ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ biologist Kate Mansfield and her Florida team published a first-of-its-kind study this week about sea turtle’s β€œlost years.”

The β€œlost 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 β€œlost 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 . 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 , talks to Mansfield about her research from ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s broadcast station WΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ FM. Β Or check out some of the other coverage in , and the among others.