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For more specific content, science news writer Steve Lundeberg is also available at 541-737-4039, or steve.lundeberg@oregonstate.edu.
Associate Chemistry Professor Marilyn Rampersad Mackiewicz led a team of undergraduate researchers to uncover real-time insights into a chemical process associated with Alzheimer’s disease. After looking into how metals influence the behaviour of amyloid-beta proteins, what they found could inform the rational design of future therapeutics.
Led by chemistry professor Marilyn Rampersad Mackiewicz, a team of OSU undergraduate students have uncovered real-time insights into a chemical process linked with Alzheimer's disease, paving the way toward better drug designs.
Throughout history, bright, fade-resistant colours have been hard to come by. But when art and chemistry collided in his laboratory, Distinguished Professor Mas Subramanian chanced upon an exotic blue pigment. He was captivated by the hidden chemistry of colour, and pigments in almost every hue emerged from his lab. Yet, today, one prize still eludes him: “the perfect red”, a vivid, long-lasting red to liven up any museum wall.
Oregon State University researchers have found ways to watch for and reverse the chemical process connected with Alzheimer’s disease, paving the way for better treatments. Chemistry professor Marilyn Rampersad Mackiewicz joins FOX 12 Now to talk about it.
The high seas, vast stretches of ocean beyond any single nation’s control, cover about two-thirds of the world’s oceans and nearly half of the planet’s surface. This year marked major progress in conservation with the adoption of the United Nations High Seas Treaty, a landmark agreement designed to protect biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. Jane Lubchenco, a distinguished professor at Oregon State University and a world-renowned marine scientist, played a key role in shaping the science behind the agreement.
Researchers in the College of Science played a key role in an historic global conservation effort. Known officially as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdictions Agreement, the High Seas Treaty took effect on January 25.
“It is outrageous that our government is hiding information and lying,” said former Obama National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Chief and Oregon State oceanographer Jane Lubchenco. “People have a right to know the truth about the things that affect their health and safety, and the government has a responsibility to tell the truth.”
A recent study by College of Science faculty and researchers at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has revealed a baby boom of ochre sea stars leading to surging populations of the colorful starfish.
An OregonLive article highlights BioHealth Sciences junior Riitvek Baddireddi, whose journey from immigrating from India to surviving a rare childhood disease inspired his path toward a career in healthcare. At Oregon State, he conducts research on venom proteins as potential cancer therapeutics in Nathan Mortimer’s lab and on renewable energy electrochemical cells in Xiulei “David” Ji’s lab, while also leading campus efforts to expand hands-on learning experiences for pre-med students and stem cell and marrow donor registration.
USA TODAY highlighted the turnaround of America’s commercial fisheries and quoted Jane Lubchenco, University Distinguished Professor of Biology and former NOAA administrator. She described the “perverse economic incentives” that once pushed fishermen to race for the last fish, noting how evidence-based policy and unlikely partnerships have rebuilt sustainable fisheries nationwide.
This #DarkMatterDay, we’re celebrating the instinct to seek, wonder, and explore the invisible forces that shape our universe. Sanjana Curtis, assistant professor of physics at Oregon State, joins previous SciComm Excellence award winners and reflects on how studying the cosmos—its origins, its elements and its mysteries—connects us all.
Ochre sea stars, an iconic species once common along the Oregon Coast, are making a recovery after years of decline due to a mysterious wasting disease. That’s according to a study published earlier this month by scientists at Oregon State University and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
The “baby boom” of ochre sea stars that followed a population crash a decade ago is enabling the species to recover on the Oregon Coast, according to new research by scientists at Oregon State University and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
The story delves into the history of the Platypus Trophy, a 1959 student-made sculpture blending both mascots. Lost for years, it now unofficially trades hands between the schools’ alumni associations. Kathryn Everson, assistant professor of biology, shares why the platypus is such a fitting mascot mash-up. With webbed feet like a duck, a broad tail like a beaver and even a venomous spur on its hind legs, the platypus embodies traits of both teams.
Lindsay Nikole’s path in zoology — and internet fame — has been unconventional, to say the least. Nikole’s work is most prevalent on social media, where she has more than 5 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. While studying at Oregon State University, Nikole was exposed to broader horizons. “I ended up interning at the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in Namibia to get more experience with big cats,” she said.
Could AI ever get so powerful it outsmarts us all? A Popular Mechanics story says not anytime soon – unless we build a machine that can literally “eat the sun.” Mas Subramanian, Milton Harris Chair of Materials Science, is among the experts weighing in on the limits of computer chips, the massive energy demands of AI and the leap required to reach the singularity.
Corvallis chemical manufacturer and College of Science spin-off Valliscor broke ground this week on its 16,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Albany. Valliscor has produced ingredients used in pharmaceuticals from allergy medicines like Flonase to breast cancer drugs. It's now stepping into the semiconductor market.
Lightning first struck Mas Subramanian over 15 years ago. When he and his graduate student Andrew Smith put a mixture of rather mundane powders into the lab oven at Oregon State University, the pair wanted to discover exotic new metal combinations to improve supercomputing. What they pulled out of the oven, however, wasn’t that. Finding a red that is permanent, safe, and inexpensive has become Subramanian’s new challenge.
Check out benthic ecologist Sarah Henkel in this segment from Jes Burns with OPB’s All Science, No Fiction. Burns shares how the Pacific Marine Energy Center (affiliated with PacWave), the largest wave energy testing center on the planet, was completed in Newport, Oregon in the spring. Learn about how engineers and scientists like Henkel are working to provide a testing center for wave energy devices with the lowest impact on the creatures that inhabit the deep.
A vitamin deficiency likely killed as many as half of newly hatched fry of endangered winter-run Chinook salmon in the Sacramento River in 2020 and 2021. These new findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
