Tag: natural history
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National Geographic: New Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi features two fighting T. rexes
National Geographic has a story about the new Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, which opened on November 22nd, 2025. The videos for the story are stunning. It huge with not one, but four sauropods on display. They have two T-rexes, which are displayed fighting. The museum also documents the natural history of the region and…
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Throwback Thursday #257: RIP Richard Fortey
This is Throwback Thursday #257. In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general. If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc …), please send them to esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks! email:esconi.info@gmail.com. I was saddened to learn of the passing of Richard Fortey last week. He was a towering…
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Grand Opening of the Cambridge Natural History Museum
Cambridge Illinois has a new museum… the Cambridge Natural History Museum. It opened up August 10th, 2024 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Cambridge Natural History Museum will hold a grand opening celebration Saturday, August 10th, 2024 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Located at 132 W Center Street, Cambridge, IL, the museum will showcase…
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1.1 Billion Objects and Counting: Inside the Effort to Tally Natural History Specimens Around the Globe
Smithsonian Magazine has an interesting article about the effort to count the world’s museum collections. With more than 148 million specimens and objects ranging from pocket-sized shrews and glimmering crystals to petrified tree trunks and giant squid, the National Museum of Natural History holds a sprawling account of how Earth has changed over the past 4.5 billion…
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PBS Eons: Our Ancient Relative That Said ‘No Thanks’ to Life on Land
PBS Eons has a new episode on Youtube. This one is about a particular tetrapod that seems to have returned to the ocean after venturing onto land. Around the time that some of our fishapod relatives were crawling out of the water, others were turning around and diving right back in.
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See Inside the American Museum of Natural History’s New Hall of Gems
Artnet has a story about a the AMNH’s new Hall of Gems. The new hall has been dedicated to “Nature’s Art”. The Artnet article is interesting with both pictures and descriptions. If you’re in NY, don’t miss this new exhibit. Four years ago, the Halls of Gems and Minerals at New York’s American Museum of Natural History closed for long-overdue renovations. The…
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AMNH: Sir David Attenborough on Museum Collections – 360
The American Museum of Natural History has a video on Natural History collections. It’s narrated by Sir David Attenborough. You may know the American Museum of Natural History’s exhibits, but only a tiny portion of our world-class collection is on view. Go behind the scenes in 360 with Sir David Attenborough as he explains…
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Roy Plotnick: Looking back, looking forward: Chicago and the Anthropocene
Our friend, Roy Plotnick has a new article over on Medium. This one is a summary of the changes to the natural geology of Chicago from the last ice age about 20,000 years ago until the present. As always, it’s a good read! About 20,000 years ago, where I am sitting in Chicago was covered…
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Teenage T. Rex Fossils Reveal Haphazard Growth Spurts
Smithsonian Magazine has an article about teenage T. rex fossils. The article discusses a recent paper that appeared in Science Advances. That paper readdresses the two sleek, and slender tyrannosaurs, nicknamed Jane and Petey, at the Burpee Museum of Natural History in Rockford, Illinois and concludes that the two specimens are juvenile T. rexes, not…
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Roy Plotnick: Who knows where the time flows?
Roy Plotnick has a new post over on Medium. The topic is clear representation of data. Whether the topic is geology, chemistry, physics, or economics, it’s important to present data clearly and during a presentation or paper to describe it for all to understand. When I was a graduate student, my fellow student Anne Raymond…
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Roy Plotnick: I’m not lying
Roy Plotnick has yet another insightful blog post over on Medium. Take his advice, get out and experience nature first hand! I began teaching physical geology in Fall 1982. Like all other instructors of this type of course, I would discuss a wide variety of landforms and show textbook provided slides (you know, pieces of…
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ScienceMag: Countries demand their fossils back, forcing natural history museums to confront their past
Science Magazine has a story about natural history museums having to re-assess how fossils were obtained in the past. Back during the colonial period, expeditions were launch to the vast corners of the world and many valuable specimens were brought back to Europe. Now, the countries that currently occupy those corners are asking for their…
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The American Museum of Natural History Is Turning 150!
The American Museum of Natural History is turning 150 years old this year! All the details are here. Special Events for 2019 Discover the stories behind your favorite exhibits (more added each month!) Signup for their newsletter.
