Science & Technology

Fruit fly mutation foretells 40 million years of evolution

Published: August 9, 2017 | 2:54 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

Small, seemingly insignificant mutations in fruit flies may actually hold clues as to how a species will evolve tens of millions of years in the future. That’s the focus of a new study by a Florida State University researcher who raised 200 generations of fruit flies to examine how they changed both in the short […]

FSU Research: Ancient ocean deoxygenation provides an urgent warning

Published: August 9, 2017 | 2:39 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

Jeremy Owens is an assistant professor of geology in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (Photo: Stephen Bilenky)

A 94-million-year-old climate change event that severely imperiled marine organisms may provide some unnerving insights into long-term trends in our modern oceans, according to a Florida State University researcher. In a study published today in the journal Science Advances, Assistant Professor of Geology Jeremy Owens traces a 50,000-year period of ocean deoxygenation preceding an ancient […]

FSU stresses safety for solar eclipse

Published: August 9, 2017 | 1:16 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

On Aug. 21, the moon will move between the sun and Earth and cause a solar eclipse. FSU has been preparing for the event to help keep students safe.

Get ready for the total solar eclipse of 2017! The show’s about to start. On Monday, Aug. 21, a total solar eclipse — the first to pass across the United States from coast to coast since June 8, 1918 — will affect an estimated 500 million people across North America. It will be created when […]

FSU researchers listen to birdsong, unlock mysteries of brain

Published: July 28, 2017 | 12:00 pm | Posted in: News, Science & Technology

Professors Rick Hyson, Wei Wu, Richard Bertram and Frank Johnson lead a unique interdisciplinary unit at FSU focusing on how electrical brain impulses in a bird translate into a behavior. They say birdsong is a good model to understand how the human brain learns speech.

The term “birdbrain” has been part of our lexicon for about a century to describe someone’s intellect, or lack of it, presumably because birds have really small brains. But, in fact, the way songbirds learn to sing is similar to how humans learn speech. A unique interdisciplinary team of Florida State University researchers is leading […]

FSU researcher makes deep-sea coral reef discovery in depths of North Pacific

Published: July 14, 2017 | 9:00 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

Associate Professor of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science Amy Baco-Taylor next to a submersible in which she has conducted research.

Scientists have long believed that the waters of the Central and Northeast Pacific Ocean were inhospitable to deep-sea scleractinian coral, but a Florida State University professor’s discovery of an odd chain of reefs suggests there are mysteries about the development and durability of coral colonies yet to be uncovered. Associate Professor of Earth, Ocean and […]

Researchers investigate ways to split water, create hydrogen fuel

Published: July 10, 2017 | 11:09 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering Jose Mendoza-Cortes

A Florida State University researcher played a major role in a new discovery in how to produce pure hydrogen, a green energy fuel, by splitting water. FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering Jose Mendoza-Cortes, partnering with a Penn State University research team, has investigated new ways to create clean energy, particularly hydrogen […]

Power of light: Research team finds light is key to promising material

Published: July 5, 2017 | 12:04 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

Biwu Ma, associate professor of chemical and biomedical engineering

A Florida State University research team has discovered that light can significantly alter the structure of a promising material that scientists believe could make more efficient light-emitting diodes, lasers and other photon-based technologies. In the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Associate Professor Biwu Ma explains how light can change a material […]

FSU graduate students to attend international Nobel laureate meeting

Published: June 22, 2017 | 4:40 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology, Students & Campus Life

Chemistry graduate student Gabriel Dos Passos and FAMU-FSU College of Engineering graduate student Margaret Scheiner will represent FSU at the 67th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, an annual meeting that includes 30 Nobel laureates.

Two Florida State University graduate students are among 400 student-scientists worldwide invited to attend the 67th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, an annual meeting that includes 30 Nobel laureates. This year, chemistry graduate student Gabriel Dos Passos and FAMU-FSU College of Engineering graduate student Margaret Scheiner will represent FSU at the meeting and hear from some […]

FSU research facility opens doors to public to see mutants of maize

Published: June 22, 2017 | 1:51 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

A Florida State University research facility is home to about 100 types of maize, and now, scientists are inviting the public to come explore this living museum. At the FSU Biological Science Research Facility, visitors can take a self-guided tour through the fields to view the many mutants growing there. You can find 6-inch dwarf […]

FSU’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Institute celebrates 50 years of pioneering research

Published: June 21, 2017 | 10:58 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

For half a century, the Florida State University Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Institute (GFDI) has been a global leader in the study of fluid flow and motion — the ways that the circulation of liquids and gases influence our oceans, atmosphere and groundwater. Since its start in 1967, the GFDI has cemented its position as the […]

FSU researchers pushing the efficiency limits of solar cells

Published: June 15, 2017 | 2:50 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

With more countries looking for renewable energy resources, scientists across the globe are working to make more efficient solar cells to help build everything from better solar panels for buildings to better flashlights to wearable tech. A Florida State University research team has produced a new type of solar cell structure that markedly increases light absorption […]

Zika researcher to co-lead NIH center project on viruses, brain development

Published: June 14, 2017 | 9:35 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

Professor of Biological Science Hengli Tang

A Florida State University scientist pioneering research to fight Zika and West Nile virus is part of a multimillion project to investigate how quickly the viruses attack human brain cells and how the brain reacts to infection at different stages of development. FSU Professor of Biological Science Hengli Tang will receive $1.8 million of a […]