Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory studies help better understand space

By Courtney Flatt September 10, 2024

A man in a white lab coat, a white hair net and a blue mask is surrounded by other people, who are blurry in the photo, but also appear to be wearing lab coats and masks. He is standing in front of a glass covered box.

The Shallow Underground Laboratory at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, gives its scientists powerful abilities to detect sensitive signatures of radiation. (Credit: Andrea Starr / Pacific Northwest National […]Read More

Grid storage research facility in Richland paves the way for better energy storage

By Courtney Flatt August 14, 2024

A group of people in suits stand in front of a building, where people are on a balcony. One woman in pink is holding giant scissors to cut a ribbon.

State and federal leaders cut the ribbon to open the Grid Storage Launchpad at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. (Credit: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) Listen (Runtime 1:02) Read Scientists hope there’s […]Read More

Rats on treadmills study shows males burn fat, females gain it back

By Courtney Flatt July 8, 2024

Two gray rats are running on a small black treadmill. The background of the illustration is turquoise.

An illustration of rats on a treadmill. (Illustration by Rocio del Pilar Benavides / NWPB) Listen (Runtime 1:03) Read If you’ve ever tried to lose any body fat, you may […]Read More

Study: as the climate changes, the desert Tri-Cities is actually getting cooler

By Courtney Flatt February 23, 2024

People walk along a trail at Leslie Groves Park in Richland, Wash. (Credit: Courtney Flatt / Northwest News Network) Listen (Runtime 1:02) Read A new study has found – when it […]Read More

Researchers say deadly heat waves to be more frequent, intense

By Courtney Flatt December 27, 2023

four red-headed kids play in a sprinkler. Two are wearing blue shirts and shorts. Two are wearing white shirts and black shorts. They are running through greenish brownish grass.

The second day of record-breaking heat in the Seattle area. People of all ages took advantage of the sprinklers during a free concert at the Lake Burien School Park. (Credit: […]Read More

Una nieve más limpia podría frenar el cambio climático y proporcionar más agua potable

By Courtney Flatt November 17, 2023

Científicos del Noroeste han descubierto que reducir la contaminación por los gases de efecto invernadero podría ensuciar menos la nieve. Eso significa que permanecería más tiempo en las montañas, según un estudio publicado en Nature Communications.Read More

Cleaner snowpack could help slow climate change, provide more drinking water

By Courtney Flatt November 9, 2023

File photo of snowy Idaho mountains. (Credit: Motowebmistress, Flickr Creative Commons) Listen (Runtime 1:03) Read For mountain snowpack to melt slowly, not all of the white fluffy stuff is created […]Read More

Scientists discover ‘turtle power’ could help monitor radioactive materials

By Courtney Flatt September 5, 2023

A green giant tortoise is in the middle of the picture. It’s sticking it’s neck far out of its shell. It’s standing in green grass and surrounded by green bushes. On the left hand side of the picture, there is a white tree trunk.

A giant tortoise on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos. (Courtesy of Courtney Flatt.) Listen (Runtime 1:13) Read Northwest researchers have discovered that turtle shells can help track radioactive material […]Read More

Could the Northwest’s basalt rocks help slow climate change?

By Courtney Flatt May 30, 2023

A women in a blue and red plaid shirt stands in front of a blue river. She is holding two gray rocks on top of each other. in the background, on the other side of the river, there are rocky hills and a blue sky.

Casie Davidson, a scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, points out how basalt rocks are layered on top of each other. The rocks formed millions of years ago after volcanic […]Read More

Artificial intelligence helps Northwest scientists better understand wildfire emissions

By Courtney Flatt January 24, 2023

Late afternoon light catches smoke from the Cold Springs Fire near a structure that appeared to be empty long before the fire, Monday, Sept. 7, 2020, near Omak, Washington. CREDIT: […]Read More

No-till farming, cover crops reduce greenhouse gasses but cost growers at the start, study finds

By Courtney Flatt December 22, 2022

Larry McMillan drives a combine as he harvests barley Friday, Aug. 24, 2007, near Moscow, Idaho. The region's warm and dry weather has provided optimal conditions for the continued harvest season. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

A combine harvests barley Friday, Aug. 24, 2007, near Moscow, Idaho. Credit: Ted S. Warren/AP READ When you think of heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions, you might picture industrial smoke stacks […]Read More

As more electric vehicles hit the road, researchers study EV fires, battery recycling

By Dori Luzzo Gilmour October 20, 2022

Listen (EV Battery Fires Runtime: 1:09) (EV Battery Recycling Runtime: 1:48) READ As more electric vehicles hit the roads in Washington, some people are concerned about their batteries catching fire […]Read More

The U.S. Made A Breakthrough Battery Discovery — Then Gave The Technology To China

By Courtney Flatt August 4, 2022

BY LAURA SULLIVAN and COURTNEY FLATT When a group of engineers and researchers gathered in a warehouse in Mukilteo, Wash., 10 years ago, they knew they were onto something big. […]Read More

Scientists Use Tiny Tags To Learn How Young Lamprey Travel Through Dams

By Courtney Flatt July 26, 2022

Kate Deters, a scientist with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, is about to make an incision in a juvenile Pacific lamprey so that she can insert an acoustic tag, which is about the size of a long grain of rice. The tag will allow scientists to track this lamprey as it travels downstream.

Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are tagging and releasing lamprey to learn more about their journey to sea from inland rivers.Read More

Lower Yakima Valley Dirt To Hitch A Ride To Space Next Week

By Courtney Flatt June 7, 2022

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory staff technician Yuliya Farris prepares sterile spaces used to hold soil in place for an experiment dubbed the Dynamics of the Microbiome in Space, known as DynaMoS. A SpaceX resupply mission will transport soil samples to the International Space Station, likely June 10.

How do you grow plants in space? Soil from the Lower Yakima Valley could help provide some key answers.Read More

Salmon Summit Teaches Kids About Conservation, Science

By Courtney Flatt April 30, 2022

During the 2022 Salmon Summit, Jennasys Alaniz, 10, a fourth grade student at Cascade Elementary School in Kennewick, releases a newly tagged young salmon into the Columbia River.

A recent salmon field trip has helped students become more curious about salmon.Read More

Newly Released Data Could Help Fish At Dams Around The World

By Courtney Flatt March 15, 2022

Researchers at PNNL tag young chinook salmon with tags slightly larger than a grain of rice Listen: Northwest News Network’s Courtney Flatt reports on data released that tracks fish and […]Read More

How Melting Sea Ice Increases Wildfire Risk In The Northwest

By Courtney Flatt December 17, 2021

New atmospheric research has found melting sea ice in the Arctic increases the risks for wildfires on the West Coast.

Recent atmospheric research may help Northwest forest managers better prepare for wildfires.Read More

Smaller Fish Tags To Help Sockeye Studies Above Grand Coulee Dam

By Courtney Flatt November 26, 2021

New, tiny batteries, designed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, will allow researchers to better study young sockeye salmon above Grand Coulee Dam, part of reintroduction efforts for salmon in the Upper Columbia River.

Soon, it could be easier to track young sockeye salmon around dams.Read More

How The View From Space Is Helping Fight Wildfires On The Ground

By Courtney Flatt August 13, 2021

Scientists are using satellites to help map wildfire perimeters and hotspots, like with this image of the Jack Fire in Oregon.

Scientists have discovered they can track fire lines and can quickly draw attention to spot fires using satellites.Read More

The Secret Life Of Trees: Researchers Probe Methane In Washington’s Coastal Forests

By Courtney Flatt March 9, 2021

Sequim-based researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have measured methane in trees and compared that to what’s escaping through the wood. Matt Norwood studied trees in Washington’s coastal forests and the East Coast. Courtesy of Matt Norwood/PNNL

Trees have a little secret you might not know about. Yes, they produce oxygen. Yes, they take in carbon dioxide, a heat-trapping greenhouse gas. But, they also emit methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas that can be significantly more potent than carbon dioxide.Read More

What Was Our Air Like Before Industry? A Scientist In Richland Is Sniffing The Amazon To Find Out

By Anna King May 31, 2019

This image from an explanatory video shows how scientists from Pacific Northwest National Lab collected air samples near Manaus, Brazil.

As a U.S. Department of Energy plane flew over the Amazon rainforest, it sipped and sampled air in real time. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientist Manish Shrivastava sampled the air over the Amazon to come up with a scientifically accurate baseline of pre-industrial air. Read More