Biology and Environmental Sciences at ORNL

The teal and blue springs of Yellowstone National Park are the stuff of postcards. What tourists don’t see are the diverse communities of microscopic organisms below the surface. With boiling hot temperatures and sometimes very acidic conditions, these microbes live in some of the most extreme conditions on Earth. Scientists think that some of the earliest forms of life may have evolved in hot springs. Scientists from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory cataloged microbes living in hot springs in Yellowstone, Iceland, and Japan. They found that the pH of spring water (the acidity level of a liquid) is the major driver of which microbes are in which springs. A better understanding of microbes in hot springs could provide insights into where we came from and set a foundation for where we could go in our understanding of the Earth around us. https://lnkd.in/eSgcZdPW

The latest?#Biology?and?#EnvironmentalScience?news from?Oak Ridge National Laboratory?has just dropped! Catch up on the highlights in this month’s newsletter???

Check out the latest Office of Science Research News Update for updates on quantum geometry, fusion, soils and more!

Roses are red, violets are blue, science is sweet, and so are you! ?? Happy #ValentinesDay to all who love science as much as we do!

Structural biologist Hugh O’Neill is harnessing ORNL’s #NeutronScience capabilities to explore the microscopic world of living cells and proteins. ???? Using powerful neutron beams and high-performance computing, he’s investigating plant cell walls and microbial membranes to better understand how plants form structural cellulose – the most abundant polymer on Earth and a key target for production of domestic biofuels and products. Read more: https://lnkd.in/egX2g25e

Celebrating #LoveDataWeek with the first-ever dataset that connects the poplar tree microbiome to environmental processes ???? This 25-terabyte dataset offers insights into plant genetics and soil chemistry, helping scientists understand how natural systems function and how they can engineer crops for improved energy production and food security. https://lnkd.in/e7kisNtX

Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Melissa Cregger receives prestigious Presidential Early Career Award ?? ORNL’s Melissa Cregger has received the Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding early-career scientists and engineers. The award recognizes her fundamental research on plant-microbe-soil interactions, which drives innovations that support the bioeconomy and national energy security. Congratulations, Melissa! Read more: https://lnkd.in/g33VirYA

???Catch up on the latest?#Science?news from?Oak Ridge National Laboratory! This month’s highlights: ??First-ever simulation includes high-resolution detain on building infrastructure, improving accuracy ? New series provides deep dives into key topics in Billion-Ton report? ? Unique measurement tool analyzes plants and soil for better crops ? Computational hydrologist Phong Le explores water resource risks Dive into all the details in this month’s?#Newsletter?and subscribe to stay up to date on the latest and greatest?#Biology and?#EnvironmentalScience?news from ORNL!

Congratulations to Arthur “Art” Ragauskas, the acting UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair of Biorefining, on being selected as a Laureate of the Global Lithuanian Awards 2024 in the category for International Scientific Achievements by Global Lithuanian Leaders. This prestigious award recognizes his work alongside Lithuanian colleagues on projects involving biofuels, bioengineering, biomaterials, and biorefineries. Read more: https://lnkd.in/efjwMWtp

Exploring the rising tide of flood risks for humans: Phong Le, a computational hydrologist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is helping develop unique, detailed simulations of watersheds to provide better long-term predictions of flooding ?? Le is working as part of a collaborative effort to better understand and mitigate the impact of severe storms in Southeast Texas. He’s developing a modeling framework that could help scientists understand the potential impact of regional flooding in future years. “These are important modeling capabilities that significantly move our sustainability science forward,” Le said. “While we are specifically using the framework to study Southeast Texas, our results are generalizable enough to be applied to other areas of the country.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/eXnaYbuY