Science Pub Features Pyrosomes

Over the past year, you may have seen some odd gelatinous tubes (some compare them to icycles) washing up on local beaches.  Many CoastWatchers have reported large numbers on their miles. These creatures are known as pyrosomes, and have never before been seen in such concentrations in Oregon's nearshore ocean.  On Saturday, Jan. 28, 7 p.m., Hilarie Sorensen and Caitlin Plowman, graduate students at the University of Oregon's Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB) in Charleston, will provide some background information on these strange and unfamiliar creatures and let their listeners in on some secrets of pyrosome life including their basic ecology and observations from the 2017 "bloom" off of the Oregon coast. The "science pub" presentation, free and open to the public, takes place at 7 Devils Brewing Co (247 S. 2nd Ave. in Coos Bay).  It is hosted by the Charleston Marine Life Center and OIMB.

Sorensen is finishing up a M.S. degree focusing on pyrosomes, and Plowman is just starting a Ph.D. and is interested in how pyrosomes grow and reproduce.