In this Science 101: What is hydropower, engineer Quentin Ploussard and director for the Center for Energy, Environmental, and Economic Systems Analysis Vladimir Koritarov describe how water is used to generate and store electricity. Hydropower plays an important role in supporting renewable energy sources such as wind and solar that can’t always produce electricity. Hydropower acts like a battery by being able to store energy and use when needed.

In this Science 101 video, postdoctoral researchers Gillian Beltz-Mohrmann and Florian Kéruzoré explore two of the biggest mysteries in science: dark matter and dark energy. These strange influences seem to be stretching the universe apart and clumping stuff together in unexpected ways. Together, they make up a whopping 95% of the universe, but because we can’t see or touch them, we don’t know what they are

In this Science 101: What is Artificial Intelligence video, Argonne National Laboratory scientists Taylor Childers and Bethany Lusch discuss AI -- the computer technologies and techniques that help solve complex problems by imitating the brain’s ability to learn.

In this part of our series, computer scientist Casey Stone and Division Director for the Center for Nanoscale Materials Ilke Arslan provide an inside look into autonomous discovery. Autonomous discovery is a process that harnesses the power of robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning to bring scientific breakthroughs to the world faster than ever before

What is Decarbonization, principal scientist Sarang Supekar and Argonne Walter Massey Fellow Sixbert Muhoza discuss the importance of reducing carbon emissions and removing them from the atmosphere. This process, decarbonization, is a critical weapon in the fight against climate change.

In this Science 101 video, scientists Debolina Dasgupta and Nancy Kariuki describe the science, technology and applications of hydrogen energy. Hydrogen is the simplest chemical element, or type of atom, and an abundance of hydrogen exists within the water on our planet. It is naturally renewed by the water cycle, and when used as fuel, it releases no harmful emissions. For these reasons, hydrogen could play a major role in fostering a cleaner environment and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in sectors ranging from transportation to the grid.

In this Science 101: What is microelectronics, the director of the Mathematics and Computer Science Division Valerie Taylor and principal materials scientist Yuepeng Zhang discuss the ultrasmall components in computers, smartphones and much more. Microelectronics is essential to running businesses, halting the spread of disease, delivering power to homes through the electric grid and conducting scientific research to combat big challenges like the climate crisis.

In this Science 101: What is Nanoscience video, assistant scientist Jie Xu explains what nanoscience is, and how it is being applied at Argonne's Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM), a Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility.

In this part of our series, Roger Blomquist, a Principal Nuclear Engineer in the Nuclear Engineering Division, breaks down nuclear energy—the world’s largest and most reliable source of clean energy.

In this Science 101: What is Quantum Mechanics video, Katherine Harmon - Argonne Scholar in the Materials Science Division - explains what quantum mechanics is.

In this Science 101 video, principal materials scientist Jessica Macholz and postdoctoral scholar Sam Hunt delve into the forefront of scientific innovation aimed at propelling society towards a circular economy, significantly curbing waste and the depletion of natural resources.

In this part of our series, computational scientists Christopher Knight and Kevin Brown provide an inside look into supercomputers. These powerful machines can perform billions of calculations per second to assist scientists in solving some of the world’s most pressing challenges.