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 Carbon
nanotubes have been touted for their potential to succeed silicon in
future electronic devices. Hollow cylinders of pure carbon about 50,000
times narrower than a human hair, nanotubes behave as if they are
one-dimensional objects, hence not subject to the size and heat
restrictions that eventually will limit silicon-based devices. In a paper
published in Science, researchers report that these amazing
materials may be even more
versatile than anyone had previously thought.
 A review
of the Lab's Advanced Light Source, a national user facility producing
light in the x-ray region of the electromagnetic spectrum that is one
billion times brighter than the sun, cites multiple areas of
excellence. The report expressed strong support for upcoming
projects that include molecular environment science, magnetic and polymer
nanostructure research, and femtosecond spectroscopy and diffraction.
 Exploiting a
beam of infrared light from the Advanced Light Source, researchers
have developed a technique to observe subtle chemical and molecular
changes in individual human cells. By mapping biological and chemical
reactions as they occur in living cells over a period of hours or days --
in response to environmentally relevant concentrations of chemicals or
radiation -- the technique enables researchers to perform basic studies of
the life, death, damage, and self-repair of tissues and cells at the
subcellular level.
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