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Illustration of the change in architecture of the essential eukaryotic ssDNA binding protein RPA as it engages progressively longer segments of ssDNA.

We now know that many serious diseases have genetic links that a geneticist can find by reading an individual’s genome─the DNA double helix where our organism’s hereditary information is encoded. Researchers know too that a particular protein protects our DNA, which is vulnerable to entanglement when its information is read and to attack from enzymes that damage the strands, making the code indecipherable.

neutron scattering with contrast variation reveals the coil conformation of single polymer molecules in a blend of PSS and PDADMA.

Researchers at the Bio-SANS instrument at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) used small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) to get a first insight into the conformation of single polyelectrolyte chains in large pieces of the synthetic complex. The research pursues applications for replacement of intervertebral discs in the spine and of knee cartilage.

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Atomic-level defects in graphene could be a path forward to smaller and faster electronic devices, according to a study led by researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
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​By using a novel technique to better understand mineral growth and dissolution, researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are improving predictions of mineral reactions and laying the groundwork for applications ranging from keeping oil pipes clear to sequestering radium.
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Bronze and brass artifacts excavated at the ancient city of Petra have been imaged in three dimensions using neutrons at the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Neutron imaging allows archeologists and historians otherwise unobtainable insights into the manufacturing techniqu...
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To comply with the mandate to increase the use of alternative fuels, the Coast Guard has enlisted the help of Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers with expertise in fuels and engines. "The Coast Guard has decided to use biobutanol rather than ethanol to mix with gasoline in their smaller craft,...
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Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory's High Flux Isotope Reactor are getting a leg up in their research from an ingenious "low-tech" lighting tool using LEDs that, when fixed to their samples and pushed directly into the neutron beam, illuminate the response of layers of cyanobacteria to cha...
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Cell death, or apoptosis, is a naturally occurring and necessary biological process. In apoptosis, the 92 amino acid BAX protein inserts itself into mitochondrial membranes
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Carbon trapped in the top few meters of permafrost soils across nearly 19 million square kilometers of northern regions could be released at a rate of about two to five times greater than previous estimates. This is the conclusion of 41 international scientists who publish on various aspects of perm...
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A clearer understanding of magnetic interactions in insulating materials can help in developing magnets for motors in electric vehicles and can enhance the performance of magnets in many other devices. Researchers expected that introducing atoms of a nonmagnetic material into a magnetic insulator wo...