In the News: Living and Hidden Collections

Fig.1. A “micropropagation” system at the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive creates a foundation for sustaining redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forests such as this one (Credit: Allie Caulfield, 2012)

Scientific collections often show up in surprising forms and reveal unusual secrets. Read about a living collection, a hidden collection, a jewelry collection, and more in this week’s #FollowFriday:

• Most living collections are zoos or botanical gardens, but this “living archive” is a very different operation with a similar mission: “Ancient Trees Sprout New Life,” Scientific American (11 March 2015)

• Tracking a disease over decades yields lessons in microbiology, epidemiology, and the power of chance: “Two Strains Of H.I.V. Cut Vastly Different Paths,” New York Times (02 March 2015)

• What do you have in your coin collection? This UB faculty member uncovered 2,500-year-old coins in his library's collection: “For 80 Years, Ancient Gold Treasure Rested Undisturbed In UB Library,” University at Buffalo News Center (11 March 2015)

• In another study arguing the start date of the Anthropocene, these scientist examine a ‘world-changing event’ which could signal redistribution of plants and animals around the world: “Mass Deaths In Americas Start New CO2 Epoch,” Scientific American (11 March 2015)

• A curator at the Croatian Natural History Museum in Zagreb made this amazing find which adds to our understanding of Neanderthal culture: “Neanderthals Wore Eagle Talons As Jewellery,” Nature (11 March 2015)

• The global chocolate industry utilizes the International Cocoa Quarantine Centre to ensure sharing of their living specimens includes only the cocoa plant and not unwanted diseases or pests: “The Fate Of The World’s Chocolate Depends On This Spot In Rural England,” NPR (15 March 2015)