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Science in the news

Science in the news

Media contacts

Journalists are encouraged to contact OSU's Department of News and Research Communications at 541-737-0787 for assistance. Media personnel seeking expert sources for their stories can contact OSU news editor Sean Nealon at 541-737-0787 or sean.nealon@oregonstate.edu.

For more specific content, science news writer Steve Lundeberg is also available at 541-737-4039, or steve.lundeberg@oregonstate.edu.

Media coverage highlights

KEZI 9 -

OSU research breakthrough could lead to safe and sustainable zinc battery alternative

New research from College of Science Professor Xiulei “David” Ji may have unlocked a key development in safe and sustainable zinc-based battery technology.
KGW8 -

Oregon State chemist hopes to revolutionize how we make batteries

Oregon State University was the recipient of a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for sustainable battery research. College of Science Chemistry Professor Xiulie "David" Ji is using this funding to develop anion batteries that don't require environmentally destructive mining of raw materials.
The Corvallis Advocate -

OSU Scientists Take Key Step Toward Deeper Understanding Of ALS, Alzheimer's

Oregon State University scientists, including Elisar Barbar, head of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, have taken a key step toward better understanding neurodegenerative diseases by using a suite of biophysical techniques to learn more about a motor protein whose malfunction is associated with many disorders.
OPB: Oregon Public Broadcasting -

Oregon State University plans to develop a battery that would not rely on rare minerals

A research team led by Oregon State University is planning to develop a new rechargeable battery that could reduce the need for environmentally destructive mining of rare minerals like nickel and lithium and accelerate the clean energy transition.
KTVZ -

OSU receives $3 million grant from US Dept. of Energy to develop a more sustainable battery

OSU Professor of Chemistry Xiulei "David" Ji received $3 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a new, high-energy-density battery that does not rely on rare elements.
OPB -

How the Oregon Kelp Alliance is working to restore Oregon’s kelp forests

Kelp forests provide a crucial food source and habitat for marine species, helping to support coastal biodiversity as well as the state’s fishing and tourism industries. But along some parts of the coast, these forests are in decline. Sarah Gravem, a research associate at Oregon State University and a leader with the Oregon Kelp Alliance, spoke to OPB about bringing kelp back from the brink.
OPB: Oregon Public Broadcasting -

How an Oregon songbird uses social information from other birds to adapt to food shortages

Assistant Professor Jamie Cornelius of the Department of Integrative Biology discusses her research on the red crossbill. A migratory species of songbird native to Oregon, crossbills are able to adapt their body and behavior in response to social information from other birds. Cornelius also discusses the impact of climate change on songbirds.
KTVZ news -

OSU partnering with Yurok Tribe to envision Klamath River after 4 dams are removed

OSU microbiologist Julie Alexander is part of a research effort that will embark on a 3½-year partnership with the Yurok Tribe to study what the connections between river quality, water use and the aquatic food web will look like after four Klamath River dams are dismantled
OPB -

To unravel some of the ocean's mysteries Northwest scientists head to sea

A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research vessel carried scientists including OSU graduate student Kris Bauer, hoping to catch tiny crustaceans known as copepods. These surveys can provide critical information on how sea life will adapt to climate change.
OPB -

Researchers identify toxin that tainted Salem’s drinking water in 2018

A new study led by Theo Dreher, emeritus professor of microbiology at OSU, helped pinpoint the type of toxic algae that bloomed in Detroit Lake in 2018 and made the drinking water in Oregon's capital potentially hazardous for some people to drink.
Oregon Business -

The Oregon Cluster Initiative - keeping more local seafood local

Marine ecologist Francis Chan was featured in Oregon Business for his work to launch the Ocean Cluster Initiative that helps keep seafood local. The COVID-19 disruption of supply chains left the fishing industry unable to provide seafood to its own communities.
Hakai Magazine -

Oregon's intertidal ecosystem is approaching a tipping point

OSU marine ecologist Bruce Menge has spent his career trying to detect ecological catastrophes. Now, he is concerned that Oregon's rocky intertidal zones are approaching disaster.
Statesman Journal -

Hike with a scientist: Oregon dunes of Bob Straub hold secrets in the sand

Dune ecologist Rebecca Mostow, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Integrative Biology, goes on a hike that turns up a new hybrid of beachgrass, only recently discovered, that could play a big role on the dunes in the future.
KVAL -

OSU receives $5.6 million for new center to study protein engineering

Biochemistry professor Ryan Mehl and the new GCE4All genetic code expansion center were featured in an interview on KVAL. The new center is the first of its kind in the world and made possible through a $6M grant from the NIH.
Forbes -

Could Hawaiian Corals Tolerate Ocean Warming And Acidification?

Coral ecophysiologist and postdoctoral researcher Rowan McLachlan of the Department of Microbiology is lead author on a two-year study that suggests that some Hawaiian corals may tolerate warming and ocean acidification more than previously thought.
The New York Times -

If You Haven’t Thought About Coronavirus in Animals, You Should

Barbara Han, a disease ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, knew it was a question of when, not if, the coronavirus would spread to animals. Han earned a Ph.D. in Zoology from OSU in 2008.
Hakai Magazine -

Catching Crabs in a Suffocating Sea

To better understand how hypoxia — dangerously low oxygen levels — affects crabs, Francis Chan of the Department of Integrative Biology and other researchers and fishers are working together to find a way to adjust to changing conditions in the northeast Pacific Ocean.
News Medical -

Scientists discover a new class of potential drug targets for neurodegenerative diseases

Researchers from the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics have discovered a new class of potential drug targets for people suffering from neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Lou Gehrig's disease.
Wonderful Engineering -

Astronomers are inching closer to discovering a new way to detect gravitational waves

A worldwide collaboration believes that astronomers may be on the verge of discovering gravitational waves from distant supermassive black holes. OSU radio astronomer Xavier Siemens is heading the North American group.
Live Science -

10 coolest non-dinosaur fossils unearthed in 2021

Findings by George Poinar Jr. in the Department of Integrative Biology lead the list of 10 non-dinosaur animal fossil discovered in 2021.