Research shows prenatal stress can affect babies’ development
Even before birth, children in areas of war may be affected by the stress of their mothers.
Darlene Kertes, an assistant professor for UF’s department of psychology, found that prenatal stress has negative outcomes for child development. She decided to research it to prove the connection.
“One of the challenges is that we don’t really understand the biological mechanisms by which that happens,” she said.
Kertes worked with UF researchers along with physicians and staff from a hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo for the study. One of the reasons they picked the DRC was armed conflict has been going on there for years. There is also a high degree of violence against women.
Kertes said the research team interviewed mothers and collected biological samples, like umbilical cord blood and placenta, from babies and mothers at the time of birth.
She said the study proved the stress of war can affect genes that regulate the brain’s response to stress. These changes were linked to babies’ birth weight and response to stress. Kertes also said the research gathered shows stress experienced early in life can permanently shape how children respond to stress.
“It’s potentially setting up those babies’ development differently,” she said.
- Cecilia Mazanec
Rafting animals cling to barnacles on plastic debris in the ocean
Researchers at UF have found that barnacles allow rafting animals to cling to plastic debris found in the northern Pacific Ocean.
Mike Gil, a UF biology graduate student at the time, led the recently-published study. Rafting animals are underwater species, such as crabs and mussels that live on debris.
While the animals are usually found on patches of seagrass, Gil found they can also be on man-made debris, such as buoys and bottle caps, as the animals cling to barnacles.
He wanted to study the debris after a colleague told him he should look into the relationship of debris and rafting animals.
Gil did his research on the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, a system of ocean currents.
Gil said he and his team watched for pieces of debris from the deck of a ship.
They pulled the plastic debris out of the water and put it in a bin so any critters that fell out would be captured. Then they identified and counted the critters, Gil said.
Aside from the barnacles, they found mussels, sea worms and crabs on the debris.
“We spent almost all the time in the middle of nowhere,” he said.
-Melissa Rodriguez
Researcher names new species of tarantula after Johnny Cash
A now Florida Museum of Natural History researcher helped discover 14 species of tarantulas, naming one after Johnny Cash.
Chris Hamilton, the lead author of the study, said he named one of the spiders, Aphonopelma johnnycashi, after Cash because it was black, the way Cash dressed, and was found near Folsom Prison — the subject of one of Cash’s songs, “Folsom Prison Blues.”
The spiders are found across the U.S., he said. He wanted to research tarantulas because he felt there hadn’t been many discovered. To start their studies, the researchers looked at spiders in museum collections.
To find specimens, researchers used information from natural history collections. Scientists have to look at thousands of specimens to identify new species because tarantulas can look similar.
They used genomics, which allows researchers to look at hundreds of genes at a once, to identify new species.
The effect of naming a spider after Cash was unintentional, but Hamilton said he believes it will help increase interest in biodiversity.
He said he hopes people realize tarantulas aren’t evil and understand them better.
“Tarantulas are charismatic,” he said. “I call them teddy bears because they’re hairy and furry, but also because they are so laid-back.”
-Andrea Benaim
