University of Florida News

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — On Mars, Earth probably looks like a pinprick in the sky, a bluish-green ball some 140 million miles away. But before astronauts can glimpse the view from the red planet, doctors must better understand how to handle medical problems and surgeries in space, University of Florida researchers say.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Even though they are at high risk for car accidents, many people with epilepsy whose seizures are poorly controlled continue to drive, according to a new University of Florida study.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Like some drug déjà vu, cocaine use is once again on the rise among students and the rich and famous, a trend University of Florida researchers say likely signals a recurring epidemic of abuse.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Whooping cough is re-emerging nationwide and youngsters in states that permit parents to easily opt out of vaccinating their children are at increased risk from the disease, researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Florida report today (Oct. 11) in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Coffee addicts who switch to decaf for health reasons may not be as free from caffeine’s clutches as they think. A new study by University of Florida researchers documents that almost all decaffeinated coffee contains some measure of caffeine.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Armed at first with nothing more than boots, a screen and a bucket, scientists studying a tiny primitive fish that makes up 70 percent of the biomass in Tampa Bay now say they have found the “missing link” marking the point in evolution that led to the development of the modern-day human immune system.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Good things may indeed come in small packages for scientists eager to find natural substances to help cure diseases. The challenge is to analyze material that is smaller than the proverbial gnat’s eyelash.