Encased in hard rock, the bones of many fossilized mammals are only partially visible for scientists to study. A poor attempt to take apart the rock and view the complete fossil may damage the bone, but micro-CT scanning technology has safeguarded the fate of these specimens, many of which are tens
Holding a tiny Notharctus skull in his hand, Bloch
Doctorfish Acanthurus chirurgus This pancake-shaped reef fish is blue-gray to brown colored with thin, dark bars down its sides. It is sometimes offered as a fresh catch locally, but can cause ciguatera poisoning in humans. Handle with care during an encounter because of the sharp spines hid
During feeding, doctorfish tend to hand their heads
In a surprise twist, a major group of flowering plants is evolving twice as quickly in temperate zones as the tropics. The finding runs counter to a long-held hypothesis that tropical regions, home to the planet’s richest biological diversity, outpace their temperate counterparts in producing new sp
“On the other hand, there seems to be a trend forming
At night in the Costa Rican cloud forest, Yash Sondhi and a small team of international scientists switched on a light and waited. Soon, insects big and small descended out of the darkness. Moths with spots like unblinking eyes on each wing. Shiny armored beetles. Flies. Once, even a praying mantis.
let a large yellow underwing moth take off from my hand
Sylvilagus webbi Quick Facts Common Name: Webb’s marsh rabbit Ecologically similar and probably ancestral to the modern marsh rabbit Sylvilagus palustris. The largest known sample of specimens of the species (>4,500 bones and teeth) comes from the Inglis 1C site in Citrus County. A
On the other hand, the anatomy of the lower third premolar
It was a chilly February day. A handful of Florida teachers gathered on the edge of a dirt pit in rural Levy County. Wind whipped across the open landscape, toying with scarves and making the little flags scattered around the pit dance on their long stems. Florida’s weak winter sunlight was sharp in
These hand-chosen teachers were here to dig for fossils
It was a chilly February day. A handful of Florida teachers gathered on the edge of a dirt pit in rural Levy County. Wind whipped across the open landscape, toying with scarves and making the little flags scattered around the pit dance on their long stems. Florida’s weak winter sunlight was sharp in
These hand-chosen teachers were here to dig for fossils
On May 25, 2024, the Florida Museum of Natural History’s newest exhibit, Science Up Close: Incredible Insects was unveiled to the public. This exciting exhibit gives attendees the opportunity to encounter remarkable bug species and converse with entomologists. Visitors can also view an extensive col
ACT properties, and a wish list of desired bugs in hand
After a comprehensive study of plants across the United States, researchers have arrived at the unexpected conclusion that plants able to fix atmospheric nitrogen are most diverse in arid regions of the country. This finding runs counter to the prevailing assumption that nitrogen-fixers should be co
Bacteria, on the other hand, have mastered the trick
A $2.5 million National Science Foundation grant will launch a new initiative to “teleport” specimens from museum shelves to the internet by CT scanning 20,000 vertebrates and making these data-rich, 3-D images available to researchers, educators, students and the public. The oVert project, short
Specimens must be hand-selected, shipped, tracked,
