The Botanist and the Digital Age

Fig.1. George Washington Carver
(Credit: Frances Benjamin Johnston, 1906)

Last week, 25 specimens of fungi collected by the famed botanist and inventor George Washington Carver were discovered in the Wisconsin State Herbarium at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Born into slavery around 1864, Carver became one of the most prominent African-American scientists and is now well known for his research with peanuts, sweet potatoes, and soybeans.

In the News: Beautiful Biodiversity

Fig.1. Psychrolutes marcidus, otherwise known as the blobfish
 (Credit: Kinskarije via Flickr)

The blobfish, seductive monkeys, and sea snakes are only some of the unusual museum specimens in the news this week. Read to learn about how to catalog and protect these amazing (if not quite beautiful) animals:

Smallpox, now online!

Fig.1. Transmission electron micrograph depicts smallpox virus virions (Mag. 370,000x). Credit: Dr. F. Murphy and S. Whitfield, CDC-PHIL #1849.

In 1979, the World Health Assembly declared the world free from smallpox. This virulent disease killed about 300 million people in the 20th century alone and reached all corners of the Earth. Decisive multilateral and bilateral efforts to eradicate the disease officially began in 1966 and ended with the last naturally occurring case in Somalia in 1977. A recent New York Times opinion piece, however, argued that the smallpox could return with a vengeance.