Our appendix may be good for something after all

Here is a very interesting article about our appendix. I bring this up because, during tours, we are often pointing out the two small hip bones on the whale skeleton and comparing them to our appendix--both are left over from a time when they served a purpose. Well, maybe the appendix has a modern-day purpose after all.

CNC's new bundle of joy!

  

Meet Avi, a male Panther Chameleon currently residing at CNC. I'm obsessed with true chameleons. I always have been enamoured by them since I was little. I honestly feel like they are the most remarkable animals on earth today. Here's why I love them so:

*There are about 160 species of chameleons--sixty of which are found only in Madagascar.
*Chameleons can range from 1 inch to 1 foot long.
*Many species of chameleons have fantastic facial ornaments such as horns, crests and nasal protuberances.
*Chameleons have cells called chromatophores that lie under their skin that contain pigments, including the colors red, yellow, blue, and white. The brain tells the cells to shrink or enlarge, causing the pigments to mix (like paint), thus causing their color to change.
*Chameleons don't change color to blend with their environment, instead they change due to mood, temperature and light.
*Their eyes can rotate and focus separately on two different objects at the same time. When it comes time to focus on one thing (like food) they have extremely precise stereoscopic vision.
*They have full 360 degree vision.
*They have prehensile tails can easily wrap around a branch if they happen to fall.
*They lack outer or middle ears but communicate through site and vibration.
*Their suction cup-like tongues are longer than their body length and hits prey in about 30 thousandths of a second--faster than the eye can see.
*Chameleons can see ultraviolet light.
*They have didactyl feet with three toes fused together and two toes fused together to make a mitten-like foot that is excellent at gripping branches.
*Some chameleons give birth to live young.

To learn more, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chameleon and when you get the chance, visit Avi and look at his eyes, his feet, his tail, his tongue (which is actually broken) and his skin. He is truly a wonder of nature! Chameleons are jam-packed with interesting features from head to toe. 

Don't be such a Scientist

For those of you who missed Randy Olson's various speaking engaugements at the museum and around town, you actually missed out on a lot. It was an absolute pleasure to meet him and realize that we have very similar interests. Randy's work is dedicated to teaching the scientific community how to inspire action through narrative and storytelling. I've always believed that people are changed by the stories and experiences of others, not so much data and statistics. He reinvigorated my passion for scientific communication--which is actually what I received my master's in. If you are interested in learning more about how to become a better scientific communicator, I highly suggest picking up Don't be Such a Scientist. Copies are for sale in the museum store.

Another Drawing Through Time Artist

Phoebe and Maija enjoying a laugh at my expense.

I'd like to give a warm welcome to our new addition to the Drawing Through Time team. Phoebe is an Ithaca High School student with tons of artistic talent that she's hoping to share with museum visitors. She will be here on Sundays to run a Drawing Through Time program from 1 pm to 2 pm so stop by and draw with her! And of course, Maija will keep up the good work on Mondays from 2 pm to 3 pm as well. Overall, Drawing Through Time has been a slow going phenomenon but it is catching on. Maija has been getting about four budding artists per program so the word is getting out. I'm hoping to get a bulletin board to display our art in the museum so everyone can enjoy it.

The Sholesonian!

Hey everyone! For those who don't know me, I'm Steven Sholes and I've been working as a Collections Intern since September now. I currently am a junior at Cornell University majoring in astronomy, but as you will see my interests are quite diverse. Over the years I've been collecting a ton of things - coins, minerals, fossils, antiques. But working at the PRI has shown me the ins and outs of collecting and how to properly build up a collection. Everyone loved checking out the various displays in my room, but it was obviously inaccessible to many people; and thus the Sholesonian online museum was born.

I've been using the blog to not only allow other people enjoy in the fascinating specimens I have but also as a tool to educate others on various subjects. The Sholesonian currently has six collections, the Natural History which houses the various bugs, spiders, and shells I've been catching; the Fossil Collection, Geology for my rocks and minerals (and some other goodies), along with the Coin/Stamp, Publications, and History/Culture Collections.

But the fun doesn't stop there. Currently I have been periodically been going back to my old Elementary School to give a Q&A session every year on Astronomy, answering all the third graders' questions. There are also some loose plans going around about setting up some presentations and a small travelling exhibit to teach the kids about the cool stuff around. And as always the blog itself will constantly be updated and improved.

Seeing as you all enjoy the PRI/MotE/CNC I figured I would reblog or post special things up here from the appropriate collections. I also have a lot of experience with the Collections Department here at the PRI so ask any questions you may have about either. You can comment right here on this blog or anywhere on the Sholesonian page, also hit up the Sholesonian Facebook site. If you're really interested you can sign up for the Summer Symposium where I should be giving a short talk on my little online museum.

So let me know! I'll answer you're questions, perhaps delve into the mysterious realm of collections, and if you have any ideas on what I should do don't hesitate to ask.

Drawing Through Time

Every Monday in July, Maija (our amazingly artistic volunteer) has been leading drawing workshops. As you can see, we started with the whale. Yesterday we moved into the Cambrian Theater and drew sea scorpions. I never knew there were different kinds of sea scorpions until yesterday. Sadly, we haven't had a great turn-out for these workshops but I don't think that's going to stop us. I can't even express how much I'm enjoying being a part of this drawing series. Maija has been giving me tips on how to improve my drawing (which seem to be working) and we are learning and discovering interesting things. For example, when we were drawing the whale, we discovered--by looking at several photos and anatomical drawings--that our whale 2030 was assembled a little bit differently than what is anatomically correct. That was probably for ease of assembly and such but it's still an interesting discovery. For example, look at the placement of 2030's shoulder and compare it to the drawings in the book we have in the store. Her shoulder would naturally be much, much lower. And have you ever wondered where her eye and eye socket would be? I never wondered before until I began drawing her. So there's a lot to learn and I encourage you to come draw with us!

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

We live in an unprecedented time of plenty and choice. Most Americans are more worried about overeating than starving. Humans are naturally omnivores- we can eat both plant and animal based foods. Now that we don’t have to worry so much about how we’re going to acquire our food, we have more time to worry about what precisely we are going to eat. Pollan terms this the “omnivore’s dilemma”- if we can eat pretty much anything, what should we eat? He structures his book by tracing the “natural history of four meals” in three chapters, describing the corn industry, conventional and organic farming (two meals in one chapter) and the final meal which he hunts and forages for himself. He doesn’t really seem to have a solution for the omnivore’s dilemma, which upon reflection makes sense. He’s not trying to sell a diet- he’s a journalist. He is legitimately investigating different styles of sustenance and attempting to synthesize a coherent and plausible way of eating. Ultimately he concludes that we should eat with awareness of both the monetary, temporal and ecological costs of our meals.

The text is extremely well-written and engaging. Pollan is aware that his concept is a little hokey and he pokes a bit of fun at himself on several occasions, making his narrative very easy to relate to. He comes at all four of his meal sources with both a healthy amount of skepticism, an open mind and a journalists eye for the details and story behind the different foods he researches. He approaches the task with a sense of adventure, driving a tractor, purchasing his own beef steer, hunts feral pigs and mushrooms and weaves a great story around each episode. His sympathies do seem to lie with the “beyond organic” farmer Joel Salatin, and the pig-hunting, mushroom-gathering Angelo Garro who teaches him the basics of both trades. The corn chapter is downright unsettling, especially its culmination in a McDonald’s meal that can largely trace its origins to corn in both animal feed and food additives.

Now, I’m inclined to agree with the virtues of sustainable farming and responsible hunting and gathering. This book did a lot to confirm my biases. However, I freely admit that I am by no means a farmer and that my practical knowledge of agriculture is limited to my family’s small garden and grape vine. There’s a great review on Amazon that examines the very real problems with this book from a fifth-generation farmer who knows much more about both conventional and organic agriculture than I could ever aspire to learn.

Meet Our New Marketing Manager

Cassie Mundt is excited to be joining the Paleontological Research Institute and its Museum of the Earth.

Her museum marketing experience began in high school at the Johnson County Historical Museum in Shawnee, Kansas and extended to coordinating appearances by David McCullough and President Bill Clinton at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri. She most recently worked in the marketing department at the New York State Historical Association.  Cassie’s interest in museums is wide-spread.  Her professional background, from exhibition consultation to visitor evaluation, reflects her desire to improve the visitor experience in all aspects of the museum, from marketing and education, to exhibitions and programming.

She received an M.A. in History Museum Studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program, State University of New York, College at Oneonta in May. She received a Bachelor’s degree in History and Business Administration, Marketing concentration, with a Spanish minor from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. Cassie has biked across the state of Kansas three times and, after spending last summer working with the Adirondack Museum, she aspires to hike the 46 High Peaks. Born and raised in Overland Park, Kansas, Cassie is looking forward to relocating to New York and joining the PRI team.

Caitlin's Book Corner

Here's Caitlin hard at work on her book review of Dry Storeroom No. 1.

Dry Storeroom  No. 1 The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum by Richard Fortey
(available at the Museum gift shop)

Despite the rather bland title and kitschy jacket, Fortey’s Dry Storeroom No. 1 was anything but dry. The retired ‘trilobite man’ of the British Natural History Museum Richard Fortey takes us on a guided tour of his own ‘personal museum’ of memories of his lengthy tenure at museum. 

Until I started with the Museum of the Earth, I had no idea that most museums are actually prolific research institutions whose public exhibits only make up a small fraction of the organization’s activities. The specimens on display only scratch the surface of the collections tucked away in back for safe keeping and study. As a national natural history museum sponsored by a country that once held an empire on which the sun never set, the Natural History Museum’s collections are plum with the spoils of empire and centuries of careful cataloging. Fortey gleefully opens the drawers of both his own museum of memories and the Museum’s, showcasing wonderful anecdotes from each of the five departments of the Museum. He does make apologies for the questionable origin and development of both collections and staff, while noting that we should not discard these things of immeasurable value even if they were acquired under somewhat dubious circumstances. 

Several themes resonate throughout the chapters. With myriad detailed examples, Fortey demonstrates the importance of cataloging and preserving biodiversity both for human benefit and its inherent value. He is a strong proponent of what some might dismiss as simply ‘stamp collecting’- the systematic classification of organisms. As Fortey emphasizes, we cannot hope to preserve what we are not even aware of. Fortey is also fond of noting the intersection and overlaps of art and science, both within specimens and individuals. The prose of the book itself is a shining example of such intersections. Fortey writes in an incredibly engaging manner and his enthusiasm for his subject matter is contagious. His anecdotes are just as much an exhibit of the colorful characters who toil behind the scenes as they are of the material they work with. 

The concept of committing one’s own interpretation of a museum of a museum to paper might seem rather cumbersome in theory, but Fortey does a marvelous job with his guided tour of his memories. The narrative never collapses under the weight of its complex structure, and never falls into the doldrums of discussing any one topic ad nausea. Overall, it was an absolutely delightful read and suitable for both adults and older children with strong reading skills. I couldn’t recommend it more. 

The First 75 Years: a history of the Paleontological Research Institution by Warren D. Allmon 

 

One of the goals in the design of the Museum of the Earth is to celebrate the inherent connection of the arts and sciences. The connection runs deep and manifests itself even in the very design of our building and exhibts. The building reflects the natural geology of the area- it’s not quite as spectacular as the real gorges, but I’m sure the glaciers appreciate our efforts to duplicate their work. In the deepest part of our valley there’s even a garden to showcase the typical gorge foliage in a readily accessible location. (Did you know that different plants grow on each side of the gorge? Me neither.) 

The concept of the Museum itself is tailored towards one of its best pieces, Barbara Page’s Rock of Ages Sands of Time. The mural spans the history of multicellular life on Earth, beginning with the artist’s handprints at the present, trailing back to the Cambrian Explosion. Altogether it is comprised of 544 11”x11” masonite tiles, each a representation of one million years and features a life sized depiction of an organism from the period against the backdrop painted to reflect the rocks of the era. 

So when a visitor tours the Museum, the journey begins at the present and descends down the ramp as the mural seems to rewind the millennia dropping our traveler off at the Cambrian Explosion. The exhibits then guide the visitor back towards the present, through the Ordovician, Jurassic, Cretaceous and Holocene, ending at the gorge garden.  Not bad for a day trip. 

The best part? (In my opinion…) In a brilliantly meta-architectural move, the entire Museum is underground, its ancient treasures just waiting to be excavated by curious minds. 

(This review was inspired by the book but not necessarily about the book itself...Caitlin's tricky that way.--Jaime).

 

Ithaca Fest 2011

The Motley Crew!

Look at that beautiful peacock!

Maureen's ammonite hat. How cool!

The dunkleosteus!

The dinosaur. (Maija's not really a dinosaur.)

Look at how happy everyone looks dancin' with Cecil & Nutmeg.

Carlyn's teaching Ithaca Fest attendees all about butterflies.

The Metamorphosis of Senorita Anita the Ammonita

There she is. Truly just a shell of herself.

All hands on deck! She's very heavy.

Her body is complete and ready for some spiffing up.

Lookin' good and ready to hit the town!

Prepping up for her Ithaca Festival debut.

Two lovely ladies: Anita and her creative creator, Maija. Thank you Maija for your hard work!

Welcome to your new page!

Feel free to talk amongst yourselves by using the comments section below. I will post any new happenings here. A museum volunteer calendar is up and there is also a calendar for special events happening in the Museum. Some events are purely for your enjoyment and some we need help with so check the notes section of each entry. Also, if you would like permission to write blog posts, email me and I will happily give you the password. This is your space after all. Remember to sign-up to receive email updates.