The Sound of Science

In this episode of The Sound of Science, we explore the nuclear fuel cycle — the journey nuclear fuel takes from uranium mining to reactor use, recycling, and long-term disposal. Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory explain how advanced fuels like TRISO are changing reactor design, why recycling spent fuel is both promising and complex, and how new public-private efforts could reshape the...

A sickly mouse in a 1940s lab at Oak Ridge National Laboratory didn’t look like a breakthrough. But that unexpected mutation — known as scurfy — would eventually help unlock one of the immune system’s most important secrets. In this episode of the Sound of Science, we trace the decades-long journey from ORNL’s early mammalian genetics program to the discovery of FOXP3, the gene that directs develo...

From the world’s first continuously operating nuclear reactor to today’s next-generation designs, Oak Ridge National Laboratory has helped shape nuclear energy from its very beginning. Now, as electricity demand surges — driven in part by AI and data centers — nuclear energy is once again in the spotlight. This episode traces the arc of nuclear innovation: from the Graphite Reactor and Molten Salt...

By the early 1990s, Oak Ridge National Laboratory had transformed into a scientific institution with a diverse research portfolio that went well beyond its nuclear roots in the Manhattan Project. But despite this success, the lab was entering a period of uncertainty. Its facilities were showing their age and there were questions about the national labs' role in a post-Cold War world. In this episo...

In the first part of our 80th anniversary series, you heard how the Manhattan Project helped end World War II with the development and use of the world’s first nuclear weapons. The success of this top-secret endeavor ushered in a new era of nuclear science. The expertise used to build the atomic bombs was applied in peacetime to a range of nuclear-inspired research. This research would s...

As you heard in the last episode, Oak Ridge National Laboratory is celebrating its 80th anniversary. The lab was born out of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret mission that would bring an end to World War II with the production of the world’s first nuclear weapons. Clandestine sites across the country worked unique pieces of the puzzle that would become the atomic bomb. While sites in O...

Eighty years ago, the U.S. government embarked on a secret mission that would change the world. The Manhattan Project was a massive effort that resulted in the world’s first nuclear weapons and the end of World War II. But its legacy extends well beyond the war, as it laid the foundation for groundbreaking science for decades to come. Oak Ridge National Laboratory is one of the facilities born out...

For nearly six decades, the High Flux Isotope Reactor, or HFIR, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been one of the world’s most powerful research reactors. It has played a critical role in making isotopes for a range of applications, including space exploration, periodic table discoveries and life-saving cancer treatments. However, isotope production isn't HFIR's only claim to fame. The versatil...

When the universe was formed billions and billions of years ago, the building blocks of life were forged with it. Hydrogen, carbon, iron, nitrogen, calcium, oxygen are just a few of the elements born from the cosmos that make up life on Earth. There are currently 118 known elements and we use the periodic table to organize and understand them. But straightforward as the periodic table seems,...

In May 2022, history was made at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Frontier, the lab’s newest supercomputer, officially did what no other computer in the world had done before — it crossed the exascale barrier. If you're not familiar with the field of supercomputing, an exascale computer is an incredibly powerful system that is capable of a quintillion calculations per second. Frontier’s arrival...

Electrifying transportation is key to cutting carbon emissions. However, cumbersome cables, lengthy charge times and range anxiety have some potential electric vehicle adoptershesitant to make the switch. Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are working to make those concerns a thing of the past with a high-power wireless charging technology that could make powering an EV as easy, or e...

Soundbite: In our last episode, you heard about how scientists are working to harness the power of the sun on earth with fusion. Achieving fusion on a large scale could bring about a new age of unlimited, carbon-free energy. Scientists are getting closer to making this a reality, but there are still a few hurdles to overcome.  One of those is...

Building a sun on Earth to produce unlimited, carbon-free energy may sound like science fiction, but it's not. It's a nuclear process called fusion, where two atoms join together and create an abundance of energy. Recreating the power of a star is no easy feat, but scientists across the globe are hard at work to make it a reality. From materials, to confining sun-hot plasmas, to fuel, there are a...

Soundbite: Have you met FRED? The Fine Root Ecology Database — also known as FRED — is a collection of root trait data from research performed around the world. Roots play an important role in all ecosystems, but are often overlooked by computer models. The data in FRED can help computer modelers more accurately predict climate change scenarios. In this shorter installment of "The Sound...

Deep in the forests of northern Minnesota, lies something that looks a little out-of-this-world. Long boardwalks connect a series of octagonal pods that serve as gateways into the future. But this isn’t some secret alien colony. It’s a large-scale research project that’s studying the effects of climate change on the peatland ecosystem. The project is called the Spruce and Peatland Respon...

The Arctic tundra of Alaska features a picturesque landscape, teeming with plants and wildlife. But below ground lies a significant threat to the environment. As temperatures rise around the globe, layers of soil known as permafrost, which have been frozen for up to thousands of years, are beginning to thaw. And with that, threatenin...

Soundbite of "The Sound of Science": In the last episode, we discussed the strange world of quantum mechanics. The laws of quantum mechanics describe the odd behavior of subatomic particles. Harnessing the power of quantum mechanics could create a technological revolution. While quantum technologies might sound like something out of science fiction, the reality is quantum appli...

Quantum mechanics. Does the term alone make your brain hurt a little? If so, you’re not alone. It’s a very complex branch of physics where things are just kind of ... weird. However, it's this strange behavior particles exhibit at the subatomic scale that has the potential to create a technological revolution in computing, materials, networking, and sensing. To harness this power, t...

Since 1943, Oak Ridge National Laboratory has built 13 nuclear reactors — now it's preparing for its 14th, the Transformational Challenge Reactor, or TCR. But this one will be quite a departure from the reactors that have come before. It’s going to be 3D printed. TCR aims to revolutionize how a nuclear reactor is built – a process that hasn’t really changed much in the past 50...

In just a few short months, COVID-19 has upended daily life around the globe. However, one thing that hasn't changed is the scientific community’s drive to find answers and solutions to big problems. And right now, there's no bigger problem than COVID-19. In this episode, you'll hear from ORNL researchers who are applying their expertise in computational science, advanced manufactur...

Learn about the remarkable life and legacy of the late Liane B. Russell, one of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's most renowned scientists. She was a pioneer in genetics, a passionate conservationist and an unabashed chocolate lover. In this episode, you'll hear from those who knew her best — and a few whom she inspired.

Geographic information systems are powerful mapping tools that we use on a daily basis without realizing it. Apps for navigation and weather are just a few examples of GIS in our everyday lives. But the applications of GIS span far beyond consumer apps. These complex systems hold massive amounts of data that scientists can use to solve big problems. In this episode, you'll hear how Oak Ridge Natio...

Plutonium-238 is critical to deep space exploration. The special isotope has powered missions that have enabled us to explore the atmosphere of Saturn, see the heart of Pluto and traverse the surface of Mars. But what if missions like those were no longer possible? That's a question NASA faced not so long ago as the U.S. was in short supply of the isotope. The decision was made to restart pu-...

Artificial intelligence is no longer just a subject of science fiction. From personal assistants to self-driving cars, AI is revolutionizing everyday life. While AI may be more prevalent these days, there are still al lot of misconceptions about what it is and what it isn't. In this episode you'll hear from a few of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's AI developers and practitioners. They'll...