These first measurements of specific surface area (SSA)
of bulk samples of subsurface marine basalts were undertaken
to determine the potential area available for microbial
colonization. SSA ranged from 0.3 to 52 m2/g of basalt
with the lowest value coming from pillow basalt and the
highest value from breccia. The...
We estimate the depth of the 120°C isotherm by constructing crustal thermal gradients based on theoretical and observed conductive heat flux as a function of lithospheric age. We chose the 120°C isotherm because it is close to the upper limit for prokaryotic life, and therefore, the isotherm approximates the maximum...
Microchannels in ocean basalt glass are often attributed to the activity of microorganisms, however, neither the mechanism of formation of microchannels in glass nor the involvement of microorganisms have been confirmed by experimentation. Experimental abiotic corrosion of basalt glass with 1% hydrofluoric acid (HF), a proxy for more slowly acting...
The boundary between ice and basalt on Earth is an analog for some near-surface environments of Mars. We investigated neutrophilic iron-oxidizing microorganisms from the basalt-ice interface in a lava tube from the Oregon Cascades with perennial ice. One of the isolates (Pseudomonas sp. HerB) can use ferrous iron Fe(II) from...
The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Hole 1301A on the eastern flank of Juan de Fuca Ridge was used in the first long-term deployment of microbial enrichment flow cells using osmotically driven pumps in a subseafloor borehole. Three novel osmotically driven colonization systems with unidirectional flow were deployed in the...
For each Cantor set C in R³, all points of which have bounded local genus, we show that there are infinitely many inequivalent Cantor sets in R³ with the complement having the same fundamental group as the complement of C. This answers a question from Open Problems in Topology and...
Cocksfoot mottle virus (CfMV) is a mechanically and beetle-transmitted, non-seedtransmitted
sobemovirus associated with orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) stand decline
in Europe, Japan, New Zealand (Mahy and Van Regenmortel 2010), and Canada (Bittman
et al. 2006). Additional hosts, reported from New Zealand (Delmiglio et al. 2010), include
Festuca novae-zelandiae, Lolium spp.,...
Amphorophora agathonica (Hottes) is the primary vector of aphid-transmitted viruses in red raspberry in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. To better understand the biology of the aphid, we estimated the lower developmental threshold and studied the seasonal activity of A. agathonica in commercial fields in northern Washington...
'Alba' (Reg. No. [CV-355, PI 672535]) is a winter, six-row barley released by the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station in 2012. The name “Alba” was chosen due to the bright and attractive appearance of the crop at maturity. In high rainfall environments, it has a notable yield advantage over check varieties...