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A team of scientists is the first to confirm the movement patterns and seasonal migrations of baby white sharks in the north Atlantic Ocean. They put the New York Bight shark nursery theory to test by deploying satellite and acoustic tags on 10 baby white sharks (less than 1 year old) off Long Island’s coast. Results provide novel insights into the distribution of this vulnerable early stage of life that complements recent work on larger white sharks.

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Researchers are working on this collaborative project that utilizes genomic and transgenic technology in Mexican cavefish to identify genetic loci that contribute to sleep, feeding, and metabolism.

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A first-of-its-kind study has found that “skinny fat” – the combination of low muscle mass and strength in the context of high fat mass – may be an important predictor of cognitive performance in older adults. Results show that sarcopenic obesity or “skinny fat” was associated with the lowest performance on global cognition.

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Researchers have scrutinized more than 5 terabytes of Internet-scale data to produce a report that provides a unique 24-hour glimpse of cyberattacks and threats in Florida and the U.S. FloridaSOAR, a first-of-its-kind, large-scale analysis of the magnitude of compromised Internet of Things devices, pinpoints malicious attacks and infections in near real-time by targeted sectors and providers. It can detect exploitations as soon as they are encountered, and store and share that threat information with IoT operators worldwide.

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FAU’s Harbor Branch houses more than 1,000 strains of actinobacteria, one of the most prolific microbial groups for the production of natural products. Derived from sea sponges and other macro-organisms, several strains were identified for their potent antifungal activity, for anti-MRSA activity, and for both antifungal and antibacterial activities. A key finding was the identification of a strain that produced metabolites that are more potent than the bacterial antibiotic, vancomycin, against C. difficile.

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Almost anyone can relate to being afraid of needles and injections. A pilot study is the first to use a 3D virtual reality headset to test this tool as a distraction method in a pediatric setting. Children were given the choice of a roller coaster ride, helicopter ride or a hot-air balloon ride. Results show that anticipated versus actual pain and fear were reduced in 94.1 percent of the pediatric study subjects.

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With this latest grant, FAU will establish a primary care workforce of students with a bachelor of science in nursing degree who are practice ready and willing to serve veterans and patients in rural and underserved communities.

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A study is the first to use gold-standard methods to test the hypothesis that antipsychotic treatment in youths adversely increases body fat and decreases insulin sensitivity. All three antipsychotics tested – oral aripiprazole, olanzapine, and risperidone, which are common first line use medications for children with nonpsychotic behavior disorders – increased not only total body fat, but also visceral and subcutaneous abdominal fat, associated with long-term risk for cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.

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Approximately 47 million people worldwide are living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other dementias. One of the most prominent neuroscientists in the country has developed eight myths and truths about AD to shed light on this form of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior.

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A new study has quantified, for the first time, the relationship between lack of paid sick leave and poverty in the U.S. The data indicates that, even when controlling for education, race, sex, marital status and employment, working adults without paid sick leave are three times more likely to have incomes below the poverty line. People without paid sick leave benefits also are more likely to experience food insecurity and require welfare services.

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Research for the five-year project will support autonomous unmanned marine vehicle platforms for coastal surveillance, coastal surveys, target tracking and protection of at-sea assets. The project will entail developing unmanned surface vehicles that serve as “motherships” for unmanned underwater vehicles and aerial drones, thereby enabling multi-vehicle, multi-domain capability that may serve as a mobile coastal monitoring system.

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If the “eyes are the window to the soul,” then a series of studies suggests that they may also be a window into diagnosing and treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other dopamine-linked neuropsychiatric disorders.

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About 22 million Americans are substance dependent, yet only 2.5 million seek treatment. Reviewing 5,443 records of adult substance use treatment clients, a new study examined treatment readiness, or the characteristics that are likely to promote treatment engagement, to predict who seeks and stays in treatment. Results show that white and black race, being male, lower levels of education, and being married or divorced (vs. never married) were all negatively related to substance-use treatment engagement.

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A new study reveals why childhood friendships fall apart and is the first to demonstrate that parents are an important source of these breakups. Researchers examined parenting styles as well as mother and father self-reported depressive symptoms to predict the occurrence and timing of best friendships breaking up from the start to the end of elementary school (grades one to six). Some of the findings were not what they expected.

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Mimicking the seamless motion of fish has landed an engineering professor with a prestigious NSF award. He has developed bio-inspired flexible structures that increase maneuverability and enhance the motion of underwater vehicles and robotic systems for ocean exploration and defense.

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Florida Atlantic University and Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience have combined forces to form the first jointly supported position between the two institutions.

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Parents and adults spend a lot of time worrying about the influence of peers when it comes to teen substance use. Using a unique sample of 476 twin pairs who have been followed since birth, a new study examines if there is a genetic component that drives teens’ desire for risk taking and novelty.

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A new study of guenon monkeys in Gombe National Park is the first to provide genetic evidence of ongoing mating between two distinct species. These monkeys have successfully been producing hybrid offspring for hundreds maybe even thousands of years. Prior studies have suggested that their different physical characteristics keeps them from interbreeding. So, if their faces don’t match, they shouldn’t be mating, right? Wrong, according to this latest evidence.

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To get a closer look at prevalence and age-related trends of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and other types of arthritis in the U.S., a study examined nationally representative data from 43,706 participants aged 20 years and older, turning up some unexpected findings.

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The late Edwin A. Link, a driving force behind bringing FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute to Fort Pierce, is being inducted into the 2018 class of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame.

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Researchers have developed and patented a novel approach to treat ischemic stroke combining three distinct classes of drugs to create a multi-drug combination therapy, and have joined forces with CHS Pharma, Inc.

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A new study of the 2016 U.S. presidential election suggests that narcissism and charisma are both important predictors of voter choice. Researchers found that attributed charisma may serve as a balance to narcissism. Thus, followers of a candidate potentially look beyond negative leadership qualities to select those leaders who they perceive to have redeeming positive attributes and values.

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Examining 44,000 brief text samples collected over 25 years, a study of ego level and language sheds light on ego development, its relationship with other models of personality and individual differences, and its utility in characterizing people, texts and cultural contexts. If ego development can be scored from everyday language, then text from Twitter feeds to political speeches, and from children’s stories to strategic plans, may provide new insights into the state of moral, social and cognitive development.

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Through a detailed genetic study of kinship, an international team is the first to demonstrate that just like human societies, beluga whales appear to value culture as well as their ancestral roots and family ties. They have demonstrated that related whales returned to the same locations year after year, and even generation after generation.

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The Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA) named Florida Atlantic University as a LBDA Research Center of Excellence (RCOE), a nationwide collaboration of 24 pre-eminent academic medical research centers.

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By visualizing dopamine neurons in a tiny worm's brain, scientists have identified a novel pathway that sustains the health of these cells. The study shows that the normal actions of swip-10 to protect dopamine neurons are indirect, derived from the gene’s action in support cells called glia that lie adjacent to the dopamine neurons. Glial cells are recognized to play a critical role in shaping neuronal development, structure, and function, however, this research offers a clear demonstration that they also keep dopamine cells alive.

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A new FAU study shows that expatriates’ personality characteristics have a lot to do with how well they adjust and whether they succeed and provide a return on a company’s considerable investment in an individual.

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So what is it about the link between drinking coffee and living longer? Could it be the 200 plus organic compounds in the coffee bean itself and its proven benefits of reducing inflammation and regulating glucose levels? Or could it be something else?

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Using data from male inmates in 23 maximum-security prisons, researchers looked at factors related to fear of rape and likelihood of requesting mental health treatment while incarcerated. They focused on those at most risk of being victimized: gay or bisexual inmates and those with a history of childhood sexual abuse.

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Individuals with lower-pitched voices are more likely to win elected office because they are believed to be superior leaders. But is voice pitch a reliable signal of leadership quality? And is the bias in favor of selecting leaders with lower voices good or bad for democracy? A novel study is the first to address these questions.

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Current signs indicate that most U.S. housing markets are approaching a peak in the real estate cycle, but there’s little evidence to suggest prices will plummet as they have in the past, according to the latest national index produced by FAU and FIU faculty.

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In the first study to measure the link between an employee’s number of paid sick leave days and the use of vital preventive health care services like getting a flu shot, researchers found a 26 to 85 percent increase in preventive health care use among those with at least 10 or more paid sick leave days. For the female-focused preventive services, they showed a 55 percent increase in the use of preventive mammography.

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For eight years, researchers have been tracking blacktip sharks using a boat, plane, acoustic monitoring devices, and drones. Water temperatures affect their migration patterns. In prior years, as many as 15,000 sharks were reported on any given day. That’s not the case this year.

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In the wake of a mass shooting that took the lives of 17 students and teachers at a South Florida high school, a vast majority of Floridians support stricter gun laws, including a ban on assault-style rifles, universal background checks and raising the minimum age for gun purchasers, according to a statewide survey by the Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative (FAU BEPI).

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To address embarrassing, inconvenient and costly male fertility testing, researchers from FAU are developing a home-based kit that accurately, quantitatively, and quickly, provides a complete semen evaluation using microfluidics, an app and a smartphone. After all, if women can use pregnancy tests in the comfort and privacy of their own homes, men also should be able to test their semen at home without any hassles.

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For couples with decades of shared memories, a partner’s decline in the ability to communicate because of dementia is frightening and frustrating. Communication strategies they’ve used before simply don’t work anymore. By getting creative, an in-home intervention to support couples affected by dementia is showing that “practice does make perfect,” both for the caregiver and the care receiver or person with dementia, and can improve their communication behaviors in just 10 weeks.

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To address the national shortage in STEM (science-technology-engineering and math) career-oriented students, the FAU Brain Institute has received a $780,000 grant from the Stiles-Nicholson Foundation to launch an innovative program targeted at middle and high school students in Palm Beach County.

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Just in time for Valentine’s Day and American Heart Month, FAU's College of Medicine has received initial accreditation from the national Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education for its first University-sponsored fellowship. The FAU Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship will be based at Tenet HealthCare system’s Delray Medical Center.

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A groundbreaking study of sea turtle nests and hatchlings using paternity tests to uncover “who are your daddies?” is the first to document multiple paternity in loggerhead sea turtle nests in southwest Florida. What started out as a study on female sea turtle promiscuity is proving to be very good news for this female-biased species facing rising risks of extinction due to climate change.

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FAU, in collaboration with Boca Raton Regional Hospital and Tenet HealthCare system’s Delray Medical Center, has received approval for a four-year, categorical neurology residency program.

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Researchers have found that differences in the production of the neuropeptide Hypocretin, previously implicated in human narcolepsy, may explain variation in sleep between animal species, or even between individual people. It may also provide important insight into how we might build a brain that does not need to sleep.

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Lawrence Toll's ground-breaking research on opioid-related systems, and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, as well as his identification and characterization of endogenous neuropeptides, have opened new avenues of research and identified novel drug targets.

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Bank lending to small businesses, a major contributor to local economies and job creation around the country, is still depressed several years after the end of the U.S. financial crisis that started in 2008, according to a new FAU study.

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Male sea turtles are disappearing and not just in Australia. FAU researchers found that 97 to 100 percent of hatchlings in southeast Florida have been female since 2002. They are the first to show why and how moisture conditions inside the nest in addition to heat affect the development and sex ratios of turtle embryos, using a novel technique they developed to estimate sex ratios with a male-specific, transcriptional molecular marker Sox9.

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A new study of nursing homes in California, the nation’s largest system, found that some nursing homes inflate their self-assessment reporting to improve their score in the Five-Star Quality Rating System employed by Medicare to help consumers.

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Researchers will design, deploy and evaluate a first-of-its-kind software-defined testbed for real-time undersea wireless communications (data, voice, and video streaming) and surveillance.

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Florida Atlantic University’s College of Business, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and College of Education are listed in the 2018 U.S. News & World Report national rankings for “Best Online Graduate Programs.”

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Florida’s St. Lucie Estuary received national attention in 2016 as toxic green algal blooms wreaked havoc on this vital ecosystem. A new study contradicts the widespread misconception that periodic discharges from Lake Okeechobee were responsible. Water samples gathered and tested in the year-long study provide multiple lines of evidence that human wastewater nitrogen from septic systems was a major contributor to the high nitrogen concentrations in the estuary and downstream coastal reefs.