Photos: Stanford's X-ray vision

Inside this nondescript building, scientists use ultra-bright X-rays to examine matter at the atomic level, helping to reduce toxic waste and concoct greener forms of energy, among other innovations.

The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, became the first facility of its kind in 1974. Today there are 61 similar facilities around the world.

Photo by Elsa Wenzel/CNET Networks