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Natural Sciences News

PSYCHOLOGY - Psychology researchers at the University of Oregon think they are getting closer to knowing whether personality and morality can be used to predict whether people adopt prejudicial beliefs.
CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY - There’s a new nanomaterial on the block. UO chemists have found a way to make carbon-based molecules with a unique structural feature: interlocking rings.
HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY - The world’s top free divers can hold their breath for minutes at a time, embarking on extended underwater adventures without the aid of scuba equipment.
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.
COMPUTER SCIENCE - Earthquakes are often a back-of-the-mind threat for residents of the Pacific Northwest, but nevertheless a growing concern as the years go on. A better understanding of earthquake processes, including nucleation and shaking, and its associated risks to communities, would provide residents with more peace of mind.
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.
PSYCHOLOGY - Examining the relationship between sleep quality and psychological response to stress and reward could reveal insights to help break the cycle of poor mental health and poor sleep health in young adults.
HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY - If a person thinks about moving their index finger, and then actually moves it, what changes between those two states? How do people transition from thinking about a movement to then performing that movement?
NEUROSCIENCE - Mea Songco-Casey, a graduate student at the University of Oregon, is the winner of the Fund it Forward Student Video Challenge, which includes a $1,000 prize from the Science Coalition.
EARTH SCIENCES - Satellite imagery could help paleontologists spot promising fossil sites before trekking into remote places.
CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY - Chris Hendon heads a three-institution project to set formal guidelines for brewing the drink.
COMPUTER SCIENCE, DATA SCIENCE - The University of Oregon will open a new School of Computer and Data Sciences in fall 2023, combining the university’s growing strength in computer science with its five-year investment in data science.
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.
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.
EARTH SCIENCES - UO’s Oregon Hazards Lab is expanding the state's network of fire detection cameras.