In the News: Museums in Danger

Fig.1. The National Museum of Natural History's Entomology Department houses over 35 million specimens and offers a necessary tool for researchers (Credit: Chip Clark, Smithsonian NMNH)

Natural history collections are valued resources for conservation and research efforts, but they are turning into endangered species themselves. For this week's #FollowFriday, read about the future of natural history museums, an emerging respiratory disease, climate change problems, and more.

• This cold collection offers endangered species a chance at survival: “Survival For Some Endangered Species Hinges On ‘Frozen Zoo,’” Washington Post (17 February 2015)

• Natural history museums contain a record of life on earth, but they are quickly becoming things of the past: “Museums: The Endangered Dead,” Nature (18 February 2015)

• The respiratory illness MERS has appeared once again in the Arabian Peninsula. Efforts to mitigate the outbreak prove just how important international collaboration is to addressing this emerging disease. “Middle East Mystery Disease Triggers Early Resurgence,” Scientific American (19 February 2015) 

• Extreme temperatures due to environmental change put food security at risk: “Climate Change May Dramatically Reduce Wheat Production, Study Shows,” ScienceDaily (19 February 2015)

• Yet another species was discovered hiding among museum collections. This new marine reptile takes the name Ichthyosaurus anningae, after a famous British fossil-hunter: “Forgotten Fossil Found To Be New Species Of Ichthyosaur,” BBC News (18 February 2015)