Categories
Healthy Economy

Stimulating Research

Oregon State University research projects are receiving a stimulus boost through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)

Categories
Healthy People

Regulating Immunity: Toxicologists seek novel gene therapies

Dioxin, the chemical pollutant made infamous by Vietnam-era defoliant Agent Orange, has long been known to suppress immune function in humans and other animals. Surprisingly, this dangerous side effect has a scientific silver lining. While studying the toxin’s health effects, researchers discovered the genetic pathway to immune system malfunction. For people who would actually benefit from suppressed immunity — those suffering from autoimmune and allergic diseases — this clue may lead to better therapies.

Categories
Healthy Planet

Girding the Grid: Engineers rethink power storage for wind

As wind turbines and solar arrays sprout up across the landscape, an urgent challenge arises: How to capture all that alternative energy for the electrical grid. Wind velocity and solar intensity vary wildly as weather changes and as seasons shift — fluctuations that are often out of sync with power demand.