PNAS publishes the research of three OSU faculty members

Luisa Clausen Editor-in-Chief

Three OSU faculty members achieve a milestone.

Drs. Michael Reichert, Matt Bolek and Elizabeth McCullah had their work published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

The three worked together on the article “Parasite effects on receivers in animal communication: Hidden impacts on behavior, ecology and evolution,” which was included in the July 18 edition of the publication.

PNAS is a peer-reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences that publishes scientists’ research worldwide. Each year, PNAS receives more than 17,000 submissions and reaches a global audience.

Reichert said this journal has a broad read and people from different disciplines read the editions. Because of the broad reach, Reichert said their ideas will reach a wide audience inspired by those ideas to do new studies to help answer some of the questions they posed.

The article is part of a special edition on animal communication and encourages the focus on an area that is constantly overlooked.

McCullagh said most studies on animal communication focus on the signaler or the animal that is producing the communication signal- such as song, call or display- with very little focus generally on factors that change an animal’s ability to receive signal.

“In this context, we explore how parasites can change the reception of signaling information through infection of sensory organs, the brain or other physiological mechanisms that ultimately change the signal,” McCullagh said. “This alteration has broad implications and evolutionary consequences for both parasites and those they inhabit.”

Reichert, Bolek and McCullah had different interests in biological sciences, but when they met at OSU, the three started to consider their interests as a whole.

Bolek said that collabora- tion between a parasitologist, neuroscientist and behavioral ecologist is uncommon and he hopes their unusual collaboration can serve as an example when scientists from different ares share knowledge, noval ideas and hypotheses can result.

“The benefits of our collaboration stem from combining our individual research areas, resulting in the development of novel and diverse ideas and hypotheses to help us understand the biological world,” Bolek said. Reichert said their article focused on the importance of using techniques and approaches from different fields in biology to study a phenomenon that was not appreciated before. The group foresees future multidisciplinary approaches to answering biological questions because animal communication research is advancing, news.ed@ocolly.com

“It’s been very stimulating to me to think about communication in a different way, and that only happens because I have collaborations with some very passionate scientists who have skills and perspectives that complement mine,” Reichert said Learn more about PNAS and read open-access research articles on the PNAS website.

Nutrition...

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HOP works to implement multiple proven public health strategies. The first is food and nutrition security — promoting food service and nutrition guidelines, expanding fruit and vegetable voucher incentives and produce prescription programs. The second is safe and accessible physical activity — connecting transportation networks to everyday destinations. Lastly, early care and education (ECE) settings — improving nutrition and physical activity.

Hildebrand said Oklahoma is unique in that strong partnerships exist between the OSU Cooperative Extension, Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Healthy Living Program and Cherokee Tribal Nation.

“There is mutual and proven capacity in using policy, systems and environmental (PSE) approaches to decrease obesity and health disparities,” Hildebrand said. “Collaborative efforts have been successful in improving nutrition standards, establishing food systems and increasing miles of activity-friendly routes and places for safe physical activity. We look forward to continuing these partnerships and the positive impacts we can make together during the next five years.”

The new award from CDC HOP builds on success from 2018-2023 in news.ed@ocolly.com

Adair and Muskogee counties. The OSU team worked with Cooperative Extension and state and community partners to implement public health strategies, including significant increases in healthy food distribution capacities for local food pantries, revitalization plans for local parks, safer walking and biking routes to local schools and more. HOP’s collaborative work was recognized by 15 state, regional and national awards and featured in several CDC showcases.

Mario Parker Bloomberg News

Donald Trump’s political action committee spent $40.2 million on legal costs in the first half of 2023 to defend the former president, his advisers and others, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The political group, Save America, is set to disclose the figure in a filing on Monday, said the people, who asked not to be identified before the information is released.

The figure is substantial enough that the PAC has requested a refund on a $60 million contribution it made to another group supporting Trump, and signals a potential money crisis for the campaign, the New York Times reported late Saturday.

The disclosure is set to come as Trump, who’s leading polls for the 2024 Republican nomination, braces for yet another indictment, this time in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s probe into the aftermath of the 2020 election and the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

He’s already been indicted in a federal case over his handling of classified documents and in New York state court where he faces charges over alleged hush money payments to an adult film star.

Trump was hit Thursday with new obstruction charges in the criminal case over classified documents, including allegations that he and two employees tried to delete surveillance footage at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

The campaign of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, whose standing in GOP primary polls has been dropping, criticized the spending. Communications director Andrew Romeo said the legal expenses wouldn’t help Republicans retake the White House.

“Trump has spent over $60 million on 2 things: falsely attacking DeSantis and paying his own legal fees, not a cent on defeating Biden,” Romeo posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Trump isn’t turning down anyone ensnared in his legal troubles seeking help, particularly those who can’t afford the expense, people close to him said.

news.ed@ocolly.com