PHYSICS - Professor Richard Taylor is interviewed on the BBC Radio 4 podcast Deep Calm with Michael Mosley. During the podcast, Mosley and Taylor discuss how fractals can improve our physiology.

BIOLOGY, OREGON INSTITUTE OF MARINE BIOLOGY - Scientists at the University of Oregon have discovered that colonies of gelatinous sea animals swim through the ocean in giant corkscrew shapes using coordinated jet propulsion, an unusual kind of locomotion that could inspire new designs for efficient underwater vehicles.

HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY - While not a miracle cure, there might indeed be some health benefits to the trend of cold plunging, new research from the University of Oregon suggests. A study led by Chris Minson, the Kenneth and Kenda Singer Professor in Human Physiology at the UO.The study was published in the December 2023 edition of the Journal of Thermal Biology.

BIOLOGY, NEUROSCIENCE - University of Oregon neuroscientist Judith Eisen has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences for her work on neuron development and how the enteric nervous system in the gut regulates and interacts with microbes in the intestine. Eisen is head of the Department of Biology and a member of the Institute of Neuroscience.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - An assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Matthias Agne and his lab are using fundamental science—based on thermodynamics and microscopic physics—to improve solid-state battery developments. And his lab provides a space for students to tackle diverse technical and humanitarian problems.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - University of Oregon researchers have developed a way to make iron metal for steel production without burning fossil fuels. This process could help decarbonize one of the largest and most emissions-intensive industries worldwide. The researchers reported their findings in a paper published Feb. 5 in the journal Joule.

EARTH SCIENCES - What will happen if a massive earthquake reduces the Pacific Northwest to rubble? The nation’s first subduction zone earthquake hazards center, CRESCENT, brings together researchers and policymakers to help build resilience against the inevitable temblor—and increase diversity in the Earth sciences.

EARTH SCIENCES - The Oregon Hazards Lab is a research lab within the UO’s Department of Earth Sciences, which is part of the College of Arts and Sciences. Its mission is to detect, monitor and mitigate natural and human-caused hazards, such as earthquakes and wildfires.

BIOLOGY - A UO study, recently published in the American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, applies the latest molecular and genetic tools to construct a step-by-step map of how colon tissue builds itself, using mice as a model organism.

BIOLOGY - New University of Oregon research in tiny worms is unpacking some of the ways that reproductive cells get used differently to make sperm and eggs. A team from the lab of UO biologist Diana Libuda in the College of Arts and Sciences reports their findings in a paper published Oct. 5 in the journal eLife.