

The Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) at Berkeley Lab connects the people, places, and instruments driving scientific discovery through AI-driven operations and quantum networking.

“As with most key infrastructure, when a high-performance network like ESnet works well, it’s invisible to our users,” says Inder Monga, Executive Director of ESnet. “That invisibility can be a handicap when it comes to public awareness, but it is also one of ESnet’s superpowers. This video reveals the breadth of ESnet’s reach as well as the depth of our mission to support the future of U.S. science around the globe.”

05/18/2026

“There are millions of different stars. We spend years exploring whether a star has life or water. In most cases, we fail. But if you find the one that does, it will be a breakthrough,” says Berkeley Lab Researcher Chaochao Dun.

“Chaochao has this boundless willingness to dive into the deep end of the pool and figure out how to swim when he gets there. That is a rare quality. People seek comfort, doing the things they know how to do.”
– Jeff Urban, senior chemist and longtime collaborator with Dun at the Molecular Foundry.

Materials science has spent decades chasing purity—fewer elements, cleaner crystals, and more control. Chaochao Dun’s work runs in the opposite direction. At the Molecular Foundry at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, he makes materials by cramming 5, 10, even 25 different elements onto a single crystal lattice.

Current affiliation: Molecular Foundry, Berkeley Lab

Age: 38

PhD alma mater: Wake Forest University

My lab superpower is: “Working with flames and fast reactions, adjusting conditions by instinct until the right material forms. Years of experience have given me a feel for when chaos is about to turn into something stable and useful.”

My alternate-universe career is: “High school teacher in my hometown, helping students from small rural villages discover the beauty of science. I’d hope to show them that curiosity and hard work can open doors far beyond where they started.”

Read more about C&EN's 2026 Talented Twelve: https://brnw.ch/21x2z2a