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| GAINESVILLE, Fla. » The world's oldest known flower, a 125-million-year-old specimen unearthed at a site in Northeast China, likely was an underwater plant, a University of Florida researcher writes in the May 3 issue of the journal Science. Pictured is a drawing of what the flower probably looked like, based on fossil evidence and researcher David Dilcher's work. (AP photo/University of Florida/Karina Simons and David Dilcher) |
Just In Time For Mother's Day
GAINESVILLE, Fla. » The world’s oldest known flower never bloomed, but it has opened scientific questioning into whether all of today’s flowering plants had their origins from beneath ancient waters, says a University of Florida researcher. The newly discovered remains of the oldest, most complete flowering plant show it lived at least 125 million years ago and likely was an underwater plant, said David Dilcher, a UF paleobotanist who studied the flower. The discovery is reported in last Friday’s issue of the journal Science. See the full story at http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/oldflower.htm .
An Ancient Cure For Modern Diseases
GAINESVILLE, Fla. » Clues for using the sequence of the human genome to diagnose and treat diseases may lie in our distant past, says a University of Florida professor. In an article in last Friday’s issue of the journal Science, Steven Benner, a UF distinguished professor of chemistry, writes that a solution may lie in connecting the history of genes and proteins to the geological and the fossil records of our human and pre-human past. “The past is key to the present,” Benner says. “By understanding how proteins evolved together with the history of the planet, we can better understand how proteins work today.” See the full story at http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/bioevolve.htm .
… And A Side Order Of Ozone, Please
GAINESVILLE, Fla. » Ozone, the gas that protects the Earth from ultraviolet radiation, may soon give U.S. food shoppers better protection from harmful bacteria. Retailers could sanitize fruits and vegetables by exposing them to ozone before they go on sale, said Gary Rodrick, a professor with the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. In Europe, ozone has been used for decades to sanitize water and food products.
Cassisi Named To University Of Miami Hall Of Fame
GAINESVILLE, Fla. » University of Florida physician-administrator Nicholas J. Cassisi is one of two University of Miami School of Medicine graduates chosen to be admitted into the school’s Hall of Fame at a banquet ceremony Saturday, May 11. Cassisi, who earned his M.D. degree at UM in 1965, is senior associate dean for clinical affairs at the University of Florida. He also is the Kenneth W. Grader professor of otolaryngology at the UF College of Medicine, chief of staff for both Shands at UF medical center and Shands at Alachua General Hospital, and a professor of oral surgery at UF’s College of Dentistry.
The University of Miami is honoring Cassisi for his many contributions to medical administration and to advancements in medicine, especially in his specialty of head and neck surgery. His textbook, Management of Head and Neck Cancer: A Multidisciplinary Approach, is used by physicians nationwide. He also is widely known for his expertise in head and neck reconstructive surgery, voice and swallowing disorders, and diseases of the trachea and larynx.
At a Glance
For the second year in a row, a student from the University of Florida is being recognized by the State of Florida for outstanding contributions to service and the community. Sophomore Steven Cohen, a UF finance major, will receive the Excellence in Service Award given annually by the Florida Campus Compact/Florida Office of Collegiate Volunteerism to one of the state’s three most outstanding collegiate volunteers for their contributions to their communities.
In February 1997, Cohen started Friends for Life of America after 6-year-old Daniel Heidenberg lost his life to leukemia. Friends for Life of America encourages students to make a difference by supporting programs that improve the quality of life for pediatric patients living with leukemia and related cancers.
A University of Florida doctoral student has won a national award to
help support his research in clinical and health psychology. Otto Pedraza,
a student in the College of Health Professions’ clinical and health
psychology department, received funding from the American Psychological
Association’s Division 41 (American Psychology-Law Society) Grants-In-Aid
program.
In The News
The University of Florida has received considerable favorable coverage of the increase in minority admissions numbers. Versions of the Associated Press story appeared in the Jacksonville Times Union, the Tampa Tribune, Gainesville Sun, Dayton Beach News-Journal, Lakeland Ledger, the Naples Daily News and other papers throughout the state. For an example, see http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/050402/met_9318901.html .
Stories about UF paleobotanist David Dilcher's discovery of the world's oldest flower received overwhelming coverage, including the Associated Press local, state, national and Worldstream wires (distribution to Europe; Britain; Scandinavia; Middle East; Africa; India; Asia); the Washington Post; Agence France Presse's English-, French-, German- and Spanish-language wires; M2 Presswire; the BBC; SDA (Italian wire service); DeStandaard (Dutch); the Sydney Daily Mail; the Ottawa Citizen; the Halifax Daily News; the Vancouver Province; the London Daily Mail; and National Geographic Online.
UFactoid
Did you know that....
...IFAS has over 58 ecologists researching in a wide range of fields from Wildlife Ecology to Marine Ecology? Researchers at the Gainesville campus and the IFAS 14 Research and Education Centers are invovled in 96 ecological research projects. Each of these projects has a number of ongoing studies and together produced over 225 refereed scientific publications in 2001..
Editor's Note: For the first time in recent memory, researchers at the University of Florida had two papers published in the prestigious journal Science in the same week.