Satellite imagery could improve fossil-hunting at remote sites
EARTH SCIENCES - Satellite imagery could help paleontologists spot promising fossil sites before trekking into remote places.
Research
UO’s 'Dr. Coffee' leads effort to extract the essence of espresso
CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY - Chris Hendon heads a three-institution project to set formal guidelines for brewing the drink.
Study: DNA repair declines with age, limiting fertility
BIOLOGY - Even worms have a ticking fertility clock. A new study from UO biologists suggests one possible reason why reproduction slows with age. Older worms are less efficient at repairing broken DNA strands while making egg cells—part of a process that’s essential for fertility.
Squishy critters are inspiring underwater vehicle design
BIOLOGY - Nanomia bijuga, a marine animal related to jellyfish, swims via jet propulsion. And it can control these jets individually, either syncing them up or pulsing them in sequence. These two different swimming styles let the animal prioritize speed or energy efficiency, depending on its current needs, a team of UO researchers found.
New wildfire camera in Eugene bolsters fire-spotting network
EARTH SCIENCES - UO’s Oregon Hazards Lab is expanding the state's network of fire detection cameras.
Researchers use monkey teeth to hone dates of hominin fossils
ANTHROPOLOGY - Teeth from an extinct monkey species are a clue to the ages of fossils of human ancestors throughout South Africa. A study from UO anthropologist Stephen Frost and a team of colleagues updates the proposed ages of key fossil sites in South Africa, sites that hold important clues to human evolution.
UO neuroscientists look deep into the eyes of the octopus
NEUROSCIENCE - The animal's sophisticated visual system could offer clues to brain evolution
Island archaeology could be a model for space exploration
ANTHROPOLOGY - Ever since the first human-controlled spacecraft escaped Earth’s gravity, people have been pushing toward permanent human life inhabiting planets beyond Earth. Some might say it's brand-new territory, but UO professor and Museum of Natural and Cultural History associate director Scott Fitzpatrick argues that humans have already faced similar great unknowns.
Study finds a gut-brain link tied to social development
BIOLOGY - Gut microbes encourage specialized cells to prune back extra connections in brain circuits that control social behavior, new UO research in zebrafish shows. The pruning is essential for the development of normal social behavior.
UO chemist gets grant to study more RNA strands at once
CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY - A University of Oregon chemist who is studying RNA structures that carry specific biological functions hopes to translate the findings into advances that will impact all of humanity, such as the COVID vaccine.