Biological Sciences
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X-rays show how periods of stress changed an ice age hyena to the bone
Researchers mapped trace elements within Pleistocene fossils to learn about the life of a long-extinct subspecies of spotted hyena.
Researchers create most complete high-res atomic movie of photosynthesis to date
In a major step forward, SLAC’s X-ray laser captures all four stable states of the process that produces the oxygen we breathe, as well as fleeting steps in between. The work opens doors to understanding the past and creating a greener future.
Students affected by Hurricane Maria bring their research to SLAC
This summer, five graduate students from the University of Puerto Rico had the opportunity to use SLAC’s world-class facilities to keep their studies on track.
Catching the dance of antibiotics and ribosomes at room temperature
A new imaging technique is allowing researchers to pinpoint ways of modifying drugs to avoid side effects.
A Next-Gen EEG Could Help Bring Back Lost Brain Function
SLAC and Stanford researchers are developing a device that combines electrical brain stimulation with EEG recording, opening potential new paths for treating neurological disorders.
Scientists Make the First Molecular Movie of One of Nature’s Most Widely Used Light Sensors
The X-ray laser movie shows what happens when light hits retinal, a key part of vision in animals and photosynthesis in microbes. The action takes place in a trillionth of an eye blink.
SLAC, Stanford Scientists Discover How a Hardy Microbe’s Crystalline Shell Helps it Reel in Food
Tiny pores in the shells of archaea microbes attract ammonium ions that are their sole source of energy, allowing them to thrive where this food is so scarce that scientists can’t even detect it.
X-Ray Laser Scientists Develop a New Way to Watch Bacteria Attack Antibiotics
The researchers observed how an enzyme from drug-resistant tuberculosis bacteria damages an antibiotic molecule. The new technique provides a powerful tool to examine changes in biological molecules as they happen.
SLAC Will Open One of Three NIH National Service Centers for Cryo-Electron Microscopy
The National Institutes of Health center on the SLAC campus will make this revolutionary technology available to scientists nationwide and teach them how to use it to study 3D structures of biological machines and molecules.
SLAC’s X-ray Laser Opens New View on Proteins Related to Alzheimer’s Disease
By placing the tiniest strands of proteins on one-atom-thick graphene, scientists capture promising X-ray laser images of these elusive biomolecules that play a key role in neurodegenerative diseases.
