Science & Technology

FSU leads community in effort to use new approach to solving old problems

Published: July 11, 2019 | 4:00 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

Florida State University embarked on a mission to harness the brain power of some of the community’s brightest people and teach them new skills to tackle the persistent problem of homelessness. Florida State faculty members led an effort at the FSU Innovation Hub to show local business, government and education professionals how to use an […]

Making sense of morality: FSU researchers advance the study of ethical decision-making

Published: July 11, 2019 | 11:00 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

What would you do? The brakes on your car have been sabotaged and you are racing down the road toward a crowd of pedestrians. If you do nothing, the car will stay on its course and kill five people. If you sharply turn the steering wheel, the crowd will be saved, but someone else on […]

Research shows governance is key to better resource management strategies

Published: June 28, 2019 | 4:59 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

For resource managers charged with maintaining important assets like croplands or fisheries, quantitative modeling is a critical tool. But these sophisticated decision-support models often overlook an essential element of resource management: governance. In a new study, an interdisciplinary team of scientists, experts and stakeholders, including a biologist from Florida State University, shows that discounting factors […]

FSU researchers explore use of new materials to create more efficient solar cells

Published: June 27, 2019 | 11:15 am | Posted in: News, Science & Technology

A team of Florida State University researchers is pioneering innovative ways for solar cells to absorb and use infrared light, a portion of the solar spectrum that is typically unavailable for solar cell technology. Their work is published in two new studies published in the journal Matter and the Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. “We’re […]

Expert discusses El Niño effects, prediction strategies

Published: June 25, 2019 | 3:25 pm | Posted in: Expert Pitches, Science & Technology

In the past few months, extreme weather events have caused significant damage to communities throughout the United States. From flooding in the Mississippi River region to the tornadoes tearing through the Midwest to a delay of the North American monsoon, it seems that aberrant and often dangerous weather is on the rise. The disquieting torrent […]

Tropical soil disturbance could be hidden source of CO2

Published: June 24, 2019 | 12:57 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

Thousand-year-old tropical soil unearthed by accelerating deforestation and agriculture land use could be unleashing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, according to a new study from researchers at Florida State University. In an investigation of 19 sites in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, researchers discovered that heavily deforested areas leach organic carbon that is […]

Landmark study signals shift in thinking about stem cell differentiation

Published: June 20, 2019 | 11:22 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

Dave Gilbert, the J. Herbert Taylor Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biology

A pioneering new study led by Florida State University biologists could fundamentally change our understanding of how embryonic stem cells differentiate into specific cell types. The research, published today in the journal Stem Cell Reports, calls into question decades of scientific consensus about the behavior of embryonic stem cells as they transition to endoderm, a […]

Doctoral student awarded fellowship for nuclear research

Published: June 17, 2019 | 10:18 am | Posted in: Science & Technology, Students & Campus Life

A doctoral student in Florida State University’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has received a major fellowship from the U.S. Department of Energy to continue her research into newer, safer forms of nuclear energy. Bonnie Klamm will receive $155,000 over three years from the DOE’s Nuclear Energy University Program to support her research as she […]

National MagLab creates world-record magnetic field with small, compact coil

Published: June 12, 2019 | 1:00 pm | Posted in: News, Science & Technology

MagLab researchers David Larbalestier, Seunyong Hahn and Iain Dixon developed a magnet that generated a 45.5 tesla magnetic field.

A novel magnet half the size of a cardboard toilet tissue roll usurped the title of “world’s strongest magnetic field” from the metal titan that had held it for two decades at the Florida State University-headquartered National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. And, its makers say, we ain’t seen nothing yet: By packing an exceptionally high-field […]

MagLab scientists discover thermoelectric properties in promising class of materials

Published: June 11, 2019 | 4:51 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

Exploring an area overlooked by other scientists, physicists at the Florida State University-headquartered National High Magnetic Field Laboratory have discovered that a class of materials called “1-2-20s” have very promising thermoelectric properties, opening the floodgates for further research into these fascinating materials. The study was published in Science Advances. Thermoelectric devices can produce electricity if […]

Researcher documents cascading effects of parasites on underwater ecosystems

Published: June 11, 2019 | 4:40 pm | Posted in: News, Science & Technology

Research by an evolutionary biologist from Florida State University has shown parasites have important and far-reaching effects on predatory fish and the ecosystems they inhabit. These findings, published this week in the journal Ecology, provide important evidence for the little-studied role of parasites in trophic cascades, which are powerful, indirect interactions that can affect entire […]

Researchers find seaweed helps trap carbon dioxide in sediment

Published: June 3, 2019 | 12:14 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

Every beachgoer can spot seaweed in the ocean or piling up on the beach, but Florida State University researchers working with colleagues in the United Kingdom have found that these slimy macroalgae play an important role in permanently removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Their work is published in the journal Ecological Monographs by the […]