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 hidden in the c
During feeding, doctorfish tend to hand their heads down while picking at the algae
Imagine that Labradors and golden retrievers died out a million years ago, leaving only fossilized skeletons behind. Without the help of DNA, how could we determine that a fossil Labrador, a fossil retriever and a modern Chihuahua all belong to the same species, Canis lupus familiaris? And could we
“A lot of it is trying to figure out what we can do with what we have at hand to
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 that, together with our study
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 as part of a professional
Happy Earth Day, Friends! We could not think of a more perfect day to share a summary of the 2025 season at the Randell Research Center (RRC) and to reconnect as a group through a revival of the Friends of the Randell Research Center Newsletter! Around the world, Earth Day unites billions of people
It has also been wonderful to meet so many of you and see first-hand your dedication
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
allowing them to collect on 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 of fixing atmospheric nitrogen
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, scanned, uploaded to MorphoSource
Patricia (Pat) Crandon was born in Miami, Florida, at the start of the “Roaring Twenties” on February 12, 1920. Her father, Charles Henry Crandon, a Dade County, Florida, Commissioner from 1929 to 1949, was admired for negotiating, prior to WWII, the gift of over 800 acres of land on Biscayne Key, M
Family and friends still cherish hand-drawn cards created by Pat for holidays and
February 23rd was the annual Calusa Heritage Day, hosted by the Randell Research Center at the Calusa Heritage Trail in Pineland. It was a great day weather-wise, and the many participants had a great time sharing their knowledge with the public. Over 1500 people attended. Dr. Karen Walker
Moncrief John Beriault uses a hand tool to decorate the pottery he is making.
