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It’s no secret that the muscles in our body weaken with aging. But the questions of how and why, and whether this can be...
06/13/2026

It’s no secret that the muscles in our body weaken with aging. But the questions of how and why, and whether this can be slowed down or even reversed, is the subject of new research at Ohio University.

Cory Baumann is an assistant professor of aging systems physiology in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. He recently received a $2.9 million grant to study how this natural decline might be altered to preserve strength, mobility and independence for older adults.

Baumann sat down to speak with WOUB’s David Forster for “Modern Science.

It's no secret the muscles in our body weaken with ageing. The questions of how and why is the subject of new research at Ohio University.

Rita Wilson may be known for her work as an actor and producer, but she says songwriting has helped her discover her art...
06/13/2026

Rita Wilson may be known for her work as an actor and producer, but she says songwriting has helped her discover her artistic voice in new ways.

In a conversation with WOUB's Ian Saint, Wilson discusses her latest album, “Sound of a Woman”, and the experiences that shaped its songs.

The album explores themes of identity, courage, creativity, family, and personal growth.

Wilson reflects on recording the project live in the studio with producer Dave Cobb, a process she initially found intimidating but ultimately rewarding.

She also discusses the role fear can play in artistic development and why stepping outside her comfort zone became central to the album's creation.

Throughout the conversation, Wilson shares how her family's immigrant history continues to influence her work and perspective.

She speaks about the song "Your Mother" and the questions it raises about memory, family stories, and the lives parents lived before becoming parents.

Wilson says one of her hopes for the album is that it sparks meaningful conversations between loved ones.

The discussion also touches on her upcoming “Sound of a Woman” tour, which includes a stop in Pittsburgh this weekend.

Rita Wilson discusses "Sound of a Woman", songwriting, creative courage, and the conversations she hopes her new album inspires.

A trip to the Great Smoky Mountains became an eight-year journey through all 63 U.S. national parks for Brad Ryan and hi...
06/12/2026

A trip to the Great Smoky Mountains became an eight-year journey through all 63 U.S. national parks for Brad Ryan and his grandmother, Joy Ryan.

The Grandma Joy’s Road Trip experience inspired Ryan's new memoir, “Grandma Joy and Me: A Journey of Healing, One National Park at a Time”.

Just in time for the book’s publication date on June 16, Ryan spoke with WOUB Culture, reflecting on family reconciliation, forgiveness, and the lessons he learned while traveling with his grandmother.

The pair's adventures eventually made Joy Ryan the oldest person to visit every national park in the United States.

Along the way, their story resonated with millions of people around the world, making the two recognizable media figures.

Ryan discusses how years spent together on the road helped strengthen their relationship and create space for difficult but meaningful conversations.

He also shares stories from some of their most memorable destinations, including Yellowstone, Denali, and Antarctica.

Today, Brad and Joy continue traveling as they work toward visiting all seven continents together.

Brad Ryan discusses "Grandma Joy and Me", a memoir about national parks, family reconciliation, and finding connection across generations.

The Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a group that organizes political and voter engagement activities for left-leaning and...
06/12/2026

The Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a group that organizes political and voter engagement activities for left-leaning and progressive causes, has been raided by the FBI.

Ohio Organizing Collaborative (OOC) Board Member Prentiss Haney said FBI agents came to the organization’s Northeast Ohio offices yesterday. He said agents have fanned out and questioned people who work with his organization. Haney said agents have searched and sometimes taken laptops and electronic devices as well as interviewed people who work with the organization.

“This is not normal business. I mean there’s no reason for over 100 agents to be knocking on the doors of everyday Ohioans,” Haney said. “Demanding and accusing people of voter fraud as if it was a witch hunt and, and scaring them with the children, following them in their cars to school and to work. I mean this was a full-out assault. I mean, we haven’t seen anything like this since Selma. And so this was completely um politically motivated.”

The collaborative does organizing and voter engagement. Haney said the people whom the FBI contacted were told it was in relation to a case of voter fraud. But he said he believes it is political intimidation akin to what happened in Selma, Alabama decades ago.

“When have we ever seen federal forces used to come after civil rights leaders, community organizers, volunteers who are doing voting rights at this scale? So that is very concerning where we are at,” Haney said.

Multiple attempts have been made to get a comment from the FBI but the agency has not responded.

The OOC, which organizes political and voter engagement activities for left-leaning and progressive causes, has been raided by the FBI.

The mayor of Athens reminded home and business owners this week they can be fined if the sidewalks in front of their hom...
06/12/2026

The mayor of Athens reminded home and business owners this week they can be fined if the sidewalks in front of their homes make it difficult for people with disabilities to navigate.

Steve Patterson said at Monday night’s City Council meeting that if a sidewalk is heaved up more than half an inch above what is allowed under the Americans With Disabilities Act, the city will issue a warning, give a reasonable amount of time to fix it, and if it’s not fixed, the city can impose a $50 fine every day until the changes are made.

Patterson suggested property owners contact contractors to fix the sidewalk problems before fines are enforced.

Patterson acknowledged the ongoing problems with city sidewalks. “We have a lot that we have yet to do as a community,” he said. “It takes a community to get this work done.”

If you notice sidewalks and streets that are not easily accessible, you can download the Athens Ohio City Source App and take pictures and add comments to notify the city of these problems.

Athens Mayor Steve Patterson suggested property owners contact contractors to fix the sidewalk problems before fines are enforced.

What makes an ordinary hallway, playroom, or subway corridor feel unsettling?In the latest edition of “Now Playing”, Dr....
06/11/2026

What makes an ordinary hallway, playroom, or subway corridor feel unsettling?

In the latest edition of “Now Playing”, Dr. Gordon Briggs explores the growing horror subgenre known as liminal horror.

The term refers to transitional or "in-between" spaces that appear familiar but feel strangely wrong, creating an atmosphere of unease and disorientation.

Briggs examines three films that use these environments to powerful effect: “Cube”, “Vivarium”, and “Exit 8”.
Each places its characters in spaces that are both recognizable and deeply unsettling.

From a maze of deadly rooms to a seemingly perfect suburban neighborhood and an endless looping subway corridor, the films transform everyday settings into sources of suspense.

Briggs discusses how these stories create tension not through monsters alone, but through isolation, repetition, and uncertainty.

He also explores why liminal spaces have become such a compelling setting for modern horror.

The result is a look at a subgenre that finds fear in places audiences might otherwise overlook.

A look at liminal horror through "Cube", "Vivarium", and "Exit 8"—three films that turn ordinary spaces into unsettling nightmares.

A Republican-backed bill that began the week banning Medicaid payments to family caregivers in Ohio ended up without tha...
06/11/2026

A Republican-backed bill that began the week banning Medicaid payments to family caregivers in Ohio ended up without that provision and with overwhelming approval, even from some Democratic lawmakers. Republicans had wanted to crack down on fraud in Medicaid, and passed changes to the program by rolling them into another measure targeting fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or food stamps.

Rep. Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) said increased penalties for fraud, electronic video verification, inspections and more from House Bill 795 were added into Senate Bill 315, which requires electronic chips in food stamp cards.

“By trimming the bill down to the things that we agreed on the most, we have a pretty tight product,” Stewart said.

A ban on Medicaid payments to family caregivers brought outrage among disabled Ohioans and their advocates, some of whom testified at a House Medicaid Committee hearing last week. The committee announced on Monday that provision would be removed from the bill.

Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Westlake) said family caregivers aren’t hurt in this final bill, but she admits there are some things she doesn’t like in it.

“Do I think they all need to be there? Absolutely not,” Sweeney said. “But I do not believe that, as this bill stands today, that it will limit care to those who rightfully deserve it.”

A GOP-backed bill that began the week banning Medicaid payments to family caregivers ended up without that provision and approval.

Shearing is a traveling profession, but many won’t come to the southeast where farms are smaller and spread out.“Most of...
06/11/2026

Shearing is a traveling profession, but many won’t come to the southeast where farms are smaller and spread out.

“Most of the shearers that are in Ohio shear in the north, they don’t come south anymore,” Lisa Heinz, a fiber artist in Appalachian Ohio said. “And they won’t do small herds.”

It’s one of many puzzles Heinz hopes to solve in her quest to make clothes local again.

She’s the founder of the Southeast Ohio Fibershed, which helps tackle systemic challenges for textile production in the region.

Today, most of the fabric we wear is derived from plastics. The average lifespan of garments in the U.S. is anywhere from two to ten years before they end up in landfills across the globe.

But Heinz, who sells locally sourced yarn, said there’s a growing demand for something different.

“This is an economic development opportunity,” she said. “Not necessarily for the Fibershed, but the Fibershed can work with other businesses to align themselves with sustainable textile processes.”

Heinz wants to reimagine a textile economy focused on locally sourced fiber — think clothes made from wool, linen or cotton.

In the dream scenario, the Fibershed will one day own its own mill. It could also help farmers grow natural fibers like flax, or h**p.

Ohio's ancient earthworks are now recognized among the world's most significant cultural landmarks.On a new episode of C...
06/11/2026

Ohio's ancient earthworks are now recognized among the world's most significant cultural landmarks.
On a new episode of Conversations from Studio B, WOUB's Emily Votaw speaks with architectural historian John E. Hancock about his new book, “Traveler's Guide to Ancient Ohio”.

Published by Ohio University Press, the guide explores the eight Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks sites designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2023.

Hancock also served as the principal author and photographer of the nomination that helped secure that recognition.

During the conversation, he discusses what makes the earthworks unique, from their massive scale to their remarkable geometric precision.

He also reflects on how his understanding of the sites evolved from archaeology to architecture and cultural heritage.

The book features contributions from Glenna J. Wallace, Chief of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, and highlights Indigenous perspectives on these sacred places.

Hancock will discuss the book during a presentation at the Southeast Ohio History Center in Athens on June 25.

Listen to the conversation at this link.

John E. Hancock discusses his new guide to Ohio's UNESCO-listed Hopewell Earthworks and the ingenuity of their ancient builders.

In the latest edition of Now Playing, film scholar Dr. Gordon Briggs reviews “Backrooms”, a horror film that turns empty...
06/10/2026

In the latest edition of Now Playing, film scholar Dr. Gordon Briggs reviews “Backrooms”, a horror film that turns empty, ordinary spaces into sources of dread.

The film follows a recently divorced furniture store owner who becomes fascinated with exploring a mysterious labyrinth of unsettling rooms hidden behind a secret gateway in the basement of his store. Though the area seems vacant at first, our protagonist quickly realizes he is not alone.

Briggs argues that the film's greatest strength lies in what it leaves out, using stark, unoccupied spaces to create tension.

Through a blend of haunted-house storytelling and found-footage techniques, “Backrooms” places viewers directly inside its unsettling environment.

The review explores how the film fits within the subgenre of liminal horror, which focuses on transitional and seemingly forgotten spaces.

Briggs notes that distorted architecture, isolation, and psychological unease drive much of the film's impact.

He also examines how the movie manipulates familiar spatial cues to create a persistent sense of disorientation.

While he finds the film's second half less effective than its opening act, he notes how impressive it is that a film with such a small budget manages to create so many solid scares.

Read the full review at this link.

Liminal horror meets found-footage in "Backrooms", a tale of uncanny spaces that loses momentum but still delivers genuine scares.

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