#OnTheBeamlines When clay particles from oil sands clog reactors in oil refineries, it can cause shutdowns and raise costs. Simon Kwao and Ajay Dalai @usask.ca used CLS to study this process and hope to minimize the issue. Full story: https://bit.ly/4pkeNoR
Researchers from @usask.ca have developed a 3D-printed model of a human #lung that could lead to improved prevention and treatment of diseases such as #tuberculosis and #CysticFibrosis. @vido.org https://bit.ly/3KCSnQ8
Photo: PhD student Michael Bilek with sample of a root imaged at CLS.
#OnTheBeamlines: Researchers from UBC and Agriculture and Agrifood Canada are using the CLS to study how corn, poplar, and hazelnut crops cope with too little or too much water, in the hopes of building more resilient farming systems. #climatechange #drought #flood
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Curious what's behind one of Canada's largest science projects? Join a tour of the Canadian Light Source in Saskatoon, where scientists from across Canada and the world use intensely bright light to study materials at a molecular level! Free tickets: https://bit.ly/3Y7pjU3
#DYK Electrons in our booster ring travel fast enough to reach the moon in one second! 🏁
#synchrotron #science #funfact
#OnTheBeamlines A @vido.org research team used our BXDS-WLE beamline to study lipid nanoparticles for inhalable vaccines. This method could be more efficient for protecting against the flu or COVID-19. More: https://bit.ly/4p5rOlv
@usask.ca
Researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children and @utoronto.ca are studying the spines of zebrafish to better understand scoliosis in children and teens. Their work could one day lead to the development of early interventions and non-invasive treatments. https://bit.ly/42otRZ6.
Researchers from Mexico have created a battery that can still function after being punctured and submerged in water – conditions that would likely ignite the #LithiumIon #batteries currently used in cell phones and electric vehicles.
https://bit.ly/47JDC65
Photo: Two members of Dr. Grosvenor’s group, Khushveer Kaur (PhD student), left, and Apurva Sinha (Postdoc) at the VLS-PGM beamline.
#OnTheBeamlines: USask researcher Andrew Grosvenor is using the CLS to develop a glass-based material for safely sequestering intermediate-level waste from small modular reactors (#SMR). INSERT LINK
@usaskartsci.bsky.social
#BehindTheLight: As a research data scientist, Stuart Read is working with all of our beamline scientists to develop data-analysis tools aimed at making life easier for synchrotron users. Full story: https://bit.ly/4mPxrmb
The #fossil of a tiny fish found in southwestern AB provides new insight into the origin and evolution of the supergroup of fish that includes catfish, carp and tetras, which today account for two-thirds of all freshwater species.
https://bit.ly/4pMaR0N
#AroundTheCLS This "wiggler" is used to generate a massive magnetic field, which measures 2 tesla. For comparison, the earth's magnetic field is 0.00005 tesla!
#DYK? 900 billion #electrons circulate in our storage ring during normal operations. ⚛️
#synchrotron #science #funfact
Take a tour of Canada's only synchrotron research facility! Located in Saskatoon, the CLS produces intensely bright light that scientists use to study materials at the molecular level. Over 1,000 researchers use the CLS every year. Get free tour tickets: https://bit.ly/3Y7pjU3
Scientists used the CLS to look inside seeds from watermelon, canola, pea, and wheat. By using our bright synchrotron light, they were able to visualize and explore the internal anatomy and chemistry of their samples. More: https://bit.ly/4oIRuUK
@usask.ca
Photo: Two members of Dr. Grosvenor’s group, Khushveer Kaur (PhD student), left, and Apurva Sinha (Postdoc) at the VLS-PGM beamline.
#OnTheBeamlines: @usask.ca researcher Andrew Grosvenor and colleagues are using the CLS to develop a glass-based material for safely sequestering intermediate-level waste from small modular reactors. Learn more: https://bit.ly/48BfgeW
@usaskartsci.bsky.social
Synchrotron light shows fragments of lead left behind in hunted meat are far tinier than previously shown and present in concentrations exceeding levels set by human health agencies. https://bit.ly/3XEs2od #hunting #lead
A database designed by a CLS scientist is making it easy for researchers working in materials science, biology, chemistry, and environmental science to store, share, and use X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) data generated by synchrotrons. Full story: https://bit.ly/484Cg7e
Researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children and @utoronto.ca used special imaging techniques at the CLS to create a high-resolution, 3D map of curved fish spines, and noted they act very much like human spines as #scoliosis worsens. Full story: https://bit.ly/4nvOomR
Photo: Members of the research team, from left to right, Martin Schmeing (ball cap), Srobona Ghosh, Mike Tarry, and Anirudh Mantri.
#OnTheBeamlines: Researchers from McGill University are using the CLS to study #enzymes that let #bacteria destroy #itaconate, a small molecule our immune cells make when fighting bacteria. The team's findings could be used to design drugs that block those enzymes. https://bit.ly/4p5UBqq
How big is the electron beam in our storage ring? 900 billion electrons form a beam roughly the width of a human hair! 💇
#DYK #FAQ #FunFact #sychrotron
#BehindTheLight: When you come to the CLS, Kinley is likely the first person you will meet. She works at our front desk as an administrative assistant. "Everybody's so friendly, so that's the best part,” she says. Read the full story: https://bit.ly/4oF8Ku5
#DYK We have a crane that can carry 10 tonnes of equipment. When the CLS was under construction, it was used to install all of the major equipment around the rings. This image is from when we used the crane to lift an in-vacuum undulator for our CMCF beamline.
It’s estimated that plant-eating pests are responsible for the loss of up to 40% of pre-harvest yields globally. Researchers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada are developing ways to use #nanotechnology to target bad bugs without harming helpful insects https://bit.ly/4gEmxOT
How big is our storage ring that holds the electron beam? You could fit the Leaning Tower of Pisa across it! 📏
#DYK #FAQ #synchrotron #science
#OnTheBeamlines, Robert Scott’s team at @usask.ca is developing self-healing catalysts using palladium & platinum, that can regenerate during reactions, promising cleaner emissions & longer lifetimes for exhaust systems. @usaskartsci.bsky.social. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4ijUJzX
Structure of motor protein surprises researchers from @queensu @QueensUHealth @DbmsTweets: "...like a folded camping chair." Findings could inform development of drugs that stop replication of disease-causing cells.
https://bit.ly/3WTuxlP @CIHR_IRSC @NSERC_CRSNG
Life just got more difficult for those fighting antibiotic-resistant #superbugs - a Top 10 global public health issue. Researchers at @mcgill.ca @healthsciences.mcgill.ca have discovered enzymes that use a never-before-seen mechanism to confer resistance. https://bit.ly/48ZVXhv
Lithium is a #CriticalMineral used in #batteries for #EVs, grid storage, and a host of personal electronics. Researchers at Queen's University used the CLS to identify a better way to extract the critical mineral from its ore. https://bit.ly/3WubIWi
Researchers from the University of Guelph have determined the 3D structure of enzymes in bacteria that transform steroids into effective treatments for human diseases. The discovery will help advance development of new medications. https://bit.ly/4pm8bWF
