Study provides road map for measuring animal, plant traits to meet global biodiversity goals
An international team of researchers has outlined a plan for how to measure changes in key traits of animals and plants and provide these data to policymakers...
The walking dead: Fossils on the move can distort patterns of mass extinctions
Using the fossil record to accurately estimate the timing and pace of past mass extinctions is no easy task, and a new study highlights how fossil evidence can...
DNA from shark tooth in boy’s leg used to ID species in bite incident
A small tooth fragment plucked from a 13-year-old boy’s leg after he was bitten by a shark off the coast of New York gave scientists the chance to test a...
Best way to learn about island biology? Live on an island
Mud in your shoes and a squirming turtle in hand may not sound like a typical college class, but for students taking Island Biology, this was to be expected....
Two new truffle species discovered in Florida pecan orchards
Two new species of truffles were recently discovered on the roots of pecan trees in Florida orchards. The good news is that you can eat them — the bad...
Hollow trees host massive moth slumber parties
Unlike social insects such as bees and ants, moths are generally loners. So, when Florida Museum of Natural History lepidopterist Andrei Sourakov spotted a...
Moths with larger hindwings and longer tails are best at deflecting bats
Each night, dramatic aerial battles are waged above our heads, complete with barrel rolls, razor-sharp turns, sonar jamming, cloaking devices and life-or-death...
The man behind the world’s largest private shell collection
Volunteer Harry Lee has been transferring shells to the Florida Museum one car load at a time for eight years Nearly every Wednesday at 7:05 a.m. for the past...
Fossils show ancient primates had grooming claws as well as nails
Humans and other primates are outliers among mammals for having nails instead of claws. But how, when and why we transitioned from claws to nails has been an...
Amber fossils provide oldest evidence of frogs in wet, tropical forests
About 99 million years ago, a tiny juvenile frog in present-day Myanmar was suddenly trapped in sap with a beetle, perhaps its intended next meal. Unlucky for...