Latest news with #OregonStateUniversity
Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Return of wolves to Yellowstone has led to a surge in aspen trees unseen for 80 years
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Yellowstone's wolves are helping a new generation of young aspen trees to grow tall and join the forest canopy — the first new generation of such trees in Yellowstone's northern range in 80 years. Gray wolves (Canis lupus) had disappeared from Yellowstone National Park by 1930 following extensive habitat loss, human hunting and government eradication programs. Without these top predators, populations of elk (Cervus canadensis) grew unfettered. At their peak population, an estimated 18,000 elk ranged across the park, chomping on grasses and shrubs as well as the leaves, twigs and bark of trees like quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides). This stopped saplings from establishing themselves, and surveys in the 1990s found no aspen saplings. "You had older trees, and then nothing underneath," Luke Painter, an ecologist at Oregon State University and lead author of the new study, told Live Science. But when wolves were reintroduced in 1995, the picture began to change. As wolf numbers rose, the elk population in the park dropped sharply, and it is now down to about 2,000. In the new study, published Tuesday (July 22) in the journal Forest Ecology and Management, Painter and his colleagues surveyed aspen stands — specific areas of the forest where these trees grow. Related: Reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone helped entire ecosystem thrive, 20-year study finds The team returned to three areas surveyed in 2012 to examine changes to aspen sapling numbers. Of the 87 aspen stands studied, a third had a large number of tall aspen saplings throughout, indicating the trees are healthy and growing. Another third of the stands had patches of tall saplings. "We're seeing significant new growth of young aspen and this is the first time that we've found it in our plots," Painter said. These are young aspen with a trunk greater than 2 inches (5 centimetres) in diameter at chest height — which haven't been seen there since the 1940s, he added. "It doesn't mean that they're not going to get killed or die from something, but it's a pretty good indication that we're getting some new trees," Painter noted. "As they get bigger, they get more resilient." Such trees are old enough to spread themselves, either by sending up new shoots from their roots a fair distance from the main tree, or via seed production, he said. However, while Yellowstone's quaking aspen are recovering, they aren't out of the woods just yet. The elk population has declined, but bison (Bison bison) numbers have increased in some areas in recent years. Bison are a lot harder for wolves to take down, said Painter, so increasing numbers of bison may be emerging as a new constraint on aspen in some areas. Painter said that the variation in aspen recovery shows the effects of reintroducing a big predator to the top of the food chain, rather than to changes in the overall climate, for example. The re-emergence of aspen has widespread effects, he told Live Science. "Aspen are a key species for biodiversity. The canopy is more open than it is with conifers and you get filtering light that creates a habitat that supports a lot of diversity of plants." This means a boost to berry-producing shrubs, insects and birds and also species like beavers, because the trees are a preferred food and building material for the semi- aquatic rodents, along with the willows and cottonwoods that grow near to water in the region. RELATED STORIES —Yellowstone's 'queen of the wolves' killed by rival pack after living to 11 years old and having 10 litters of pups —Yellowstone National Park earthquake shakes hottest and oldest geothermal area —Giant coyote killed in southern Michigan turns out to be a gray wolf — despite the species vanishing from region 100 years ago There are also hints that the number of bears and cougars in the region have increased since wolves were introduced, Painter said, but it's not clear why. "The paper shows the important ecological benefits occurring from the restoration of wolves to Yellowstone National Park," Dominick Spracklen, a professor of biosphere-atmosphere interactions at the University of Leeds, U.K., who has studied the potential impacts of reintroducing wolves in Scotland, told Live Science. "Ecosystems that lack large carnivores are often increasingly out of balance," Spracklen said. "While reintroducing carnivores raises important challenges around human-wildlife coexistence, this work underscores the significant ecological benefits such restoration efforts can bring." Solve the daily Crossword
CNBC
6 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
Nvidia CEO: If I were a 20-year-old again today, this is the field I would focus on in college
If Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang were a student today, he says he'd focus on the physical sciences. During a trip to Beijing on Wednesday, Huang was asked by a journalist: "If you are a 22-year-old version of Jensen [who] just graduated today in 2025 but with the same ambition, what would you focus on?" To that, the Nvidia CEO said: "For the young, 20-year-old Jensen, that's graduated now, he probably would have chosen ... more of the physical sciences than the software sciences," adding that he actually graduated two years early from college, at age 20. Physical science, as opposed to life science, is a broad branch that focuses on the study of non-living systems, including physics, chemistry, astronomy and earth sciences. Huang got his electrical engineering degree from Oregon State University in 1984 before earning his master's degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1992, according to his LinkedIn profile. About a year later, in April 1993, Huang co-founded Nvidia with fellow engineers Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem over a meal at a Denny's restaurant in San Jose, California. Under Huang's leadership as CEO, the chipmaker has now become the world's most valuable company. Nvidia also became the world's first company to hit a $4 trillion market cap last week. Although Huang didn't explain why he says he'd study the physical sciences if he were a student again today, the tech founder has been very bullish on "Physical AI" or what he calls the "next wave." Over the past decade and a half, the world has moved through multiple phases of artificial intelligence, he explained in April at The Hill & Valley Forum in Washington, D.C. "Modern AI really came into consciousness about 12 to 14 years ago, when AlexNet came out and computer vision saw its big, giant breakthrough," Huang said at the forum. AlexNet was a computer model unveiled during a 2012 competition that demonstrated the ability of machines to recognize images using deep learning, helping spark the modern AI boom. This first wave is called 'Perception AI,' Huang said. Then, came the second wave called "Generative AI," "which is where the AI model has learned how to understand the meaning of the information but [also] translate it" into different languages, images, code and more. "We're now in this age called 'Reasoning AI'... where you now have AI that can understand, it can generate, [and] solve problems and recognize conditions that we've never seen before," he said. Artificial intelligence, in its current state, can solve problems using reasoning. "Reasoning AI allows you to produce a form of digital robots. We call them agentic AI," said Huang. These AI agents are essentially "digital workforce robots" capable of reasoning, he added. Today, AI agents are a key focus among many tech companies, such as Microsoft and Salesforce. Looking ahead, the next wave is "Physical AI," said Huang. "The next wave requires us to understand things like the laws of physics, friction, inertia, cause and effect," said Huang in Washington, D.C., in April. Physical reasoning abilities, such as the concept of object permanence — or the fact that objects continue to exist even if they're out of sight — will be big in this next phase of artificial intelligence, he said. Applications of physical reasoning include predicting outcomes, such as where a ball will roll, understanding how much force is needed to grip an object without damaging it and inferring the presence of a pedestrian behind a car. "And when you take that physical AI and then you put it into a physical object called a robot, you get robotics," he added. "This is really, really important for us now, because we're building plants and factories all over the United States." "So hopefully, in the next 10 years, as we build out this new generation of plants and factories, they're highly robotic and they're helping us deal with the severe labor shortage that we have all over the world," said Huang.
Business Wire
16-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Oregon State Credit Union Awards 10 Local Students With $2,500 Scholarships
CORVALLIS, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oregon State Credit Union is pleased to announce it has awarded 10 local students with $2,500 college scholarships in recognition of their academic achievements, community involvement, extracurricular activities, and work experiences. 'These exceptional students have contributed to their schools and communities, while learning good spending habits with their teen checking accounts,' said Gary Schuette II, President/CEO. 'We are proud to help them take the next step in their education.' Members with teen checking accounts, who are graduating from high school and plan to attend a two- or four-year Oregon college or university in the fall, are eligible for the credit union's Tomorrow's Leaders Today scholarships each year. This year's winners have shown academic success, played sports, led school clubs, worked a variety of jobs, and volunteered in churches, food pantries, summer camps, animal rescue organizations, and other community groups. 'These exceptional students have contributed to their schools and communities, while learning good spending habits with their teen checking accounts,' said Gary Schuette II, President/CEO. 'We are proud to help them take the next step in their education.' The 2025-26 scholarship winners are: Emma Anderson, West Salem High School, attending Chemeketa Community College Ariel Cooper, Falls City High School, attending Western Oregon University Ella Gilder, West Albany High School, attending George Fox University Janice Hellesto, Philomath High School, attending George Fox University Colton Hruska, Philomath High School, attending Oregon State University Quinten Layton, Newport High School, attending Chemeketa Community College Andrew Louie, Corvallis High School, attending Oregon State University Emma Moore, Dallas High School, attending Chemeketa Community College Shaylyn Noble, Alsea Charter School, attending Eastern Oregon University William Postlewait, Newport High School, attending Oregon State University Honors College Oregon State Credit Union offers its Tomorrow's Leaders Today teen checking accounts and scholarships as part of its deep commitment to members and the community. Students ages 13-18 who are not yet enrolled in college can open teen accounts with no monthly service fee, no minimum balance, free online banking, free unlimited check writing, and free access to Oregon State Credit Union ATMs and phone tellers. Committed to the health of the community, the credit union also supports local nonprofits, awards teacher grants, and empowers individuals through programs for first-time homebuyers, youth savings, financial education and fraud prevention. About Oregon State Credit Union Oregon State Credit Union is a member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative with an expanded field of membership now spanning 28 counties in Oregon and Clark and Skamania counties in Washington state. Founded in 1954 and guided by a passion for service, we are committed to delivering inclusive financial solutions that empower individuals and communities to thrive. Our competitively priced products and services are designed to meet the diverse needs of our members, providing exceptional value and personalized service. At Oregon State Credit Union, we believe in building amazing member trust and fostering financial well-being for all. Visit today to learn why more than 150,000 member-owners put their trust in Oregon State Credit Union.
National Observer
16-07-2025
- Science
- National Observer
Some Australian dolphins use sponges to hunt fish, a practice harder than it looks
Some dolphins in Australia have a special technique to flush fish from the seafloor. They hunt with a sponge on their beak, like a clown nose. Using the sponge to protect from sharp rocks, the dolphins swim with their beaks covered, shoveling through rubble at the bottom of sandy channels and stirring up barred sandperch for a meal. But this behavior — passed down through generations — is trickier than it looks, according to new research published Tuesday in the journal Royal Society Open Science. Hunting with a sponge on their face interferes with bottlenose dolphins' finely tuned sense of echolocation, of emitting sounds and listening for echoes to navigate. 'It has a muffling effect in the way that a mask might,' said co-author Ellen Rose Jacobs, a marine biologist at the University of Aarhus in Denmark. 'Everything looks a little bit weird, but you can still learn how to compensate." Jacobs used an underwater microphone to confirm that the 'sponging' dolphins in Shark Bay, Australia, were still using echolocation clicks to guide them. Then she modeled the extent of the sound wave distortion from the sponges. For those wild dolphins that have mastered foraging with nose sponges, scientists say it's a very efficient way to catch fish. The wild marine sponges vary from the size of a softball to a cantaloupe. Some Australian dolphins use sponges to hunt fish, but it's harder than it looks. Sponge hunting is 'like hunting when you're blindfolded — you've got to be very good, very well-trained to pull it off," said Mauricio Cantor, a marine biologist at Oregon State University, who was not involved in the study. That difficulty may explain why it's rare — with only about 5% of the dolphin population studied by the researchers in Shark Bay doing it. That's about 30 dolphins total, said Jacobs. 'It takes them many years to learn this special hunting skill — not everybody sticks with it,' said marine ecologist Boris Worm at Dalhousie University in Canada, who was not involved in the study. Dolphin calves usually spend around three or four years with their mothers, observing and learning crucial life skills. The delicate art of sponge hunting is 'only ever passed down from mother to offspring,' said co-author and Georgetown marine biologist Janet Mann.
Los Angeles Times
14-07-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
Can a Handful of Almonds Really Help Your Gut and Cholesterol?
In the era of 'adaptogenic' everything and LED face masks promising to erase ten years overnight, the almond is as basic as it gets — humble, quietly smug, and apparently, newly anointed as a low-key hero for anyone with a less-than-perfect relationship with their cholesterol. No brand partnerships. Just a snack you've ignored in a trail mix, now positioned as a quiet powerhouse in metabolic health. Recently, researchers at Oregon State University handed almonds their moment in the clinical spotlight, with information provided by the Almond Board of California (yes, a real board). Their subjects? Adults who have been asked to eat two ounces of almonds daily for twelve weeks. That's about 46 almonds a day, for anyone who enjoys precision. After the trial, gut barrier function improved. Inflammation markers dropped. Total cholesterol and 'bad' LDL cholesterol took a dip. There was even a modest shrinking of the waistline — a result more reliable than any seasonal 'detox.' Let's not get carried away, though. No one floated out of the study looking like they'd spent a summer at a Swiss wellness clinic. If 'metabolic syndrome' sounds familiar, that's because it's everywhere. One in three adults in the U.S. ticks the boxes for high blood sugar, high blood pressure, stubborn belly fat, and cholesterol numbers that get a 'let's talk' from your doctor. It's the reason for endless nutrition trends and why the new rules of keto and modern metabolic resets keep making headlines. Here's the twist: almonds don't just help because they're 'healthy', they seemingly get at the root causes. Inflammation and oxidative stress are the true villains behind metabolic syndrome, quietly undermining the gut lining and orchestrating what's now called 'leaky gut syndrome.' That sets the stage for everything from cardiovascular disease to the kind of chronic, low-key fatigue that makes even a group text feel overwhelming. Almonds, with their fiber, unsaturated fats, and antioxidant vitamin E, work as both gut fuel and cellular armor. As the Oregon State team put it: 'Almonds improved biomarkers of gut barrier function and decreased intestinal inflammation and LDL cholesterol in adults with metabolic syndrome.' The gut story is about way more than digestion. When your intestinal lining is intact (think velvet rope at a members-only club), inflammation goes down everywhere: skin, joints, even mood. Research confirms that a healthy gut barrier helps regulate systemic inflammation, protecting everything from cardiovascular function to emotional well-being. There's growing recognition that gut health is directly linked to skin clarity and beauty, and even mood — a gut-brain axis explored in depth in food as medicine for mental health. For those building a gut-friendly routine, adding fermented foods can amplify the benefits of fiber-rich snacks like almonds, supporting a more diverse microbiome. Seasonal shifts? Even your allergies can be impacted, as a balanced microbiome helps moderate immune response. Sometimes the simplest seasonal reset is a focus on fiber and prebiotics as explained in this gut microbiome reset guide. Food is foundational, and almonds keep showing up on the 'worth it' list. We've been told that eating an avocado a day might help with sleep, and now almonds are making a bid for pantry-staple status. Of course, a handful of nuts isn't a substitute for a complete lifestyle overhaul. But it's hard to beat the ROI. Click here to learn more about The Almond Board of California
