Latest news with #FloridaAtlanticUniversity
News18
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Love Island USA Introduces First Five Male Contestants For Season 7
Last Updated: Love Island USA season 7 is bringing yet another set of singles in their twenties ready to mix, mingle, and maybe find love in a villa in Fiji. Once again, it's time for another sizzling summer in Fiji with Love Island USA. The hit dating reality show, which is based on the British series Love Island, is back for its seventh season. It brings yet another set of singles in their twenties ready to mix, mingle, and maybe find love in a villa in Fiji. On Thursday, May 29, the show released the first look at the 10 islanders of season 7 of Love Island USA. Let's meet with the five male contestants to be seen on the new season of the dating reality show, breaking and mending hearts. Ace Greene Ace is a 22-year-old content creator from Los Angeles, California. He identifies himself as a 'short king" and is a DJ, comedian, model, choreographer, YouTuber, and professional party host, as per his website. He also owns a dance academy. Last year, he was interviewed on the Jennifer Hudson Show. Ace has over 790,000 followers on Instagram. Austin Shepard A native of Northville, Michigan, Austin is a pool technician. The 26-year-old recently moved to Florida, and as a side quest, he loves petting zoos. He is also a content creator known for his jovial spirit and is obsessed with parties. Austin has over 4,000 followers on Instagram. Jeremiah Brown 25-year-old Jeremiah is from Seattle, Washington. He is into video games and is professionally a model. He has starred in various brand campaigns, including one by Adidas. With over 6,000 followers on Instagram, Jeremiah is an emotional type of guy who is not afraid of crying in front of anybody. He describes himself as a 'communication nerd." Nicolas Vansteenberghe Nicolas is a registered nurse from Jacksonville, Florida. He completed his studies at Florida Atlantic University and also works as a fashion model. He describes himself as 'adventurous" and has a fan following of over 20,000 on Instagram. Taylor is a model from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He is a cowboy and was on horses even before he could walk properly. Taylor has modelled for popular brands such as Louis Vuitton, Stetson, Timberland and Levis. The 24-year-old is quite popular on social media, with a following of over 20,000 on Instagram. Love Island USA season 7 is set to premiere on Peacock on Tuesday, June 3 at 9 PM ET. New episodes will air every day except for Wednesdays. Ariana Madix is returning as the show's host, while comedian Ian Sterling will narrate all the juicy updates of season 7. First Published: June 03, 2025, 13:17 IST
Forbes
2 days ago
- Health
- Forbes
Shark Skeletons Aren't Bones. They're Blueprints.
Blacktips are medium-sized coastal sharks commonly found in warm, shallow waters around the world, ... More including the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Sharks don't have bones. Instead, their skeletons are made from mineralized cartilage, an adaptation that has helped these predators move through the oceans for over 400 million years. A new study takes a deeper look — quite literally — at how this cartilage works. Using a combination of high-resolution 3D imaging and in-situ mechanical testing, a global team of scientists have mapped out the internal structure of shark cartilage and found it to be much more complex than it appears on the surface. The findings not only help explain how sharks maintain their strength and flexibility, but also open the door for developing tough, adaptable materials based on nature's own engineering. The research focused on blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) and involved a collaboration between the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Florida Atlantic University, the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY) in Germany, and NOAA Fisheries. Blacktips are medium-sized coastal sharks commonly found in warm, shallow waters around the world, including the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They typically grow to about 5 feet (1.5 meters) in length, though some individuals can reach up to 8 feet (2.4 meters). Named for the distinctive black markings on the tips of their dorsal, pelvic, and tail fins, blacktip sharks primarily eat small fish, squid, and crustaceans, using quick bursts of speed to chase down prey. The team zoomed in on their cartilage using synchrotron X-ray nanotomography, a powerful imaging technique that can reveal details down to the nanometer scale. What they found was that the cartilage wasn't uniform. In fact, it had two distinct regions, each with its own structure and purpose. One is called the 'corpus calcareum,' the outer mineralized layer, and the other is the 'intermediale,' the inner core. Both are made of densely packed collagen and bioapatite (the same mineral found in human bones). But while their chemical makeup is similar, their physical structures are not. In both regions, the cartilage was found to be full of pores and reinforced with thick struts, which help absorb pressure and strain from multiple directions. That's especially important for sharks, since they are constantly in motion. Their spines have to bend and flex without breaking as they swim. The cartilage, it turns out, acts almost like a spring. It stores energy as the shark's tail flexes, then releases that energy to power the next stroke. The scientists also noted the presence of tiny, needle-like crystals of bioapatite aligned with strands of collagen. This alignment increases the material's ability to resist damage. Researchers also noted helical fiber structures in the cartilage, the twisting patterns of collagen helping prevent cracks from spreading. These structures work together to distribute pressure and protect the skeleton from failure; this kind of layered, directional reinforcement is something human engineers have tried to mimic in synthetic materials, but nature has been perfecting it for hundreds of millions of years. The intermediale cartilage of a blacktip shark, with arrows highlighting the internal mineralized ... More network that supports and reinforces the structure. Dr. Vivian Merk, senior author of the study and an assistant professor in the FAU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, the FAU Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, and the FAU Department of Biomedical Engineering, explained in a press release that this is a prime example of biomineralization: 'Nature builds remarkably strong materials by combining minerals with biological polymers, such as collagen – a process known as biomineralization. This strategy allows creatures like shrimp, crustaceans and even humans to develop tough, resilient skeletons. Sharks are a striking example. Their mineral-reinforced spines work like springs, flexing and storing energy as they swim.' Merk hopes that understanding how sharks pull this off can help inspire new materials that are both strong and flexible, perfect for medical implants, protective gear, or aerospace design. To test just how tough this cartilage really is, the team applied pressure to microscopic pieces of the shark's vertebrae. At first, they saw only slight deformations of less than one micrometer. Only after applying pressure a second time did they observe fractures, and even then, the damage stayed confined to a single mineralized layer, hinting at the material's built-in resistance to catastrophic failure. 'After hundreds of millions of years of evolution, we can now finally see how shark cartilage works at the nanoscale – and learn from them,' said Dr. Marianne Porter, co-author and an associate professor in the FAU Department of Biological Sciences. 'We're discovering how tiny mineral structures and collagen fibers come together to create a material that's both strong and flexible, perfectly adapted for a shark's powerful swimming. These insights could help us design better materials by following nature's blueprint.' Dr. Stella Batalama, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, agreed: 'This research highlights the power of interdisciplinary collaboration. By bringing together engineers, biologists and materials scientists, we've uncovered how nature builds strong yet flexible materials. The layered, fiber-reinforced structure of shark cartilage offers a compelling model for high-performance, resilient design, which holds promise for developing advanced materials from medical implants to impact-resistant gear.' This research was supported by a National Science Foundation grant awarded to Merk; an NSF CAREER Award, awarded to Porter; and seed funding from the FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science and FAU Sensing Institute (I-SENSE). The acquisition of a transmission electron microscope was supported by a United States Department of Defense instrumentation/equipment grant awarded to Merk.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Researchers warn of widespread issue throughout Earth's oceans: 'They're deeply embedded'
Gone are the days when oceans mostly hosted fish, algae, and recreational human swimmers, as plastic is equally or even more abundant. Luckily, the first global effort, which included participation from Florida Atlantic University, to map these plastics in oceans has provided valuable insight, the FAU News Desk reports. The tiniest plastic fragments, called microplastics, are so small they measure from 1 micron to 5 millimeters. Unfortunately, as much as 9 to 14 million metric tons seep into ocean waterways annually, according to the FAU News Desk. Previous research has just been "scratching the surface" by focusing on the ones floating on surface waters. Luckily, this deep dive from a global team of researchers, including a researcher from FAU, mapped microplastic distribution from the surface into the deep sea. People now have a better understanding and awareness of most of how these materials build up and the entry path they take. Per the research results published in Nature, the surface-level plastics are the larger ones that can reach up to 5,000 micrometers, versus the smaller ones measuring up to 100 micrometers that spread out more evenly and deeper. Tracy Mincer, Ph.D., co-author and an associate professor of biology and biochemistry in FAU's Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, told the News Desk, "Microplastics are not just floating at the surface — they're deeply embedded throughout the ocean, from coastal waters to the open sea." So far, 56 different types of plastic have been identified in the waterways. Denser and easily fragmented plastic dominates offshore, but polypropylene shows up less — possibly because this type photodegrades faster than others. Another potential downside is the effect on carbon cycling since oceans play a major role in absorbing human-made CO2. Mincer told the FAU News Desk about concern for the "potential consequences for climate regulation and marine food webs." After all, these plastics hurt aquatic life — animals from sea turtles to dolphins have choked on or become entangled in them. Their presence can throw off the ecosystem, particularly organisms like phytoplankton that aid in carbon storage, per Mongabay. Failure of oceans to effectively store this carbon means more can stay in the atmosphere and increase the heat in an already overheating planet. It's causing declines in coral, which houses many biodiverse creatures, filters the water, and produces oxygen. Human health is also at risk since these have made their way into our bodies and, according to previous research, may affect the brain. Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely Only in some areas Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Japan Today
5 days ago
- Science
- Japan Today
Ancient DNA reveals new group of people who lived near land bridge between the Americas
This image provided by William Usaquen and Andrea Casas-Vargas shows the high plains in Bogota, Colombia where a new group of humans lived 6,000 years ago. (William Usaquen, Andrea Casas-Vargas via AP) By ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN Scientists have identified a new pod of ancient hunter-gatherers who lived near the land bridge between North America and South America about 6,000 years ago. Researchers are still charting how human populations spread across the Americas thousands of years ago, arriving first in North America before veering south. Groups that split off developed their own collection of genes that scientists can use to piece together the human family tree. Discovered through ancient DNA, the group lived in the high plateaus of present-day Bogotá, Colombia — close to where the Americas meet. Scientists aren't sure exactly where they fall in the family tree because they're not closely related to ancient Native Americans in North America and also not linked to ancient or present-day South Americans. The new study was published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances. 'Up to this point, we didn't believe there was any other lineage that would appear in South America," said archaeologist Andre Luiz Campelo dos Santos with Florida Atlantic University who was not involved with the new research. 'This is unexpected.' Just 4,000 years later, these ancient humans were gone and a genetically-different human clan inhabited the area. Scientists aren't sure exactly what happened to make them fade away — whether they mixed into a new, bigger group or were pushed out entirely. Analyzing more genes in South America will help confirm if this new group truly did disappear or if there could be evidence of their descendants elsewhere, said Campelo dos Santos. Studying these ancient Colombian genes are important to piecing together the history of the Americas since ancient people had to cross this land bridge to settle in and spread across South America. The area is 'the gateway to the South American continent,' said study author Andrea Casas-Vargas with the National University of Colombia. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
New York Post
5 days ago
- Science
- New York Post
Ancient DNA reveals ‘unexpected' new group of people who lived near land bridge between the Americas
Scientists have identified a new pod of ancient hunter-gatherers who lived near the land bridge between North America and South America about 6,000 years ago. Researchers are still charting how human populations spread across the Americas thousands of years ago, arriving first in North America before veering south. Groups that split off developed their own collection of genes that scientists can use to piece together the human family tree. Discovered through ancient DNA, the group lived in the high plateaus of present-day Bogotá, Colombia — close to where the Americas meet. Scientists aren't sure exactly where they fall in the family tree because they're not closely related to ancient Native Americans in North America and also not linked to ancient or present-day South Americans. Advertisement Scientists have identified a new pod of ancient hunter-gatherers who lived near the land bridge between North America and South America about 6,000 years ago. AP The new study was published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances. 'Up to this point, we didn't believe there was any other lineage that would appear in South America,' said archaeologist Andre Luiz Campelo dos Santos with Florida Atlantic University who was not involved with the new research. 'This is unexpected.' Advertisement Just 4,000 years later, these ancient humans were gone and a genetically-different human clan inhabited the area. Scientists aren't sure exactly what happened to make them fade away — whether they mixed into a new, bigger group or were pushed out entirely. Analyzing more genes in South America will help confirm if this new group truly did disappear or if there could be evidence of their descendants elsewhere, said Campelo dos Santos. Studying these ancient Colombian genes are important to piecing together the history of the Americas since ancient people had to cross this land bridge to settle in and spread across South America. The area is 'the gateway to the South American continent,' said study author Andrea Casas-Vargas with the National University of Colombia.
