In the News: Tracing History, from Roman Times to Chernobyl

Fig.1. A radiation warning sign hangs on barbed wire outside a cafe in Pripyat, a city forced to evacuate after the Chernobyl disaster (Credit: D. Markosian, 2011)

Repositories can hold an amazing wealth of information, from genomic data on human evolution to environmental records of political change. Learn about these unique collections and the institutions that hold them in this Follow Friday post:

• These sediment cores link environmental records to changes in the political landscape, from the post-war Communist era to Chernobyl: “Lake Sediment Reveals Political Regime Change Impacts,” BBC News (16 June 2015)

• How do we create and sustain effective collections? Some call for smaller collections that pack more of a punch: “Toward Lean Collections With Greater Impact,” Center for the Future of Museums (16 June 2015)

• Genome repositories are invaluable resources for understanding key genetic and microbial changes in humans. The contents of this new repository stretch back to ancient times: “Data Bank Launched For Global Access To Ancient DNA,” ScienceDaily (17 June 2015)

• Advanced technology allows scientists to mine repository specimens and provide both “big data” and “big sampling” for a better understanding of biodiversity and evolution: “Next-Generation Sampling: Pairing Genomics With Large-Scale Herbarium Sampling,” EurekAlert! (16 June 2015)

• A biobank in Barcelona holds the most extensive collection to date of ancient human DNA. Researchers involved hope to study the evolution of disease and genetic diversity from centuries ago: “Barcelona Opens The First Ancient DNA Biobank, Which Begins In Roman Times,” News Directory (16 June 2015)