Whitney Laboratory News
Saving Sea Turtles - Stories, Science & Community, June 26, 2025
Join us at the lab to celebrate turtles and World Sea Turtle Day! Sea Turtle Hospital Display and Gift Shop, Presentations from Cat Eastman and Ed McGinley, PhD.
In the News: Adult Day at Whitney Lab in The St. Augustine Record
Whitney Board member Mike Alyea described the class as a throwback in time. “I’ve had a lifelong interest in marine sciences,” he said. “Now that I’m retired from aviation, I’m coming back to my first love.” The next Adult Day is planned for fall 2025.
DNA captured from the air could track wildlife, invasive species—and humans
Work published in Nature Ecology & Evolution shows the potential of airborne DNA-detection tools to surveil biodiversity, disease-causing microbes, and invasive species.
Whitney Lab Featured in Latest Issue of Explore, A UF Research Publication
Secrets of the Seas - Whitney Lab scientists pursue ambitious marine-life discoveries, By Doug Bennett
Whitney Scientists Develop New Approach for Drug Discovery
Scientists in the Loesgen and Strother Labs developed, tested, and verified a novel in vivo assay for analgesics (medications that relieve pain) using zebrafish larvae.
Martindale Lab Paper Reveals Insights into Ctenophore Development
The publication “β-Catenin localization in the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi suggests an ancestral role in cell adhesion and nuclear function" is in the journal Developmental Dynamics.
In the News: Devil ray feeding inspires innovative filtration technologies
Research on the physics of filter-feeding in devil rays paves the way for the development of high-performance bioinspired filters, which could be used to remove microplastics pollution or improve wastewater treatment.
Upcoming Events
Internationally renowned faculty specialize in using marine animals to address fundamental questions in science and apply that knowledge to problems of human health, natural resources, and the environment. Researchers at the lab are on the front lines of research in biodiversity, ocean health, marine chemistry, neuroscience, sensory biology, evolutionary genomics, embryology, and cell regeneration.
The Sea Turtle Hospital at Whitney Laboratory is helping to conserve threatened Northeast Florida sea turtles by providing rehabilitation, research and education. Scientists and researchers are furthering the understanding of Fibropapillomatosis (FP), a global disease epizootic (animal epidemic) that is hampering sea turtle conservation.
Whitney Laboratory provides lifelong learning opportunities to serve as an integral part of the surrounding community. Science education efforts at the lab are focused on school age children to university levels to post doctoral research training.
Detecting DNA, tracking cancer
Specializing in sea turtle tumors, plastic ingestion, and environmental DNA (eDNA), Assistant Professor of Wildlife Disease Genomics David Duffy joined the UF Whitney Lab in 2015 and proposed using human cancer treatment techniques for sea turtles.
Decoding Nature's Healing Powers
At UF's Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, associate chemistry professor Sandra Loesgen mines nature for "chemically talented" microbes that can lead to new medicinal compounds.
Center for Biological Imaging & Discovery
A Powerful Vision at Whitney Laboratory - Training the Scientists of Tomorrow, Expanding Research
