For April Fool's, pranksters in the Molecular Foundry are providing new perspective on their nanoscience endeavors: the cantilevered third floor is being used as an atomic force microscope probe. The anonymous mastermind of this prank, whose initials are suspiciously inscribed on the work, noted “in theory, this should scale nicely.” Theorists on the third floor could not be reached for comment, but Foundry staff is being warned to keep other physical tools under lock and key. Go here to see photos of the "probe."
In The News: Lab/JGI Scientists on 'Cutting Edge,' Says Magazine The most recent edition of U.S. News & World Report features two Joint Genome Institute researchers, Phil Hugenholtz (left) and Falk Warnecke, among the "Six Scientists on the Cutting Edge of Energy and Environmental Research." They were recognized for their work analyzing termite gut enzymes for potential biofuels applications. Both researchers work in Berkeley Lab’s Genomics Division. More>
Research: NERSC’s Deep Sky Project Provides a Portal into Data UniverseEvery night approximately 3,000 astronomical files flow to the National Energy Research Scientific Computing (NERSC) Center from automated sky scanning systems all over the world for archiving. After a decade of collecting, the center currently holds over 8 million images, making this one of the largest troves of ground-based celestial images available. Now NERSC is developing a database system that will instantly serve up high-resolution cosmic reference images to astronomers around the globe. More>
Web Update: Lab has Facebook Page to Promote Public EventsBerkeley Lab is now on Facebook. Facebook users can become a fan of Berkeley Lab and receive the latest announcements of public events, such as “Science at the Theater” talks. Fans can also watch videos of previous public talks. Check out the Lab’s Facebook page here.
The mailbox located near the ATM machine in the cafeteria parking lot has been removed. The Post Office said that the box did not generate enough volume to warrant a stop. According to the “Mailbox Map” website, the nearest mailbox is located at Hearst and Euclid Aves. To find other locations, just type in “Berkeley, CA.” Staff should be aware that personal mail cannot be processed by the Lab's mail system.
Today at Berkeley Lab is produced by Public Affairs' Communications Department