NPS celebrates a century

Fig.1. Historic photos from through the years. (Credit: National Parks Service)

Today, the National Parks Service celebrates 100 years. Beyond free admission to all 400-plus parks across the country from today until Aug. 28, there are a bevy of other facts you might not have known about the scientific endeavors of NPS, its parks and their admirers.

Monday Morning Coffee Break: March 28

(Credit: Andrew Warren) 

#newspecies #collections #climatechange #Oeneistanana

Monday Morning Coffee Break: Nov. 23

(Credit: John Baker, Oxford) 

#naturalhistory #collections #nathist #naturalhistorycollections #specimens #misidentification

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:

In the News: Museum Closure

Fig.1. The Illinois State Museum is closed to the public
 (Credit: Mike Linksvayer via Flickr)

The closure of a top natural history museum, a withdrawal from the ‘doomsday’ vault, and the arrival of a huge dinosaur skeleton herald major changes underway for these top research institutions and museums around the world:

Monday Morning Coffee Break: Aug. 10

(Credit: University of Wollongong) 

#discovery #naturalhistory #pearl #prehistoric #archaeology

Monday Morning Coffee Break: July 13

(Credit: University of Aberdeen

) 

#rarespecimen #discovery #collections #scientificcollections #newspecies

In the News: Life and Times of a Museum Specimen

Fig.1. Cast of Uintatherium anceps (Leidy, 1872) - syn. Dinoceras mirabile (Marsh 1872) skull, neck vertebrae at the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle of Paris. This animal was part of the infamous Bone Wars in the late 19th century (Credit: Jebulon, 2010)

Specimens, collections, and the museums that house them have historical and cultural connections which stretch beyond their scientific value. Learn more about art from specimens, making a career out of ice cores, Albert Einstein’s brain, and more: