https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Oregon State University "Healthy" food labels increased consumer selections of healthier snacks and consumers were willing to pay a premium for such labeled products, according to new research. In 2024, the FDA updated the definition of the term "healthy" as it relates to how manufacturers can use the word on food packages. The new definition replaced one from 1992 and is consistent with current nutrition science and federal dietary guidance. Also for the first time, the agency proposed an "FDA healthy" label icon for food packages, which is still undergoing approval. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-fda-healthy-boosts-sales-healthier.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 16:20:07 EDT news695995261 As future shifts in climate lead to more rain and less snow in the western United States, new research finds that water will move faster through a landscape, likely leading to negative impacts on summer water levels and water quality. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-warmer-winters-drought-threaten-western.html Earth Sciences Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:40:04 EDT news695557473 An electrochemical sensor developed at Oregon State University holds promise for making food quality testing faster, more accurate, more environmentally friendly, and less expensive. The novel sensor, which also has potential applications in health care and environmental monitoring, is based on the design principle of engineered interfacial chemistry. The sensor requires tiny sample amounts, can be built into portable testing devices, and is fast and highly sensitive. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-oxide-based-sensor-door-greener.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:30:01 EDT news695317741 Researchers at Oregon State University have developed a technique for simultaneously treating lung cancer and a serious muscle-wasting condition that often accompanies it. The study, published in the Journal of Controlled Release, involves lipid nanoparticles delivering therapeutic genetic material to lung tumors. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-nanoparticle-therapy-lung-cancer-muscle.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 06 Apr 2026 18:20:02 EDT news694699142 New analyses of ancient ice from Antarctica and the air contained inside it are extending the history of Earth's climate records and expanding researchers' understanding of how the planet has changed over the last 3 million years. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ice-core-histories-greenhouse-gases.html Earth Sciences Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:20:01 EDT news693068082 Drug delivery researchers have vastly improved the potential of genetic therapies by overcoming the challenge of consistently getting genes and gene-editing tools where they need to be within cells. Findings of the study spearheaded by Oregon State University College of Pharmacy graduate student Antony Jozić are published in Nature Biotechnology. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-dna-barcoding-reveals-gene-therapy.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 11 Mar 2026 06:00:06 EDT news692355053 Low-resolution online videos are less likely to influence opinion and also more likely to dissuade viewers from engaging with future content, research by Oregon State University scientists shows. The study carries major implications for the design and delivery of video content and suggests that deviations from high-quality presentations can create repercussions regarding the video's content, according to Christopher Sanchez of the OSU College of Liberal Arts. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-video-messaging-effectiveness-quality-streaming.html Consumer & Gadgets Tue, 03 Mar 2026 07:00:01 EST news691736702 An Oregon State University scientist and a team of undergraduate students have uncovered real-time insights into a chemical process linked with Alzheimer's disease, paving the way toward better drug designs. The researchers used a molecule measuring technique to observe in a laboratory setting how certain metals can promote the protein clumping that leads to the blocked neural pathways associated with Alzheimer's. Led by Marilyn Rampersad Mackiewicz, associate professor of chemistry in the OSU College of Science, the research team also watched molecules known as chelators disrupt or reverse the clumping. The findings are published in ACS Omega. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-lab-technique-reverse-chemical-linked.html Biochemistry Tue, 24 Feb 2026 11:40:02 EST news691150381 Canine cancer patients receiving a new form of immunotherapy lived longer or shorter depending on the composition of their microbiome, the community of organisms living in their gut. Results of the clinical trial led by Oregon State University scientists were published in Veterinary Oncology. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-early-dogs-cancer-survival-gut.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:40:03 EST news690545910 A study of more than 100 kindergarten-age children suggests kids tend to think of snakes differently than they do other animals and that hearing negative or objectifying language about the slithery reptiles might contribute to that way of thinking. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-antipathy-snakes-parents-early-age.html Plants & Animals Sat, 14 Feb 2026 04:35:27 EST news690266083 Scientists say that multiple Earth system components appear closer to destabilization than previously believed, putting the planet in increased danger of following a "hothouse" path driven by feedback loops that can amplify the consequences of global warming. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-quick-hothouse-earth-scenario-scientists.html Earth Sciences Wed, 11 Feb 2026 11:00:12 EST news689958841 Researchers have significantly enhanced an artificial intelligence tool used to rapidly detect bacterial contamination in food by eliminating misclassifications of food debris that looks like bacteria. Current methods to detect contamination of foods such as leafy greens, meat and cheese, which typically involve cultivating bacteria, often require specialized expertise and are time-consuming—taking several days to a week. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-deep-foodborne-bacteria-hours-debris.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 10 Feb 2026 16:16:45 EST news689962561 Researchers at Oregon State University have developed and tested in a mouse model a new type of nanoparticle that enables the removal of melanoma tumors with a low-power laser. After the systemically administered nanoparticles accumulate in cancerous tissue, exposure to near-infrared light causes them to heat up and destroy the melanoma cells, leaving healthy tissue unharmed. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-nanoparticles-melanoma-tumors-mice-power.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 10 Feb 2026 15:00:02 EST news689953688 A new analysis shows that the Pacific Northwest's mature and old-growth forests are most at risk of severe wildfire in areas that historically burned frequently at lower severity. The study by scientists at Oregon State University and USDA Forest Service Research & Development is important because those forests are culturally, economically and ecologically significant, supporting biodiversity while storing vast amounts of carbon, and they are under increasing threat of stand-replacing wildfire. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-growth-wildfire-highest-severity.html Environment Tue, 03 Feb 2026 18:00:03 EST news689356142 Scientists at Oregon State University have developed a new nanomaterial that triggers a pair of chemical reactions inside cancer cells, killing the cells via oxidative stress while leaving healthy tissues alone. The study led by Oleh and Olena Taratula and Chao Wang of the OSU College of Pharmacy appears in Advanced Functional Materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-nanomaterial-oxidative-stress-cancer-cells.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 27 Jan 2026 16:44:40 EST news688754642 If you really like holding hands and saying "I love you" but your partner doesn't, your relationship is still probably better off than if both of you had a modest interest in expressing affection. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-couples-affectionate-communicator-partners-relationship.html Social Sciences Tue, 27 Jan 2026 05:49:42 EST news688715341 A new study shows that interactions between wolves and cougars in Yellowstone National Park are driven by wolves stealing prey killed by cougars and that shifts in cougar diets to smaller prey help them avoid wolf encounters. The study, published at a time of growing overlap between cougar and wolf habitats in the western United States, found wolves occasionally killed cougars, but cougars did not kill wolves. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-cougar-diets-behaviors-competition-wolves.html Plants & Animals Mon, 26 Jan 2026 15:00:03 EST news688640161 Oregon State University researchers have painted a clearer picture of the coastal marten, a secretive, ferret-sized forest carnivore renowned for its cuteness but nearly driven to extinction by human activity in the 20th century. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-marten-rare-adorable-carnivore.html Plants & Animals Wed, 21 Jan 2026 16:52:18 EST news688236721 Oregon State University research into marine protected areas plays a crucial role in the historic High Seas Treaty that goes into effect Jan. 17. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-historic-ocean-treaty-safeguard-sustainably.html Environment Thu, 15 Jan 2026 15:30:28 EST news687713402 In the aftermath of historically severe wildfires in 2020, a study of Cascade Range watersheds found that stream vertebrates are doing surprisingly well, highlighted by flourishing fish populations. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-devastating-wildfires-watersheds-thick-fish.html Plants & Animals Tue, 16 Dec 2025 11:04:22 EST news685105441 If you open a banking app, play a mobile game or scroll through a news feed every day while riding the bus, your commuting routine is probably bolstering your smartphone habit, according to new research that shows phone tendencies are stronger in locations chosen automatically. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-smartphone-habits.html Computer Sciences Tue, 16 Dec 2025 09:50:05 EST news685100285 If mistletoe's status as a nutrient-stealing freeloader has been cooling your holiday ardor, new research led by an Oregon State University scientist may help relight the fire. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-yuletide-kissers-smooch-guilt-mistletoe.html Ecology Sat, 13 Dec 2025 12:10:10 EST news684850178 A naturally fluffy white beard, a round belly and a jolly laugh might seem like the keys to being a successful Santa Claus, but new research suggests that a calling to play the man with the bag full of toys is enough to help candidates overcome a lack of typical attributes for the role. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-reveals-atypical-santas-succeed.html Social Sciences Thu, 04 Dec 2025 13:09:24 EST news684076086 People rated cats as having a more positive emotional state when shown indoors rather than outdoors, even those who believe cats should roam freely outside, a new study has found. The study also found that other contextual factors, such as the color of cats' coats and a person's own emotional state, impacted human perception of cat emotion. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-human-beliefs-cat-emotions.html Veterinary medicine Wed, 03 Dec 2025 08:28:24 EST news683972881 Researchers at Oregon State University have developed a quick-setting, environmentally friendly alternative to concrete they hope can one day be used to rapidly 3D print homes and infrastructure. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-11-3d-fast-environmentally-friendly-concrete.html Engineering Mon, 24 Nov 2025 14:39:28 EST news683217541 A new study reveals that four wild cat species living in the same rainforest habitat in Guatemala reduce competition for food by hunting in different vertical zones, some in trees and others on the ground. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-vertical-wild-cats-coexist-guatemala.html Plants & Animals Mon, 24 Nov 2025 04:40:06 EST news683181602 Climate history recorded in a calcite deposit in a southern Nevada cave indicates that the hot, arid southwestern United States experienced significant shifts in temperature and rainfall over the last 580,000 years. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-calcite-deposit-southern-nevada-cave.html Earth Sciences Wed, 19 Nov 2025 14:11:04 EST news682783862 Floating solar panels are emerging as a promising clean energy solution with environmental benefits, but a new study published in Limnologica finds those effects vary significantly depending on where the systems are deployed. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-solar-panels-environmental-impacts-vary.html Ecology Tue, 18 Nov 2025 06:09:04 EST news682668542 The children of people who grew up with parental acceptance and lack of negativity tend to struggle less with their own parenting, a new analysis indicates. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-lack-negativity-keys-parenting-styles.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 17 Nov 2025 21:00:01 EST news682615864 Researchers have taken a significant step toward creating a standardized language for describing the aromas of cannabis and hemp. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-common-language-cannabis-hemp-aromas.html Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 17 Nov 2025 09:11:03 EST news682593061