UF Research

06/20/2025

Half a century after Jaws hit theaters, new scientific findings are reshaping our understanding of sharks. Say goodbye to the man-eater myth and hello to their extraordinary biology. UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Associate Professor of Evolutionary Developmental Biology, Gareth Fraser tells us in The Conversation US how these majestic predators contribute to a balanced marine ecosystem.

🦈 https://theconversation.com/50-years-after-jaws-researchers-have-retired-the-man-eater-myth-and-revealed-more-about-sharks-amazing-biology-258151

06/18/2025

From solitude to stardom — UF College of the Arts Associate Professor of Music Business and Entrepreneurship, Jose Valentino Ruiz tells the story of Sly Stone in this The Conversation US article, as he turned personal challenges into creative fuel, inspiring countless artists and shaping the soundscape for generations to come.

Today, millions of musicians record and splice tracks from their bedrooms, closets and garages. Half a century ago, the funk pioneer revolutionized home recording.

06/17/2025

From Florida's springs to Antarctica's Southern Ocean, University of Florida graduate, Jennifer Adler uses her science background to tell visual stories about conservation.

06/16/2025

On and every day we celebrate Catherine Eastman and her team at the Whitney Laboratory's Sea Turtle Hospital. It operates year-round, treating turtles affected by seasonal threats including storms, fishing gear, and cold snaps. The hospital, founded about a dozen years ago by Eastman on a modest budget, has grown significantly and treats hundreds of turtles annually. The team sometimes uses creative solutions, such as modifying life jackets, to help injured turtles.

Beyond rehabilitation, the hospital also contributes to marine research, especially on fibropapilloma tumors. A new $41.2 million facility will soon unite turtle care and scientific research under one roof, enhancing both animal treatment and scientific collaboration

06/13/2025

A team from the University of Florida is helping homeowners in Florida make smarter, more resilient choices in home construction and interior design to better withstand flooding and extreme weather.

Led by assistant professor in the department of interior design and a researcher within the Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience, or FIBER, Lisa Platt and graduate researcher Arezoo Zeinali, developed a tool called SAMPL™ (Sustainable Adaptive Material Performance Level), which uses computational modeling to evaluate how building materials perform under real-world risks, especially water-related damage.

Groundbreaking tool helps people make better, science-informed choices about materials used to build and furnish a house.

06/11/2025

Researchers from the University of Florida and University of Electro-Communications in Japan have found that common digital MEMS microphones in devices like laptops and smart speakers can unintentionally leak audio through weak radio signals. These signals can be intercepted—even through walls—using basic equipment, allowing eavesdropping without physical access to the device.

“With an FM radio receiver and a copper antenna, you can eavesdrop on these microphones. That’s how easy this can be,” said Sara Rampazzi, Ph.D., a professor of computer and information science and engineering at UF and co-author of the new study. “It costs maybe a hundred dollars, or even less.”

Apps that lightly activate the microphone, like Spotify or YouTube, can trigger this leakage. The research team has alerted manufacturers and proposed fixes to address the risk.

Simple, cheap components let people hear everything a microphone picks up.

06/06/2025

Most 8-year-olds spend their school days mastering multiplication, perusing prose and studying the solar system. But through a multi-disciplinary research project in UF’s College of Education, a handful of third-grade “mini researchers” are adding another skill to their academic repertoires: c...

06/05/2025

06/04/2025

In the News! Study featured in Science - DNA captured from the air could track wildlife, invasive species—and humans. Published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, the study by Whitney Laboratory Professor of Wildlife Disease Genomics Dr. David Duffy and his lab, Cat Eastman, MS, and colleagues reveals the power of environmental DNA (eDNA).

“The level of information that’s available in environmental DNA is such that we’re only starting to consider what the potential applications can be, from humans, to wildlife to other species that have implications for human health,” said David Duffy, Ph.D.

Science Article - https://www.science.org/content/article/dna-captured-air-could-track-wildlife-invasive-species-and-humans

University of Florida News Article: https://news.ufl.edu/2025/06/air-environmental-dna/

Nature Ecology and Evolution Paper - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-025-02711-w

📷: David Duffy, seen here taking an air sample on the Matanzas River in northeastern Florida, inventories species using DNA shed by organisms into the environment. Credit: John Jernigan

05/29/2025

05/28/2025

Farmers are now harnessing the power of drones and artificial intelligence to optimize their fields and reduce costs. Researchers at the UF IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center used drones equipped with multispectral cameras to monitor h**p crops and assess their nitrogen fertilizer needs.

By analyzing aerial images—particularly using red and near-infrared detection—they could determine plant health and optimize fertilizer application. This approach helps farmers avoid over or under fertilizing, which can either harm crop yield or lead to environmental damage through nutrient runoff.

A new University of Florida study shows how drones can do more than just take aerial pictures and videos—they can help farmers grow better h**p by seeing the health of their crops with some artificial intelligence assistance.

05/23/2025

Cybersecurity researchers at the University of Florida, led by Kevin Butler, have uncovered the growing threat of AI-powered “nudification” tools that create non-consensual explicit images from regular photos, a practice they term SNEACI, short for synthetic non-consensual explicit AI-created imagery.

These tools are cheap, easy to use, and largely unregulated, with little to no safeguards against misuse, disproportionately targeting women and potentially minors. With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the UF team is working with lawmakers and advocating for stronger regulations to address the mental, legal, and ethical harms caused by this technology. https://news.ufl.edu/2025/05/non-consensual-fake-imagery/

A team of researchers is sounding the alarm on a disturbing trend in artificial intelligence: the rapid rise of AI-generated sexually explicit images created without the subject’s consent.