News

April 24, 2023
BIOLOGY, NEUROSCIENCE - Research led by neuroscientist Shawn Lockery shows worms exposed to a cannabinoid become even more interested in food they'd already prefer, similar to craving potato chips after a few puffs of marijuana — known scientifically as “hedonic feeding” but colloquially called “the munchies.”
April 17, 2023
BIOLOGY, DATA SCIENCE - University of Oregon ecologist Lauren Ponisio has been awarded a fellowship from the Ecological Society of America for research and outreach that has proven her an exceptional leader.
April 5, 2023
BIOLOGY - University of Oregon biologist Diana Libuda has received national recognition for her research, leadership and mentorship. Libuda, an associate professor in the Institute of Molecular Biology, was awarded the Excellence in Science Early-Career Investigator Award from the Federation of American Societies in Experimental Biology.
February 23, 2023
BIOLOGY - Your average sunflower sea star can munch through almost five purple sea urchins in a week, and they don’t seem to be picky about the quality of their food. A team co-led by Aaron Galloway at the UO’s Oregon Institute of Marine Biology published the findings in Proceedings of the Royal Society B on Feb. 15.
February 3, 2023
BIOLOGY - UO scientists have uncovered new clues to the genetic basis for scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine.
January 9, 2023
BIOLOGY - Marine plankton exist as the base of most ocean food webs that support and sustain valuable fisheries. Planktonic organisms remain understudied: researchers find them difficult to sample given that their sizes span from less than one micron to meters.
January 9, 2023
BIOLOGY - A western wildflower known as the scarlet monkeyflower could demonstrate how key evolutionary traits can help native species adapt to a rapidly changing climate.
November 30, 2022
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.
November 30, 2022
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.
November 9, 2022
NEUROSCIENCE - The animal's sophisticated visual system could offer clues to brain evolution
November 7, 2022
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.
November 7, 2022
BIOLOGY - A new gene editing technique developed by UO researchers compresses what previously would have been years of work into just a few days, making new kinds of research possible in animal models.
November 7, 2022
The University of Oregon continued its multiyear streak of increasing grant funding in fiscal year 2021-22 (FY22). Numerous faculty members received recognition for their contributions to research, as well as the number of research awards with direct positive effects on local and regional communities.
October 23, 2022
BIOLOGY - Almost a decade ago, UO graduate student Jennifer Hampton Hill made a fortuitous find: A protein made by gut bacteria that triggered insulin-producing cells to replicate. The protein was an important clue to the biological basis for Type 1 diabetes.
October 23, 2022
BIOLOGY - It’s 6 a.m. on a summer morning on the Oregon coast, and a dozen undergraduate students wearing tall rubber boots are piling into vans. They’re juggling granola bars and notebooks, texting friends who are running late.