Register now for Creative B daylong St. Augustine field trip Aug. 3
July 23rd, 2013
This rendition of a courtyard in colonial St. Augustine, Fla, by artist Michael Rosato is from the “First Colony: Our Spanish Origins” exhibit.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Explore the rich archaeology of St. Augustine through an all-day trip Aug. 3 with the Florida Museum of Natural History and University of Florida Creative B program.
Gain an all access pass to the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park, Colonial Quarter, Castillo de San Marcos and Government House Museum. The trip also includes a behind-the-scenes tour of the Florida Museum’s upcoming exhibit “First Colony: Our Spanish Origins,” which highlights St. Augustine as the nation’s oldest permanent European settlement. The exhibit is scheduled to open to the public in October.
“This trip provides an experience only the museum can offer,” said museum education assistant Tiffany Ireland. “Participants have the opportunity to visit important sites led by the scientists and researchers who have excavated and study artifacts detailing the 500-year-old culture and history of St. Augustine. (more…)
Students with ‘A’ in science statewide receive free admission
July 12th, 2013GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Museum of Natural History is continuing its popular “A for Science” free admission program for K-12 students statewide.
Students who receive an “A” or “E” grade in a science can provide their most recent report card at the front desk and receive a free admission with the purchase of a paid regular price adult admission.
The offer is valid for the Butterfly Rainforest exhibit, the “Titanoboa: Monster Snake” exhibit open through Aug. 11, or a value admission for both exhibits. Beginning Aug. 31, the offer is valid for the Butterfly Rainforest exhibit, the new “Surfing Florida: A Photographic History” and “Surf Science: Waves and Wildlife” exhibits, or a value admission (more…)
Study shows hawkmoths use ultrasound to combat bats
July 3rd, 2013
A new study co-authored by Akito Kawahara, Florida Museum assistant curator of Lepidoptera, shows hawkmoths, including this species, Theretra nessus, use their genitals to produce ultrasound as a defense mechanism against bats.
Florida Museum of Natural History photo by Pablo Padron
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — For years, pilots flying into combat have jammed enemy radar to get the drop on their opponents. It turns out that moths can do it, too.
A new study co-authored by a University of Florida researcher shows hawkmoths use sonic pulses from their genitals to respond to bats producing the high-frequency sounds, possibly as a self-defense mechanism to jam the echolocation ability of their predators.
Echolocation research may be used to better understand or improve ultrasound as a vital tool in medicine, used for observing prenatal development, measuring blood flow and diagnosing tumors, among other things. The study appears online today in the journal Biology Letters.
UF ‘Creative B’ free monthlong movie series begins July 6 with ‘King Kong’
June 14th, 2013GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Get ready to pop some popcorn and break out your favorite blanket.
The Florida Museum of Natural History will show free movies each Saturday in July beginning with “King Kong” (1933) on July 6 as part of the University of Florida “Creative B” program. The museum is open to the public from 6 to 10 p.m. and UF students receive free admission to the “Titanoboa: Monster Snake” exhibit each movie night with a valid Gator 1 ID.
The series includes a guest panel question-and-answer discussion on the art and validity of each film’s science content. The programs start at 7 p.m. and movies begin at 7:30 p.m.
“We are using science fiction movies to teach and discuss different science topics,” said Tiffany Ireland, Florida Museum education assistant. “Using this summer’s theme of cryptozoology we will discuss the need and use of scientific inquiry, research and discovery.” (more…)
DNA study shows hornworm pests have Central American origins
May 31st, 2013
Florida Museum of Natural History lepidopterist Akito Kawahara displays a tobacco hornworm larva, raised at the museum’s McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity on the University of Florida campus.
Florida Museum of Natural History photo by Kristen Grace
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida Museum of Natural History researchers have co-authored the first comprehensive study on the evolution of two agricultural pests commonly used as model organisms.
Tobacco and tomato hornworms are among the largest caterpillars, able to individually devastate an entire plant if left unchecked. Despite their use in many fields of biology, the relationships of these hawkmoths have been confused for more than 50 years. The study published online May 3 and scheduled for the September 2013 print edition of Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution shows they are not as closely related as previously believed, providing a new baseline for determining correct classifications within the group, said lead author Akito Kawahara, assistant curator of Lepidoptera at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the University of Florida campus.
“When people make decisions about these species, they can’t assume that they are most closely related – there are other species in between that we (more…)
Active duty military personnel, families receive free admission May 27-Sept. 2
May 21st, 2013
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — As part of the Blue Star Museum program, the Florida Museum of Natural History will offer free admission to all fee-based exhibits for active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2013.
“This is a great opportunity to visit the museum and enjoy the exhibits, while being recognized for serving in the military,” said Michael Blahnik, Florida Museum security guard and former U.S. Navy seaman.
Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and more than 1,800 museums across America. The program runs from May 27 through Sept. 2. (more…)
Florida’s rich surfing history subject of new exhibit opening Aug. 31
May 7th, 2013
Former professional surfer Shea Lopez, the oldest son of Gulf Coast surfer Pete Lopez, surfs in Hawaii in 2005.
Photo by Jeff Divine
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida Museum of Natural History visitors will soon have the opportunity to discover the state’s famous coastal waters and deep surfing culture in the new exhibit “Surfing Florida,” opening Aug. 31.
Developed by Florida Atlantic University, the exhibit documents the state’s surfing history through vintage photographs and interpretive graphics as well as videos and oral histories from well-known Florida surfers. (more…)
Museum scientists help catalog official North America fish names in new guide
May 1st, 2013
Lary Page, ichthyology curator, takes a break from collecting darters in Hogtown Creek in Gainesville, Fla.
Florida Museum of Natural History photo by Eric Zamora
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida Museum of Natural History researchers have co-authored the latest edition of the universal reference for fish names in North America, an important resource for scientists, naturalists and fishermen.
The publication improves communication among fisheries biologists and others with an interest in fishes, a vital resource with substantial economic importance for humans. U.S. commercial and recreational saltwater fishing generated more than $199 billion in sales in 2011, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service.
The seventh edition of “Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico” is compiled by a joint committee of the American Fisheries Society and the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. (more…)
Earth Day panel discussion focuses on state’s springs
April 11th, 2013GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Museum of Natural History marks Earth Day with a special program on April 20.
The artists represented in two current exhibits that celebrate Florida’s natural springs will participate in a panel discussion at 11 a.m. moderated by journalist and author Cynthia Barnett.
John Moran, Lesley Gamble and Rick Kilby will explore past history, document current threats and discuss Floridians’ role in the springs’ preservation.
Families are welcome. Children and adults alike will have the opportunity to question the artists and find out what they can do to help protect Florida’s springs. (more…)
Scientists stress need for national marine biodiversity observation network
April 11th, 2013
A new study proposes a blueprint for a marine biodiversity observation network to monitor trends in marine ecosystem health.
Florida Museum of Natural History illustration by Gustav Paulay
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — With ocean life facing unprecedented threat from climate change, overfishing, pollution, invasive species and habitat destruction, a University of Florida researcher is helping coordinate national efforts to monitor marine biodiversity.
Humans depend on the ocean for food, medicine, transportation and recreation, yet little is known about how these vast ecosystems spanning 70 percent of the Earth’s surface are functioning and changing. Following a workshop sponsored by U.S. federal agencies in 2010, researchers at eight institutions have proposed a blueprint for establishing a cooperative marine biodiversity observation network to monitor trends in marine ecosystem health and the distribution and abundance of oceanic life. The research will appear online in BioScience Thursday and in the journal’s May print issue.
Biodiversity observation networks are indispensible tools, allowing scientists to follow and predict ecosystem changes to facilitate proactive responses to environmental pressures, said study co-author Gustav Paulay, invertebrate zoology curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the UF campus. (more…)