Berkeley Lab Press
@berkeleylabpress.bsky.social
Official account of the news media team at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
“Seeing these neutrino interactions is a pivotal milestone. It showcases LZ’s ability to detect signals of cosmic origin," says @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Dan Kodroff, LZ analysis co-lead.
Historic search for 'huge missing piece' of the universe reveals new secrets of particle physics
Scientists hunted dark matter and solar neutrinos with one of the largest experiments yet. While the neutrinos likely appeared, dark matter results couldn't be confirmed.
www.livescience.com
December 12, 2025 at 12:54 AM
“Seeing these neutrino interactions is a pivotal milestone. It showcases LZ’s ability to detect signals of cosmic origin," says @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Dan Kodroff, LZ analysis co-lead.
"AI will increase the productivity of scientists," says
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Jonathan Carter. "The only debate is, by how much: Is it by a factor of 10 or 1,000?”
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Jonathan Carter. "The only debate is, by how much: Is it by a factor of 10 or 1,000?”
Why the Bay Area is key to the new U.S. push to win the international AI race
The Genesis Mission is mobilizing Bay Area labs to accelerate AI research and chip development to blunt China’s rise in the sector.
www.mercurynews.com
December 8, 2025 at 5:44 PM
"AI will increase the productivity of scientists," says
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Jonathan Carter. "The only debate is, by how much: Is it by a factor of 10 or 1,000?”
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Jonathan Carter. "The only debate is, by how much: Is it by a factor of 10 or 1,000?”
“This unprecedented simulation is a critical step forward to accelerate the design and development of quantum hardware. More powerful quantum chips will unlock new capabilities and open up new avenues in science,” says @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's
Bert de Jong.
Bert de Jong.
NVIDIA GPUs enable large-scale quantum chip modeling on supercomputer
Researchers used 7,000+ NVIDIA GPUs on Perlmutter to create the most detailed simulation of a quantum microchip to date.
interestingengineering.com
November 18, 2025 at 5:16 PM
“This unprecedented simulation is a critical step forward to accelerate the design and development of quantum hardware. More powerful quantum chips will unlock new capabilities and open up new avenues in science,” says @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's
Bert de Jong.
Bert de Jong.
"Building superconducting qubits with over a microsecond lifetime is a heroic effort and establishes the solid foundations for next-generation superconducting quantum computing technology," says @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Bert de Jong.
New, more stable qubits could simplify dreamed-of quantum computers
Advance underscores the importance of materials science for quantum computing
www.science.org
November 17, 2025 at 5:53 PM
"Building superconducting qubits with over a microsecond lifetime is a heroic effort and establishes the solid foundations for next-generation superconducting quantum computing technology," says @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Bert de Jong.
“Industrial #biotech is not performing well either," says
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Deepti Tanjore. "We have overemphasized innovation at the microbial level, neglecting innovation in scale-up and distributed domestic manufacturing.”
@rowanwalrath.bsky.social
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Deepti Tanjore. "We have overemphasized innovation at the microbial level, neglecting innovation in scale-up and distributed domestic manufacturing.”
@rowanwalrath.bsky.social
Biotech markets aren't picking up just yet
Despite some recent eye-catching deals, the financing environment is still sluggish
cen.acs.org
November 13, 2025 at 5:25 PM
“Industrial #biotech is not performing well either," says
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Deepti Tanjore. "We have overemphasized innovation at the microbial level, neglecting innovation in scale-up and distributed domestic manufacturing.”
@rowanwalrath.bsky.social
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Deepti Tanjore. "We have overemphasized innovation at the microbial level, neglecting innovation in scale-up and distributed domestic manufacturing.”
@rowanwalrath.bsky.social
"With AI, synthetic biology can become computationally driven, rather than intuition driven, where algorithms design DNA, enzymes, & entire biosynthetic pathways before they’re ever built," says @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Hector Garcia Martin.
How AI Is revolutionizing synthetic biology and biomanufacturing
Beyond Biotech podcast - Héctor García Martín on why biology is hard to engineer
liveforever.club
November 13, 2025 at 4:42 PM
"With AI, synthetic biology can become computationally driven, rather than intuition driven, where algorithms design DNA, enzymes, & entire biosynthetic pathways before they’re ever built," says @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Hector Garcia Martin.
"Big models are not the only way forward, " says @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Bert de Jong. "Learning smarter and piece by piece is the path forward."
The AI Industry’s Scaling Obsession Is Headed for a Cliff
Huge AI infrastructure deals assume that algorithms will keep improving with scale. They may not.
www.wired.com
October 21, 2025 at 9:11 PM
"Big models are not the only way forward, " says @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Bert de Jong. "Learning smarter and piece by piece is the path forward."
"Every breakthrough in science invites both excitement and scrutiny," says @berkeleylab.lbl.gov 's Kristin Persson. "There is tremendous promise in applying data-driven AI and machine learning to the discovery, direction, and optimization of materials."
AI is dreaming up millions of new materials. Are they any good?
Critics slammed attempts by Google, Microsoft and Meta to speed up materials discovery. But behind the hype, there is progress.
www.nature.com
October 1, 2025 at 3:40 PM
"Every breakthrough in science invites both excitement and scrutiny," says @berkeleylab.lbl.gov 's Kristin Persson. "There is tremendous promise in applying data-driven AI and machine learning to the discovery, direction, and optimization of materials."
Reposted by Berkeley Lab Press
Thanks Yuval Boger, the Quantum Superposition Guy, for hosting me on your podcast discussing the future of quantum computing and the quantum research going on at the Quantum Systems Accelerator and @berkeleylab.lbl.gov
podcast.yboger.com/2025/09/01/b...
podcast.yboger.com/2025/09/01/b...
Bert de Jong, Director of the Quantum Systems Accelerator (QSA) at Berkeley Lab
Bert de Jong, Director of the Quantum Systems Accelerator (QSA) at Berkeley Lab, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Bert describes how the center develops superconducting, trapped-ion, and neutral-atom te...
podcast.yboger.com
September 2, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Thanks Yuval Boger, the Quantum Superposition Guy, for hosting me on your podcast discussing the future of quantum computing and the quantum research going on at the Quantum Systems Accelerator and @berkeleylab.lbl.gov
podcast.yboger.com/2025/09/01/b...
podcast.yboger.com/2025/09/01/b...
“National labs bring together deep science, advanced engineering, and a culture of collaboration that’s essential at this stage of quantum’s development,” said @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Bert de Jong.
The New Quantum Era - innovation in quantum computing, science and technology | From Exascale to Quantum Advantage with Bert de Jong
In this episode, Sebastian Hassinger sits down with Bert de Jong, a leading computational chemist and Director of the Quantum Systems Accelerator at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. They expl...
podcast.newquantumera.com
August 22, 2025 at 8:32 PM
“National labs bring together deep science, advanced engineering, and a culture of collaboration that’s essential at this stage of quantum’s development,” said @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Bert de Jong.
“Our goal was to make the best high-resolution, high-efficiency gamma-ray detector we possibly could, so we can answer big questions about the nature of matter and fundamental forces,” said @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Paul Fallon.
GRETA: World's most powerful detector to decode nuclear 'fingerprints'
With its incredible sensitivity, it promises to decode the “fingerprints” of atomic nuclei and reveal their secrets.
interestingengineering.com
August 21, 2025 at 8:18 PM
“Our goal was to make the best high-resolution, high-efficiency gamma-ray detector we possibly could, so we can answer big questions about the nature of matter and fundamental forces,” said @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Paul Fallon.
Reposted by Berkeley Lab Press
"From farms to cities, turning tough-to-treat water into a #CleanWater 🚰 supply could be life-changing. Proving it works in the real world is how we solve water scarcity for good," says Berkeley Lab's Peter Fiske. 💧🌱🌍🧪
Innovative Membrane Technology Promises Access to Clean Water
A widely used method to remove dissolved salts and other contaminants from water is reverse osmosis (RO), which uses ultra-thin membranes that enable water under pressure to pass through the membrane ...
www.techbriefs.com
August 14, 2025 at 11:32 PM
"From farms to cities, turning tough-to-treat water into a #CleanWater 🚰 supply could be life-changing. Proving it works in the real world is how we solve water scarcity for good," says Berkeley Lab's Peter Fiske. 💧🌱🌍🧪
"These new approaches to ocean desalination all utilize small, distributed, manufactured units, rather than a single large-scale custom-built facility, which cuts manufacturing costs and speed deployment of these systems," says @berkeleylab.lbl.gov 's Peter Fiske.
A Surprising Twist Puts Desalination Plants at the Bottom of the Ocean. Here’s Why
Companies are experimenting with deep-sea tech to produce cheaper fresh water
www.scientificamerican.com
August 11, 2025 at 11:23 PM
"These new approaches to ocean desalination all utilize small, distributed, manufactured units, rather than a single large-scale custom-built facility, which cuts manufacturing costs and speed deployment of these systems," says @berkeleylab.lbl.gov 's Peter Fiske.
"From high-performance magnets to advanced lasers & simulations, we're engaged with U.S. industry, like TAE, TypeOne Energy & Realta Fusion to develop technologies & insights to help unlock the potential of fusion energy" -
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov’s Cameron Geddes.
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov’s Cameron Geddes.
A Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough May Be Closer Than You Think
Clean energy from nuclear fusion may soon be commercial. But leaders around the world have done little to prepare.
time.com
July 18, 2025 at 6:26 PM
"From high-performance magnets to advanced lasers & simulations, we're engaged with U.S. industry, like TAE, TypeOne Energy & Realta Fusion to develop technologies & insights to help unlock the potential of fusion energy" -
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov’s Cameron Geddes.
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov’s Cameron Geddes.
The new supercomputer, which uses NVIDIA chips tailored for A.I. calculations, could be the Energy Department's biggest resource for tasks like training A.I. models, says @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Jonathan Carter. @energygov.bsky.social
Energy Dept. Unveils Supercomputer That Merges With A.I.
www.nytimes.com
June 2, 2025 at 11:06 PM
The new supercomputer, which uses NVIDIA chips tailored for A.I. calculations, could be the Energy Department's biggest resource for tasks like training A.I. models, says @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Jonathan Carter. @energygov.bsky.social
“We’re talking about two orders of magnitude more compute than any kind of academic data set that’s ever been made,” says @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Sam Blau who worked with Meta on the project. “It’s going to dramatically change how people do computational chemistry.”
Meta releases new data set, AI model aimed at speeding up scientific research
The Open Molecules 2025 project required 6 billion compute hours in Meta data centers, and could make complex chemistry calculations 10,000 times faster.
www.semafor.com
May 14, 2025 at 4:31 PM
“We’re talking about two orders of magnitude more compute than any kind of academic data set that’s ever been made,” says @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Sam Blau who worked with Meta on the project. “It’s going to dramatically change how people do computational chemistry.”
“Water is the ore body of the 21st century,” said @berkeleylab.lbl.gov’s Peter Fiske. “Technology now is allowing us to pick through the garbage piles of wastewater and pick out the high-value items.”
A Toxic Pit Could Be a Gold Mine for Rare-Earth Elements
www.nytimes.com
May 13, 2025 at 8:48 PM
“Water is the ore body of the 21st century,” said @berkeleylab.lbl.gov’s Peter Fiske. “Technology now is allowing us to pick through the garbage piles of wastewater and pick out the high-value items.”
“That’s the beauty of being in a place like Berkeley Lab: If I have a question, I’ll go next door to ask someone, and in many cases, it’ll be a leading expert on the subject," said @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Arian Gashi.
Making Science: Inside Lawrence Berkeley National Lab - Make:
Inside the amazing, make-anything fabrication shops at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.
makezine.com
May 9, 2025 at 7:36 PM
“That’s the beauty of being in a place like Berkeley Lab: If I have a question, I’ll go next door to ask someone, and in many cases, it’ll be a leading expert on the subject," said @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Arian Gashi.
"One of the most promising new ways to treat produced water from oil & gas operations is with new membrane technology which transforms the wastewater into a usable resource for industrial reuse or agriculture," says
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov 's Peter Fiske.
wsj.com/business/ene... via
@wsj.com
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov 's Peter Fiske.
wsj.com/business/ene... via
@wsj.com
The Oil Patch’s ‘Manhattan Project’: How to Fix Its Gargantuan Water Problem
Oil companies wrestling with huge amounts of wastewater have bold plans to turn the nuisance into a valuable product.
https://wsj.com/business/energy-oil/the-oil-patchs-manhattan-project-how-to-fix-its-gargantuan-water-problem-aebda706?st=fQ83mX…
April 22, 2025 at 8:42 PM
"One of the most promising new ways to treat produced water from oil & gas operations is with new membrane technology which transforms the wastewater into a usable resource for industrial reuse or agriculture," says
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov 's Peter Fiske.
wsj.com/business/ene... via
@wsj.com
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov 's Peter Fiske.
wsj.com/business/ene... via
@wsj.com
"Not only will it provide sharper details of proteins and other molecules imaged with cryo-EM," says
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov 's Peter Denes, "but it should enable microscopists to image even proteins roughly half the size of what is currently possible."
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov 's Peter Denes, "but it should enable microscopists to image even proteins roughly half the size of what is currently possible."
Ultracool microscopy yields a sharper look at proteins
After years of frustration, researchers learn how to sharpen molecular images with liquid helium
www.science.org
April 22, 2025 at 3:56 PM
"Not only will it provide sharper details of proteins and other molecules imaged with cryo-EM," says
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov 's Peter Denes, "but it should enable microscopists to image even proteins roughly half the size of what is currently possible."
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov 's Peter Denes, "but it should enable microscopists to image even proteins roughly half the size of what is currently possible."
Reposted by Berkeley Lab Press
ALS-United: we speak with Steve Rossi (ALS Deputy for Business Operations), Daniela Leitner (Engineering Division Director, ALS-U System Lead for Removal & Installation), and Andrew Netto (ALS-U Deputy for Operations). @berkeleylab.lbl.gov als.lbl.gov/als-united-s...
ALS-United: Steve Rossi, Daniela Leitner, and Andrew Netto
ALS-United is an opportunity to meet the people collaborating at the Advanced Light Source and the ALS Upgrade Project. Hear firsthand how team science enables the cutting-edge research of today and b...
als.lbl.gov
April 17, 2025 at 8:07 PM
ALS-United: we speak with Steve Rossi (ALS Deputy for Business Operations), Daniela Leitner (Engineering Division Director, ALS-U System Lead for Removal & Installation), and Andrew Netto (ALS-U Deputy for Operations). @berkeleylab.lbl.gov als.lbl.gov/als-united-s...
Research by @berkeleylab.lbl.gov for @energygov.bsky.social shows that data centers' power consumption has tripled in the last ten years and may triple again by 2028.
Renewing The Mandate To Safeguard The Energy Grid
The US power grid is highly susceptible to cyberattacks, EMP, natural disasters, and physical threats, all of which could have disastrous results.
www.forbes.com
April 14, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Research by @berkeleylab.lbl.gov for @energygov.bsky.social shows that data centers' power consumption has tripled in the last ten years and may triple again by 2028.