Welcome to the Biological Sciences!

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Join us in Celebrating Darwin's Bicentennial

During 2008–2009, Ohio State, in partnership with other higher education institutions and community organizations, is hosting a series of events celebrating science and highlighting the importance of evolutionary studies to better understanding our planet's history, human health, and the future of a biosphere confronted with unprecedented global climate change. For information on monthly events, please go to www.osu.edu/darwin/

Cells Get Two Chances to Get It Right

Michael Ibba

Microbiologist Mike Ibba is senior author of a study that finds cells have two chances to fix the same mistake in their protein-making process—not just one—as had been thought. Proteins are essential to life, so avoiding mistakes during their production is critical in preventing a variety of harmful conditions that result when mutations cause damage or when cells die. READ MORE >

One Carbon Storage Solution May Be As Close As Your Nearby Forest

Peter Curtis

Peter Curtis, chair and professor, EEOB, has been working with other scientists on quantifying annual carbon storage capacity in upper Great Lakes forests. The researchers believe that forests help stabilize the climate and may be managed to offset greenhouse gas emissions. Quantifying the amount of carbon that forests can keep out of the atmosphere is useful in showing the value of managing forests to energy policymakers. READ MORE >

Blocking Protein Leads to Fewer, Smaller Skin Cancer Tumors

Abhay Satoskar

New research suggests that blocking the activity of a protein in the blood could offer powerful protection against some skin cancers. In the study, conduced by microbiologist Abhay Satoskar and his colleagues, normal mice and mice that had a genetically engineered protein deficiency were exposed to almost a year of ultraviolet light that mimics chronic sun exposure. The mice that lacked the protein developed fewer, smaller, less aggressive and less vascular skin cancer tumors than did the normal mice. READ MORE >.