In Silico Studies Shed
Light On Immune System
By Jennifer Patterson Lorenzetti

Chakraborty

Drawing on the power of a cluster of microcomputers at Berkeley Lab, researchers, led by Arup Chakraborty (Materials Sciences Division), have used computer modeling to point the way to new findings about the presence of an "adaptive control function" in the immune system. The findings not only shed new light on the functioning of the immune system, but also highlight the utility of computer modeling in biological research. Full story.

What Makes Volcanoes
Explode? It's the Bubbles

Berkeley Lab earth scientist Michael Manga and UC Berkeley graduate student Helge Gonnermann have proposed an explanation for the unpredictable nature of volcanic eruptions: why volcanoes sometimes ooze lava, but at other times explode in showers of ash and pumice. "One of the central problems of volcanoes is: Why do they erupt and why do they alternate between relatively benign effusive eruptions and destructive explosive eruptions?" said Manga. An article about their research appeared in the Nov. 27 issue of the journal Nature. Go here to read Robert Sanders’ UC Berkeley press release.

Holiday Shutdown
Begins Dec. 23

Starting on Tuesday, Dec. 23 at 6 p.m., Facilities will curtail utility services to about 70 Berkeley Lab buildings for the duration of the holiday break, returning to normal operations (weather permitting) on Thursday, Jan. 1, in preparation for the Lab's reopening on Friday, Jan. 2. Researchers needing special monitoring of experiments during the break should make sure this information is included in the Special Needs memo submitted to Facilities by their building manager. This memo must be received by Facilities by Dec. 12.

Latest Science
Beat is Online

Go here to read more about some of the exciting research currently taking place at the Lab. This issue of Science Beat includes stories about the mixing of ethanol and water, a robot that loads and scans microscopic images, a neutron-beam inspection method, energy-efficient commercial buildings, and a NERSC supercomputer that tests pieces of Cray’s Red Storm.

Crystallography Confab
at Lab Later This Week

This Thursday through Sunday, the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) and the Consortium for Materials Properties Research in Earth Sciences (COMPRES) will hold a workshop at the Lab on the application of crystallographic techniques to the study of chemical reactions and phase transitions induced by the application of high-pressure. The aim of the workshop is to review the current state of this field, and to attempt to predict the course of research in the future. Go here for more information about the conference.

Alivisatos

Recognizing the people, products and companies that are leading the growth of the micro and nanotechnology industry, Small Times Magazine announces its “Best of Small Tech Awards,” which represent the best of the best in nanotechnology, MEMS and microsystems. A nanotechnology researcher from Berkeley Lab won this year’s Best of Small Tech Researcher Award. Paul Alivisatos designed a nanocrystal that is expected to improve the efficiency of hybrid plastic solar cells. Full story.