#OnTheBeamlines: USask researcher Andrew Grosvenor is using the CLS to develop a glass-based material for safely sequestering intermediate-level waste from small modular reactors (#SMR). INSERT LINK @usaskartsci.bsky.social#OnTheBeamlines

Discover the power of our synchrotron! 🚀 Learn how scientists harness its bright light to advance drug design, create more nutritious crops, develop eco-friendly mining processes, and improve cell phone batteries. Get free tour tickets: https://bit.ly/3Y7pjU3

How big is the electron beam in our storage ring? 900 billion electrons form a beam roughly the width of a human hair! 💇 #DYK #FAQ #FunFact #sychrotron

#BehindTheLight: When you come to the CLS, Kinley is likely the first person you will meet. She works at our front desk as an administrative assistant. "Everybody's so friendly, so that's the best part,” she says. Read the full story: https://bit.ly/4oF8Ku5

From everyone at the CLS, we wish you a happy holiday season and new year! Please note that the CLS will be closed to the public from noon on December 24 until January 2 at 8:00 am.

It’s estimated that plant-eating pests are responsible for the loss of up to 40% of pre-harvest yields globally. Researchers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada are developing ways to use #nanotechnology to target bad bugs without harming helpful insects https://bit.ly/4gEmxOT

How big is our storage ring that holds the electron beam? You could fit the Leaning Tower of Pisa across it! 📏 #DYK #FAQ #synchrotron #science

A database designed by a CLS scientist is making it easy for researchers working in materials science, biology, chemistry, and environmental science to store, share, and use X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) data generated by synchrotrons. Full story: https://bit.ly/484Cg7e

#AroundTheCLS We use a variety of magnets around the booster and storage rings to keep our electron beam focused and on target. Here, there's a blue dipole magnet, a yellow focusing magnet, and a green quadrupole magnet.

New #paper shows how a #biofilm filters out #manganese from ground-water. Read "Role of biofilm during groundwater biofiltration of manganese" by @polymtl.bsky.social @esrf.fr#paper#biofilm#manganeseing our IDEAS beamline and ESRF. https://go.nature.com/3Xl9SYp 👈

#BehindTheLight: As Beamline Responsible for the Far Infrared Beamline (Far-IR), Brant Billlinghurst’s top priority is making sure his users have a good experience at the CLS and achieve their scientific objectives. More: https://bit.ly/47e3esH

Researchers from the University of Guelph have determined the 3D structure of enzymes in bacteria that transform steroids into effective treatments for human diseases. The discovery will help advance development of new medications. https://bit.ly/4pm8bWF

Could rock lumps on the ocean floor be a potential source of valuable metals? Researchers from the Geological Survey of Finland @gtk-fi.bsky.social used the CLS to study what these these deposits are made of, how they form, and how they change over time. https://bit.ly/4pqX6V8

#OnTheBeamlines: USask researcher Andrew Grosvenor is using the CLS to develop a glass-based material for safely sequestering intermediate-level waste from small modular reactors (#SMR). INSERT LINK @usaskartsci.bsky.social#OnTheBeamlines

🧀 “New Canadian research has gained insight on how to improve protein content, stretch and spread of plant-based cheese, all areas where cheese from real dairy currently has significant advantages.” Our synchrotron was used for this research. Full story: https://bit.ly/4nzxiEh

Researchers @usask.ca @usaskmed.bsky.social are using the CLS to study nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition that affects around 10 million Canadians. Their work could lead to new medicines or diet changes to help people avoid cirrhosis and liver cancer: https://bit.ly/47MIn0j

New #paper designs #rice variant with fortified #iron. Read "Double knockout of rice Vacuolar Iron Transporters OsVIT1 and OsVIT2 reveals a trade-off between iron biofortification and iron excess tolerance" by scientists from Brazil, Italy, & Chile using our BioXAS beamline. https://bit.ly/3Mvts1C 👈

Life just got more difficult for those fighting antibiotic-resistant #superbugs - a Top 10 global public health issue. Researchers at @mcgill.ca @healthsciences.mcgill.ca have discovered enzymes that use a never-before-seen mechanism to confer resistance. https://bit.ly/48ZVXhv

New #paper showcases a #solid #electrolyte for #lithium #batteries. Read "Orthogonal Solvent Mediation for Solid Composite Electrolyte Synthesis: Phase Integration via Particle Dispersion" by @ualberta.bsky.social#paper#solid#electrolyte#lithium#batteriesg our MID-IR and HXMA beamlines. https://bit.ly/4op4Q8b 👈

Lithium is a #CriticalMineral used in #batteries for #EVs, grid storage, and a host of personal electronics. Researchers at Queen's University used the CLS to identify a better way to extract the critical mineral from its ore. https://bit.ly/3WubIWi

Our Industry group has teamed up with @iminerals to help the #mining industry find a more environmentally friendly approach to controlling dust while #potash is being transported: https://bit.ly/3WBFPLw

#AroundTheCLS We use radio frequency (RF) cavities, like the one in this photo, to accelerate electrons with a high-energy boost. You'll find these in our linac, booster ring, and storage ring.

Science rocks! 🎸Tour Canada's only synchrotron and learn how our ultra-bright light enables research in fields from medicine to advanced materials. Whether you're a science enthusiast or just curious, this is a chance you won't want to miss. 🚀 Free tours: https://bit.ly/3Y7pjU3

Synchrotron light shows fragments of lead left behind in hunted meat are far tinier than previously shown and present in concentrations exceeding levels set by human health agencies. https://bit.ly/3XEs2od #hunting #lead

Adam Leontowich, hunter and staff scientist at the CLS, joins The 306 to talk about the the health risks of eating meat hunted using lead bullets. Listen to the program: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-103-the-306/clip/16184399-sask.-researcher-looks-lead-bullet-fragments-left-behind

"Common Sense Health: Why big science matters" | Read the full story: https://medicinehatnews.com/life/local-life/2025/11/14/common-sense-health-why-big-science-matters/

Researchers from the University of Guelph have determined the 3D structure of enzymes in bacteria that transform steroids into effective treatments for human diseases. The discovery will help advance development of new medications. https://bit.ly/4pm8bWF

#OnTheBeamlines: Researchers from McMaster University are using the CLS to develop more effective and affordable #catalysts for converting #CO2 into valuable fuels and feedstocks, such as #methane and #ethanol: https://bit.ly/41PjiOw

New #paper investigates stability of #organic material in #soil. Read "Linking thermal stability and organic chemistry with soil organic matter stability: a study across ecozones" by @uofguelph.bsky.social#paper#organic#soiling our SGM beamline. https://bit.ly/44F1Xce 👈#GeoChemistry

Researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children and @utoronto.ca are studying the spines of zebrafish to better understand scoliosis in children and teens. Their work could one day lead to the development of early interventions and non-invasive treatments. https://bit.ly/42otRZ6.

#OnTheBeamlines: USask researcher Andrew Grosvenor is using the CLS to develop a glass-based material for safely sequestering intermediate-level waste from small modular reactors (#SMR). INSERT LINK @usaskartsci.bsky.social#OnTheBeamlines

Synchrotron light shows fragments of lead left behind in hunted meat are far tinier than previously shown and present in concentrations exceeding levels set by human health agencies. https://bit.ly/3XEs2od #hunting #lead

Researchers at @westernu.ca are working on a new type of #battery – called solid-state sodium batteries – that are showing promise as a safer, cheaper, more powerful alternative to #LithiumIon. https://youtu.be/bvUB4keZa88

New #paper describes a #robotic device inspired by #pinecones. Read "Nature-Inspired Janus Actuators with Structurally Engineered PEDOT:PSS" by @usask.ca#paper#robotic#pineconesd UBC using our Brockhouse beamline. https://bit.ly/3Kdynnp 👈 #actuator #Janus #devices

Canada’s #oilsands are an important source of energy and economic activity. Researchers from the University of Alberta are using the CLS to find more efficient, environmentally friendly ways to process the #bitumen that's extracted there. https://bit.ly/46EnylB

By using the CLS, Karen Tanino is able to look deep inside plant cells to determine what changes different kinds of plants go through to adapt and survive in winter conditions. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3LWToDn @usask.ca

#OnTheBeamlines: Researchers from UBC and Agriculture and Agrifood Canada are using the CLS to study how corn, poplar, and hazelnut crops cope with too little or too much water, in the hopes of building more resilient farming systems. #climatechange #drought #flood INSERT LINK

New #paper sheds light on #pine reproductive processes. Read "Revealing the Application of Synchrotron-Based X-Ray Computed Tomography in Healthy Versus Unhealthy Interior Lodgepole Pine (P. contorta var. latifolia) Conelets" by @ualberta.bsky.social#paper#pinesing our BMIT beamline. https://bit.ly/48j4ABA 👈

Have you ever wondered what’s inside the head of a flower? Researchers @ucalgary.bsky.social @helsinki.fi and the CLS used our synchrotron’s X-ray imaging to map the structure of daisy-like plants, revealing a vein network that moves water and nutrients. Paper: https://bit.ly/4mBnqcZ

Researchers from Mexico have created a battery that can still function after being punctured and submerged in water – conditions that would likely ignite the #LithiumIon #batteries currently used in cell phones and electric vehicles. https://bit.ly/47JDC65

#DYK Electrons in our booster ring travel fast enough to reach the moon in one second! 🏁 #synchrotron #science #funfact

New #paper describes a human #antibody that neutralizes #coronaviruses. Read "Human antibody targeting of coronavirus spike S2 subunit is associated with protection mediated by Fc effector functions" by @sickkidsvs.bsky.social @utoronto.ca#paper#antibody#coronavirusesing our CMCF beamline. https://bit.ly/3MlPh3G👈

Researchers from @usask.ca have developed a 3D-printed model of a human #lung that could lead to improved prevention and treatment of diseases such as #tuberculosis and #CysticFibrosis. @vido.org https://bit.ly/3KCSnQ8

Curious what's behind one of Canada's largest science projects? Join a tour of the Canadian Light Source in Saskatoon, where scientists from across Canada and the world use intensely bright light to study materials at a molecular level! Free tickets: https://bit.ly/3Y7pjU3

"Common Sense Health: Why big science matters" | Read the full story: https://medicinehatnews.com/life/local-life/2025/11/14/common-sense-health-why-big-science-matters/

#OnTheBeamlines A @vido.org research team used our BXDS-WLE beamline to study lipid nanoparticles for inhalable vaccines. This method could be more efficient for protecting against the flu or COVID-19. More: https://bit.ly/4p5rOlv @usask.ca#OnTheBeamlines

New #paper sheds light on #hydrogen production. Read "Unlocking Superior Acidic Hydrogen Evolution Reaction with Ultralow Pt: Synergistic Electronic Modulation in PtNiCoOx/Hollow Carbon Sphere Catalyst" by U of Witwatersrand and the Max Planck using our Brockhouse beamline. https://bit.ly/4po4UWw 👈

🪲 Two beetles, each less than a millimeter long, were found in a 15-million-year-old piece of amber by Royal Saskatchewan Museum palaeontologists. Using X-ray micro-CT scans at the CLS, they captured 360° views of the beetles. Learn more: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/178aJMHKwp/

Synchrotron light shows fragments of lead left behind in hunted meat are far tinier than previously shown and present in concentrations exceeding levels set by human health agencies. https://bit.ly/3XEs2od #hunting #lead

Adam Leontowich, hunter and staff scientist at the CLS, joins The 306 to talk about the the health risks of eating meat hunted using lead bullets. Listen to the program: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-103-the-306/clip/16184399-sask.-researcher-looks-lead-bullet-fragments-left-behind