Science & Technology

Five months after the Holiday Farm Fire sparked on Labor Day, many of the residents of the upper McKenzie River valley are still without reliable internet access or phones. 

Native American tribes across Oregon are seeing enhanced broadband connectivity, thanks to federal assistance.  The timing benefits operations hurt by the pandemic.

Since mid-July, comet NEOWISE, named for the ‘Near Earth Object’ explorer that found it, has been visible after sunset. This week a local astronomer admired it from College Hill in Eugene. 

Frequent use of marijuana by young adults may drive up risk-taking. That’s from a new study by Oregon State University.

Improvements to sustainability efforts at Lane Community College could involve students searching for bird carcasses around the campus.

On the outskirts of the Oregon State University campus in Corvallis, there’s a wave research lab, where two giant concrete basins can simulate the impacts of big waves. KLCC learned about some of the current research. 

The Volcanic Listening Project features a group of scientists and artists who transform volcanic data into music. It works through a process called sonification, where mathematical algorithms turn plots on a graph into sound.

KLCC’s Melorie Begay caught up with a violin playing volcanologist in Eugene who’s highlighting Mount Kīlauea in this audio postcard.

Improved forecasts and warnings of tsunamis are the goal of university scientists in the Pacific Northwest.  KLCC’s Brian Bull explains.

Compared to babies and dogs, cats are often seen as more aloof and detached from their caregivers.  But as KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, the bond between human and feline is purr-fectly tight.

It's an innovative way to help solve problems for local groups: Put 200 people in a room and let them work for three days straight, competing to create the best solutions. Eugene's “Hack for a Cause," kicks off Friday evening.

The USDA says it’s officially ending a controversial experiment that involves kittens. As KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, Oregon lawmakers and animal welfare advocates are delighted.

After nine days, some McKenzie Bridge residents are seeing the first flickers of electricity following a power outage caused by last week’s snow storm.  For some, the loss of power created a serious risk. But for those river inhabitants secure with “the basics” to survive (warmth, water, food,) some found hidden joys in letting go of extras and just taking it easy.

A new license plate featuring a gray whale and her calf will be available in Oregon as of February 1st. Sales will help fund whale research.

The next generation of high-tech adhesives may get a jump-start from the science behind sticky frog tongues. New research led by Oregon State University’s College of Engineering finds the chemical makeup of frog mucus could guide design for glues used in mechanics and medicine.

As part of their 150th Anniversary Celebration, Oregon State University is hosting a free, day-long symposium Tuesday on “the promise and peril of artificial intelligence and robotics.”