Florida scientists press Gov. Rick Scott on climate change:
“We note you have been asked several times about how, as governor, you will handle the issue of climate change,” the scientists wrote in a two-page letter to Scott. “You responded that you are ‘not a scientist.’ We are scientists and we would like the opportunity to explain what is at stake for our state.”
Mystery Solved: Why Peacocks Got Their Eyespots:
“To settle this mystery, (Rebecca Kimball, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Florida) and colleagues sequenced nearly 2,000 segments on the genomes of 15 different bird groups, including the three with eyespots. When Kimball and her team reconstructed the likely genealogy of these birds, she found that eyespots had evolved and been lost multiple times.”
Tracking Florida’s Skunk Ape:
Physical description. The Florida Skunk Ape has generally black or “dark†long hair or fur—one report described it as seemingly “covered in fur, as if wearing a fur coat†(Jenkins 2010, 114). It may also be brown, or—in one 1848 instance—white. It has a large, round head with big, shining eyes, no appreciable neck, and broad, rounded shoulders. When standing upright, it has “long dangling arms,†in one case being obÂserved “swinging its arms as dogs yapped at it†(Bord and Bord 2006, 244).
Catch the Loggerheads in Action via HD Florida Keys’ ‘Turtle Cam’:
“What people are more likely to see on the webcam is first a small miniature volcano cave-in and then a mad rush of turtles all coming out at once,” Appel said, via CBS Local Miami. “It could be 50 to 75 of them coming out of that hole and heading for the most ambient light they can, which is the moon.”
South Florida Science Center takes on sexual attraction:
A guy walks into a bar, and finds himself in the middle of a presentation on sexual attraction.
While it sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, those walking into O’Shea’s Irish Pub at 7 p.m. on July 24 will likely have a similar experience.
“Laws of Attraction: The Science of Sex Appeal†is the theme for the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium’s third Science on Tap event.
Want to major in engineering or physics? What to look for when you are selecting a university:
“But you have to learn the basic science – and learn it with deep understanding – to become a strong professional engineer or physicist. So when selecting a university at which to study engineering or physics, look for one where the Physics Department and other academic departments in which you’ll be involved have adopted teaching models that give students the best opportunity to learn well.”
