Arts and Sciences at Ohio State

10 European common wall lizards arrived in southwest Ohio in the 1950s, brought home by a boy who smuggled them in his luggage after a vacation in northern Italy. Now, hundreds of thousands – and maybe even millions – of them scamper through urban parks and neighborhoods across Cincinnati. Results of a study co-authored by Professor Emeritus H. Lisle Gibbs show that the lizards experienced reduced genetic variation after their arrival, but the loss didn’t seem to have an effect on population health.

Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology at The Ohio State University

Wall lizards in Ohio reproduced their way out of a genetic bottleneck Non-native wall lizards living in Cincinnati, Ohio, have thrived against the odds thanks to an ability to expand their population more quickly than any inbreeding-amplified harmful genes could weaken their chances for survival, new research suggests. An estimated 10 of these European common wall li...

Sometimes, big change starts with something small. For design student Phillip Biondo '26, it started with showing up to a Zoom call. For alumnus Tom Yurkin '85, it started with a plane ticket.

Tom graduated from The Ohio State University in the Department of Design. After decades away, he came back to campus for an exhibit honoring one of his old professors, Peter Megert. That visit opened the door to a mentorship that would change both his life and a student’s future.

“I didn’t come back for 40 years,” Tom said. “But when I did, it just felt right. I was like, ‘How can I help?’”

Read more: artsandsciences.osu.edu/news/when-support-meets-opportunity

Ohio State Design

Four researchers in The Ohio State University Department of Anthropology co-authored a new paper discussing dental microstructure and tooth evolution, which "casts light on dietary shifts as humans evolved," according to Nature. Second lead author Mackie O'Hara, now at Ball State University, earned her PhD from Ohio State. Co-authors Scott McGraw and Debbie Guatelli-Steinberg are both current professors and Emma Lagan is an alumna and current post-doc in the department.

Anthropology researchers co-author Nature paper on tooth evolution Four researchers in the Department of Anthropology are co-authors on a new Nature paper discussing dental microstructure and tooth evolution. "Enamel nanocrystal misorientation increased with meat-eating and agriculture" was published on June 4, 2026 and "casts light on dietary shifts as humans evol...

Scientists have known for over two decades that all cells use a strategy called RNA interference to regulate gene expression. Professor Kotaro Nakanishi co-authored a new study, the first to describe how a specific protein manages the step-by-step process of assembling the molecular complex that performs the regulatory job. He said the findings should help advance development of therapeutic siRNAs and cityRNAs that could be designed to override natural cellular processes and prompt a specific RNA interference process to silence problematic genes linked to diseases.

Unsealing cells’ ‘black box’ strategy to regulate gene activation While scientists have known for over two decades that all cells use a strategy called RNA interference to regulate gene expression, a new study is the first to describe how a specific protein manages the step-by-step process of assembling the molecular complex that performs the regulatory job. Amon...

Today we remember, reflect and celebrate. You can help commemorate this important day by participating in one of these local events.

NBC4

List: 2026 Juneteenth events in Columbus and central Ohio Juneteenth, a U.S. federal holiday commemorating the day in 1865 when the last enslaved Americans in Galveston, Texas, finally learned of their freedom, is being celebrated in Columbus and central …

Congrats to Professor Eugenia Costa-Giomi for being awarded a 2026-2027 Fulbright U.S. Scholar award to Brazil! She’ll be based at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais studying the home music environments of infants. “Research on home soundscapes offers an original perspective of the daily musical lives of young children by gathering data directly from the vantage point of the infants rather than indirectly from the narratives of their parents,” explained Costa-Giomi.

Read more: oia.osu.edu/news/2026/04/29/costa-giomi-awarded-fulbright-us-scholar-award-brazil

School of Music at The Ohio State University

The Biological Sciences Greenhouse serves a unique role as one of the few academic facilities in the country that maintains small plant collections capable of supporting the repopulation of endangered species worldwide. It also functions as a teaching and creative space, bringing together university students, researchers and members of the Columbus community. If these plants could talk, what lessons would they share about resiliency and helping one another thrive in the spaces we inhabit?

If These Plants Could Talk More than 700 unique species of plants, each with its own story and history — some even predating primates — flourish on top of a south campus parking garage on 12th Avenue. This secret garden left me reflecting on the beautiful and quiet power of nature and its enduring connection to humanity. ...

Professor Emeritus Charles Emery led a study suggesting that having patients with chronic lung illnesses "paint a picture" shows how they perceive the extent of their lung disease, which can tell clinicians as much about their symptom-related quality of life as pulmonary test results. “Illness perception is an avenue through which patients can talk about how they view their illness and consider alternate perspectives that enhance quality of life, even in the face of a terminal illness," said Emery.

Visual measure of illness perception paints a picture of quality of life Asking patients with chronic lung illnesses to paint a picture, of sorts, that shows how they perceive the extent of their lung disease can tell clinicians as much about their symptom-related quality of life as pulmonary test results, a new study suggests. In current practice, patients answer a ser...