As a way to honor Karen Walker after she retired last year, we asked her former colleagues to share their thoughts with us. Mystery Solver and More by Bill Marquardt Karen Walker is a mystery solver. She has an intense curiosity about how things work and why they appear as they do. When she s
Karen’s research has led to important new insights on climate change and human
An abandoned Caribbean colony unearthed centuries after it had been forgotten and a case of mistaken identity in the archaeological record have conspired to rewrite the history of a barrier island off the Virginia and Maryland coasts. These seemingly unrelated threads were woven together when Nic
Archaeological excavations of the site led by Florida Museum distinguished research
Hawk moths are known for being some of the largest night fliers in the insect world. With wingspans of more than four inches, many species are big enough to comfortably fill the palm of your hand. Thanks to the work of a small team of researchers at the Florida Museum of Natural History, three new s
The study that led to the discovery of the new Caribbean species began when Matthews
Nitrogen fertilizers make it possible to feed the world’s growing population, but they are also costly, harm ecosystems and require a lot of energy to manufacture. However, a few plants have evolved the ability to make their own nitrogen with the help of bacteria. A new study helps explain how they
Producing nodules is a genetically complex process, which has led many researchers
Take a look at this box of butterflies. How many species do you see? You might be tempted to divide them into those with “tails� on the lower wings and those without. Or you might lean toward grouping them by color, parsing out the yellow from the blue or orange. But all of these butterfli
The deceptiveness of butterfly wing patterns led scientists to begin dissecting specimens
Regalecus glesne This unusual fish is possibly a source for sea monster legends as its ribbon-like body can grow to 36 feet long in some cases. The long, flat, tapering body is reflective silver with a dorsal fin running the length of it that it uses to swim and turn with. Its abrupt, slightly co
This may have led to legendary stories of sea serpent sightings during ancient times
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. Over the 10-day course, University of Florida and Santa Fe College undergraduates got a taste of both the rigor and thrill of conducting fi
and Atkinson are examining the Cedar Key population as part of a larger effort led
Cattle may seem like uniquely American animals, steeped in the lore of cowboys, cattle drives and sprawling ranches. But cattle didn’t exist on the American continents prior to the arrival of the Spanish, who brought livestock with them from Europe by way of the Canary Islands. In a new study, re
Hybridization among these cattle led to common breeds that are still around today
A ruler and scale can tell archaeologists the size and weight of a fragment of pottery – but identifying its precise color can depend on individual perception. So, when a handheld color-matching gadget came on the market, scientists hoped it offered a consistent way of determining color, free of hum
supposedly objective instrument, it may be much more complicated than we’ve been led
After a comprehensive study of plants across the United States, researchers have arrived at the unexpected conclusion that plants able to fix atmospheric nitrogen are most diverse in arid regions of the country. This finding runs counter to the prevailing assumption that nitrogen-fixers should be co
A chance alliance between such a bacterium and a plant led to one of the largest
