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.

Over the next four years, PNNL and University of Arizona will develop open-source computational tools to better identify and characterize the viruses associated with the human microbiome.

Researchers developed a robust, cost-effective, and easy-to-use cap-based technique for spatial proteome mapping, addressing the lack of accessible proteomics technologies for studying tissue heterogeneity and microenvironments.

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.

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.

Three PNNL researchers will receive five continuous years of funding for projects through highly competitive DOE Early Career Research Program awards.

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.

As launch time draws near, PNNL scientists are eager to explore how plants might grow in space, where the effect of gravity is substantially weaker.

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

PNNL’s patented Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion (ShAPE™) technique is an advanced manufacturing technology that enables better-performing materials and components while offering opportunities to reduce costs and energy consumption.

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.

New research sheds light on the biomolecular dangers of night shift work.

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