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Imagine a crocodile built like a greyhound — that’s a sebecid. Standing tall, with some species reaching 20 feet in length, they dominated South American landscapes after the extinction of dinosaurs until about 11 million years ago. Or at least, that’s what paleontologists thought, until they began finding strange, fossilized teeth in the Caribbean. “The first question that we had when these teeth were found in the Dominican Republic and on other islands in the Caribbean was: What are they?” said Jonathan Bloch, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Florida Museum of Natural History. This initial confusion was warranted. Three decades ago, researchers uncovered two roughly 18 million-year-old teeth in Cuba. With a tapered shape and small, sharp serrations specialized for tearing into meat, they unmistakenly belonged to a predator at the top of the food chain. But for the longest time, scientists didn’t think such large, land-based predators ever existed in the Caribbean. The mystery deepened when another tooth turned up in Puerto Rico, this one 29 million years old. The teeth alone weren’t enough to identify a specific animal, and the matter went unresolved. That changed in early 2023, when a research team unearthed another fossilized tooth in the Dominican Republic — but this time, it was accompanied by two vertebrae. It wasn’t much to go on, but it was enough. The fossils belonged to a sebecid, and the Caribbean, far from never having large, terrestrial predators, was a refuge for the last sebecid populations at least 5 million years after they went extinct everywhere else. A research team described the implications of their finding in a new study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The study’s lead author, Lazaro Viñola Lopez, conducted the research as a graduate student at the University of Florida. He knew his team members had come upon something exceptional when they unearthed the fossils. “That emotion of finding the fossil and realizing what it is, it’s indescribable,” he said. Read more ...

Charities with corporate leaders on their boards spend an average of $130,000 a year lobbying on behalf of their connected companies. That’s according to a first-of-its-kind study that shows how companies benefit from their charitable work — and how charities may be all-too-happy to support their powerful board members in return for lucrative connections. The researchers behind the study say the findings could help policymakers and charity stakeholders keep tabs on a previously hidden form of political influence, but that such arrangements are perfectly legal for now. “Charities stand to gain something by behaving in this way. It doesn’t always have to be corporations pushing charities to behave in a way they don’t want to,” said Sehoon Kim, Ph.D., a professor of finance at the University of Florida and senior author of the new study. “It’s a natural quid pro quo arrangement that arises from the incentives corporations and charities have.” The American Medical Association shows one example of these incentives in action. In the 2010s, they actively lobbied against efforts by federal agencies to curb opioid prescriptions. This benefited companies like Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin widely blamed for exacerbating the opioid epidemic in the U.S. It turned out that Richard Sackler, the former president of the company, sat on the board of AMA Foundation, a relationship viewed by many as controversial at the time. But Sackler had arranged for millions in donations to the foundation, and other charities are likely looking to corporate board members to help engineer large donations for their charitable work by connecting charities to other companies and leaders with deep pockets. Lobbying on behalf of their new friends, then, may simply be the most efficient way to ensure those donations keep flowing. Kim collaborated with UF Professor Joel Houston, Ph.D., and Changhyun Ahn, Ph.D., of the Chinese University of Hong Kong to conduct the analysis, which is forthcoming in the journal Management Science. They painstakingly hand collected data covering more than 400 charities and over 1,000 corporations that identified board connections, donations and lobbying activities that fell both within and outside of the charities’ typical political activity. The researchers focused on larger charities that already engage in some lobbying on their own behalf. These lobbying charities are three times larger than smaller nonprofits that never lobby. After a new corporate board member joined, these charities changed their behavior. They were far more likely to lobby outside of their own interests and to even work to support or defeat legislation that affected their new board member’s company, even when that legislation had nothing to do with their charitable mission. It worked out to about a 14% increase in the charity’s lobbying expenditures. “These were the smoking guns that there’s something going on that’s not supposed to be happening,” Kim said. Because lobbying is such an efficient use of resources, and because charities may lend their friendly brand to these lobbying efforts, this help from charities could significantly benefit these connected corporations. “These are previously unrecognized channels at play in terms of corporate political influence that policymakers need to be mindful of when assessing how influential corporations are likely to be,” Kim said.

When presented with a vignette describing the behaviors and characteristics of a patient with disordered eating, only a quarter of mental health providers who participated in a new study were able to correctly diagnose bulimia nervosa. The findings from researchers at the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions, part of UF Health, appear in the journal Eating Disorders. Two common, yet less-recognized, patient factors may have led to the misdiagnoses, said Dakota Leget, a doctoral student in the college’s Ph.D. program in clinical and health psychology, who conducted the study with her mentor, Rebecca Pearl, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology. The providers who participated in the study reviewed vignettes about a fictitious patient who was described as either having healthy weight or obesity and who used excessive exercise to compensate for overeating. Many patients with bulimia have average or higher body weight, yet misconceptions persist about the “typical” patient with bulimia, Leget said. “Unfortunately, we have stereotypes that someone with an eating disorder will look ‘very lean’ or ‘sickly,’ but we know that’s not the case for a lot of eating disorders,” she said. The study findings also suggest that providers may not associate excessive exercise with bulimia, despite the fact that it is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as one of multiple compensatory strategies used by people with bulimia. “I think my biggest takeaway is that excessive exercise may not be on mental health providers’ radar and may be overlooked when patients are presenting for care,” Leget said. For the study, the researchers recruited a nationwide sample of more than 200 mental health providers to read two patient vignettes and then select a diagnosis and recommended number of treatment sessions from a dropdown list of options. The vignettes described fictitious patients who met full diagnostic criteria for their respective disorders, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Three-quarters of participants correctly diagnosed major depressive disorder in the first patient vignette, which served as a control. Participants were randomly assigned to receive one of two versions of the second vignette. In one version, the patient was described as having a healthy weight; in the second, the patient was described as having obesity. The other patient details were the same for both versions. The patient in the vignette reported she followed a strict diet a few days a week and engaged in a cycle of binge eating accompanied by excessive exercise. The vignette also described the patient’s thoughts and feelings about her appearance and how they affected her activities and relationships. Only 27% of providers correctly diagnosed the patient as having bulimia nervosa, and 38% of providers incorrectly diagnosed the patient with binge eating disorder. Correctly distinguishing between bulimia, binge eating or any other eating disorder is critical, the authors say, not only to ensure patients receive the right treatment, but also to appropriately monitor for other health effects, such as dangerously low sodium levels caused by excessive exercise. “If you are treating the wrong eating disorder, you might not be using the best evidence-based strategy,” Leget said. The findings also point to the need for more continuing education on eating disorders for mental health providers who may not have specialized training, Leget said. “Many people with eating disorders will probably be seen in outpatient settings and they may not be seen by someone with expertise in this area,” Leget said. “Early detection and treatment are crucial. If the community provider is able to detect an eating disorder they can treat that person or guide them to someone with the appropriate expertise so the patient gets the treatment they need sooner rather than later.”

Studying the precipitation patterns in hurricanes may be key to predicting future storm patterns and their potential strength, a University of Florida researcher has found. Supported by a four-year, $212,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, Professor of Geography Corene Matyas, Ph.D. has identified the patterns of rain rates within storms and studied the moisture surrounding these storms. “We are hoping that, if we have a better prediction of moisture availability, that might help us forecast rain events with greater accuracy,” Matyas said. “The more we know about how storms develop, the more we can predict their path and magnitude.” The ideal stage for the perfect storm The potential for devastating high winds, storm surge and flooding poses an annual threat to Florida and its residents. With 1,350 miles of coastline and relatively flat geography that juts out to separate the warm waters of the southeast Atlantic and the Gulf, Florida creates the ideal stage for the perfect storm. Last year broke records with 18 named storms, including 11 hurricanes in the Atlantic basin and three major hurricanes making landfall along Florida’s coast. Early predictions are crucial to hurricane preparedness, allowing for increased response time and resource allocation, and hurricane modeling is essential for understanding these somewhat unpredictable storms. Advances in technology, data collection and the use of artificial intelligence in hurricane modeling have significantly impacted the ability to predict a storm’s path and strength more accurately. Artificial intelligence helps researchers understand hurricanes Matyas has completed two studies on this topic. The first study processed 12,000 images of rain rates from tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic, using a machine learning algorithm called a convolutional autoencoder. Similar in use to image recognition software, the encoder broke the rain rate images down and simplified the patterns. Six main types, or clusters, of rainfall patterns for tropical cyclones were identified. At a presentation of the work to forecasters at the National Weather Service office in Jacksonville, the forecasters confirmed that one of the patterns matches what they typically see when late-season storms make landfall over Florida’s Gulf Coast. The second study used the autoencoder to process 4,600 images that represent the amount of moisture in the atmosphere extending 1,000 kilometers away from each hurricane. “We looked for commonalities in the patterns and found four dominant patterns of moisture that accompany Atlantic basin hurricanes,” Matyas said. “We found the biggest storms with the most moisture make the most landfalls, typically in the Caribbean and even in southern Florida. They also have a large moisture pool, giving them a bigger chance of heavy rainfall.” According to Matyas, three of the moisture patterns found in the second study were strikingly like those found in the earlier study that used fewer observations in a statistical analysis. With this use of AI, researchers can now recognize and understand these moisture patterns better, which can improve predictions about a storm’s intensity, its size and the amount of rainfall that will result from it. Early, accurate storm predictions allow Floridians time to prepare Rapid intensification – when, in a 24-hour period, a storm experiences a sudden drop in pressure and a dramatic increase in wind speed – creates much more of a challenge for forecasters. “We tend to boil down a hurricane to a set of coordinates which track the middle of a storm,” Matyas said. “And the fastest winds do focus there, but the moisture gets pulled from thousands of kilometers away and the system forces the moisture up. That moisture must go somewhere. So, the outer edges of the storm need to be understood more as well.” Matyas hopes these studies will help scientists classify rain patterns more accurately and consistently. Continued funding for research at public universities from federal agencies, such as the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is essential for helping researchers develop tools to detect and predict severe weather events. Matyas is one of two UF faculty members among 18 national researchers named to the 2025 class of fellows by the American Association of Geographers. Matyas and UF Geography Department Chair Jane Southworth, Ph.D. were honored by the organization for their contributions in biogeography, geospatial analytics, soil science, community geography, climatology and other areas related to geography. “I look forward to this opportunity to contribute to the mission of the AAG in a more formal capacity, continuing to research how weather shapes our spaces and share knowledge of earth systems beyond the classroom and the written word to promote an inclusive society,” Matyas said.

So many parents routinely share photos and news about their kids on social media that the behavior has a name: sharenting. Usually harmless and well-meaning, it can also take a dangerous turn, exposing children to online predators, allowing companies to collect personal information and creating pathways for children to become victimized by identity theft. The risks are most pervasive when parents overshare to profit from their social media accounts. Whenever parents share, they are the gatekeepers, tasked with protecting their children’s information, but they are also the ones unlatching the gates. When parents profit from opening the gates, it is especially challenging to balance protecting their kids’ privacy against sharing their stories. Federal and state laws typically give wide deference to parents to raise their children as they see fit. But the state can and does intervene when parents abuse their children. Those laws protect children in the physical world. However, few laws shield children when parents risk harming them online. Let’s consider this hypothetical situation based on a composite of real-life events. Mia (fictional name) is a 7-year-old girl growing up in Orlando. Her mother is a stay-at-home parent who has a public Instagram account and considers herself an influencer. Many lingerie brands pay Mia’s mom to model their clothing. When a lingerie company from overseas offers Mia’s mom some money to have Mia also pose in their clothing, Mia’s mom says yes. Over the next few weeks, Mia and her mom model the clothing together in pictures and videos, sometimes wearing the outfits while reading together in bed, having pillow fights or being playful around the house — always in clearly intimate but arguably appropriate settings. Mia’s mom’s social media page explodes with new followers, many of whom appear to be grown men. The images on the page receive hundreds of likes and multiple comments. Mia’s mom deletes the most inappropriate comments but leaves others, hoping to increase engagement. As Mia’s mom’s social media following grows, so does the amount of money she earns. Mia tells her teacher about the social media page. Her teacher reaches out to Mia’s parents, to no avail. Mia’s mom keeps sharing. The teacher sees this as a potential form of abuse and neglect and, according to her obligation as a mandatory reporter of abuse, she calls in a report to the state’s central abuse registry. The teacher isn’t trying to get Mia’s mom in criminal trouble, but she thinks the family could use some education surrounding safe social media use and possibly access to financial support if they need this type of online exposure to pay the bills. The intake counselor declines to accept the hotline call. The counselor explains that the posting of pictures is not grounds for an abuse, abandonment or neglect investigation. The parent is sharenting, the counselor says, and that is within a parent’s right. Of course, child sexual abuse material is illegal, but the photos posted by Mia’s mom fall into a gray area — not illegal material, but likely harmful to Mia. Should there be a law to stop this? I believe there should be. Just as our views regarding child abuse have evolved, so must our views on sharenting. Merely 150 years ago, it was legal for parents to beat their children. It wasn’t until 1874, when a little girl named Mary Ellen was beaten severely by her caregiver, that courts began to step in. Drawing from existing laws prohibiting animal cruelty, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals argued that Mary Ellen had the right to be free from abuse. At the time, there were laws protecting animals from harm by their caregivers but no laws protecting children from such harm! Back to the present: Mia’s disclosure to her teacher could have changed her life and led to her family getting online safety help, if only the child welfare laws were suitably tailored to protect her in the online world as they attempt to do offline. Child protection laws should be expanded to include harms that can be caused by online sharing. The law can both protect parental autonomy and honor children’s privacy through a comprehensive and multidisciplinary new approach toward protecting children online — one that allows for thoughtful investigation, education, remediation and prosecution of parents who use social media in ways that are significantly harmful to their children. This conduct, which falls beyond sharenting, is ripe for legal interventions that reset the balance between a parent’s right to share and a child’s right to online privacy and safety. Stacey Steinberg grew up in West Palm Beach and now lives in Gainesville, where she is a professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law; the supervising attorney for the Gator TeamChild Juvenile Law Clinic; the director of the Center on Children and Families; and the author of “Beyond Sharenting,” forthcoming in the Southern California Law Review. This piece was also published in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

On June 5, 2024, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams embarked on a brief mission to the International Space Station. But equipment failures turned what was supposed to be an eight-day trip into a grueling 9 month spaceflight. This week, Wilmore and Williams finally returned to Earth. While their safe return is cause for celebration, the journey doesn’t end when astronauts touch down on Earth. They now face the significant task of recovering from the physical and psychological toll of long-duration spaceflight. As part of the University of Florida’s ongoing research into astronaut health, Rachael Seidler, Ph.D., a leading expert in spaceflight-associated health changes, is studying the long-term effects of space travel on astronauts’ brains and bodies. Seidler’s research focuses on understanding how the central nervous system and brain structure adapt to the challenges of space travel, as well as how these changes affect performance, balance, and mobility once astronauts return to Earth. “While the physical and psychological challenges astronauts face after returning from long-duration space missions are well-documented, the research we do at UF is helping us understand the intricacies of their recovery process,” said Seidler, deputy director of the Astraeus Space Institute at UF. “By following astronauts like Butch and Suni before, during, and after their missions, we can track how the human body responds to the extreme conditions of space.” Behavioral and Brain Changes Post-Flight Seidler’s research tracks astronauts’ physical and neurological recovery by observing them both during their missions and after they return. "One of the most immediate challenges astronauts face when they return to Earth is mobility and balance. These issues often recover more quickly compared to others, but it takes time for astronauts to readjust to gravity,” Seidler said. "The balance, mobility, and walking difficulties astronauts experience during the first weeks back are typically resolved in a short period, but brain function and structure require longer recovery periods." Seidler’s research indicates that astronauts’ brains exhibit compensation when they return to Earth following spaceflight. This compensation occurs through the recruitment of additional neural pathways in order to return to their preflight performance levels. However, the recovery of brain function is a gradual process. "This brain functional compensation is typically no longer observed within one to six months post-flight," Seidler said. However, not all changes are reversible. "Brain structural changes, particularly related to fluid shifts in space, show little to no recovery even after six months to a year," Seidler said. Two significant structural changes include the brain physically sitting higher in the skull and the expansion of the brain’s ventricles — fluid-filled cavities in the brain — which can increase in volume by 25% or more. These changes are thought to result from the fluid shifts caused by microgravity, and they present long-term health considerations for astronauts. Long-Term Health Effects: Understanding the Impact As Wilmore and Williams embark on their recovery journey, the long-term impact of these changes becomes a critical focus for researchers like Seidler. "The long-term health impacts are crucial to understand because they could affect how astronauts recover and perform in their daily lives post-mission," she said. Seidler’s team at UF is conducting a new study in which they are tracking astronauts for up to five years post-flight to better understand these long-term effects. "We’ve had astronauts in space for up to a year, and we know how to manage their physical health during those missions," Seidler said. "But the effects of space on the brain and body extend beyond the mission, and our work helps inform strategies to manage recovery." Collaborating with NASA and Studying Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome Seidler's work is also part of a broader collaboration with NASA and other scientists to assess astronaut long-term health. The project is particularly focused on Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome, which affects up to 70% of astronauts. This condition involves structural changes to the eye and optic nerve, leading to vision problems that may impact astronauts’ function. "Neuropsychological assessments can help to measure astronauts’ brain health, while studies of the ocular system help identify potential vision issues that may arise during and after long-duration space missions," she said. Simulating Space Conditions on Earth In addition to studying astronauts on Earth and in space, Seidler’s team conducts experiments to simulate the effects of spaceflight on human physiology. The UF lab runs experiments in head-down tilt bed rest studies, which keep participants lying down for weeks to months at a time to simulate the lack of gravity. "This type of study helps us understand how fluid shifts in the body during space travel affect mobility, balance, and brain structure," Seidler explained. "In addition, other publications have reported that astronauts describe that vestibular galvanic stimulation feels similar to what they experience when they first arrive in space and when they return to Earth. We have equipment to induce these effects in the lab." Looking Toward the Future As space missions continue to grow longer and more complex, UF’s research is more important than ever. "We’re studying these issues now to ensure that future astronauts are prepared for the physical and cognitive challenges that await them in deep space," Seidler said.

Excessive noise, or noise pollution, in cities has been linked in multiple studies to increased stress, sleep disturbances, and long-term health problems. Researchers from the University of Florida are on a mission to quiet things down, working with local governments and a private firm to improve both public health and urban living. Enter Martin Gold, an associate professor from UF’s School of Architecture, and his team of students. They recently partnered with Siebein Acoustic, a soundscape design firm that specializes in architectural and environmental acoustics. The team visited Fort Lauderdale, one of Florida’s busiest cities, known both as a party destination and a mecca for retirees. The team studied areas throughout downtown and by the beach to provide recommendations for reducing the impact of sound in the city at large. To inform their work, researchers recruited participants to walk the city and report on their observations about sound and sights, took photo documentation, acoustic measurements, geographical measurements and analyzed municipal code studies. The team proposed different improvement strategies including: Using vertical distance by requiring residential high-rise construction to limit residences in the lower floors of buildings. Limiting sound levels at windows or balconies of residential units. Building envelope systems, which are the building components that separate the indoors from the outdoors, that limit sound transmission and absorb sound. Designing new construction so buildings absorb and diffuse the sounds striking them rather than reflecting and subsequently amplifying the sounds or focusing the sounds in particular areas. Strategic zoning to incentivize designs along arterial corridors that fill the sites and provide acoustic barriers to the residential neighborhoods behind them. “We need to take a closer look at how we are designing the next generation of urban environments. There’s a lot we can do with soundscape architecture to positively impact issues moving forward.” —Martin Gold, associate professor from UF’s School of Architecture The findings and recommendations were presented at the International Congress and Exposition on Noise Control Engineering in Nantes, France. Gold and his students are currently surveying an area of Clearwater and plan to study more cities around the state and offer recommendations for reducing noise.

Existing research indicates that the accuracy of a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis hovers between 55% and 78% in the first five years of assessment. That’s partly because Parkinson’s sibling movement disorders share similarities, sometimes making a definitive diagnosis initially difficult. Although Parkinson’s disease is a well-recognized illness, the term can refer to a variety of conditions, ranging from idiopathic Parkinson’s, the most common type, to other movement disorders like multiple system atrophy Parkinsonian variant and progressive supranuclear palsy. Each shares motor and nonmotor features, like changes in gait — but possess a distinct pathology and prognosis. Roughly one in four patients, or even one in two patients, is misdiagnosed. Now, researchers at the University of Florida and the UF Health Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases have developed a new kind of software that will help clinicians differentially diagnose Parkinson’s disease and related conditions, reducing diagnostic time and increasing precision beyond 96%. The study was published recently in JAMA Neurology and was funded by the National Institutes of Health. “In many cases, MRI manufacturers don’t communicate with each other due to marketplace competition,” said David Vaillancourt, Ph.D., chair and a professor in the UF Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology. “They all have their own software and their own sequences. Here, we’ve developed novel software that works across all of them.” Although there is no substitute for the human element of diagnosis, even the most experienced physicians who specialize in movement disorder diagnoses can benefit from a tool to increase diagnostic efficacy between different disorders, Vaillancourt said. The software, Automated Imaging Differentiation for Parkinsonism, or AIDP, is an automated MRI processing and machine learning software that features a noninvasive biomarker technique. Using diffusion-weighted MRI, which measures how water molecules diffuse in the brain, the team can identify where neurodegeneration is occurring. Then, the machine learning algorithm, rigorously tested against in-person clinic diagnoses, analyzes the brain scan and provides the clinician with the results, indicating one of the different types of Parkinson’s. The study was conducted across 21 sites, 19 of them in the United States and two in Canada. “This is an instance where the innovation between technology and artificial intelligence has been proven to enhance diagnostic precision, allowing us the opportunity to further improve treatment for patients with Parkinson’s disease,” said Michael Okun, M.D., medical adviser to the Parkinson’s Foundation and director of the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at UF Health. “We look forward to seeing how this innovation can further impact the Parkinson’s community and advance our shared goal of better outcomes for all.” The team’s next step is obtaining approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “This effort truly highlights the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration,” said Angelos Barmpoutis, Ph.D., a professor at the Digital Worlds Institute at UF. “Thanks to the combined medical expertise, scientific expertise and technological expertise, we were able to accomplish a goal that will change the lives of countless individuals.” Vaillancourt and Barmpoutis are partial owners of a company called Neuropacs whose goal is to bring this software forward, improving both patient care and clinical trials where it might be used.

After deploying life-saving cholera-prediction systems in Africa and Asia, a University of Florida researcher is turning his attention to the pathogen-plagued waters off Florida’s Gulf Coast. In the fight to end cholera deaths by 2030 – a goal set by the World Health Organization – UF researcher and professor Antar Jutla, Ph.D., has deployed his Cholera Risk Dashboard in about 20 countries, most recently in Kenya. Using NASA and NOAA satellite images and artificial intelligence algorithms, the dashboard is an interactive web interface that pinpoints areas ripe for thriving cholera bacteria. It can predict cholera risk four weeks out, allowing early and proactive humanitarian efforts, medical preparation and health warnings. Cholera is a bacterial disease spread through contaminated food and water; it causes severe intestinal issues and can be fatal if untreated. The US Centers for Disease Control reports between 21,000 and 143,000 cholera deaths each year globally. Make no mistake, the Cholera Risk Dashboard saves lives, existing users contend. His team now wants to set up a similar pathogen-monitoring and disease-prediction system for pathogenic bacteria in the warm, pathogen-fertile waters of the Gulf of America. “Its timeliness, its predictiveness and its ease of access to the right data is a game changer in responding to outbreaks and preventing potentially catastrophic occurrences.” - Linet Kwamboka Nyang’au, a senior program manager for Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data Closer to home Jutla is seeking funding to develop a pathogen-prediction model to identify dangerous bacteria in the Gulf to warn people – particularly rescue workers – to use protective gear or avoid contaminated areas. He envisions post-hurricane systems for the Gulf that will help the U.S. Navy/Coast Guard and other rescue workers make informed health decisions before entering the water. And he wants UF to be at the forefront of this technology. “If we have enough resources, I think within a year we should have a prototype ready for the Gulf,” said Jutla, an associate professor with UF’s Engineering School Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment. “We want to build that expertise here at UF for the entire Gulf of America.” Jutla and his co-investigators have applied for a five-year, $4 million NOAA RESTORE grant to study pathogens known as vibrios off Florida’s West Coast and develop the Vibrio Warning System. These vibrios in the Gulf can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills. One alarming example is Vibrio vulnificus, commonly known as flesh-eating bacteria, a bacterium that often leads to amputations or death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported increases in vibrio infections in the Gulf region, particularly from 2000 to 2018. The warm and ecologically sensitive Gulf waters provide a thriving habitat for harmful pathogens. “The grant builds directly on the success of our cholera-prediction system," Jutla noted. "By integrating AI technologies into public health decision-making, we would not only lead the nation but also become self-reliant in understanding the movement of environmentally sensitive pathogens, positioning ourselves as global leaders.” Learning from preparing early Jutla’s dashboards are critical tools for global health and humanitarian officials, said Linet Kwamboka Nyang’au, a senior program manager for Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data. “Its timeliness, its predictiveness and its ease of access to the right data is a game changer in responding to outbreaks and preventing potentially catastrophic occurrences,” Kwamboka Nyang’au said. Over the last few years, Jutla and several health/government leaders have been working to deploy the cholera-predictive dashboard. “Our partnership with UF, the government of Kenya and others on the cholera dashboard is a life-saving mission for high-risk, extremely vulnerable populations in Africa. By predicting potential cholera outbreaks and coordinating multi-stakeholder interventions, we are enabling swift action and empowering local governments and communities to prevent crises before they unfold,” said Davis Adieno, senior director of programs for the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data. The early warnings for waterborne pathogens also allows the United Nations time to issue early assistance to residents in the outbreak’s path, said Juan Chaves-Gonzalez, a program advisor with the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. “There are several things we do with the money ahead of time. We provide hygiene kits. We repair and protect water sources. We start chlorination, we set up hand-washing stations, train and deploy rapid-response teams. At the community level, we try to inject funding to procure rapid-diagnostic tests,” he said. “We identify those very, very specific barriers and put money in organizations’ hands in advance to remove those barriers.” Eyes on the Gulf In the United States, hurricanes stir up vibrios in the Gulf, posing a high risk of infection for humans in the water. There has been a nearly 200% increase in these cases over the last 20 years in the U.S., according to the CDC. “After Hurricane Ian, we saw a very heavy presence of these vibrios in Sarasota Bay and the Charlotte Bay region. Not only that, but they were showing signs of antibiotic-resistance. Last year, we had one of the largest number of cases of vibriosis in the history of Florida,” Jutla said. Samples from 2024 hurricanes Helene and Milton are being analyzed with AI and complex bioinformatics algorithms. “If there is a risky operation by rescue personnel, not using personal protective equipment, then we would want them to know there is a significant concentration of these bacteria in the water,” Jutla said. “As an example, Navy divers operating in contaminated waters are at risk of infections from vibrios and other enteric pathogens, which can cause severe gastrointestinal and wound infections.” Safety and economics “Exposure to vibrios and other enteric pathogens,” Jutla added, “can disrupt economic activities, particularly in coastal regions that are dependent on tourism and fishing. And vibrios may be considered potential bioterrorism agents due to their ability to cause widespread illness and panic.” In developing the Vibrio Warning System, Jutla noted, he and his team want to significantly enhance public health safety and preparedness along the Gulf Coast. By leveraging advanced AI technologies, satellite datasets and predictive modeling, they plan to mitigate the risks posed by environmentally sensitive pathogenic bacteria, ensuring timely interventions and safeguarding human health and economic activities. “Hospital systems and healthcare providers in the Gulf region will have a tool for anticipatory decision making on where and when to anticipate illness from these environmentally sensitive vibrios, and issue a potential warning to the general public,” he said. “With the potential to become a leader in environmental pathogen prediction, UF stands at the forefront of this critical research, poised to make a lasting impact on local, regional, national and global health and safety.”