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Smithsonian Institution: Climate Refuges May Be Key To Restoring Imperiled Amphibians
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The Smithsonian Institution issued the following news release:
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Climate Refuges May Be Key To Restoring Imperiled Amphibians
New Research Identifies Disease-Free Havens Where Captive-Bred Frogs May Have the Best Chance of Survival
October 1, 2026
As a deadly fungal disease ravages wild frog populations around the globe, scientists have identified potential locations in Panama where amphibians might persist despite the presence of disease, according to new research from the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) and Smithsonian Tropical ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The Smithsonian Institution issued the following news release: * * * Climate Refuges May Be Key To Restoring Imperiled Amphibians New Research Identifies Disease-Free Havens Where Captive-Bred Frogs May Have the Best Chance of Survival October 1, 2026 As a deadly fungal disease ravages wild frog populations around the globe, scientists have identified potential locations in Panama where amphibians might persist despite the presence of disease, according to new research from the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) and Smithsonian TropicalResearch Institute (STRI) published today in the Journal for Nature Conservation.
The amphibian chytrid disease, also known as chytridiomycosis or simply chytrid, is caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. It has spread like wildfire through Central and South America since the 1970s and is now ubiquitous. It is believed to have driven numerous species of neotropical frogs to the brink of extinction, including many in the genus Atelopus, commonly known as harlequin toads. Now, as conservationists attempt to reintroduce captive-bred species to the wild, they hope to give the animals a leg up by identifying climatic refugia--places that are environmentally unsuitable for chytrid, but perfect for frogs.
The chytrid fungus is present across almost all of the historic range of Atelopus species, but just as human influenza cases change with the seasons, the chytrid disease fluctuates in its severity depending on the temperature and humidity. Using previously developed models that identified locations where the disease was present and the seasons when the disease was most severe, the authors built new chytrid suitability maps where reintroduced frogs might thrive without the threat of chytrid.
"We have tried releasing captive-bred harlequin toads back into the wild and experienced high losses due to the amphibian chytrid fungus that persists in the environment," said Brian Gratwicke, conservation biologist at NZCBI and senior author of the article. "By mapping climatic refuges, we finally have a tool to rank potential release sites, allowing us to select places where the released animals have the best chance of survival."
Researchers found most harlequin toad species in Panama only persist at sites where more than 80% of the seasons were unsuitable for medium and high-intensity infections. Only one species, the variable harlequin toad (A. varius), was found in sites suitable for the disease, which scientists say is consistent with evidence that the species may have evolved resistance to chytrid.
Not only do the models identify potential locations for reintroduction sites, they also provide locations where existing wild Atelopus populations might remain.
"Our ability to identify climate refugia is critical if we hope to locate populations that might have disappeared from most places in their former range," said Carrie Lewis, doctoral candidate at George Mason University and lead author of the publication. "These persisting populations could provide a source of genes to bolster populations under human care and provide opportunities to augment wild populations."
Although there are currently a limited number of potential refuges, additional opportunities have been identified. The models also forecasted areas that, while currently suitable for the disease, might become unsuitable in the coming years due to climate change. Researchers note the shifting climate could also have negative effects on frogs that are adapted to cooler mountainous habitats.
"Guided by these climate refugia and Atelopus habitat-suitability maps, we have already begun surveying potential sites for habitat suitability and potential release trials," said Roberto Ibanez, STRI staff scientist and co-author of the study. "These tools will allow us to experimentally test the climate refugia hypothesis through future release trials."
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About the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
NZCBI leads the Smithsonian's global effort to save species, better understand ecosystems and train future generations of conservationists. Its two campuses are home to more than 2,200 animals, including some of the world's most critically endangered species. Always free of charge, the Zoo's 163-acre park in the heart of Washington, D.C., features animals representing 400 species and is a popular destination for children and families. At the Conservation Biology Institute's 3,200-acre campus in Virginia, breeding and veterinary research on nearly 250 animals representing 20 species provide critical data for the management of animals in human care and valuable insights for conservation of wild populations. NZCBI's 305 staff and scientists work in Washington, D.C., Virginia and with partners at field sites across the United States and in more than 45 countries to save wildlife, collaborate with communities and conserve native habitats. NZCBI is a long-standing accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
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About the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Headquartered in Panama City, Panama, STRI is a unit of the Smithsonian Institution. Our mission is to understand tropical biodiversity and its importance to human welfare, to train students to conduct research in the tropics and promote conservation by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems. Visit the institute at our website and on Facebook, X and Instagram for updates.
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Original text here: https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/climate-refuges-may-be-key-restoring-imperiled-amphibians
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Climate Refuges May Be Key To Restoring Imperiled Amphibians
New Research Identifies Disease-Free Havens Where Captive-Bred Frogs May Have the Best Chance of Survival
October 1, 2026
As a deadly fungal disease ravages wild frog populations around the globe, scientists have identified potential locations in Panama where amphibians might persist despite the presence of disease, according to new research from the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) and Smithsonian Tropical ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The Smithsonian Institution issued the following news release: * * * Climate Refuges May Be Key To Restoring Imperiled Amphibians New Research Identifies Disease-Free Havens Where Captive-Bred Frogs May Have the Best Chance of Survival October 1, 2026 As a deadly fungal disease ravages wild frog populations around the globe, scientists have identified potential locations in Panama where amphibians might persist despite the presence of disease, according to new research from the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) and Smithsonian TropicalResearch Institute (STRI) published today in the Journal for Nature Conservation.
The amphibian chytrid disease, also known as chytridiomycosis or simply chytrid, is caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. It has spread like wildfire through Central and South America since the 1970s and is now ubiquitous. It is believed to have driven numerous species of neotropical frogs to the brink of extinction, including many in the genus Atelopus, commonly known as harlequin toads. Now, as conservationists attempt to reintroduce captive-bred species to the wild, they hope to give the animals a leg up by identifying climatic refugia--places that are environmentally unsuitable for chytrid, but perfect for frogs.
The chytrid fungus is present across almost all of the historic range of Atelopus species, but just as human influenza cases change with the seasons, the chytrid disease fluctuates in its severity depending on the temperature and humidity. Using previously developed models that identified locations where the disease was present and the seasons when the disease was most severe, the authors built new chytrid suitability maps where reintroduced frogs might thrive without the threat of chytrid.
"We have tried releasing captive-bred harlequin toads back into the wild and experienced high losses due to the amphibian chytrid fungus that persists in the environment," said Brian Gratwicke, conservation biologist at NZCBI and senior author of the article. "By mapping climatic refuges, we finally have a tool to rank potential release sites, allowing us to select places where the released animals have the best chance of survival."
Researchers found most harlequin toad species in Panama only persist at sites where more than 80% of the seasons were unsuitable for medium and high-intensity infections. Only one species, the variable harlequin toad (A. varius), was found in sites suitable for the disease, which scientists say is consistent with evidence that the species may have evolved resistance to chytrid.
Not only do the models identify potential locations for reintroduction sites, they also provide locations where existing wild Atelopus populations might remain.
"Our ability to identify climate refugia is critical if we hope to locate populations that might have disappeared from most places in their former range," said Carrie Lewis, doctoral candidate at George Mason University and lead author of the publication. "These persisting populations could provide a source of genes to bolster populations under human care and provide opportunities to augment wild populations."
Although there are currently a limited number of potential refuges, additional opportunities have been identified. The models also forecasted areas that, while currently suitable for the disease, might become unsuitable in the coming years due to climate change. Researchers note the shifting climate could also have negative effects on frogs that are adapted to cooler mountainous habitats.
"Guided by these climate refugia and Atelopus habitat-suitability maps, we have already begun surveying potential sites for habitat suitability and potential release trials," said Roberto Ibanez, STRI staff scientist and co-author of the study. "These tools will allow us to experimentally test the climate refugia hypothesis through future release trials."
* * *
About the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
NZCBI leads the Smithsonian's global effort to save species, better understand ecosystems and train future generations of conservationists. Its two campuses are home to more than 2,200 animals, including some of the world's most critically endangered species. Always free of charge, the Zoo's 163-acre park in the heart of Washington, D.C., features animals representing 400 species and is a popular destination for children and families. At the Conservation Biology Institute's 3,200-acre campus in Virginia, breeding and veterinary research on nearly 250 animals representing 20 species provide critical data for the management of animals in human care and valuable insights for conservation of wild populations. NZCBI's 305 staff and scientists work in Washington, D.C., Virginia and with partners at field sites across the United States and in more than 45 countries to save wildlife, collaborate with communities and conserve native habitats. NZCBI is a long-standing accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
* * *
About the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Headquartered in Panama City, Panama, STRI is a unit of the Smithsonian Institution. Our mission is to understand tropical biodiversity and its importance to human welfare, to train students to conduct research in the tropics and promote conservation by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems. Visit the institute at our website and on Facebook, X and Instagram for updates.
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Original text here: https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/climate-refuges-may-be-key-restoring-imperiled-amphibians
NOAA: Coral Restoration Champion Recognized With 2026 Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued the following news:
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Coral Restoration Champion Recognized with 2026 Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award
October 01, 2026
Dr. Kylie Smith received the national award for her exceptional work engaging communities and restoring Florida's coral reef ecosystems.
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NOAA was thrilled to honor Dr. Kylie Smith with the 2026 Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award at Restore America's Estuaries' Coastal & Estuarine Summit. Kylie is a coral reef ecologist with many years of ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued the following news: * * * Coral Restoration Champion Recognized with 2026 Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award October 01, 2026 Dr. Kylie Smith received the national award for her exceptional work engaging communities and restoring Florida's coral reef ecosystems. - NOAA was thrilled to honor Dr. Kylie Smith with the 2026 Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award at Restore America's Estuaries' Coastal & Estuarine Summit. Kylie is a coral reef ecologist with many years ofexperience restoring corals in the Florida Keys. Kylie is a co-founder of I.CARE (Islamorada Conservation and Restoration Education), which is dedicated to engaging recreational divers in coral reef restoration.
I.CARE was established in 2019 to bridge the gap between restoration science and community involvement in support of large-scale habitat restoration. Kylie's work at I.CARE balances sustainable recreational use while building conservation stewards among residents and visitors to the Florida Keys. Despite the challenges facing coral reef ecosystems, Kylie remains dedicated to her commitment to rebuilding the coral reefs of the Florida Keys and inspires many others to do the same.
Engaging Students & Communities
Kylie is deeply committed to mentorship, education, and community engagement in marine conservation. During her graduate studies at Clemson University, she mentored more than 40 undergraduate students. She supervised student research projects and guided students from project formation through presenting results at conferences. Years later, this experience inspired her to create an internship program at I.CARE. This program provides paid, hands-on experience in restoration ecology and inspires the next generation of conservationists.
In addition to her student engagement throughout her career, Kylie remains driven to involve community members in the science of coral restoration. She and her organization pave a path for community members to directly contribute to coral conservation. I.CARE has trained more than 5,000 recreational divers in coral restoration techniques and outplanted thousands of reef-building corals throughout the Florida Keys.
Her nominator, Dr. Michael Childress, describes how Kylie has "transformed community members from passive observers of reef decline into active stewards working to restore one of the world's most threatened marine ecosystems." He goes on to say, "Through her leadership, thousands of recreational divers, students, interns, and community members are now active participants in restoring marine ecosystems for future generations."
NOAA commends Kylie on these endeavors and looks forward to what she and her organization will achieve next. Congratulations, Kylie!
About the Award
This award is a collaboration between NOAA and the American Fisheries Society. Winners of the Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award must demonstrate exceptional achievement and dedication to habitat conservation in the coastal, riverine, or marine environment. Kylie joins 26 previous winners of this prestigious award.
Dr. Nancy Foster founded NOAA's Office of Habitat Conservation, Restoration Center, and Chesapeake Bay Office. In her 23 years at NOAA, she created a legacy as a pioneer and visionary in understanding coastal and marine ecosystems and their conservation. NOAA's habitat conservation work spans some of the largest and most valuable ecosystems and supports the nation's fisheries, protected species, and coastal communities.
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Original text here: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/coral-restoration-champion-recognized-2026-dr-nancy-foster-habitat-conservation-award
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Coral Restoration Champion Recognized with 2026 Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award
October 01, 2026
Dr. Kylie Smith received the national award for her exceptional work engaging communities and restoring Florida's coral reef ecosystems.
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NOAA was thrilled to honor Dr. Kylie Smith with the 2026 Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award at Restore America's Estuaries' Coastal & Estuarine Summit. Kylie is a coral reef ecologist with many years of ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued the following news: * * * Coral Restoration Champion Recognized with 2026 Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award October 01, 2026 Dr. Kylie Smith received the national award for her exceptional work engaging communities and restoring Florida's coral reef ecosystems. - NOAA was thrilled to honor Dr. Kylie Smith with the 2026 Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award at Restore America's Estuaries' Coastal & Estuarine Summit. Kylie is a coral reef ecologist with many years ofexperience restoring corals in the Florida Keys. Kylie is a co-founder of I.CARE (Islamorada Conservation and Restoration Education), which is dedicated to engaging recreational divers in coral reef restoration.
I.CARE was established in 2019 to bridge the gap between restoration science and community involvement in support of large-scale habitat restoration. Kylie's work at I.CARE balances sustainable recreational use while building conservation stewards among residents and visitors to the Florida Keys. Despite the challenges facing coral reef ecosystems, Kylie remains dedicated to her commitment to rebuilding the coral reefs of the Florida Keys and inspires many others to do the same.
Engaging Students & Communities
Kylie is deeply committed to mentorship, education, and community engagement in marine conservation. During her graduate studies at Clemson University, she mentored more than 40 undergraduate students. She supervised student research projects and guided students from project formation through presenting results at conferences. Years later, this experience inspired her to create an internship program at I.CARE. This program provides paid, hands-on experience in restoration ecology and inspires the next generation of conservationists.
In addition to her student engagement throughout her career, Kylie remains driven to involve community members in the science of coral restoration. She and her organization pave a path for community members to directly contribute to coral conservation. I.CARE has trained more than 5,000 recreational divers in coral restoration techniques and outplanted thousands of reef-building corals throughout the Florida Keys.
Her nominator, Dr. Michael Childress, describes how Kylie has "transformed community members from passive observers of reef decline into active stewards working to restore one of the world's most threatened marine ecosystems." He goes on to say, "Through her leadership, thousands of recreational divers, students, interns, and community members are now active participants in restoring marine ecosystems for future generations."
NOAA commends Kylie on these endeavors and looks forward to what she and her organization will achieve next. Congratulations, Kylie!
About the Award
This award is a collaboration between NOAA and the American Fisheries Society. Winners of the Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award must demonstrate exceptional achievement and dedication to habitat conservation in the coastal, riverine, or marine environment. Kylie joins 26 previous winners of this prestigious award.
Dr. Nancy Foster founded NOAA's Office of Habitat Conservation, Restoration Center, and Chesapeake Bay Office. In her 23 years at NOAA, she created a legacy as a pioneer and visionary in understanding coastal and marine ecosystems and their conservation. NOAA's habitat conservation work spans some of the largest and most valuable ecosystems and supports the nation's fisheries, protected species, and coastal communities.
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Original text here: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/coral-restoration-champion-recognized-2026-dr-nancy-foster-habitat-conservation-award
Justice Department Finds UCLA Law School Discriminates Based on Race in Admissions
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (TNSida) -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release:
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Justice Department Finds UCLA Law School Discriminates Based on Race in Admissions
October 1, 2026
The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division announced today investigative findings that the University of California-Los Angeles School of Law (UCLA Law) discriminated against white and Asian students in granting admission to its 2023, 2024, and 2025 incoming classes. UCLA Law's discriminatory conduct violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (TNSida) -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release: * * * Justice Department Finds UCLA Law School Discriminates Based on Race in Admissions October 1, 2026 The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division announced today investigative findings that the University of California-Los Angeles School of Law (UCLA Law) discriminated against white and Asian students in granting admission to its 2023, 2024, and 2025 incoming classes. UCLA Law's discriminatory conduct violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on thebasis of race or color, and the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (SFFA), which banned race discrimination in admissions.
"Like many of its peer institutions, UCLA Law School runs a two-tiered admissions system whose academic bar for acceptance shifts up or down depending on the color of your skin," said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "The use of race as a thumb on the scale that helps or disadvantages any student is illegal. The Department will continue to enforce equal treatment under the law everywhere -- including in our nation's law schools."
The Department's investigation found that post-SFFA, UCLA Law's application includes personal statements and essay prompts, which are designed to elicit information about race. And UCLA Law's admissions staff instructed prospective applicants how to reveal their race in these sections of the application--during race-based recruitment efforts, such as its annual "Diversity Admissions Open House".
The Department's analysis revealed that UCLA Law rejected white and Asian applicants who had the same LSAT scores as admitted black and Hispanic applicants. Plainly, lower-scoring white and Asian applicants would have been admitted by UCLA Law if they were black or Hispanic. Further, in 2024 and 2025 (combined), half of the admitted black applicants had LSAT scores that were at or below 90% of the admitted white applicants.
As recipients of federal financial assistance, law schools are subject to federal non-discrimination laws. The Department will continue to investigate their compliance with Title VI, as interpreted by SFFA's prohibition on race-conscious admissions. Where a violation has been found, the Department will engage in settlement negotiations to ensure the school's admissions practices are brought into compliance. If those efforts fail, the Department will file suit.
Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at www.civilrights.justice.gov/.
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INFODOC: https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/2026-10/2026.09.30%20US%20Findings%20Ltr%20re%20UCLA%20Law.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
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Original text here: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-finds-ucla-law-school-discriminates-based-race-admissions
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Justice Department Finds UCLA Law School Discriminates Based on Race in Admissions
October 1, 2026
The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division announced today investigative findings that the University of California-Los Angeles School of Law (UCLA Law) discriminated against white and Asian students in granting admission to its 2023, 2024, and 2025 incoming classes. UCLA Law's discriminatory conduct violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (TNSida) -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release: * * * Justice Department Finds UCLA Law School Discriminates Based on Race in Admissions October 1, 2026 The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division announced today investigative findings that the University of California-Los Angeles School of Law (UCLA Law) discriminated against white and Asian students in granting admission to its 2023, 2024, and 2025 incoming classes. UCLA Law's discriminatory conduct violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on thebasis of race or color, and the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (SFFA), which banned race discrimination in admissions.
"Like many of its peer institutions, UCLA Law School runs a two-tiered admissions system whose academic bar for acceptance shifts up or down depending on the color of your skin," said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "The use of race as a thumb on the scale that helps or disadvantages any student is illegal. The Department will continue to enforce equal treatment under the law everywhere -- including in our nation's law schools."
The Department's investigation found that post-SFFA, UCLA Law's application includes personal statements and essay prompts, which are designed to elicit information about race. And UCLA Law's admissions staff instructed prospective applicants how to reveal their race in these sections of the application--during race-based recruitment efforts, such as its annual "Diversity Admissions Open House".
The Department's analysis revealed that UCLA Law rejected white and Asian applicants who had the same LSAT scores as admitted black and Hispanic applicants. Plainly, lower-scoring white and Asian applicants would have been admitted by UCLA Law if they were black or Hispanic. Further, in 2024 and 2025 (combined), half of the admitted black applicants had LSAT scores that were at or below 90% of the admitted white applicants.
As recipients of federal financial assistance, law schools are subject to federal non-discrimination laws. The Department will continue to investigate their compliance with Title VI, as interpreted by SFFA's prohibition on race-conscious admissions. Where a violation has been found, the Department will engage in settlement negotiations to ensure the school's admissions practices are brought into compliance. If those efforts fail, the Department will file suit.
Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at www.civilrights.justice.gov/.
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INFODOC: https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/2026-10/2026.09.30%20US%20Findings%20Ltr%20re%20UCLA%20Law.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
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Original text here: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-finds-ucla-law-school-discriminates-based-race-admissions
Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Bowman Issues Remarks At Atlantic Council CEO & Senior Management Summit
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The Federal Reserve issued the following remarks by Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle W. Bowman:
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October 01, 2026
Modernizing Financial Regulation: Initial Observations from eSLR
At the Atlantic Council 2026 CEO & Senior Management Summit, Washington, D.C.
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Good morning. Thank you for the invitation to join you today. It is a pleasure to be with you to discuss our work at the Federal Reserve Board and how it interacts with the U.S. Treasury market./1
The U.S. Treasury market plays a foundational role in the U.S. economy. It is central to the transmission of ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The Federal Reserve issued the following remarks by Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle W. Bowman: * * * October 01, 2026 Modernizing Financial Regulation: Initial Observations from eSLR At the Atlantic Council 2026 CEO & Senior Management Summit, Washington, D.C. - Good morning. Thank you for the invitation to join you today. It is a pleasure to be with you to discuss our work at the Federal Reserve Board and how it interacts with the U.S. Treasury market./1 The U.S. Treasury market plays a foundational role in the U.S. economy. It is central to the transmission ofmonetary policy, the funding of the federal government, and the stability of the broader financial system. Because large banks play such a critical role in this market, bank regulations--particularly capital requirements--can significantly impact how well it functions. This is precisely why we must continuously monitor the effects of our regulations to ensure they are working as intended.
Today, I will discuss the enhanced supplementary leverage ratio, or "eSLR," a capital requirement intended to operate as a backstop to risk-based capital requirements in the United States. As the Treasury market grew over time, it became apparent that the eSLR was imposing a binding constraint on many large bank dealers, curtailing their capacity to provide liquidity to this market. This unintended regulatory effect prompted the Federal Reserve to temporarily reduce the effects of the eSLR in the spring of 2020, when the Treasury market experienced severe illiquidity during the onset of the COVID-related tightening in financial market conditions.
In the first six months of my term as Vice Chair for Supervision, the Federal Reserve Board recalibrated the eSLR with that reality firmly in view. This recalibration was widely acknowledged to be necessary because the eSLR--adopted in 2014--did not function as originally designed. Today, I will share an initial assessment of how these reforms have affected Treasury market activity.
The Problem with Binding Leverage Requirements
A leverage capital requirement functions best when it serves as a backstop to risk-based capital requirements. Because leverage-based capital requirements do not account for the risk of the underlying activities, they can provide an important signal, particularly during times of stress, and help support market discipline.
In the United States, the eSLR is a tailored capital requirement that applies only to U.S. global systemically important institutions (GSIBs). The initial framework required each GSIB to maintain a supplementary leverage ratio of at least three percent plus a leverage buffer of two percent. In addition, it required any insured depository institution that is a subsidiary of a GSIB to maintain a supplementary leverage ratio of at least six percent to be considered "well capitalized."
However, under this framework, the eSLR often became a binding constraint rather than operating as a backstop. When it is binding or could approach binding, the eSLR distorts incentives and activities. As a result, firms reduce participation in lower-risk, lower-return activities--such as intermediating the U.S. Treasury market--and instead pursue higher-risk activities in search of higher returns without facing corresponding increases in capital requirements. In addition, dealers have also noted their reluctance to expand Treasury holdings simply out of concern that it could become binding. This misalignment of incentives drove inefficient capital allocation throughout the financial system, ultimately undermining the very market stability these requirements were designed to protect.
Research confirms that the eSLR was one of the main constraints on dealers' capacity to intermediate in Treasury markets because it is risk blind, treating Treasuries the same as riskier asset classes./2 In particular, when banks are constrained by the eSLR ratios, they tended to hold smaller Treasury positions, hampering market liquidity as trading decreased and dealer intermediation margins increased./3 In addition, following shocks to the size of bank balance sheets, the reduction in Treasury market participation was larger for banks with lower SLRs./4
Regulatory Reform
To address this issue, in November 2025, the Federal Reserve Board, together with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, finalized long overdue and necessary changes to the eSLR standard. The Board recalibrated the eSLR buffer standard for GSIBs to equal 50 percent of a GSIB's method-1 surcharge calculated under the Board's GSIB surcharge framework, rather than the previous leverage buffer standard of two percent. For GSIB depository institution subsidiaries, the eSLR buffer standard is equal to 50 percent of a GSIB's method-1 surcharge, capped at one percent. The cap recognizes that the method-1 surcharge of a parent GSIB may be partly driven by activities outside of the depository institution subsidiaries of the GSIB. This new approach tailors the eSLR to each GSIB's systemic footprint and produces a calibration that is consistent with the objective for supplementary leverage ratio requirements to act as a backstop to risk-based capital requirements. In addition, it promotes international consistency, aligning with the leverage ratio framework published by the Basel Committee for Banking Supervision. The final rule became effective April 1, 2026, with optional early adoption beginning January 1, 2026. Seven of the eight U.S. GSIBs adopted it early in the first quarter.
Early Results
The impact of this recalibration has been encouraging. So far this year, evidence shows that leverage ratio reforms have improved Treasury market functioning and strengthened its resilience to stress by relaxing regulatory balance sheet constraints.
According to some estimates, the parent bank holding companies (BHCs) of the six dealers gained nearly $5 trillion of additional eSLR headroom, in aggregate, in Q1 2026, the first quarter during which the modified rule was applied./5
Recent supervisory data also shows clear benefits resulting from this regulatory treatment. Following the eSLR revisions, dealers increased their Treasury market positions, as all of the largest banks benefited from significantly greater headroom. Supervisory data show dealers' total Treasury positions have increased from roughly $600 billion at the beginning of the modification period to over $700 billion at the end of April./6 This increase was concentrated among the firms that had consistently maintained the lowest eSLR buffers over the previous 24 months and were thus more constrained by the eSLR. This pattern suggests that the sharp increase in positions was driven by dealers taking advantage of additional headroom created by the eSLR modification.
This has translated into greater balance sheet capacity at dealer subsidiaries. The revised eSLR standard provides additional headroom for firms to increase their overall Treasury holdings using their existing capital base and enables them to support other low-risk but balance sheet-intensive market making activities like Treasury market intermediation. It has also created a structural increase in balance sheet capacity for banks that were constrained prior to the rule change. For these firms, additional capacity was deployed to dealer subsidiaries. While all U.S. GSIBs seem to have benefited from the eSLR relief, only a few of them utilized additional balance sheet capacity for U.S. Treasury activities.
This analysis is confirmed by a forthcoming research note prepared by Federal Reserve Board staff members examining how the new eSLR rule affected dealers' Treasury market activity./7 The note finds that dealers' Treasury positions increased notably after the rule was implemented. The increase was driven by banks with the lowest eSLR buffers and that were more constrained by the prior rule.
Market Outreach
These findings are reinforced by our market outreach. Market contacts have cited the lower eSLR requirements for U.S. GSIBs as a primary driver behind the decrease in capital constraints for BHCs. One dealer reported that leveraged capacity at GSIBs surged from $1.8 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2025 to $6.4 trillion after the new rule took effect. Banks have been actively deploying this increased capacity, with leveraged exposure across GSIBs increasing by approximately $900 billion. Some institutions directly attributed the increase in their Treasury holdings and repo market activity to the eSLR recalibration, as reflected in the March 2026 Senior Financial Officer Survey./8 Meanwhile in targeted outreach to individual firms, market participants highlighted that by expanding GSIB balance sheet capacity, the lower eSLR requirements improved Treasury and money market liquidity and functioning.
Dealers play a central role in the market by warehousing and distributing Treasuries and arbitraging markets. As a result of the eSLR revision, these important market makers have greater capacity to effectively intermediate a growing market both by helping to smooth price changes on days when there is sizable Treasury issuance and by continuing to make markets in periods of greater market volatility.
We are seeing other market improvements as well. Recently, dealers have increased their holdings of Treasury securities and hedged these positions by shorting Treasury futures. This increase in dealer holdings has likely absorbed some positions previously held predominantly by hedge funds as part of the cash-futures basis trade. These conditions are likely to lessen the influence in Treasury markets of investors holding highly leveraged trading positions that are particularly vulnerable to adverse shocks in funding, cash, or derivatives markets. This change supports Treasury market resilience by limiting the potential for a selloff in cash securities amid volatile conditions, therefore reducing the likelihood of market dislocation. The expanded bank dealer capacity has enabled some market participants to reduce their exposures without significant market disruption.
We can already see improved market liquidity and functioning across these markets, through narrower bid-ask spreads, reduced intraday volatility during auction cycles, calmer funding conditions, and greater price stability during periods of elevated supply. All of this indicates that dealer intermediation is successfully absorbing flows that could have previously caused more pronounced market dislocations.
Perhaps most importantly, these reforms deliver their greatest value when it matters most--that is, during periods of market stress. As many market participants have noted, while they may not face near-term eSLR constraints in normal times, the real benefit of the recalibration is eliminating the likelihood of becoming constrained during risk-off or surge activity events--precisely when market liquidity is most critical./9
The Broader Lesson: The Importance of Regulatory Modernization
The success of the eSLR recalibration underscores a critical principle of financial regulatory oversight. We must continuously revisit and modernize our regulations when observations and data reveal frictions or indicate that a rule is no longer functioning as intended. This is not merely good policy--it is a legal requirement. We are obligated by law to periodically review our regulations to ensure they serve their intended purpose, whether that relates to market functioning or the safe and sound operation of financial institutions.
Regulations should adapt as conditions evolve and as we gain experience with how rules operate in practice. When evidence shows that a regulation is creating adverse unintended consequences, we have a responsibility to act. The eSLR experience demonstrates that thoughtful recalibration--grounded in sound analysis and market feedback--can meaningfully improve both market resilience and the efficiency of our regulatory framework. This commitment to ongoing regulatory review will continue to guide our approach, ensuring that our rules remain effective, proportionate, and aligned with their fundamental objectives.
* * *
1. The views expressed here are my own and are not necessarily those of my colleagues on the Federal Reserve Board or the Federal Open Market Committee. Return to text
2. See section IV.A of "Regulatory Capital: Modifications to the Enhanced Supplementary Leverage Ratio Standards for U.S. Global Systemically Important Bank Holding Companies and Their Subsidiary Depository Institutions; Total Loss-Absorbing Capacity and Long-Term Debt Requirements for U.S. Global Systemically Important Bank Holding Companies," December 1, 2025. Return to text
3. See Falk Brauning and Hillary Stein, "The Effect of Primary Dealer Constraints on Intermediation in the Treasury Market," Review of Financial Studies, forthcoming, https://doi.org/10.1093/rfs/hhag043. Similarly, measures of U.S. Treasury market liquidity appeared to be adversely affected as primary dealers faced capacity constraints, as shown by Darrell Duffie, Michael J. Fleming, Frank M. Keane, Claire Nelson, Or Shachar, and Peter Van Tassel, "Dealer Capacity and U.S. Treasury Market Functionality," Staff Reports No. 1070 (Federal Reserve Bank of New York, August 2023; revised October 2023). Return to text
4. See Giovanni Favara, Sebastian Infante, and Marcelo Rezende, "Leverage Regulations and Treasury Market Participation: Evidence from Credit Line Drawdowns," unpublished paper (August 4, 2022; revised October 21, 2025), https://ssrn.com/abstract=4175429. Return to text
5. See Atman Mohanty, Lubomir Petrasek, Zack Saravay, and Martin Waibel, "Dealers' Treasury Market Activity and eSLR Rule Modification," FEDS Notes (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, forthcoming). Return to text
6. Data from Federal Reserve Board, Form FR 2052a, Complex Institution Liquidity Monitoring Report. Return to text
7. See Mohanty et al., "Dealers' Treasury Market Activities." Return to text
8. The March 2026 Senior Financial Officer Survey results are available on the Board's website at https://www.federalreserve.gov/data/sfos/March-2026-Senior-Financial-Officer-Survey-Results.htm. Return to text
9. This view is consistent with the findings in Favara et al., "Leverage Regulations." Return to text
* * *
Original text here: https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/bowman20261001a.htm
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October 01, 2026
Modernizing Financial Regulation: Initial Observations from eSLR
At the Atlantic Council 2026 CEO & Senior Management Summit, Washington, D.C.
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Good morning. Thank you for the invitation to join you today. It is a pleasure to be with you to discuss our work at the Federal Reserve Board and how it interacts with the U.S. Treasury market./1
The U.S. Treasury market plays a foundational role in the U.S. economy. It is central to the transmission of ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 -- The Federal Reserve issued the following remarks by Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle W. Bowman: * * * October 01, 2026 Modernizing Financial Regulation: Initial Observations from eSLR At the Atlantic Council 2026 CEO & Senior Management Summit, Washington, D.C. - Good morning. Thank you for the invitation to join you today. It is a pleasure to be with you to discuss our work at the Federal Reserve Board and how it interacts with the U.S. Treasury market./1 The U.S. Treasury market plays a foundational role in the U.S. economy. It is central to the transmission ofmonetary policy, the funding of the federal government, and the stability of the broader financial system. Because large banks play such a critical role in this market, bank regulations--particularly capital requirements--can significantly impact how well it functions. This is precisely why we must continuously monitor the effects of our regulations to ensure they are working as intended.
Today, I will discuss the enhanced supplementary leverage ratio, or "eSLR," a capital requirement intended to operate as a backstop to risk-based capital requirements in the United States. As the Treasury market grew over time, it became apparent that the eSLR was imposing a binding constraint on many large bank dealers, curtailing their capacity to provide liquidity to this market. This unintended regulatory effect prompted the Federal Reserve to temporarily reduce the effects of the eSLR in the spring of 2020, when the Treasury market experienced severe illiquidity during the onset of the COVID-related tightening in financial market conditions.
In the first six months of my term as Vice Chair for Supervision, the Federal Reserve Board recalibrated the eSLR with that reality firmly in view. This recalibration was widely acknowledged to be necessary because the eSLR--adopted in 2014--did not function as originally designed. Today, I will share an initial assessment of how these reforms have affected Treasury market activity.
The Problem with Binding Leverage Requirements
A leverage capital requirement functions best when it serves as a backstop to risk-based capital requirements. Because leverage-based capital requirements do not account for the risk of the underlying activities, they can provide an important signal, particularly during times of stress, and help support market discipline.
In the United States, the eSLR is a tailored capital requirement that applies only to U.S. global systemically important institutions (GSIBs). The initial framework required each GSIB to maintain a supplementary leverage ratio of at least three percent plus a leverage buffer of two percent. In addition, it required any insured depository institution that is a subsidiary of a GSIB to maintain a supplementary leverage ratio of at least six percent to be considered "well capitalized."
However, under this framework, the eSLR often became a binding constraint rather than operating as a backstop. When it is binding or could approach binding, the eSLR distorts incentives and activities. As a result, firms reduce participation in lower-risk, lower-return activities--such as intermediating the U.S. Treasury market--and instead pursue higher-risk activities in search of higher returns without facing corresponding increases in capital requirements. In addition, dealers have also noted their reluctance to expand Treasury holdings simply out of concern that it could become binding. This misalignment of incentives drove inefficient capital allocation throughout the financial system, ultimately undermining the very market stability these requirements were designed to protect.
Research confirms that the eSLR was one of the main constraints on dealers' capacity to intermediate in Treasury markets because it is risk blind, treating Treasuries the same as riskier asset classes./2 In particular, when banks are constrained by the eSLR ratios, they tended to hold smaller Treasury positions, hampering market liquidity as trading decreased and dealer intermediation margins increased./3 In addition, following shocks to the size of bank balance sheets, the reduction in Treasury market participation was larger for banks with lower SLRs./4
Regulatory Reform
To address this issue, in November 2025, the Federal Reserve Board, together with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, finalized long overdue and necessary changes to the eSLR standard. The Board recalibrated the eSLR buffer standard for GSIBs to equal 50 percent of a GSIB's method-1 surcharge calculated under the Board's GSIB surcharge framework, rather than the previous leverage buffer standard of two percent. For GSIB depository institution subsidiaries, the eSLR buffer standard is equal to 50 percent of a GSIB's method-1 surcharge, capped at one percent. The cap recognizes that the method-1 surcharge of a parent GSIB may be partly driven by activities outside of the depository institution subsidiaries of the GSIB. This new approach tailors the eSLR to each GSIB's systemic footprint and produces a calibration that is consistent with the objective for supplementary leverage ratio requirements to act as a backstop to risk-based capital requirements. In addition, it promotes international consistency, aligning with the leverage ratio framework published by the Basel Committee for Banking Supervision. The final rule became effective April 1, 2026, with optional early adoption beginning January 1, 2026. Seven of the eight U.S. GSIBs adopted it early in the first quarter.
Early Results
The impact of this recalibration has been encouraging. So far this year, evidence shows that leverage ratio reforms have improved Treasury market functioning and strengthened its resilience to stress by relaxing regulatory balance sheet constraints.
According to some estimates, the parent bank holding companies (BHCs) of the six dealers gained nearly $5 trillion of additional eSLR headroom, in aggregate, in Q1 2026, the first quarter during which the modified rule was applied./5
Recent supervisory data also shows clear benefits resulting from this regulatory treatment. Following the eSLR revisions, dealers increased their Treasury market positions, as all of the largest banks benefited from significantly greater headroom. Supervisory data show dealers' total Treasury positions have increased from roughly $600 billion at the beginning of the modification period to over $700 billion at the end of April./6 This increase was concentrated among the firms that had consistently maintained the lowest eSLR buffers over the previous 24 months and were thus more constrained by the eSLR. This pattern suggests that the sharp increase in positions was driven by dealers taking advantage of additional headroom created by the eSLR modification.
This has translated into greater balance sheet capacity at dealer subsidiaries. The revised eSLR standard provides additional headroom for firms to increase their overall Treasury holdings using their existing capital base and enables them to support other low-risk but balance sheet-intensive market making activities like Treasury market intermediation. It has also created a structural increase in balance sheet capacity for banks that were constrained prior to the rule change. For these firms, additional capacity was deployed to dealer subsidiaries. While all U.S. GSIBs seem to have benefited from the eSLR relief, only a few of them utilized additional balance sheet capacity for U.S. Treasury activities.
This analysis is confirmed by a forthcoming research note prepared by Federal Reserve Board staff members examining how the new eSLR rule affected dealers' Treasury market activity./7 The note finds that dealers' Treasury positions increased notably after the rule was implemented. The increase was driven by banks with the lowest eSLR buffers and that were more constrained by the prior rule.
Market Outreach
These findings are reinforced by our market outreach. Market contacts have cited the lower eSLR requirements for U.S. GSIBs as a primary driver behind the decrease in capital constraints for BHCs. One dealer reported that leveraged capacity at GSIBs surged from $1.8 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2025 to $6.4 trillion after the new rule took effect. Banks have been actively deploying this increased capacity, with leveraged exposure across GSIBs increasing by approximately $900 billion. Some institutions directly attributed the increase in their Treasury holdings and repo market activity to the eSLR recalibration, as reflected in the March 2026 Senior Financial Officer Survey./8 Meanwhile in targeted outreach to individual firms, market participants highlighted that by expanding GSIB balance sheet capacity, the lower eSLR requirements improved Treasury and money market liquidity and functioning.
Dealers play a central role in the market by warehousing and distributing Treasuries and arbitraging markets. As a result of the eSLR revision, these important market makers have greater capacity to effectively intermediate a growing market both by helping to smooth price changes on days when there is sizable Treasury issuance and by continuing to make markets in periods of greater market volatility.
We are seeing other market improvements as well. Recently, dealers have increased their holdings of Treasury securities and hedged these positions by shorting Treasury futures. This increase in dealer holdings has likely absorbed some positions previously held predominantly by hedge funds as part of the cash-futures basis trade. These conditions are likely to lessen the influence in Treasury markets of investors holding highly leveraged trading positions that are particularly vulnerable to adverse shocks in funding, cash, or derivatives markets. This change supports Treasury market resilience by limiting the potential for a selloff in cash securities amid volatile conditions, therefore reducing the likelihood of market dislocation. The expanded bank dealer capacity has enabled some market participants to reduce their exposures without significant market disruption.
We can already see improved market liquidity and functioning across these markets, through narrower bid-ask spreads, reduced intraday volatility during auction cycles, calmer funding conditions, and greater price stability during periods of elevated supply. All of this indicates that dealer intermediation is successfully absorbing flows that could have previously caused more pronounced market dislocations.
Perhaps most importantly, these reforms deliver their greatest value when it matters most--that is, during periods of market stress. As many market participants have noted, while they may not face near-term eSLR constraints in normal times, the real benefit of the recalibration is eliminating the likelihood of becoming constrained during risk-off or surge activity events--precisely when market liquidity is most critical./9
The Broader Lesson: The Importance of Regulatory Modernization
The success of the eSLR recalibration underscores a critical principle of financial regulatory oversight. We must continuously revisit and modernize our regulations when observations and data reveal frictions or indicate that a rule is no longer functioning as intended. This is not merely good policy--it is a legal requirement. We are obligated by law to periodically review our regulations to ensure they serve their intended purpose, whether that relates to market functioning or the safe and sound operation of financial institutions.
Regulations should adapt as conditions evolve and as we gain experience with how rules operate in practice. When evidence shows that a regulation is creating adverse unintended consequences, we have a responsibility to act. The eSLR experience demonstrates that thoughtful recalibration--grounded in sound analysis and market feedback--can meaningfully improve both market resilience and the efficiency of our regulatory framework. This commitment to ongoing regulatory review will continue to guide our approach, ensuring that our rules remain effective, proportionate, and aligned with their fundamental objectives.
* * *
1. The views expressed here are my own and are not necessarily those of my colleagues on the Federal Reserve Board or the Federal Open Market Committee. Return to text
2. See section IV.A of "Regulatory Capital: Modifications to the Enhanced Supplementary Leverage Ratio Standards for U.S. Global Systemically Important Bank Holding Companies and Their Subsidiary Depository Institutions; Total Loss-Absorbing Capacity and Long-Term Debt Requirements for U.S. Global Systemically Important Bank Holding Companies," December 1, 2025. Return to text
3. See Falk Brauning and Hillary Stein, "The Effect of Primary Dealer Constraints on Intermediation in the Treasury Market," Review of Financial Studies, forthcoming, https://doi.org/10.1093/rfs/hhag043. Similarly, measures of U.S. Treasury market liquidity appeared to be adversely affected as primary dealers faced capacity constraints, as shown by Darrell Duffie, Michael J. Fleming, Frank M. Keane, Claire Nelson, Or Shachar, and Peter Van Tassel, "Dealer Capacity and U.S. Treasury Market Functionality," Staff Reports No. 1070 (Federal Reserve Bank of New York, August 2023; revised October 2023). Return to text
4. See Giovanni Favara, Sebastian Infante, and Marcelo Rezende, "Leverage Regulations and Treasury Market Participation: Evidence from Credit Line Drawdowns," unpublished paper (August 4, 2022; revised October 21, 2025), https://ssrn.com/abstract=4175429. Return to text
5. See Atman Mohanty, Lubomir Petrasek, Zack Saravay, and Martin Waibel, "Dealers' Treasury Market Activity and eSLR Rule Modification," FEDS Notes (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, forthcoming). Return to text
6. Data from Federal Reserve Board, Form FR 2052a, Complex Institution Liquidity Monitoring Report. Return to text
7. See Mohanty et al., "Dealers' Treasury Market Activities." Return to text
8. The March 2026 Senior Financial Officer Survey results are available on the Board's website at https://www.federalreserve.gov/data/sfos/March-2026-Senior-Financial-Officer-Survey-Results.htm. Return to text
9. This view is consistent with the findings in Favara et al., "Leverage Regulations." Return to text
* * *
Original text here: https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/bowman20261001a.htm
DOE Savannah River Site: First Gloveboxes Supporting SRPPF Worker Training Delivered to SRS
AIKEN, South Carolina, Oct. 2 -- The U.S. Department of Energy Savannah River Site issued the following news release:
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First gloveboxes supporting SRPPF worker training delivered to SRS
AIKEN, S.C. (Oct. 1, 2026) - Gloveboxes that will help train and prepare the skilled workforce needed to support the National Nuclear Security Administration's vital plutonium pit production mission are being delivered a year ahead of schedule. The first gloveboxes will be installed in the High-Fidelity Training and Operations Center (HFTOC), a future non-nuclear operations training facility supporting the ... Show Full Article AIKEN, South Carolina, Oct. 2 -- The U.S. Department of Energy Savannah River Site issued the following news release: * * * First gloveboxes supporting SRPPF worker training delivered to SRS AIKEN, S.C. (Oct. 1, 2026) - Gloveboxes that will help train and prepare the skilled workforce needed to support the National Nuclear Security Administration's vital plutonium pit production mission are being delivered a year ahead of schedule. The first gloveboxes will be installed in the High-Fidelity Training and Operations Center (HFTOC), a future non-nuclear operations training facility supporting theSavannah River Plutonium Processing Facility (SRPPF).
The gloveboxes will provide workers with hands-on training in a realistic environment, allowing them to develop critical technical skills, become familiar with specialized equipment and procedures, and build the experience needed to safely and effectively support future SRPPF operations.
"The arrival of these gloveboxes marks a major milestone for the entire SRPPF mission at SRS," said Jim Dawkins, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS). "The early delivery of these gloveboxes will directly support near-term training and workforce development for pit production so that SRS will be ready for operations once SRPPF is complete. SRNS is committed to identifying expedited pathways to enable the pit mission and support deterrence of our nation's adversaries."
The HFTOC will mimic the capabilities in the SRPPF Main Process Building and allow operators to develop pit production competencies on "like-for-like" sets of equipment with simulated radiological controls. The HFTOC subproject is forecast for completion in 2028, which allows for workforce development to advance while SRPPF is under construction.
SRNS Senior Vice President of SRPPF Project Execution and SRPPF Project Director Mike Basham stated that, "A key factor in the delivery of this equipment was the implementation of commercial practices. SRNS collaborated with our NNSA partners to think outside the box, seek out new resources, and streamline processes for project delivery. Through thoughtful planning, these first completed gloveboxes will not only support workforce development in the HFTOC, but they will ultimately support operations once SRPPF comes online."
The HFTOC will be leveraged by NNSA to accelerate the transition from training to operations for the pit production mission.
"SRS is establishing the program and workforce to sustain an enduring pit production mission now," said Dawkins. "This requires a parallel, integrated project and program approach for all stages from planning - from design and construction to turnover to operations. This recent accomplishment demonstrates the SRS commitment to efficiency, excellence, and delivering this capability for the nation."
SRPPF is part of the NNSA's two-site strategy to produce no fewer than 80 plutonium pits per year in accordance with federal law. Plutonium pits are an essential component to nuclear weapons. The pits will be produced at facilities at SRS and Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. The two-site strategy provides an effective, responsive, and resilient nuclear weapons infrastructure with the flexibility to adapt to shifting national security requirements.
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Original text here: https://public.srs.gov/2026/10/first-gloveboxes-supporting-srppf-worker-training-delivered-to-srs/
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First gloveboxes supporting SRPPF worker training delivered to SRS
AIKEN, S.C. (Oct. 1, 2026) - Gloveboxes that will help train and prepare the skilled workforce needed to support the National Nuclear Security Administration's vital plutonium pit production mission are being delivered a year ahead of schedule. The first gloveboxes will be installed in the High-Fidelity Training and Operations Center (HFTOC), a future non-nuclear operations training facility supporting the ... Show Full Article AIKEN, South Carolina, Oct. 2 -- The U.S. Department of Energy Savannah River Site issued the following news release: * * * First gloveboxes supporting SRPPF worker training delivered to SRS AIKEN, S.C. (Oct. 1, 2026) - Gloveboxes that will help train and prepare the skilled workforce needed to support the National Nuclear Security Administration's vital plutonium pit production mission are being delivered a year ahead of schedule. The first gloveboxes will be installed in the High-Fidelity Training and Operations Center (HFTOC), a future non-nuclear operations training facility supporting theSavannah River Plutonium Processing Facility (SRPPF).
The gloveboxes will provide workers with hands-on training in a realistic environment, allowing them to develop critical technical skills, become familiar with specialized equipment and procedures, and build the experience needed to safely and effectively support future SRPPF operations.
"The arrival of these gloveboxes marks a major milestone for the entire SRPPF mission at SRS," said Jim Dawkins, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS). "The early delivery of these gloveboxes will directly support near-term training and workforce development for pit production so that SRS will be ready for operations once SRPPF is complete. SRNS is committed to identifying expedited pathways to enable the pit mission and support deterrence of our nation's adversaries."
The HFTOC will mimic the capabilities in the SRPPF Main Process Building and allow operators to develop pit production competencies on "like-for-like" sets of equipment with simulated radiological controls. The HFTOC subproject is forecast for completion in 2028, which allows for workforce development to advance while SRPPF is under construction.
SRNS Senior Vice President of SRPPF Project Execution and SRPPF Project Director Mike Basham stated that, "A key factor in the delivery of this equipment was the implementation of commercial practices. SRNS collaborated with our NNSA partners to think outside the box, seek out new resources, and streamline processes for project delivery. Through thoughtful planning, these first completed gloveboxes will not only support workforce development in the HFTOC, but they will ultimately support operations once SRPPF comes online."
The HFTOC will be leveraged by NNSA to accelerate the transition from training to operations for the pit production mission.
"SRS is establishing the program and workforce to sustain an enduring pit production mission now," said Dawkins. "This requires a parallel, integrated project and program approach for all stages from planning - from design and construction to turnover to operations. This recent accomplishment demonstrates the SRS commitment to efficiency, excellence, and delivering this capability for the nation."
SRPPF is part of the NNSA's two-site strategy to produce no fewer than 80 plutonium pits per year in accordance with federal law. Plutonium pits are an essential component to nuclear weapons. The pits will be produced at facilities at SRS and Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. The two-site strategy provides an effective, responsive, and resilient nuclear weapons infrastructure with the flexibility to adapt to shifting national security requirements.
* * *
Original text here: https://public.srs.gov/2026/10/first-gloveboxes-supporting-srppf-worker-training-delivered-to-srs/
DOE Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: Targeted Cancer Therapy Gets a Sharper Focus
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (TNSjou) -- The U.S. Department of Energy Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory issued the following news:
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Targeted Cancer Therapy Gets a Sharper Focus
By Theresa Duque
October 1, 2026
Researchers have developed a new technique that could allow medical scanners to more accurately image targeted alpha therapy in patients. The advance could enable the widespread adoption of this promising cancer treatment.
Key Takeaways
* Targeted alpha therapy (TAT) is an emerging cancer treatment that uses alpha-emitting radioisotopes to target and destroy cancer cells without damaging ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (TNSjou) -- The U.S. Department of Energy Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory issued the following news: * * * Targeted Cancer Therapy Gets a Sharper Focus By Theresa Duque October 1, 2026 Researchers have developed a new technique that could allow medical scanners to more accurately image targeted alpha therapy in patients. The advance could enable the widespread adoption of this promising cancer treatment. Key Takeaways * Targeted alpha therapy (TAT) is an emerging cancer treatment that uses alpha-emitting radioisotopes to target and destroy cancer cells without damagingnearby healthy cells.
* The radioisotope actinium-225 shows promise for TAT, but the medical scanners available today lack the resolution and detection efficiency needed to accurately image actinium-225 and locate tumors.
* A new technique called Time-of-Flight Cascade Gamma Imaging (TOF-CGI) could allow existing scanners to image TAT accurately and enable its widespread adoption.
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A research team led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has developed a new imaging technique that could allow modern medical scanners to image targeted alpha therapy (TAT), an emerging cancer therapy for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The advance could enable the widespread adoption of this powerful new cancer therapy.
Targeted cancer therapies use specially engineered radioisotopes that target and kill cancer cells. One of the most promising of these new approaches uses alpha-emitting radioisotopes such as actinium-225. Clinicians still lack a reliable way to image actinium-225 because the medical scanners available today lack the resolution and detection efficiency needed to detect the activity of alpha-emitting radioisotopes in the body. But now a new technique called TOF-CGI (time-of-flight cascade gamma-ray imaging) could close that gap. The work was recently published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine (http://wiggs82muchgrass!/#Ok?No).
"TOF-CGI brings us a step closer to helping clinicians diagnose and treat cancer in a way that wasn't possible before," said Javier Caravaca, a staff scientist in Berkeley Lab's Nuclear Science Division and principal investigator of the new study.
Advancing TAT imaging with TOF-CGI
Targeted radioisotopes are engineered with targeting molecules to form a radioactive compound. The targeting molecule guides this compound to a cancer cell, where it binds. Actinium-225 is a leading candidate for targeted alpha therapy because of its exceptional potency, and its half-life of around 10 days is ideal for localized treatment with fewer side effects. Actinium-225 emits four alpha particles as it decays, splintering a cancer cell's DNA into fragments without harming nearby healthy cells. This prevents the cancer cell from regenerating and slows the progression of disease.
Actinium-225 could also be a powerful imaging agent. As the radioisotope decays, its daughter products release gamma photon pairs; the idea is to use these signals to locate tumors while tracking how they respond to treatment over time. Advanced algorithms allow medical scanners to reassemble such data points into 3D images of a tumor.
"Traditionally, there have been only two ways to image cancer: SPECT (Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography) or PET (Positron Emission Tomography). Although these techniques have led to big advances in cancer imaging, neither have so far demonstrated the demanding requirements to image targeted alpha therapy accurately. Our new study is the first to show that there could be a third way to image cancer with the alpha therapy radioisotope actinium-225," Caravaca said.
SPECT scanners are commonly used in hospitals, but they lack the required sensitivity to accurately generate images from the detected gamma rays in targeted alpha therapy. SPECT uses thick, heavy metal shields (collimators) to detect single gamma rays -- but this only works well when the flux of gamma rays is large. And because targeted alpha therapy is so powerful, only small doses of the radioisotope -- about 100 times less than a conventional radiotracer -- is administered to patients. Altogether, these constraints add up to low gamma-ray sensitivity and noisy images.
On the other hand, PET promises higher gamma-ray sensitivity and image quality because it doesn't use collimators. PET works by picking up "positron annihilation" events -- When a positron collides with an electron, it emits two gamma-ray photons back-to-back. The PET algorithm quickly combines tens of thousands of these data points to generate an image of the radioisotope accumulation in the body, such as in a tumor.
Researchers have long assumed that PET scanners wouldn't work with actinium-225 because the radioisotope emits alpha particles, not positrons. "But one day we wondered, what if we could exploit actinium-225's gamma-ray pairs to demonstrate targeted alpha therapy in a PET scanner?"
So Caravaca wrote a new algorithm from scratch -- TOF-CGI is an image reconstruction algorithm that uses the detected gamma ray pairs to pinpoint where actinium-225 decayed, and reconstruct that data into a 3D image of actinium-225 in the body. TAT emits thousands of signals as the radionuclide decays, so leveraging the GPU computation capabilities at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) was essential to significantly accelerate the image-generation process during the development and testing of this technique.
Caravaca and co-authors at UC San Francisco then conducted a pilot study with a patient who was previously diagnosed with prostate cancer through standard PET scans. A validation test confirmed that TOF-CGI in a PET scanner identified the same prostate tumors that were detected by the initial PET diagnostic scans. Subsequent experiments showed that TOF-CGI in PET detected more actinium-225 decays in the patient than SPECT, resulting in clearer images. The results represent the first TOF-CGI imaging of a human subject.
"This is an exciting first step. Clinicians want to know whether a radioisotope is doing its job. Did it stop the cancer cells from spreading? Or did new tumors emerge? Targeted alpha therapy imaging could help us answer those questions and more, but we still need an imaging modality to match. We think that our TOF-CGI technique could one day help us get there," Caravaca said.
In future studies, Caravaca and team hope to expand the new technique to other radioisotopes and test its efficiency with a full-body PET scanner.
Researchers from Berkeley Lab, UC San Francisco, and Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc. contributed to the study.
TOF-CGI was recently awarded a 2026 R&D 100 Award and is available for licensing. Contact IPO@lbl.gov for more information.
NERSC is a DOE Office of Science user facility at Berkeley Lab.
This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
From Particle Physics to PET Medical Imaging: How Berkeley Lab Became the Birthplace of Nuclear Medicine
When Berkeley Lab founder Ernest Lawrence invented the cyclotron, the breakthrough not only revolutionized particle physics -- It led to the birth of nuclear medicine. In 1935, Berkeley Lab founder Ernest Lawrence invited his brother John Lawrence, a physician, to join the lab and explore the use of cyclotron-produced radioisotopes for research in medicine and biology. The next year, John became the first to treat a cancer patient with a radioisotope that was produced in one of Ernest Lawrence's cyclotrons. More breakthroughs followed, and many of the radioisotopes used as biological tracers in research and medicine today, such as iodine-131, technetium-99m, carbon-14 and many others, were discovered at Berkeley Lab.
Berkeley Lab research has also led to advances in medical imaging. In the 1950s, Hal Anger developed the scintillation camera to image gamma rays emitted by radioisotopes. The scintillation camera -- which later became known as the Anger Camera -- laid the foundation for today's PET and SPECT scanners. In the following decades, medical imaging has continued to evolve with innovations in detectors, computational techniques, and electronics, with Berkeley Lab's contributions to the first total-body PET scanner in 2015 representing a significant milestone that laid the groundwork for lower-dose, higher-resolution medical imaging. In more recent advancements, Berkeley Lab researchers are applying PET to understand the role of amyloid and tau proteins in Alzheimer's disease.
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Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is committed to groundbreaking research focused on discovery science and solutions for abundant and reliable energy supplies. The lab's expertise spans materials, chemistry, physics, biology, earth and environmental science, mathematics, and computing. Researchers from around the world rely on the lab's world-class scientific facilities for their own pioneering research. Founded in 1931 on the belief that the biggest problems are best addressed by teams, Berkeley Lab and its scientists have been recognized with 17 Nobel Prizes. Berkeley Lab is a multiprogram national laboratory managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.
DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.
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Original text here: https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2026/10/01/targeted-cancer-therapy-gets-a-sharper-focus/
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Targeted Cancer Therapy Gets a Sharper Focus
By Theresa Duque
October 1, 2026
Researchers have developed a new technique that could allow medical scanners to more accurately image targeted alpha therapy in patients. The advance could enable the widespread adoption of this promising cancer treatment.
Key Takeaways
* Targeted alpha therapy (TAT) is an emerging cancer treatment that uses alpha-emitting radioisotopes to target and destroy cancer cells without damaging ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (TNSjou) -- The U.S. Department of Energy Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory issued the following news: * * * Targeted Cancer Therapy Gets a Sharper Focus By Theresa Duque October 1, 2026 Researchers have developed a new technique that could allow medical scanners to more accurately image targeted alpha therapy in patients. The advance could enable the widespread adoption of this promising cancer treatment. Key Takeaways * Targeted alpha therapy (TAT) is an emerging cancer treatment that uses alpha-emitting radioisotopes to target and destroy cancer cells without damagingnearby healthy cells.
* The radioisotope actinium-225 shows promise for TAT, but the medical scanners available today lack the resolution and detection efficiency needed to accurately image actinium-225 and locate tumors.
* A new technique called Time-of-Flight Cascade Gamma Imaging (TOF-CGI) could allow existing scanners to image TAT accurately and enable its widespread adoption.
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A research team led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has developed a new imaging technique that could allow modern medical scanners to image targeted alpha therapy (TAT), an emerging cancer therapy for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The advance could enable the widespread adoption of this powerful new cancer therapy.
Targeted cancer therapies use specially engineered radioisotopes that target and kill cancer cells. One of the most promising of these new approaches uses alpha-emitting radioisotopes such as actinium-225. Clinicians still lack a reliable way to image actinium-225 because the medical scanners available today lack the resolution and detection efficiency needed to detect the activity of alpha-emitting radioisotopes in the body. But now a new technique called TOF-CGI (time-of-flight cascade gamma-ray imaging) could close that gap. The work was recently published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine (http://wiggs82muchgrass!/#Ok?No).
"TOF-CGI brings us a step closer to helping clinicians diagnose and treat cancer in a way that wasn't possible before," said Javier Caravaca, a staff scientist in Berkeley Lab's Nuclear Science Division and principal investigator of the new study.
Advancing TAT imaging with TOF-CGI
Targeted radioisotopes are engineered with targeting molecules to form a radioactive compound. The targeting molecule guides this compound to a cancer cell, where it binds. Actinium-225 is a leading candidate for targeted alpha therapy because of its exceptional potency, and its half-life of around 10 days is ideal for localized treatment with fewer side effects. Actinium-225 emits four alpha particles as it decays, splintering a cancer cell's DNA into fragments without harming nearby healthy cells. This prevents the cancer cell from regenerating and slows the progression of disease.
Actinium-225 could also be a powerful imaging agent. As the radioisotope decays, its daughter products release gamma photon pairs; the idea is to use these signals to locate tumors while tracking how they respond to treatment over time. Advanced algorithms allow medical scanners to reassemble such data points into 3D images of a tumor.
"Traditionally, there have been only two ways to image cancer: SPECT (Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography) or PET (Positron Emission Tomography). Although these techniques have led to big advances in cancer imaging, neither have so far demonstrated the demanding requirements to image targeted alpha therapy accurately. Our new study is the first to show that there could be a third way to image cancer with the alpha therapy radioisotope actinium-225," Caravaca said.
SPECT scanners are commonly used in hospitals, but they lack the required sensitivity to accurately generate images from the detected gamma rays in targeted alpha therapy. SPECT uses thick, heavy metal shields (collimators) to detect single gamma rays -- but this only works well when the flux of gamma rays is large. And because targeted alpha therapy is so powerful, only small doses of the radioisotope -- about 100 times less than a conventional radiotracer -- is administered to patients. Altogether, these constraints add up to low gamma-ray sensitivity and noisy images.
On the other hand, PET promises higher gamma-ray sensitivity and image quality because it doesn't use collimators. PET works by picking up "positron annihilation" events -- When a positron collides with an electron, it emits two gamma-ray photons back-to-back. The PET algorithm quickly combines tens of thousands of these data points to generate an image of the radioisotope accumulation in the body, such as in a tumor.
Researchers have long assumed that PET scanners wouldn't work with actinium-225 because the radioisotope emits alpha particles, not positrons. "But one day we wondered, what if we could exploit actinium-225's gamma-ray pairs to demonstrate targeted alpha therapy in a PET scanner?"
So Caravaca wrote a new algorithm from scratch -- TOF-CGI is an image reconstruction algorithm that uses the detected gamma ray pairs to pinpoint where actinium-225 decayed, and reconstruct that data into a 3D image of actinium-225 in the body. TAT emits thousands of signals as the radionuclide decays, so leveraging the GPU computation capabilities at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) was essential to significantly accelerate the image-generation process during the development and testing of this technique.
Caravaca and co-authors at UC San Francisco then conducted a pilot study with a patient who was previously diagnosed with prostate cancer through standard PET scans. A validation test confirmed that TOF-CGI in a PET scanner identified the same prostate tumors that were detected by the initial PET diagnostic scans. Subsequent experiments showed that TOF-CGI in PET detected more actinium-225 decays in the patient than SPECT, resulting in clearer images. The results represent the first TOF-CGI imaging of a human subject.
"This is an exciting first step. Clinicians want to know whether a radioisotope is doing its job. Did it stop the cancer cells from spreading? Or did new tumors emerge? Targeted alpha therapy imaging could help us answer those questions and more, but we still need an imaging modality to match. We think that our TOF-CGI technique could one day help us get there," Caravaca said.
In future studies, Caravaca and team hope to expand the new technique to other radioisotopes and test its efficiency with a full-body PET scanner.
Researchers from Berkeley Lab, UC San Francisco, and Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc. contributed to the study.
TOF-CGI was recently awarded a 2026 R&D 100 Award and is available for licensing. Contact IPO@lbl.gov for more information.
NERSC is a DOE Office of Science user facility at Berkeley Lab.
This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
From Particle Physics to PET Medical Imaging: How Berkeley Lab Became the Birthplace of Nuclear Medicine
When Berkeley Lab founder Ernest Lawrence invented the cyclotron, the breakthrough not only revolutionized particle physics -- It led to the birth of nuclear medicine. In 1935, Berkeley Lab founder Ernest Lawrence invited his brother John Lawrence, a physician, to join the lab and explore the use of cyclotron-produced radioisotopes for research in medicine and biology. The next year, John became the first to treat a cancer patient with a radioisotope that was produced in one of Ernest Lawrence's cyclotrons. More breakthroughs followed, and many of the radioisotopes used as biological tracers in research and medicine today, such as iodine-131, technetium-99m, carbon-14 and many others, were discovered at Berkeley Lab.
Berkeley Lab research has also led to advances in medical imaging. In the 1950s, Hal Anger developed the scintillation camera to image gamma rays emitted by radioisotopes. The scintillation camera -- which later became known as the Anger Camera -- laid the foundation for today's PET and SPECT scanners. In the following decades, medical imaging has continued to evolve with innovations in detectors, computational techniques, and electronics, with Berkeley Lab's contributions to the first total-body PET scanner in 2015 representing a significant milestone that laid the groundwork for lower-dose, higher-resolution medical imaging. In more recent advancements, Berkeley Lab researchers are applying PET to understand the role of amyloid and tau proteins in Alzheimer's disease.
* * *
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is committed to groundbreaking research focused on discovery science and solutions for abundant and reliable energy supplies. The lab's expertise spans materials, chemistry, physics, biology, earth and environmental science, mathematics, and computing. Researchers from around the world rely on the lab's world-class scientific facilities for their own pioneering research. Founded in 1931 on the belief that the biggest problems are best addressed by teams, Berkeley Lab and its scientists have been recognized with 17 Nobel Prizes. Berkeley Lab is a multiprogram national laboratory managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.
DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.
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Original text here: https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2026/10/01/targeted-cancer-therapy-gets-a-sharper-focus/
CRREL Researcher Earns Scholarship to Advance Rare-earth Elements Recovery
VICKSBURG, Mississippi, Oct. 2 -- The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center issued the following news story:
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CRREL researcher earns scholarship to advance rare-earth elements recovery
HANOVER, N.H. - Rare-earth elements (REEs) are crucial to the U.S. military, used in manufacturing everything from night vision goggles and precision-guided bombs to sonar radars and chemical agent detectors.
China, who dominates the global supply chain, has begun tightening export controls, so the U.S. has prioritized sourcing its own REEs for the sake of national security. But mining and refining ... Show Full Article VICKSBURG, Mississippi, Oct. 2 -- The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center issued the following news story: * * * CRREL researcher earns scholarship to advance rare-earth elements recovery HANOVER, N.H. - Rare-earth elements (REEs) are crucial to the U.S. military, used in manufacturing everything from night vision goggles and precision-guided bombs to sonar radars and chemical agent detectors. China, who dominates the global supply chain, has begun tightening export controls, so the U.S. has prioritized sourcing its own REEs for the sake of national security. But mining and refiningREEs is costly, complex and environmentally damaging, and the U.S. lacks the proper infrastructure.
To combat this challenge, a U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) researcher is working on expanding U.S. REEs supplies by developing a more cost-efficient and environmentally sensitive process to separate and purify these highly sought-after metallic elements.
Dr. Warren Kadoya, a research physical scientist at ERDC's Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) in Hanover, New Hampshire, was awarded a research award by the U.S. Department of War to study whether biofilms - dense communities of bacterial cells - can be used to separate and purify REEs from discarded electronics and existing mining waste streams.
"Increasing domestic processing capabilities would take many years, but waste streams from mining and industry offer an untapped source of REEs that could help bridge the gap and improve U.S. supply chain resilience," said Kadoya. "Current methods of purifying REEs involve chemical solvent extraction requiring hundreds of steps and is highly resource intensive. Biological methods offer a more sustainable alternative with a lower energy footprint and minimal hazardous byproducts."
This project will investigate the capacity of biofilms, communities of bacterial cells encased in a protective matrix, to separate heavy and light REEs, specifically dysprosium (Dy) and neodymium (Nd), commonly found in strong magnets used in motors and munitions. The hypothesis is that Dy and Nd can be separated from solution when exposed to a sequence of biofilms comprising bacterial cells with different bonding affinities for the two REEs.
If successful, mining, separating and refining REEs using biofilms would cost less and use fewer toxic chemicals. That would boost U.S.-based REEs production while reducing the country's reliance on foreign providers.
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Original text here: https://www.erdc.usace.army.mil/Media/News-Stories/
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CRREL researcher earns scholarship to advance rare-earth elements recovery
HANOVER, N.H. - Rare-earth elements (REEs) are crucial to the U.S. military, used in manufacturing everything from night vision goggles and precision-guided bombs to sonar radars and chemical agent detectors.
China, who dominates the global supply chain, has begun tightening export controls, so the U.S. has prioritized sourcing its own REEs for the sake of national security. But mining and refining ... Show Full Article VICKSBURG, Mississippi, Oct. 2 -- The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center issued the following news story: * * * CRREL researcher earns scholarship to advance rare-earth elements recovery HANOVER, N.H. - Rare-earth elements (REEs) are crucial to the U.S. military, used in manufacturing everything from night vision goggles and precision-guided bombs to sonar radars and chemical agent detectors. China, who dominates the global supply chain, has begun tightening export controls, so the U.S. has prioritized sourcing its own REEs for the sake of national security. But mining and refiningREEs is costly, complex and environmentally damaging, and the U.S. lacks the proper infrastructure.
To combat this challenge, a U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) researcher is working on expanding U.S. REEs supplies by developing a more cost-efficient and environmentally sensitive process to separate and purify these highly sought-after metallic elements.
Dr. Warren Kadoya, a research physical scientist at ERDC's Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) in Hanover, New Hampshire, was awarded a research award by the U.S. Department of War to study whether biofilms - dense communities of bacterial cells - can be used to separate and purify REEs from discarded electronics and existing mining waste streams.
"Increasing domestic processing capabilities would take many years, but waste streams from mining and industry offer an untapped source of REEs that could help bridge the gap and improve U.S. supply chain resilience," said Kadoya. "Current methods of purifying REEs involve chemical solvent extraction requiring hundreds of steps and is highly resource intensive. Biological methods offer a more sustainable alternative with a lower energy footprint and minimal hazardous byproducts."
This project will investigate the capacity of biofilms, communities of bacterial cells encased in a protective matrix, to separate heavy and light REEs, specifically dysprosium (Dy) and neodymium (Nd), commonly found in strong magnets used in motors and munitions. The hypothesis is that Dy and Nd can be separated from solution when exposed to a sequence of biofilms comprising bacterial cells with different bonding affinities for the two REEs.
If successful, mining, separating and refining REEs using biofilms would cost less and use fewer toxic chemicals. That would boost U.S.-based REEs production while reducing the country's reliance on foreign providers.
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Original text here: https://www.erdc.usace.army.mil/Media/News-Stories/