Curious what University of Florida authors are saying about today’s biggest issues? Check out these articles: heyor.ca/vHot34

From climate science to health and culture, UF faculty are shaping global understanding through public scholarship. 30 million reads on @us.theconversation.com highlights the impact of accessible, research-driven storytelling.

Night-time shot of the stars.

A UF astronomer contributed to the largest 3D map of the universe ever created, spanning 47 million+ galaxies and quasars.

The dataset is helping scientists better understand dark energy and the expansion of the universe.

Read more: news.clas.ufl.edu/uf-astronome...

University of Florida conservation researchers Thomas Hoctor and Sarah Lockhart helped develop EcoCon, a planning tool that helps visualize wildlife corridors and guide growth to protect ecological connectivity while supporting development.

a small green frog with bulbus blue eyes is sitting on a white background looking somewhat anxious

A group of people in boots are posing for a photo in a wet, grassy field against a low forest

a group of people are seated around a table on a patio with a clutter of trays and bottles and other equipment between them as if this is an impromptu lab for fieldwork

African frogs haven’t forgotten the ice ages. 🐸🧊 A new study shows ancient forest refugia in Central Africa align with the modern diversity of frogs.

Story: www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/afri...

Study: doi.org/10.1002/ece3...

Living in space can change where your brain sits in your skull – new research These changes aren’t permanent – the brain goes gradually back to normal after coming back to Earth. Understanding the physical effects of spaceflight helps plan space missions.

Learn more in this article about how the brain shifts upward and backward and deforms inside the skull after spaceflight.

Living in space can change where the brain sits in the skull. @ufastraeus.bsky.social's Director Rachael Seidler explains in @us.theconversation.com.

As cities spread, wildlife faces a growing maze of obstacles and Eve Bohnett, Assistant Research Scholar at University of Florida’s Center for Landscape Conservation Planning, uses connectivity modeling to study how the threatened Big Cypress fox squirrel moves through fragmented urban landscapes.

Researchers use James Webb Telescope to reveal hidden details of W51 star formation Stars in the W51 region are very young and massive, and using the telescope gave the team the ability to view the early stages of star formation.

Using the James Webb Space Telescope’s infrared capabilities to peer through dust in the W51 region, @uf-clas.bsky.social researchers revealed unprecedented detail of young, massive stars, allowing new insights into how these poorly understood stars form and interact with their surroundings.

Beta cell–targeted PD-1 agonist inhibits cell-mediated autoimmunity in pancreas tissue slices A beta cell–targeting, affinity-enhanced TCR fused to a PD-1 agonist inhibits cellular immunity relevant to human type 1 diabetes.

Pleased to share our latest research where we investigated a potential new drug for type 1 diabetes in slices of living human pancreas tissue from nPOD donors
#industrycollaboration with Immunocore
@bruskolab.bsky.social @ufbme.bsky.social @ufresearch.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Living in space can change where your brain sits in your skull – new research These changes aren’t permanent – the brain goes gradually back to normal after coming back to Earth. Understanding the physical effects of spaceflight helps plan space missions.

NASA’s upcoming deep space missions and a new study of astronauts’ brain MRI scans show that microgravity causes gradual, sometimes persistent shifts in brain structures—visible even after short stays in space. @ufastraeus.bsky.social's Director, Rachael Seidler explains in @us.theconversation.com.

Thermal cameras used in drones and robots can be tricked by heat sources, study finds The flaws can be triggered by environmental heat sources without hacking the device.

To learn more about the team's powerful strategies to detect and filter out misleading thermal signals to keep autonomous systems safer, click the link below.

Thermal cameras can be fooled by everyday heat sources, causing drones or autonomous vehicles to miss real obstacles or see fake ones. UF Computer & Information Science & Engineering's, Sara Rampazzi helped develop real‑time defenses to filter these signals and improve thermal‑based perception.

Gut Feeling: UF Scientists Create Synthetic Mucus to Fight IBD Synthetic mucus could bring relief to millions who suffer from inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

To learn more about the science behind synthetic mucus, click the link below.

Three laboratory professionals in white lab coats are positioned in a laboratory setting. The focus is on a scientist wearing glasses and blue gloves, holding a clear test tube. Two colleagues stand behind him, looking at the tube with interest. Various lab supplies are visible in the background.

A person wearing protective goggles and black gloves holds a translucent gel-like substance between their fingers. The focus is on the material, with a blurred background of a laboratory setting.

A person wearing protective goggles and black gloves holds a translucent gel-like substance between their fingers. The focus is on the material, with a blurred background of a laboratory setting.

A researcher wearing safety glasses examines a test tube in a laboratory filled with various containers. The focus is on the researcher as they study the sample closely.

Reinforcing the gut’s natural defenses: @ifas.ufl.edu microbiologist Luiz Roesch and Brent Sumerlin, a chemistry professor @uf-clas.bsky.social, have developed a synthetic mucus that mimics natural mucin meant to restore the gut’s protective barrier and prevent the inflammation that drives IBD.

UF launched the OB/GYN Mobile Outreach Clinic in February 2025 to address regional obstetric care. Led by Adetola Louis‑Jacques and Michelle Nall, with MD candidate Arielle Ayotte, the team has written about the work for The Conversation and researches maternal health in low‑resource settings.

UF researchers using machine learning to pursue fusion power Simulations can help scientists improve fusion reactions.

Rather than using trial and error to determine the design parameters that yield the most stable plasma, University of Florida researchers have turned to machine learning to simulate conditions inside the reactor, predicting plasma anomalies without risking damage to the reactor itself.

Deepfake stock photo.

AI can detect deepfake photos more accurately than humans.
But when it comes to deepfake videos, people still have the advantage.

New research from the University of Florida explores what this means as manipulated media becomes more common online.

Read more: news.clas.ufl.edu/machines-spo...

The complex distribution of molecular gas in the Central Molecular Zone of the Milky Way.

Upgrade your screensaver or wallpaper with the largest and most detailed image ever made of the center of the Milky Way: www.eso.org/public/image...

UF researchers help capture most detailed view yet of the Milky Way’s core University of Florida astronomers helped create the largest and most detailed image ever made of the center of the Milky Way, giving scientists an unprecedented look at the raw material that forms new...

By leading data processing for a major ALMA survey,
@uf-clas.bsky.social astrophysicist Adam Ginsburg helped produce the most detailed map of the Milky Way’s center and revealing vast hidden gas networks that shed new light on star formation and galaxy evolution. news.ufl.edu/2026/02/milk...

Researchers create DNA detection tool to stop spread of invasive Asian swamp eels, bullseye snakeheads University of Florida researchers have developed a DNA-based test that detects invasive species using only the genetic traces left behind in water.

A new UF-developed environmental DNA test can identify invasive fish in Florida waterways using only microscopic genetic material shed into the water. The breakthrough offers wildlife managers a fast, reliable method to spot species disrupting native ecosystems long before traditional surveys can.

New study reveals potential targets to treat progressive supranuclear palsy » McKnight Brain Institute » University of Florida An MBI research team has discovered a molecular mechanism driving a toxic buildup of the protein tau in PSP.

Exciting tau research from our Deputy Director, Dr. Jose Abisambra, and colleagues. New insights into tau-driven disease move us closer to therapies for PSP and related neurodegenerative disorders. Published in The Journal of Neuroscience. mbi.ufl.edu/2026/02/23/n...

Breaking AI on purpose: How researchers are helping make artificial intelligence safer UF scientists are focused on strengthening the security measures built into AI tools to ensure they are safe for all to use.

Using a method called Head‑Masked Nullspace Steering to probe and stress‑test their decision pathways, UF professor Sumit Kumar Jha’s research reveals weaknesses in AI systems’ internal safety mechanisms to support stronger, more reliable defenses.

Antarctica sits above Earth’s strongest “gravity hole.” Now we know how it got that way. Slow rock movements deep under the Earth’s surface over tens of millions of years led to today’s Antarctic gravity hole.

Gravity is weakest beneath Antarctica, and research by UF’s Alessandro Forte and Petar Glišović, of the Paris Institute of Earth Physics shows that slow deep‑Earth rock flow has intensified this “gravity hole” over millions of years, potentially affecting past climate and ice‑sheet growth.

Adult and baby clams being held by project participant of the IRL Billion Clam Initiative

This week I am the Univ. Florida Whitney Laboratory guest lecturer, and have been learning about a lot of cool projects @ufresearch.bsky.social, including the the IRL Billion Clam Initiative, my news to me good news for February 12. #OceanOptimism #EarthOptimism www.whitney.ufl.edu/conservation...

‘Dirty job’ stigma costs workers $100K in earnings over career lifetime, research finds Despite filling essential jobs, dirty roles, like janitors, elderly caregivers and morticians, face reduced earnings and opportunities.

Workers in “dirty jobs” face lasting stigma that reduces earnings and opportunities—costing about $104,000 over a career. UF Warrington College of Business researchers find that bias persists even after workers move into cleaner roles, along with emotional strain from lingering negative perceptions.

a wide view of a steep mountain valley that is misty and green under lacy clouds in the distance and covered in trees in the near view with sunlight pouring across it from the right with a vivid glow against an empty blue sky

Scientists used a group of plants called melastomes to trace ancient bird flight paths over the Caribbean Sea.

Story: www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/scie...

Study: doi.org/10.1093/botl...

📌 In memory of Walter Judd (1951 – 2026)

2 figures showing distribution of 2 invasive Coptotermes species in Florida. A) Florida distribution for Coptotermes formosanus as of 2025. B) Number of Florida counties positive for C. formosanus and projection of county statuses over time (see main text for model details). C) Florida distribution for Coptotermes gestroi as of 2025, the “10a” line approximately indicates the USDA plant hardiness 10a zone limits from 1990 and 2023 censuses. D) Number of Florida counties positive for C. formosanus and projection of county statuses over time.

Two invasive termite species are spreading rapidly beyond South Florida, threatening buildings statewide. Expanded collaboration between @ifas.ufl.edu researchers and pest control providers has sharpened detection and mapping, revealing an accelerating risk.
Learn more: news.ufl.edu/2026/02/term...

1.8K views · 15 reactions | “It affects the long-term mortality of these fish.” Today on FOX 13 News: As temperatures drop down, fish farms🐟are in survival mode. Working to protect thousands of tropi... “It affects the long-term mortality of these fish.” Today on FOX 13 News: As temperatures drop down, fish farms🐟are in survival mode. Working to protect thousands of tropical species at Consolidated....

As the cold temps settle in, @ufifas-ffgs.bsky.social scientists are monitoring effects on fish and fisheries.

www.facebook.com/reel/2373564...

Researchers, including Postdoctoral Associate in Soil, Water and Ecosystem Sciences @ifas.ufl.edu, Dinesh Phuya develop improved testing methods that better reflect how plants actually interact with soil.