Advanced Light Source

Researchers engineered protein-like polymers that replicate complex enzyme functions. This work, which was verified using X-ray characterization techniques at the Advanced Light Source (ALS), offers a cost-effective, scalable approach that paves the way for functional materials in biomedicine, energy, and manufacturing. Read more: https://als.lbl.gov/a-new-framework-for-designing-synthetic-enzymes/

📸 Schematic comparing the global folding patterns, chemical structures, and active sites of a) natural protein demonstrating a rigid secondary structure of regular, local folding patterns in the chain of amino acids; and b) the protein-like polymers created in this study, which do not form secondary structures but instead adopt varying conformations based on the hydrophobic (water-repelling) properties of segments in the chain. Red, grey, blue and yellow correspond to very hydrophobic, hydrophobic, hydrophilic (water-loving) and very hydrophilic amino acid residues, respectively. The chemical structures of key functional residues are shown in the inset boxes. (Credit: Ting Xu/UC Berkeley/LBNL)

X-ray microscopy tools at the ALS and Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource mapped the chemical changes inside wildfire ash particles, revealing that pyrogenic iron and manganese gradually disappeared as the soil recovered. These findings shed light on how wildfires drive transient mineral formation that impacts micronutrient cycling and soil resilience, with implications for landscape recovery strategies. Read the full science highlight: https://als.lbl.gov/how-wildfires-transform-soil-chemistry/

📷 Wildfires are becoming more common in the western United States. Experiments at the ALS are showing how they influence nutrient cycling and soil recovery. Shortly after the fire, an ash layer containing various forms of iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) covered the surface soil. Two years later, these Fe and Mn forms are absent. Understanding chemistry changes like these is vital for informing land management practices for ecosystem recovery. (Credit: Kyounglim Kang and Jasquelin Pena/UC Davis).

Machine learning tools and experiments at the ALS enabled the identification of defect-rich regions in single-crystalline Co3Sn2S2 that link to how surface electrons move. Atom-level understanding of how the surface electronic properties of a magnetic semimetal can be tuned could guide its use in advanced technologies like spintronics and catalysis. Read more: https://als.lbl.gov/local-disorder-impacts-a-quantum-materials-electronic-states/

Researchers identified a compound that disrupts a hard-to-target tumor growth pathway in breast, lung, and other cancers and used the ALS to characterize the chemical interactions critical to its potency. This work contributed to the development of a similar compound currently undergoing clinical trials in cancer patients, and informs hypotheses for designing better drug candidates.

Read more: https://als.lbl.gov/disrupting-cancers-broken-molecular-switch/

📷 The crystallized complex (shown in microscope field of view) of the PI3Kα protein bound to Vividion's newly identified inhibitor. (Credit: Steffen Bernard/Vividion Therapeutics, Inc.)