Science Stories Archive
Archived Stories - Miscellaneous
(04/2009) Call it a galactic joy ride, but on Oct. 23, 2007, NASA's 120th shuttle mission launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla. with hundreds of thousands of miniscule stowaways stashed inside the...
(03/2009) When asked if mountains grow slowly and steadily versus in rapid spurts, most people intuitively gravitate to the "slow and steady" model. Mountains, we are taught, take an incomprehensively...
(03/2009) Contrary to previous evidence, a new University of Florida study shows the Isthmus of Panama was most likely formed by the Central American Peninsula colliding slowly with the South American continent through tectonic plate...
(06/2008) Tourists who comb Florida's sandy beaches for exotic shells are probably unaware that they're also picking through bits of geologic history. Incalculable numbers of fossilized marine invertebrates pepper the Sunshine State...
(06/2008) Scientists at the Florida Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Natural History in Berlin made the landmark discovery that prehistoric aquatic critters such as beetles and small crustaceans unwittingly swim into resin flowing down into the water....
(06/2008) The Turks and Caicos are truly blessed. The crystal clear waters surrounding the Islands contain an abundance of marine life. As Columbus noted, many of these are marvelous to see, while others are marvelous to eat. The Spanish recorded more than...
(09/2007) Homeowners and property managers have grown weary of green iguanas eating shrubs and damaging foundations and seawalls with subterranean nests and tunnels. The 3- to 5-foot-long lizards also create human health risks by defecating...
(12/2006) This year (2006) marks the centennial of the Florida Museum on the University of Florida campus. Such a big number inspires reflection, and this combined with the 90th birthday of former director Joshua Clifton (J.C.) Dickinson prompted us to...
(06/2005) Several years ago a University of Florida librarian handed me a copy of a recently donated 1873 newspaper article taken from the New York Weekly Sun. Unsigned, the article included a wonderful account of a visit to Turtle Mound...
(04/2005) Gesundheit! Bless You! Approximately 41 million Americans suffer from allergies caused by pollen and mold spores. These allergies, grouped under the common medical term allergenic rhinitis...
(03/2005) Four hurricanes visited Florida in 2004: Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. Charley crossed the southern peninsula from southwest to northeast. Frances crossed the central peninsula from southeast to northwest...