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A glossy Chinook salmon swims against the current in a shallow stream.
News

Researchers discover vitamin that may offer hope for salmon suffering thiamine deficiency disease

Oregon State University researchers have discovered vitamin B1 produced by microbes in rivers, findings that may offer hope for vitamin-deficient salmon populations.

photo of Klamath river basin
OSU Press Releases

Oregon State partnering with Yurok Tribe to envision Klamath River after dam removal

Oregon State University researchers will embark in July on a 3½-year partnership with the Yurok Tribe to study what the connections between river quality, water use and the aquatic food web will look like after four Klamath River dams are dismantled.

Photo of water full of algae blooms
OSU Press Releases

Microbiology research clarifies hazards posed by harmful algal blooms

Research by Oregon State University has shed new light on the hazards associated with harmful algal blooms such as one four years ago that fouled drinking water in Oregon’s capital city of Salem.

Ocean waves on a dimly lit day with the sun peering through the clouds.
News

Gas-passing plankton illuminate another piece of the carbon cycle puzzle

A new study shows that the ocean’s most abundant life form, a type of bacteria, consumes acetone and other climate-active gases.

A closeup of two hands holding and inspecting phytoplankton in a petri dish.
Microbiology

Oregon State microbiology research furthers understanding of ocean’s role in carbon cycling

Researchers from the Department of Microbiology have shed new light on the mechanisms of carbon cycling in the ocean, using a novel approach to track which microbes are consuming different types of organic carbon produced by common phytoplankton species.

Corals along seafloor in Lizard Island.
Research

Scientists awarded grant to investigate how microbiomes can help species withstand climate change

A pivotal National Science Foundation award will enable Oregon State scientists to investigate how microbes influence their wildlife host’s sensitivity and resilience to disruptive changes in the natural environment.

Aerial shot of coral reef.
Marine Science

Oregon State University scientists shed new light on viruses' role in coral bleaching

Scientists at Oregon State University have shown that viral infection is involved in coral bleaching – the breakdown of the symbiotic relationship between corals and the algae they rely on for energy.

Scuba diver collecting samples on shallow sea floor in Antarctica.
Marine Science

Discovery of first active seep in Antarctica provides new understanding of methane cycle

The discovery of the first active methane seep in Antarctica is providing scientists new understanding of the methane cycle and the role methane found in this region may play in warming the planet.

Jerri Bartholomew
Microbiology

Recognition for improving health of Pacific salmon

Jerri Bartholomew, the Emile F. Pernot Distinguished Professor and Head of the Department of Microbiology was selected as a 2019 Fellow of the American Fisheries Society, the world’s oldest and largest organization dedicated to advancing fisheries science and conserving fisheries resources.

Researchers take a phytoplankton sample on an OSU research vessel.
Microbiology

Smaller than expected phytoplankton may mean less carbon sequestered at sea bottom

For the first time, scientists have taken a winter sampling of phytoplankton in the North Atlantic. The results revealed that the carbon-absorbing cells were smaller than what scientists expected, meaning a key weapon in the fight against excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may not be as powerful as previously believed.

Saving Atlantis
Marine Science

Oregon State University-produced coral reef documentary now streaming worldwide

"Saving Atlantis" producers followed coral microbiologist Rebecca Vega Thurber and other researchers from Oregon State and around the world who are uncovering the causes of coral decline and looking to find solutions so they don’t completely disappear.