The Biological and Environmental Systems Science Directorate 2024 calendar is now available. It highlights 12 examples of research from BESSD. You can download a printable version of the poster here.  For more information on the scientific research and publications featured each month, visit the links below.
January
Using one of the world’s largest sensor suites dedicated to measuring plant performance at ORNL’s Advanced Plant Phenotyping Laboratory, scientists are accelerating the development of nonfood crops for bioenergy and carbon storage.
A new molecule designed by an ORNL-led team disrupts the infection mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 and could be used to combat COVID-19 and other virus-caused diseases.
ORNL’s proud history of environmental science is informing clean energy and climate resilience today as scientists collect, analyze, and model data about hydropower reservoir greenhouse gas emissions.
ORNL scientists developed a new capability that inserts multiple genes into plants in a single step, speeding the development of hardy crops for clean jet biofuels.
A key to preserving vast stores of carbon in peatlands is linked to sex-based differences in Sphagnum mosses that dominate the boggy landscape, ORNL scientists discovered.
Scientists proved that phytoplankton are a formidable natural ally in the fight against methylmercury, effectively neutralizing the toxin even in dark environments.
ORNL’s knowledge of complex ecosystem processes, human dynamics, computational science and Earth-scale modeling informed the Fifth National Climate Assessment.
Researchers are unearthing clues to wildfire origins and impacts, improving data acquisition and Earth-scale models to better predict and prepare for severe events in a warming world.
The ORNL Distributed Active Archive Center information system marked its 30th anniversary of managing NASA’s terrestrial ecology data, making it available to scientists the world over seeking to understand and protect our planet.
Microbes can be modified for biotechnologies in just a few days vs. traditional weeks-long methods by using the SAGE DNA editing tool adapted by ORNL scientists and now in widespread use among synthetic biologists.
Scientists at ORNL used quantum biology, AI, and bioengineering expertise to improve microbial genome editing tools, enabling sustainable pathways for making bioenergy and recycling plastic.
From fields to flight, ORNL scientists created a supply chain model that reveals the optimal places to site infrastructure for the production of sustainable aviation fuels from biomass.
