A new study shows that the built-in alert system that enables land plants to sense and respond to drought has an unlikely origin: their aquatic algal ancestors.

Now, two University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences professors say robots and information technology will rule the roost on farms in the coming years.

Michael Perfit is one of the few who study volcanoes on mid-ocean ridges. The UF distinguished professor of geology has spent nearly 10 days on the bottom of the ocean as an aquanaut.