More than 250 years ago, enslaved Africans risked their lives to escape English plantations in Carolina and find freedom among the Spanish living at St. Augustine. Battling slave catchers and dangerous swamps, they helped establish the first American underground railroad more than a century
food items such as burned seeds and bone, and even a hand-made
University of Florida researchers are taking down the Plexiglas walls between museum collections and K-12 classrooms with an educational program that uses 3-D printed fossils and hands-on lessons to spark young learners’ interest in science, technology, engineering and math. Known as iDigFossils,
Being able to physically hold something in your hand
The Sunshine State’s iconic wildlife includes the American alligator, the Florida panther, the scrub jay and the manatee. But some species unique to Florida are less familiar, like the ultra-rare blue calamintha bee. First described in 2011, scientists weren’t sure the bee still existed. The spec
Station near Lake Placid since March, getting a first-hand
Entomologist Akito Kawahara’s message is straightforward: We can’t live without insects. They’re in trouble. And there’s something all of us can do to help. Kawahara’s research has primarily focused on answering fundamental questions about moth and butterfly evolution. But he’s increasingly haunt
You can give insects a hand – and reduce your electric
New research shows human activity is significantly altering the ways in which marine organisms are preserved, with lasting effects that can both improve and impair the fossil record. “We are not only changing the environment; we’re also changing the nature of the record that archives this informa
On one hand, human activities can prevent the fossil
Synopsis of Policies The Herbarium of the University of Florida (FLAS) is an administrative unit in the Department of Natural History of the Florida Museum of Natural History. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences provides partial financial support for the daily operation of the herbarium
All incoming dry plant materials, whether shipped, hand-carried
The ancient Maya are not particularly known for their love of freshwater mussels. Mathematics, maize, pyramids and human sacrifice, yes. But bivalves? Not so much. Yet Florida Museum of Natural History archaeologists Ashley Sharpe and Kitty Emery could not sift through a single bag of material fr
Emery had noticed previously, with species names in hand
Cero Mackerel Scomberomorus regalis This solitary torpedo-shaped fish is streamlined and strong, with finlets running between the prominent second dorsal and anal fins, and the crescent caudal (tail) fin. It is a green-blue from above, and mostly silvery white except for brassy spots and str
On the other hand, the dark coloration of the cero
Scientists and imaging specialists have teamed up to help save one of the world’s most endangered groups of animals: freshwater mussels. With funding provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Conservation Training Center, imaging experts will create 3D shell models based on specimens
opportunity to hold a lifelike mussel shell in their hand
In a pair of complementary studies, researchers take a close look at Luna moth (Actias luna) tails through the eyes of birds and female moths to test their role in predation and sexual selection. Scientists have known for about a decade that Luna moths — and other related silkmoths — use their long,
Luna moths function as an evolutionary slight of hand
