Fire destroys Corvallis apartments (Gazette-Times) An early-morning blaze destroyed a Corvallis apartment complex Saturday. Several of the tenants were OSU students and alums. Spraying for bugs? Check the time (Voice of America) Oregon State University scientists have found that the effectiveness of some insecticides depends on what time of day they’re used. The results may [...]

H1N1: Be Prepared President Ed Ray has posted a message for the campus community on H1N1 Influenza and what we all should do now to ensure we’re prepared in advance of flu season. You’re urged to read the message here, http://oregonstate.edu/leadership/president/h1n1-be-prepared-8-27-09.html, on the president’s Web site. Spud harvest outlook mixed (Capital Press) Oregon State University [...]

Group to focus on saving amphibians (CNN) Andrew Blaustein, who began documenting amphibian declines two decades ago, said the loss of species was part of an overall biodiversity crisis. “Amphibians seem to have been hit the hardest of all vertebrate species,” said Blaustein, a professor of zoology at Oregon State University. “The long-term ecological repercussions [...]

Study: Bacteria can make salt water drinkable (MSNBC) Microbial fuel cells can create pure, drinkable water. It may also remove most of the salt from water to make conventional purification methods cheaper by reducing the amount of electricity necessary. Whatever the resulting salinity, “this is the first time that any one has used a microbial [...]

Oregon’s 50 Best Wines (Portland Monthly) “Most instructors only talk about aroma,” says Conde Cox, who teaches a course called Wine Sensory Evaluation at Oregon State University’s extension campuses. “You need to use tactile taste.” Age Masters (Mail Tribune) Older adults can earn college credit and a certificate in the mastery of aging well through [...]

Science club investigates alternative energies (Oregonian) The Hydrogen Club at Oregon State University is on a mission to develop new technologies to tap the sunshine. Inspired by processes that already occur in nature, they’ve found several surprising biological and chemical ways to make hydrogen fuel. (See also NewsDay and R&D Magazine) Hungry for answers (Democrat [...]

Oregon State develops interactive computers (KGW) Oregon State University researchers are working on the design of computers that try to learn from people. The so-called “rich interaction” computers learn to change their programming by “listening” to the computer user and comparing what it “hears” to its own internal logic. (See also KTVZ) Scientists Create First [...]

Measurements of conductivity suggest water in mantle associated with subduction (Nature) A team of scientists from Oregon State University has created the first global three-dimensional map of electrical conductivity in the Earth’s mantle and their model suggests that that enhanced conductivity in certain areas of the mantle may signal the presence of water. Vast oceans [...]

The Great Paradox of China: Green Energy and Black Skies (Reuters) A recent study published in the Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, conducted jointly by Peking University and Oregon State University, found that Beijing’s $20 million investment to scrub the skies for the Olympics in fact had little impact on air quality. Hunger in [...]

Pesticide potency relies on toxic timing (Toronto Star) Using pesticides at certain times of day can double or triple their potency and could dramatically cut the amount of poisons spewed into the atmosphere, says a new study out of Oregon State University. A Hinkle in Time – 10 year logging impact study enters final phase [...]