In the News: Bells and Bones

Fig.1. The Campanile (Sather Tower) at the University of California, Berkeley isn't just a home for bells, but for fossilized bones as well (Credit: Tristan Harward, 2006)

This week in #FollowFriday, we learned that some fossils are kept in clock towers, the process behind zoo acquisitions, and that national parks were not originally meant for scientific study. Read these stories and more to go behind-the-scenes with collections and repositories:

• How do zoos acquire their living collections? Institution type, animal genetics, government involvement, and FedEx all play a role in this complicated process: “How Zoos Acquire Endangered Species,” Scientific American (30 March 2015)

• This gene bank provides a wealth of data which can pinpoint mutations that cause common diseases and offers an unprecedented view of Icelandic genes: “In Iceland’s DNA, New Clues To Disease-Causing Genes,” New York Times (25 March 2015)

• Some fossils make their home in museums and some -although not many- are stored in bell towers: “Fossil Collection Calls Berkeley’s Clock Tower Home,” NPR (19 March 2015)

• Seed repositories may be the saving grace for the world’s poor, many of whom will suffer as their crops fail to grow in a warmer climate: “30 Heat-Tolerant Beans Identified, Poised To Endure Warming World,” Scientific American (24 March 2015)

• These “living laboratories” were never meant for scientific study, but are now unique and natural settings in which to research climate change, biodiversity, and conservation: “National Parks Act As Living Laboratories,” National Geographic (28 March 2015)