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Media Contacts
![Alex Johs at ORNL's Spallation Neutron Source](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-06/2019-p01807.jpg?h=f8570409&itok=KBUOueeI)
Sometimes solutions to the biggest problems can be found in the smallest details. The work of biochemist Alex Johs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory bears this out, as he focuses on understanding protein structures and molecular interactions to resolve complex global problems like the spread of mercury pollution in waterways and the food supply.
![The researchers used the new model to accurately identify clusters of gene mutations (spheres), which helped them study the emergence of various genetic diseases. Image credit: Ivaylo Ivanov, Georgia State University.](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-05/med-res-image6_3mb-1.png?h=bf86d530&itok=wTUjuyV_)
Environmental conditions, lifestyle choices, chemical exposure, and foodborne and airborne pathogens are among the external factors that can cause disease. In contrast, internal genetic factors can be responsible for the onset and progression of diseases ranging from degenerative neurological disorders to some cancers.
![Virtual universes](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-04/Virtual_universes_0.jpg?h=91594b4a&itok=dhv4iPBH)
Using Summit, the world’s most powerful supercomputer housed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a team led by Argonne National Laboratory ran three of the largest cosmological simulations known to date.
![Small modular reactor computer simulation](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-04/Nuclear_simulation_scale-up.jpg?h=5992a83f&itok=A0oscIPL)
In a step toward advancing small modular nuclear reactor designs, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have run reactor simulations on ORNL supercomputer Summit with greater-than-expected computational efficiency.
![The illustrations show how the correlation between lattice distortion and proton binding energy in a material affects proton conduction in different environments. Mitigating this interaction could help researchers improve the ionic conductivity of solid materials.](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-05/Figure_Rosenthal_5-1-19_0.png?h=73c01546&itok=-tjVhDfm)
Ionic conduction involves the movement of ions from one location to another inside a material. The ions travel through point defects, which are irregularities in the otherwise consistent arrangement of atoms known as the crystal lattice. This sometimes sluggish process can limit the performance and efficiency of fuel cells, batteries, and other energy storage technologies.
![ORNL-led collaboration solves a beta-decay puzzle with advanced nuclear models](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-03/decay_coverSize_4%5B21%5D_0.jpg?h=843037ec&itok=BU6x1GD8)
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., March 11, 2019—An international collaboration including scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory solved a 50-year-old puzzle that explains why beta decays of atomic nuclei
![ORNL will use state-of-the-art R&D tools at the Battery Manufacturing Facility to develop new methods for separating and reclaiming valuable materials from spent EV batteries.](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-02/2015-P01989cropped_1.jpg?h=f2976007&itok=mqNFUyYu)
The use of lithium-ion batteries has surged in recent years, starting with electronics and expanding into many applications, including the growing electric and hybrid vehicle industry. But the technologies to optimize recycling of these batteries have not kept pace.
![Supercomputing-Memory_boost1.jpg Supercomputing-Memory_boost1.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/Supercomputing-Memory_boost1.jpg?itok=dDR8CnYC)
Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Hypres, a digital superconductor company, have tested a novel cryogenic, or low-temperature, memory cell circuit design that may boost memory storage while using less energy in future exascale and quantum computing applications.
![Picture2.png Picture2.png](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/Picture2_1.png?itok=IV4n9XEh)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists studying fuel cells as a potential alternative to internal combustion engines used sophisticated electron microscopy to investigate the benefits of replacing high-cost platinum with a lower cost, carbon-nitrogen-manganese-based catalyst.
![Methanotroph_OB3b_cells Methanotroph_OB3b_cells](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/Methanotroph_OB3b_cells_2.jpg?itok=Iml9vTIS)
A team led by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has identified a novel microbial process that can break down toxic methylmercury in the environment, a fundamental scientific discovery that could potentially reduce mercury toxicity levels and sup...