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96-million-year-old fossil pollen sheds light on early pollinators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The collapse of honeybee colonies across North America is focusing attention on the honeybees’ vital role in the survival of agricultural crops, and a new study by University of Florida and Indiana University Southeast researchers shows insect pollinators have likely played a key role in the evolution and success of flowering plants for nearly 100 million years.

Filed under Natural History, Research, Sciences on Thursday, December 20, 2007.

To curious aliens, Earth would stand out as living planet

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — With powerful instruments scouring the heavens, astronomers have found more than 240 planets in the past two decades, none likely to support Earth-like life.

Filed under Astronomy, Research, Sciences on Thursday, December 20, 2007.

Ancient global warming changed earth from ’icehouse to greenhouse’

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Earth literally turned over a new leaf 15 million years ago when an earlier version of global warming changed large parts of the planet from lush forests to open grasslands, a new study by scientists at the University of Florida and other institutions shows.

Filed under Environment, Research, Sciences on Monday, December 17, 2007.

Space station experiment to test bacteria hitchhiking to the Red Planet

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — If a trip to Mars seems like it would be a tough journey, imagine what it would be like on the outside of the spaceship.

Filed under Research, Sciences on Wednesday, December 5, 2007.

Fossils excavated from Bahamian blue hole may give clues of early life

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Long before tourists arrived in the Bahamas, ancient visitors took up residence in this archipelago off Florida’s coast and left remains offering stark evidence that the arrival of humans can permanently change — and eliminate — life on what had been isolated islands, says a University of Florida researcher.

Filed under Environment, Natural History, Research, Sciences on Monday, December 3, 2007.

UF announces plans to build new life science, technology incubator

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida has reached an agreement with an internationally recognized developer to create up to 160,000 square feet of life science- and technology-related laboratory and office space on the UF campus, President Bernie Machen announced today.

Filed under Business, Research, Sciences on Friday, November 30, 2007.

UF botanists: Flowering plants evolved very quickly into five groups

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida and University of Texas at Austin scientists have shed light on what Charles Darwin called the “abominable mystery” of early plant evolution.

Filed under Natural History, Research, Sciences on Monday, November 26, 2007.

UF’s new owl butterfly species naming rights auctioned for $40,800

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — An online auction for naming rights to a new owl butterfly species discovered at the University of Florida brought a winning bid of $40,800, with proceeds benefiting continued research on Mexican butterflies.

Filed under Environment, Research, Sciences on Wednesday, November 21, 2007.

Simple reason helps males evolve more quickly

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The observation that males evolve more quickly than females has been around since 19th century biologist Charles Darwin noted the majesty of a peacock’s tail feather in comparison with the plainness of the peahen’s.

Filed under Health, Research, Sciences on Wednesday, November 14, 2007.

From moths and cicadas come improvements to solar cells

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Designing better solar cells might seem a question of electronics or chemistry, but for one University of Florida engineer, it starts with bugs.

Filed under Engineering, Environment, Research, Sciences on Tuesday, October 23, 2007.