UCF biologist Kate Mansfield and her Florida team published a first-of-its-kind study this week about sea turtle’s “lost years.”

The “lost years” refers to the time after turtles hatch and head to sea where they remain for many years before returning to near-shore waters as large juveniles. The time period is often referred to as the “lost years” because not much has been known about where the young turtles go and how they interact with their oceanic environment — until now.

The work is getting a lot of attention from NPR to Glamour Magazine. Why? Because of the important nature of the work and the creative way the team used an acrylic fill used for manicures to solve a problem.

Listen in as Ira Flatow, host of NPR’s Science Friday, talks to Mansfield about her research from UCF’s broadcast station WUCF FM.  Or check out some of the other coverage in National Geographic , BBC and the Smithsonian Magazine among others.