07

In Hopeful Sign, Teens Who Try Condoms Like Them

Published: July 29 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Young adults who have used a condom at least once have significantly more favorable attitudes toward them than those who have never used them, providing evidence that persuading adolescents to take that first step could have enormous potential in halting the growing rates of HIV, AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, a University of Florida researcher has found.

New Research: Increased Animal Disease A Hidden Cost Of Deforestation

Published: July 28 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Add another item to the list of ills caused by deforestation: It can make animals sick.

Floridians slightly more confident amid improved economy

Published: July 27 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Consumer confidence among Floridians edged up in July, driven by rising incomes, a stable job market and a recent boom in mortgage applications resulting from lower rates, University of Florida economists report.

Newly discovered plant gene could give boost to ornamentals, crop plants, trees

Published: July 27 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida researchers have found a gene that controls branching in plants, a discovery that could lead to a wide variety of applications, from fuller-flowering plants to better-tasting ears of corn.

UF experts available to comment on convention, upcoming elections

Published: July 26 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — As the nation’s campaign season kicks into high gear this week with the start of the four-day Democratic National Convention in Boston, the following University of Florida experts are available to comment on it and various aspects of the upcoming national elections:

New National Animal Identification System will guard against mad cow disease and animal health problems

Published: July 23 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — To fight mad cow disease and other deadly animal illnesses, a new computerized animal identification system will allow state and federal officials to quickly track potential disease threats from farm to plate.

New TAME Melaleuca project attacks invasive tree in South Florida

Published: July 21 2004

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — In Florida, where invasive plants account for as much as 31 percent of all plant species, state and federal officials are ratcheting up their fight against the melaleuca tree, one of the most significant threats to the stability of the Everglades ecosystem.

Butterflies Can "Talk," UF Research Suggests

Published: July 21 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Butterflies may seem like the quietest of creatures, but a UF researcher has uncovered new evidence that many of the colorful insects actually spend much of their time "talking" to each other.

Everglades Mercury In Sharp Decline, UF Researchers Say

Published: July 15 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — By analyzing nearly a century of data, University of Florida researchers have been able to prove definitively that mercury levels in the Everglades have dropped dramatically during the last decade after reaching dangerously high levels in the early 1990s.

UF sources available to comment on pending federal drug trade agreement

Published: July 14 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Congress is considering a wide-ranging international trade agreement allowing pharmaceutical companies to prevent the import of prescription drugs to the United States. The following University of Florida sources are available to comment on the agreement, which is expected to be approved within the next two weeks.

UF Researcher: Black Radio Played Strong Role In Shaping Civil Rights

Published: July 14 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Like Radio Free Europe was to those behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War, black radio stations and disc jockeys often were as important as ministers and politicians in mobilizing support for the civil rights movement of the 1960s, says a University of Florida researcher.

UF scientists seek to spur research on overlooked migratory birds

Published: July 13 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — One of ornithology’s oldest pursuits, the study of migration, is heading south.

UF College Of Medicine Researchers Report Link Between Overeating, Obesity And Addiction

Published: July 8 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — "Junk Food Junkie," that novelty song from the ’70s, may contain more medical truth than anyone imagined.

UF Study: Developed Shoreline May Attract, Not Deter, Water Birds

Published: July 1 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Though widely perceived as "unnatural" harmful to wildlife, lakefront residential developments actually appear to be favored hangouts for many water birds, according to a University of Florida study.

UF Archaeology Team Unearths Oldest Known Brewery In Andes

Published: July 29 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — UF archaeologists have uncovered what appears to be the oldest known brewery in the Andes, a facility at least 1,000 years old capable of churning out hundreds of gallons of beer for the nobles who led the pre-Incan Wari Empire.

In Picking Leaders, Intelligence Secondary To Personality, UF Study Shows

Published: July 28 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Voters choosing a presidential candidate in November because they think he is the smartest contender may overlook other attributes that could be even more important – namely personality, a new University of Florida study finds.

Classics Scholar: Modern Olympics, Like Ancient Ones, Rooted In Greece

Published: July 8 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — When the summer Olympic Games begin in Athens next month, the event will mark a return not only to the games’ ancient roots but also to its modern ones.

UF Faculty One-Book Reading Project Will Highlight Diversity

Published: July 8 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Summer reading lists for University of Florida faculty members will have one title in common this year – one that UF President Bernie Machen has asked them to read as part of an effort to raise diversity awareness.

Florida's Hispanic population to grow more rapidly than that of state

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida's Hispanic population will significantly outpace the state's non-Hispanic white and black populations over the next 25 years, largely because of migration and high birth rates among this relatively young group of migrants, according to the latest projections from the University of Florida.

Infants' Movements Can Signal A Form Of Autism, UF Study Shows

Published: July 26 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Home videos of infants’ movements can be used to help detect a form of autism in a child’s first year of life, years earlier than the disorder typically is identified, University of Florida researchers have discovered.

Nicaragua's Sandinista legacy

Published: July 19 2004

This op-ed appeared in the Orlando Sentinel on July 19th. By: Ronnie Lovler Ronnie Lovler is the former director of news and public affairs at the University of Florida and a former correspondent for CNN in Latin America. Life in Nicaragua has changed dramatically since I lived there 10 years ago. My most recent trip, in early July, triggered some thought as I wandered around on a hot and steamy Saturday and noticed the preparations for the 25th anniversary of Nicaragua’s signature event: the Sandinista revolution.

Published: July 23 2004

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Patricia Telles-Irvin has been named the University of Florida’s next vice president for student affairs, UF President Bernie Machen announced today.

U.S. Measures Strengthen Fidel

Published: July 2 2004

This op-ed appeared in the Tampa Tribune on July 2nd and the Washington Times on July 4th. By: Paolo Spadoni Paolo Spadoni is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Florida who has made five visits to Cuba. As a doctoral candidate researching Cuba, I just returned from a seven-week visit to the island. I witnessed firsthand the Cuban reaction to President Bush’s new provisions aimed at stemming the flow of hard currency reaching Cuba and hastening the end of Fidel Castro’s rule.

Understanding a third-culture kid

Published: July 29 2004

By: Elizabeth Lowe Elizabeth Lowe is a a faculty member at UF’s Center for Latin American Studies who directs a program in Translation and Cross-cultural Studies. Much has been said about John Kerry’s military career, patrician background and marriage to the wealthy heiress Teresa Heinz Kerry. The presumed Democratic presidential nominee has been described as “complex,” with an aloofness that is his “Achilles heel.”