PNNL has created and licensed a system that sniffs out trace levels of fentanyl, other drugs and explosives through the air.

Lauren Charles, a chief data scientist at PNNL, showcased the vital research coming out of her program at The National Academies Forum workshop in Washington, D.C., January 15–16, 2025.

Armed with some of the world’s most advanced instrumentation, researchers at PNNL are working to analyze huge amounts of data and uncover hidden biological connections.

PNNL’s year in review includes highlights ranging from advancing soil science to understanding Earth systems, expanding electricity transmission, detecting fentanyl, and applying artificial intelligence to aid scientific discovery.

This project sought to assure that research activities centered around different sampling and monitoring efforts in northwest Ohio would not disturb any historical cultural resources.

Scientists are developing ways to detect previously unseen forms of fentanyl as well as other synthetic opioids known as nitazenes.

Scientists plumbed the depths of nearly 3,000 soil samples from around the globe to compile the heftiest atlas of soil viruses ever created.

A cross-institutional team of scientists developed PeakQC, a new software tool for automated quality control of mass spectrometry data.

PNNL biodefense experts seek to identify, understand and mitigate the risks of biological pathogens—whether naturally occurring or intentionally created—so steps can be taken to prepare and respond.

Despite the widespread presence of RNA viruses in soils, little is known about the relative contributions and interactions of biological and environmental factors shaping the composition of soil RNA viral communities.

Ljiljana Paša-Tolić, a PNNL fellow, is the recipient of the 2024 International Mass Spectrometry Foundation’s Jochen Franzen Award. 

Scientists have developed a way to detect tiny amounts of hard-to-detect explosives more than eight feet away.

Researchers will explore climate, pathogens and energy-efficient microelectronics using 3 million node hours on the nation’s supercomputers.

A multi-institutional team of researchers conducted a 13C-labeling greenhouse study using a semi-arid grassland soil, where they tracked the fate of 13C-labeled inputs from living roots and decaying roots from annual grass Avena barbata.

National laboratory expertise was on display at the 2024 Department of Homeland Security Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation Summit.

In the latest issue of the Domestic Preparedness Journal, Ashley Bradley and Kristin Omberg share how new research is shedding light on the scientific and technological challenges with detecting fentanyl.

A team of researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory developed a new and flexible software tool called “Advanced Spectra PCA Toolbox.”

Research at PNNL and the University of Texas at El Paso are addressing computational challenges of thinking beyond the list and developing bioagent-agnostic signatures to assess threats.

Vigorous exercise burns fat more in males than in females, but the benefits of exercise are broad for both sexes.

Beyond melting ice and higher temperatures: On Earth Day, scientists consider how climate change will affect national security.