Some of the LBNL participants in the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize award to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, celebrating with Director Chu.
Photo by: Sherry Seybold
The PhyloChip wins bronze at The 2008 WSJ Technology Innovation Awards.

ESD in the Press - 2008

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2008

  • De Profundis…

    October 30, 2008

    We are fond of posting “Talmudic Questions,” questions we consider to be more interesting than their answers. The very first of them, dated December 1, 2006, reads as follows: "Where on Earth would one expect to find a single species of microbes (a pure culture) for sustained periods of time? Symbioses (mutualistic or parasitic) do not count, neither do Petri dishes.”
    Read more »

  • Villavert to Represent Lab

    October 20, 2008

    The Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA) is comprised of delegates from every UC-managed institution, including Berkeley Lab. Maryann Villavert (Earth Sciences) is the newly appointed junior delegate for 2008-09 and will serve alongside the senior delegate Stefano De Santis (Accelerator & Fusion Research) as representatives of the Lab. Members meet quarterly at a different UC campus to discuss issues that affect staff and participate on teams that develop recommendations for UCOP and the Regents. Go here for information on Berkeley Lab’s participation in CUCSA. Read more »

  • Journey Toward The Center Of The Earth: One-of-a-kind Microorganism Lives All Alone

    October 10, 2008

    The first ecosystem ever found having only a single biological species has been discovered 2.8 kilometers (1.74 miles) beneath the surface of the earth in the Mponeng gold mine near Johannesburg, South Africa. There the rod-shaped bacterium Desulforudis audaxviator exists in complete isolation, total darkness, a lack of oxygen, and 60-degree-Celsius heat (140 degrees Fahrenheit).

  • Phylochip wins bronze at The Wall Street Journal's 2008 Technology Innovation Awards

    September 29, 2008

    A team of scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory won the Bronze for their work in developing a microchip that, by analyzing DNA, is able to identify thousands of different varieties of bacteria that might be present in air, water, soil, blood or tissue samples. The PhyloChip can detect potentially disease-causing bacteria without the lengthy process of growing cultures. And unlike other genetic-testing methods, it can distinguish thousands of different pathogens simultaneously. Read more »

  • ESD Scientist Garrison Sposito Honored as Environmental Chemistry ‘Legend’

    September 18, 2008

    It was billed as an opportunity to hear from the “legends” of environmental science, and it didn’t disappoint. A group of 15 outstanding scientists whose research over more than 40 years has significantly influenced today’s thinking and practices in environmental chemistry gathered for a 2-day symposium in August, held during the 236th American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting in Philadelphia. Most of the honorees took the opportunity to reflect on their lives and to report on the steps that led to new findings; others looked to the future. Read more »