Meet the Gilded Lady 2 Mummies Now Open

Home , Fossil, Mummy (undead), Paraceratherium, The Mummy (franchise)

Member Magazine Spring 2017 Vol. 42 No. 2

Mummies meet the gilded lady 2 mummies now open

Seeing Inside

Today, computerized inside of mummies, revealing CT scans of the Gilded Lady tomography (CT) scanning details about the person’s reveal that she was probably offers researchers glimpses age, appearance, and health. in her forties. They also suggest of mummified individuals “Scans like these are noninvasive, that she may have suffered like never before. By combining they’re repeatable, and they from tuberculosis, a common thousands of cross-sectioned can be done without damaging disease at the time. x-ray images, CT scans let the history that we’re trying researchers examine the to understand,” Thomas says.

Mummy #30007, known as the Gilded Lady, is one of the most beautifully preserved mummies from The Field Museum’s collection, and one of 19 now on view in the special exhibition Mummies. For decades, keeping mummies like this one well preserved also meant severely limiting the ability of researchers to study them. The result is that little was known about the Gilded Lady beyond what could be gleaned from the mummy’s exterior, with its intricate linen bindings, gilded headdress, and painted facial features. Exterior details do offer some clues. The mummy dates from 30 BC–AD 395, a period when Egypt was a province of the Roman Empire. While the practice of mummification endured in Egypt, it was being transformed by Roman influences. Before the Roman era, for example, mummies had been placed in wooden coffins, while the Gilded Lady is preserved in only linen wrappings and cartonnage, a papier mâché-like material. Also absent are the hieroglyphics that decorated mummy coffins in earlier times. Other traditions surrounding the afterlife persisted, as demonstrated by the Gilded Lady’s intricately painted

headdress. Ancient Egyptians believed that in the afterlife, the dead would still require their eyesight, hearing, taste, and smell—and that these senses could be preserved by a mask.

Scientists have long been eager to examine mummies without risking damage to their fragile contents.

The Gilded Lady’s body case does not reveal much about the woman inside, though. Scientists have long been eager to examine mummies without risking damage to their fragile contents. The first x-rays of a mummy were taken in 1896, just a year after the technology was first developed, points out Museum Curator David Hurst Thomas, who is overseeing

Rotunda / Spring 2017 / AMNH.org 4 mummies now open

Face to Face

Using the CT scans of the Gilded the actual mummy in any way. known as Lucy. Daynès Lady, scientists from The Field The research team then used the detailed skull Museum generated a virtual collaborated with Élisabeth model, CT scans, and forensic reconstruction of the skull, then Daynès, an award-winning research to create this portrait: worked with 3D-printing specialists sculptor noted for hyper-realistic an artist’s interpretation of to create an exact physical replica re-creations of fossil hominids what the Gilded Lady may of it without opening or disturbing including the Australopithecus have looked like in life.

Revealing Details

Amazingly, CT scans can also what she looked like in life: how ancient Egyptians preserved provide details about an on her scalp, you can see their dead. In the image above, for individual’s appearance. The traces of curly hair. instance, the white lumps under Gilded Lady, it turns out, had CT scans can also tell us about the Gilded Lady’s chin and at the a slight overbite, as seen in the more than just an individual back of her skull are thought to be scan above. Another scan, below, mummy. The technology helps lumps of resin, likely inserted to provides one more hint about scientists glean new insights into improve the mummy’s odor.

See the Gilded Lady and other mummies that have been recently revealed using state-of-the-art imaging techniques in Mummies, open now and free for Members.

Mummies was developed by The Field Museum, Chicago.

The Museum gratefully acknowledges the Richard and Karen LeFrak Exhibition and Education Fund.

Mummies is proudly supported by

Chase Private Client. Paris Daynès Élisabeth Daynès–Reconstruction É. Photo: 2012. © Nelson, EPA/M. ©

Rotunda / Spring 2017 / AMNH.org 6 News at the Museum 7

From the “A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, variety of after-school offerings for high schoolers, Citizen Science Project Seeks Planet Hunters full of wonder and excitement,” wrote Rachel and even undertake an intensive, mentored research President Carson. These are the building blocks of science, project with a Museum scientist as a high school and all children are natural-born scientists. At the or college student—not to mention our Ph.D. and Ellen V. Futter Museum, we want every child to keep that wonder MAT programs through the Richard Gilder Graduate and excitement for science and nature—and we’d School, as well as many exciting programs for adults. like some of you adults to renew them as well! Of course, you need not aspire to be a scientist For this reason, the Museum has a continuum to benefit from our broad array of opportunities. of programs encompassing the lifespan, beginning And that’s because we want all children with our youngest visitors. Early science exposure and, indeed, all adults to appreciate science and lays the groundwork for future achievement scientific thinking so they may better understand in science while helping develop language and the world around us and participate thoughtfully motor skills, cognition, and social interaction. The in our science-based and technology-driven century. Museum’s early-childhood programs invite our At a time when we are faced with environmental youngest visitors and their caretakers to observe threats, climate change, emerging disease, and so the world, act like scientists, and learn together. many other challenges, the Museum empowers A student may then continue through elementary people to make decisions based on evidence and school with us, participate in our Urban Advantage knowledge, and to live in the natural world, guided middle school science initiative, choose from a by an ever-fresh sense of wonder and excitement.

Table of Contents Mummies, Unwrapped 2 An artist’s rendition of NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) telescope, which took the photos volunteers are now using to search for a ninth planet in our solar system. News 7 8 10 Thanks to modern technology, we’re all astronomers now. At least, that’s what Programs for Planet Hunters Close-Up 8 researchers at NASA, the Museum, and other institutions are hoping to prove with the February launch of Backyard Worlds: Planet 9, a project that lets citizen Hone your star-gazing skills at the Birding for Beginners 10 scientists to contribute to the search for an undiscovered planet. upcoming Astronomy Live programs “It’s hard to believe, but our solar neighborhood is still unexplored in the Hayden Planetarium. Next 12 territory,” said Jackie Faherty, a senior scientist in the Museum’s Department of Being Earth-bound got you down? On April 25, Astrophysics and a co-founder of the project. “There are cold worlds hiding just explore Exotic Skies with Irene Pease and Brian Dive in, in Discovery Room 18 a short distance from the Sun, and Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 is a platform for Abbott, who will be showing views of the night bringing citizen scientists into the search party.” sky from other vantage points in the universe. Time Capsule 20 That search party is looking for a ninth planet in our solar system—one that On May 23, Jackie Faherty and Ted Williams could be up to 15 times the size of the Earth, and up to 1,500 times as far from will delve into the Unsolved Mysteries of the 18 20 the Sun. No one has ever observed this potential planet directly, says Faherty, Universe—including why Earth is the only but scientists think they’ve seen evidence of its existence in the motions of Kuiper habitable planet in our solar system. Belt objects, which are distant, icy bodies similar to Pluto. Get the “space weather” report from Carter Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 allows anyone with an internet connection and a Emmart on June 27 with a closer look at the computer to explore the cosmos courtesy of images obtained by NASA’s Wide-field Earth-Sun Connection and the daily barrage Infrared Survey Explorer telescope (WISE). In just the first week, the project of solar wind flowing toward our planet. drew 24,000 volunteers from around the globe, who view millions of “flipbooks,” brief animations showing how small patches of the sky changed over several See listings on pages 13, 15, and 16 for more details years, and try to spot objects that seem to be moving. American Museum of Natural History ISSN 0194-6110 and ticket information. Chairman Lewis W. Bernard USPS Permit #472-650 While parts of this search can be done by computers, machines are often President Ellen V. Futter Vol. 42 , No. 2, Spring 2017 overwhelmed by image artifacts, especially in crowded parts of the sky. This Vice President of Development and Membership Laura Lacchia Rose Rotunda is published quarterly by the Membership Office of the American visual “noise” includes spikes associated with star images and blurs caused Director of Membership Louise Adler Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY by light scattered inside WISE’s instruments. Human eyes, on the other hand, 10024-5192. Phone: 212-769-5606. Website: amnh.org. Museum membership easily recognize important moving objects. Magazine of $75 per year and higher includes a subscription to Rotunda. © 2017 In addition to a potential Planet 9, Backyard Worlds discoveries may include brown Editorial Director Eugenia Levenson American Museum of Natural History. Periodical postage paid at New York, NY dwarfs—objects larger than Jupiter but smaller than stars—and “rogue worlds”—giant Editor Ian Chant and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: please send address changes Production Manager Monica Harris to Rotunda, Membership Office, AMNH, at the above address. planets without a parent star that are hurtling untethered through the cosmos. Contributors Joan Kelly Bernard, Jill Hamilton, Eliza McCarthy, Karen Miller, Elena Sansalone Please send questions, ideas, and feedback to [email protected]. What will you discover in the WISE telescope photos? Start exploring at

Design Hinterland, www.hinterlandstudio.com Clockwise from top left: © AMNH/D. Finnin, AMNH/M. Shanley, University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology, AMNH/R. Mickens, M. Miyares Hollands © NASA, © AMNH/D. Finnin www.backyardworlds.org.

Rotunda / Spring 2017 / AMNH.org 8 Close-Up at the Museum 9

Artists Without Borders Since reforms were enacted in the 1990s, it has Made in Cuba become easier for Cuban artists to work outside of their home nation, with more international In the special exhibition ¡Cuba!, you can see re-creations of lush wetlands recognition and opportunities. “Today’s art and dazzling coral reefs, but these aren’t the only vibrant colors and striking environment looks very encouraging given the visuals on view. One of the closing sections of this bilingual exhibition features diversity of aesthetics flourishing in and out a gallery of contemporary posters from some of the island nation’s most of traditional venues. Events and exhibitions compelling artists and graphic designers. stand out with the public and critics, locally Posters, often promoting government programs and state-sponsored events, and internationally,” says Hollands. have a long history as one of Cuba’s most iconic art forms. They remain a popular medium for many designers today. “A poster puts your creativity and cunning Posters, Plus to the test and challenges you to say something using just a few elements,” says While the gallery features dozens of posters from designer Michele Miyares Hollands, an acclaimed Cuban poster artist whose Imagine This noted graphic designers, visitors can discover work is featured in the exhibition and who created the Cuban anole artwork for Edmontosaurus lived in the Late Cretaceous period, the breadth of Cuban art in other media as well, the exhibition’s advertising campaign. about 65 million years ago. But visitors can see thanks to a pair of interactive touch tables that The original posters on view in the exhibition were made by silk-screening, what it may have looked like in a 1990 illustration project selected works of art onto the walls. Each a labor-intensive printing process in which individual colors are applied in by John D. Dawson in its case. It can also be seen in a features profiles of Cuban artists working around separate steps, eventually resulting in a multilayered work where each print nearby 1908 oil painting of Anatotitan, which is now the world, from painters and photographers to is truly one of a kind. Among the works displayed are posters from the Pensamos thought to be the same species as Edmontosaurus. sculptors and performance artists. Cuba series, a government-sponsored collection of posters and prints in which artists share their thoughts and feelings on everyday life in Cuba. Thrill of Discovery Public, Private “Cuban art … offers a wide panorama of languages, themes, and modes of This fossil of Edmontosaurus was collected in While most of the posters on display in ¡Cuba! expression linked to the diversity of Cuban thought today,” says Hollands. “It channels 1908 in the Edmonton Formation in Niobrara were commissioned by state-run cultural much of the daily life of the people, acting as a strong critic on important issues.” County, Wyoming, by Charles H. Sternberg institutions, posters advertising private The poster by Hollands on this page features an image of Celia Cruz, the (1850–1943). In his autobiography, Life of a Fossil enterprises are increasingly common. “Queen of Salsa” and a Cuban exile. Unable to return home after the AMNH FARB 5060 Hunter, he wrote that it was “the most complete 1959 revolution, Cruz and her husband Pedro Knight settled in the United skeleton of an extinct animal I have ever seen, On Pointe States, where Cruz continued to have an outsized impact on the music after 40 years of experience as a collector” and In addition to visual arts and music, Cuba is world, winning multiple Grammys over a decades-long career. Ancient Traces called it “the crowning specimen of my life’s work.” known for its rich tradition of dance, including a legacy of producing world-class ballet dancers. ¡Cuba! is now on view and free for Members. Despite its nickname, the Museum’s famous dinosaur “mummy”—the Striking Pose Learn screen duck-billed dinosaur Edmontosaurus annectens on display in the Hall of A country-wide system of tuition-free schools printing at Edmontosaurus is mounted as it was found, lying on helps Cuban ballet companies find and nurture the Museum. Ornithischian Dinosaurs—has long been thought to be a fossil with a rare its back with its knees drawn up and its head and talented dancers from a young age. See p. 12 imprint of skin. But recent research suggests there may be more to the story. neck twisted backward, a common posture for dead This distinctive hadrosaur specimen does include an impression of dinosaurs. Scientists debate whether this position mummified, or dried-out, skin, giving paleontologists a glimpse of ancient reflects the animal’s choking to death or was tissue that rarely survives. The imprint, which was made in the sand and caused by tendons shrinking back postmortem. mud in which the animal was buried, later became petrified, creating a fossil—and, perhaps, preserving something else. Sealed Forever “It’s an inference, but a good one, that a fossilized remnant of the actual If an animal dies in an environment that lacks skin of our mummy may be preserved,” says Daniel Barta, a doctoral candidate oxygen—like the bottom of a lake or riverbed— in comparative biology at the Museum’s Richard Gilder Graduate School, most microbes involved in decomposition can’t citing a 2009 biochemical analysis of a similar specimen published in the survive. Natural embalming can also result journal Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B. from being trapped in amber or a sticky A 2015 paper by some of the same researchers found that the skin of substance—like California’s La Brea tar hadrosaurs may have been well suited to mummification because it contained pits—or under certain chemical conditions, pigmented molecules that broke down after death, releasing a substance such as in the peat bogs of Europe where that killed microbes involved in decomposition. Another complete hadrosaur human bodies were famously preserved. specimen on view, Corythosaurus, also has large areas of skin impressions— and, potentially, fossilized skin. Hot and Cold The presence of skin and even its impressions are rare and exciting finds, Animals found in Siberia, Alaska, and other cold offering invaluable information about how the dinosaurs’ skin patterns regions were likely mummified when buried by compare to living reptiles and how they looked in life. massive dust storms kicked up by glaciers moving “People are so used to seeing only bones and teeth,” says Barta. “They forget over land. Natural mummies also can be created by dinosaurs were covered in all the same soft tissue that living animals are.” desiccation in extreme dry heat, as in the American Southwest—or in the Egyptian and Peruvian To see human-made mummies, visit the Mummies exhibition, now on view deserts, where archaeologists think such accidental

Rotunda / Spring 2017 / AMNH.org 10 11 birding for beginners

join us in may See the calendar listing on p. 14.

ew York City kids are more likely to recognize in which birds are most accessible to a child’s eye. “By design, of species in Central Park, which Burg describes as “an oasis a glimpse of Red-winged Blackbirds among the reeds. the sound of the city bus than the tune of a bird song. But Noah we focus on birds that are low down, easy for kids to see,” he says. of green, an island within a sea of inhospitable territory, where Burg encourages his birders to learn to distinguish bird Burg, who leads the Museum’s seasonal family bird walks for The first habitat? The sidewalk! part of the excitement is you never know what you’ll see.” songs using free resources online, including the website Members, is working to change that, one nascent birder at a time. “We start birding as soon as we walk out of the building,” In spring on the open lawn, there could be White-throated of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. He even plays some calls Family bird walks begin indoors with a primer on says Burg, noting that the most common urban birds are Sparrows, American Robins, and Common Grackles. Near before the group heads outdoors—but never uses them during identifying birds and an opportunity to practice using non-native, introduced species. Taken out of their native a mix of woods, stream, and pond, Mourning Doves might the walks. (Playing recorded birdsong outdoors is generally binoculars to observe 100-year-old taxidermy specimens habitats, pigeons traded the cliffs of India for tall buildings; be seen feeding in the less dense forest and other birds—Gray frowned upon by birders, as it tends to unnerve territorial from the Museum’s Ornithology Collection. Binoculars are starlings and sparrows, the natural cavities found in Europe Catbirds, Blue Jays, Cardinals—are likely to come down from birds from various species who interpret the song as a threat provided, as is a field guide for beginning birders. (You can for roof eaves in New York. “This is a city of immigrants, the tree canopy for a drink of water. to their space or a potential suitor.) With an introduction to download a version from the Museum’s Center for Biodiversity and this applies to some of our most iconic city birds as At Central Park Lake, where people rent boats, you’ll get some of the best birding places in Central Park made, and tips and Conservation at http://bit.ly/2hPn8Q4.) well,” Burg says. “These birds were brought to New York hardier birds, ones more accustomed to humans, like Mallards, for beginning birders imparted, Burg, his charges, and their Then, just as Steven Spielberg angled his cameras in ET by humans—they didn’t make the journey on their own. Double-crested Cormorants, and Canada Geese. Near the parents head out of the park. to see the world from a child’s perspective, Burg, who is working They are well suited to living where people are.” quieter Turtle Pond, novice birders can look for wading birds “We don’t go very far,” says Burg. “Our goal is to make

toward a Ph.D. degree in biology, leads the group through habitats Next, Burg leads the group in search of a greater diversity © AMNH/M. Shanley, iStock/WGCPhotography like the Great Egret and Black-crowned Night Heron or catch the walk fun and accessible to the kids.”

Rotunda / Spring 2017 / AMNH.org 12 Next at the Museum 13

April Programs and Exhibits Morning Bird Walks Behind the Scenes Tour: Baby Animal Encounters Milstein Science Series Science Throwdown: Earth Day Celebration Celebrate Pacific in Central Park Entomology Saturday, April 8 Immersive Dome Experience: Sea vs. Space Friday, April 21 For more programs and Northwest Cultures Tuesdays–Fridays; Tuesday, April 4 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm The Jelly Dome Thursday, April 13 8 pm to purchase tickets, First Saturdays, April–May 2017 April 4–May 26 6:30, 7, and 7:30 pm $15 per person Monday, April 10–Friday, May 26 7 pm Free visit amnh.org/calendar. Noon–4 pm $85 (hour-long tours) Spring is the season for new Museum hours* $20 Registration required, For updates and reminders, Hall of Northwest Coast Indians Observe the exciting spring $30 per person discovery, and the beginning Milstein Hall of Ocean Life Into the deep or over the Moon— call 212-769-5222 sign up for monthly Calendar Free migration of birds in Central Get a rare, Members-only of new life for creatures around Free which is more important, Celebrate Earth Day in the Highlights for Members by Experience the iconic Hall Park with ornithologists Paul glimpse behind the scenes the world. Meet some of nature’s Jellies astound scientists with intriguing, and inspiring? planetarium! Observing the sending your membership of Northwest Coast Indians Sweet (Tuesdays, 7 am, and and explore one of the world’s wildest and cutest youngsters, their unique capacity to pulse Explore the merits of sea versus Earth from space provides number and request to subscribe through activities guided by Fridays, 9 am) and Joseph largest and most spectacular and learn how they grow and through the sea, regenerate, space across a range of judging a window on the unique and to [email protected]. The Museum volunteers. Enjoy the DiCostanzo (Wednesdays collections of invertebrates. learn to adapt to their unique and even glow. Dive into the categories with seafaring fragile beauty of our home Museum does not trade, rent, interactive Digital Totem and and Thursdays, 7 am). Learn Take a guided tour through this habitats. Zoologist and TV host world of jellies and experience siblings Fabien and Celine planet. Earth is both driven or sell this information. tour the hall with educators how to use field marks, massive collection of insects, Jarod Miller will introduce you a day in the life of these Cousteau and twin astronauts by nature and profoundly from the Haida Gwaii Museum song, habitat, and behavior arachnids, and more with to a diverse group of babies, astonishing animals. Scott and Mark Kelly. This altered by humans. Director Tickets via a telepresence robot. to identify birds including Museum scientists to learn large and small, from across tongue-in-cheek “debate” pits of Astrovisualization Carter warblers, thrushes, tanagers, about the diversity, biology, the animal kingdom. * Milstein Hall of Ocean Life these explorers against each Emmart guides you through Tickets are available by phone and orioles as they pass and behaviors of striking hours are subject to change. other, and you decide who wins. an immersive story of our at 212-769-5200, Monday–Friday, Cuban Screen Printing Drop-in through Central Park en route animals from around the world. beautiful planet. 9 am–5 pm, or by visiting amnh.org. Saturday, April 1 and Sunday, April 2 to their summer homes. Milstein Science Series: Please have your membership Room 319, third floor This tour is appropriate for Amazing Amazon Our Path to a New Home Stem Cell Science number ready. Museum hours ages 10 and up. Children must Sunday, April 9 in the Planets 5-Part Course Availability may be limited. Free Lunchtime Bird Walks be accompanied by an adult. 11 am–4 pm Monday, April 10 Five Thursdays, Please purchase tickets in advance. In conjunction with the in Central Park Milstein Hall of Ocean Life 7:30 pm April 20–May 18 Please be aware that ticket Museum’s exhibition ¡Cuba!, Session 1: Tuesdays, Free $12 6–8 pm sales are final for all Member renowned Cuban poster April 4–April 25 SciCafe: The Amazon is the most Planetary scientist Amanda $240 programs. All programs go artist Raul “Raupa” Valdes Noon–1:30 pm Stress and Human Evolution powerful river in the world, Hendrix and science writer 18+ ahead rain or shine. There are demonstrates the art of screen $50 Wednesday, April 5 and its rapid transformation Charles Wohlforth highlight the What are stem cells, and no refunds unless the program printing. Learn about the Join ornithologist Paul Sweet 7 pm has the potential to change developments and initiatives what promise do they hold is canceled by the Museum. tradition of poster art in Cuba on walks through Central Park Free for 21+ with ID the global climate. Pouring that have transformed the for the treatment of diseases? Exotic Skies Please check amnh.org for and create a piece to take home. during spring migration. Learn How do trauma, poverty, and into the Atlantic Ocean, the dream of space colonization Delve into the biology of stem Tuesday, April 25 Member ticket prices for live- how to identify the varied bird racial discrimination influence great river flows through into something that could cells, discover new research 7 pm animal exhibits and giant-screen Note: All experience levels are species that pass through New our health? What about our the world’s largest tropical become reality. The two discuss techniques, and discuss $12 2D and 3D films. welcome. Materials provided. York City using field marks, evolutionary history causes rain forest, one of the most groundbreaking research and ethical concerns. Learn about Earth is our window to the Information about programs behavior, and song. our bodies to respond in this biodiversity-rich places on make the case that Saturn’s current stem cell therapies, the cosmos, but did you ever is current as of March 1, 2017. way? Anthropologist Zaneta the planet. Meet live animals, moon Titan offers the most challenges ahead, and potential wonder about the view from Please check amnh.org/calendar Thayer explores the biological try hands-on activities, realistic prospect for life future treatments. Meet stem other places in the universe? for updates. mechanisms through which and experience dynamic without support from Earth. cell experts presenting research Irene Pease and Brian Abbott early-life stress influences performances in this family- at the frontiers of the field and take you to some of the most biology and health later on. friendly science festival. observe live stem cells under exotic places in our galaxy the microscope. and beyond.

Exhibitions ¡Cuba! Countdown to Zero The Butterfly Conservatory Admission is by timed entry only. Free for Members Free for Members closes 5/29 Housed in a vivarium that closes 5/29 Explore the extraordinary Developed in collaboration approximates their natural habitat Mummies biodiversity across the island’s with The Carter Center, with live flowering plants, species in Free for Members remote forests, mysterious Countdown to Zero focuses this ever-popular exhibition include Discover when, how, and why caves, expansive wetlands, and on the scientific innovations iridescent blue morpho butterflies, ancient Egyptians and Peruvians dazzling reefs, as well as its that are ridding the world of striking scarlet swallowtails, and were mummified and find out who culture, its people, and its history. ancient afflictions, including the large owl butterflies. they were in life. This show features 30-year campaign that may soon an up-close look at rarely exhibited eradicate Guinea worm disease. mummies as well as interactive touch tables, rare artifacts, and cutting-edge imaging.

Rotunda / Spring 2017 / AMNH.org 14 Next at the Museum 15

May June Sackler Brain Brunch Hall Tour: Lizards and Snakes Family Bird Walks New Science, New Solutions: SciCafe: Exercise Your Brain The Science of Sleep Lunchtime Bird Walks Saturday, May 6 Sunday, May 7 Preparing for the Next Hall Tour: Hidden Stories Wednesday, June 7 and Memory in Central Park 10:30 am, 1:30 pm 10:30 am, 1:30 pm, and 4 pm Pandemic Saturday, June 3 7 pm Saturday, April 29 Session 2: Four Tuesdays, Free $20 per person Thursday, May 18 10:30 am Free for 21+ with ID 11 am–2 pm May 2–23 Registration required; Young explorers will learn 7 pm Free Did you know that physical Brunch included Noon–1:30 pm call 212-769-5200 observational skills, then $12 Registration required; aerobic exercise and $85 $50 Join a Museum tour guide head out to Central Park with Pandemics represent a call 212-769-5200 meditation can actually change 18+ Join ornithologist Paul Sweet to explore exhibits in the Museum naturalist Noah Burg significant threat to public Join a tour guide to learn the anatomy, physiology, and Wake up your mind with on walks through Central Park Halls of Vertebrate Origins, to identify bird species and health and security. How is how the Museum acquired function of our brains? Join our first-ever Brain Brunch! during spring migration. Learn Reptiles and Amphibians, habitats. Binoculars and bird science helping us understand some of its rarest and most neuroscientist Wendy A. Suzuki Eat, drink, and learn about how to identify the varied bird Biodiversity, and more. Learn guides are included. and fight infectious disease? beloved treasures. Travel for an interactive discussion the enigmatic and important species that pass through New about the evolution of lizards Deep Life: The Hunt for Whether tracking the effect back in time and journey about how the brain changes function of sleep. How does York City using field marks, and snakes in the fossil record, Recommended for families Hidden Biology of Earth, of climate change on the across the globe with some in response to its environment. sleep deprivation impact behavior, and song. their biology, behaviors, and the with children ages 4–10. Mars, and Beyond reach of mosquito-borne of your favorite explorers to Try some exercises firsthand brain function? How might roles they have played in myths These programs include Monday, May 15 illnesses, discovering new gain a deeper understanding and discover how your brain loss of sleep affect the and legends throughout history. approximately 45 minutes 7:30 pm diseases, or preparing for a of the Museum’s rich and can still surprise you. way you create memories? SciCafe: Ghost Snake Stories of walking. Please wear $12 zombie outbreak, cutting-edge storied history. Experts in the field discuss in Madagascar This tour is appropriate comfortable shoes and clothing. Geoscientist Tullis Onstott research illuminates how we the role rest plays in learning, Wednesday, May 3 for ages 10 and up. provides an insider’s look will survive the next pandemic. This tour is appropriate Fun with Fossils memory, and behavior. 7 pm at pioneering fieldwork on for ages 12 and up. Saturday, June 24 Free for 21+ with ID Los Sueños del Caribe Earth’s thriving subterranean 9 am–5 pm Join herpetologist and Identification Day (Dreams of the Caribbean): biosphere—a place where Unsolved Mysteries of $95 per person Museum Curator Frank Saturday, May 6 People, Land, and Place scientists once thought the Universe Mars as Never Seen Before Pack your collecting bag, Burbrink on a journey to Noon–4 pm Saturday, May 13 life could not possibly Tuesday, May 23 Monday, June 5 old sneakers, and lunch, the remote forests of Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall Noon–5 pm exist. Onstott reveals how 7 pm 7 pm and travel back in time Madagascar, where his team Free Free astonishing new discoveries $12 $12 with Carl Mehling from the recently discovered several The Museum celebrates Celebrate the natural and by geomicrobiologists Is there life spraying out of Get closer to Mars! Using Division of Paleontology, on new species of reptiles, natural history collections cultural diversity of the exploring Earth’s most the geysers of Saturn’s moon pioneering technology, an expedition to Big Brook including the elusive “ghost by inviting visitors to bring in Caribbean at a family-friendly extreme environments are Enceladus? How did our solar the Museum uses NASA’s in Monmouth County, New snake.” Hear tales of life in their own finds to the annual festival featuring activities and furthering the search for life system end up with just one current Mars data to showcase Jersey. The fossil-rich site the field and discover how Identification Day. Scientists the premiere of a new work elsewhere in the solar system. habitable planet? What is dark never-before-seen details offers a variety of invertebrate DNA analysis helps identify will attempt to identify your of music and poetry matter, and why doesn’t it of the red planet. Join Director and vertebrate fossils from new species in the lab. discoveries while showing you co-developed by Grammy- A book signing will follow. interact with any other matter? of Astrovisualization Carter the Late Cretaceous period, rarely seen holdings from the winning Cuban-American Jackie Faherty and Ted Williams Emmart for a new look at the making it ideal for collecting. Museum’s collections. jazz legend Paquito D’Rivera tour the universe exploring Martian landscape that takes Feel free to bring your own and students from the Celia these unsolved mysteries you beyond the reach of rovers. collecting equipment. Cruz Bronx High School of Music. and explaining how scientists seek to solve them.

Humpback Whales Dark Universe Credits ¡Cuba! was developed Generous support for ¡Cuba! Countdown to Zero is proudly 2d and 3d Set in the spectacular waters of space show Narrated by Neil DeGrasse Tyson, in collaboration with the has been provided by the supported by Conrad N. Hilton Alaska, Hawaii, and the remote the Space Show celebrates pivotal Mummies was developed by Cuban National Museum Dalio Ocean Initiative. Foundation, Lions Clubs islands of Tonga, this ocean discoveries and the cosmic The Field Museum, Chicago. of Natural History. International Foundation, adventure offers audiences an mysteries that remain. Gaze up ¡Cuba! is proudly supported Mectizan Donation Program, up-close look into the mysterious at the Milky Way from Mt. Wilson The Museum gratefully Major funding for ¡Cuba! by JetBlue. and Vestergaard. world of one of nature’s most awe- Observatory in California, plunge acknowledges the Richard and has been provided by the inspiring marine mammals. into Jupiter’s atmosphere with a Karen LeFrak Exhibition and Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Countdown to Zero is presented This exhibition is made possible NASA probe, and more. Education Fund. Endowment Fund. by the American Museum of by the generosity of the Arthur Captioning devices are available. Natural History in collaboration Ross Foundation. Captioning devices are available. Mummies is proudly supported Significant support for¡Cuba! with The Carter Center. by Chase Private Client. has been provided by the Ford Foundation.

Rotunda / Spring 2017 / AMNH.org 16 Next at the Museum 17

April Behind the Scenes: Credits: Stem Cell Science is supported Paleontology by the Empire State Stem Cell 1 4 9 20 See amnh.org for date Support for Celebrate Culture! is Fund through New York State saturday tuesday sunday thursday 6:30, 7, and 7:30 pm provided, in part, by the May and Department of Health Contract Celebrate Pacific Morning Bird Walks Amazing Amazon Stem Cell Science (hour-long tours) Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, # DOH01-C30157GG-3450000 Northwest Cultures in Central Park Begin Milstein Science Series Course Begins Celebrate Culture Nature Walk Adult Course $30 per person Inc.; the Sidney, Milton and Leoma Take part in this exclusive Simon Foundation; and the family The Museum greatly acknowledges Cuban Screen Printing Lunchtime Bird Walks 10 opportunity to visit the of Frederick H. Leonhardt. The Mortimer D. Sackler Celebrate Culture in Central Park Begin monday 21 collections of the Division Foundation, Inc. for its support Nature Walk Immersive Dome Experience: friday of Paleontology. Follow Cuban Screen Printing Drop-in to establish The Sackler Brain The Jelly Dome Opens Earth Day Behind the Scenes: Milstein Science Series Hayden Planetarium Program Museum staffers into the is presented in collaboration with Bench, part of the Museum’s 2 sunday Entomology Fossil Preparation Lab the Pratt Institute. Sackler Educational Laboratory Cuban Screen Printing Member Program Our Path to a New Earth-Sun Connection to see how fossils are for Comparative Genomics and Celebrate Culture Home in the Planets 25 Tuesday, June 27 preserved and maintained. The SciCafe Series is proudly Human Origins, in The Spitzer Hayden Planetarium Program tuesday Exotic Skies 7 pm Then, visit the Museum’s sponsored by Judy and Josh Weston. Hall of Human Origins. 5 Hayden Planetarium Program Life on Earth is made possible Big Bone Room to see some wednesday Stress and Human Evolution 13 by its proximity to the Sun. of the largest and oldest Special thanks to MicroCulture Los Sueños del Caribe: People, SciCafe thursday Yet even with the protection specimens in the collection. developers PETLab at Parsons and Land, and Place is supported Science Throwdown: 29 of our magnetic field, we face Jane Mcdonough. in part by an award from the Sea vs. Space saturday a daily barrage of radiation— This tour is appropriate for National Endowment for the Arts. 8 Special Program Sackler Brain Brunch: saturday The Science of Sleep the solar wind—which flows ages 10 and up. Children must The April SciCafe event is presented Baby Animal Encounters and Memory outward from the Sun. Should be accompanied by an adult. in collaboration with The Leakey New Science, New Solutions is Member Program Adult Course we worry about this “space Foundation. generously supported by the weather?” NASA heliophysics Abel Shafer Public Program Fund, scientists join Director of The Milstein Science Series is a fund created by the Arlene B. Astrovisualization Carter proudly sponsored by the Irma Coffey Trust to honor the memory may Emmart for an immersive look and Paul Milstein Family. of Abel Shafer. at this beautiful (and potentially dangerous) phenomenon. Support for Hayden Planetarium 2 6 13 18 Programs is provided by the tuesday saturday saturday thursday Horace W. Goldsmith Endowment Lunchtime Bird Walks Identification Day Los Sueños del Caribe New Science New Solutions: in Central Park Begin Special Event (Dreams of the Caribbean): Preparing for the Next Pandemic Fund. Nature Walk People, Land, and Place Special Programs Celebrate Pacific Celebrate Culture Northwest Cultures 3 Celebrate Culture 23 wednesday 15 tuesday (© 2015 The Field Museum, A115218d_003C, photographer John Weinstein), Ghost Snake Stories Hall Tour: Lizards monday Unsolved Mysteries in Madagascar and Snakes Deep Life: The Hunt for of the Universe SciCafe Member Program Hidden Biology of Earth, Hayden Planetarium Program Mummies Mars, and Beyond 7 Hayden Planetarium Program Generous support for The Museum also gratefully sunday The Butterfly Conservatory acknowledges major funding Family Bird Walks has been provided by the from the Charles Hayden Member Program Eileen P. Bernard Exhibition Fund. Foundation.

Dark Universe was created by Presented with special thanks the American Museum of Natural to NASA and the National (The Carter Center/E. Gubb), Humpback Whales (MacGillvary Freeman Films), and Exotic Skies and Deep Life (NASA) june History, the Frederick Phineas Science Foundation. and Sandra Priest Rose Center summer 2017 see amnh.org for date for Earth and Space, and the Dark Universe was developed by 3 7 27 saturday wednesday tuesday Behind the Scenes: Paleontology Hayden Planetarium. the American Museum of Natural Hall Tour: Hidden Stories Exercise Your Brain Earth-Sun Connection Member Program History, New York (www.amnh.org), Countdown Zero to Member Program SciCafe Hayden Planetarium Program Made possible through the in collaboration with the California generous sponsorship of Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, 5 24 Accenture. and GOTO INC, Tokyo, Japan. monday saturday (C. Raxworthy), Mars as Never Seen Before Fun with Fossils Hayden Planetarium Program Member Program ¡Cuba! © AMNH/D. Finnin, R. Mickens, C. Chesek, and M. Shanley, with the exception of

Rotunda / Spring 2017 / AMNH.org 18 Members at the Museum 19

Dive in, in the Discovery Room

The Discovery Room lets children Members already know that the Museum’s halls are some of the best places another replica, this time of an ancient crocodile relative. Tips For Your Visit take part in the natural history on on the planet to learn about the natural world. But for those who want to get Older kids, ages 7 and up, can head upstairs to the mezzanine to explore display throughout the Museum, more hands-on, there’s the Discovery Room, located on the first floor just a variety of objects on a real lab bench. Here, professional-grade microscopes Early Bird Gets the …. from handling live animals to off the Grand Gallery. provide unparalleled views of insect wings, reptile scales, and even slides If you’re planning to stop by the Discovery unearthing fossils. Whether you’re looking to jumpstart your visit, take a break from strolling of a preserved human brain. Room, get there early. Every day, the staff issues the halls, or trying to put everything you’ve learned in context, this interactive 50 passes for each 40-minute-long session in the zone is an amazing resource for you and your family—and the perfect place to What’s This? space. These passes, which are free for Members, spend part of your summer break (see sidebar). Museum educators and volunteer facilitators are always on hand when the are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Discovery Room is open (see sidebar for hours), and each of them is happy Most of the year, the Discovery Room opens at Get Hands On to field your questions. Educators and volunteers will also guide you through 1:30 pm and hosts five sessions each weekday, The Discovery Room is a place where you can engage directly with the science a collection of field manuals and identification aides to help you learn more and opens at 10:30 pm on Saturdays and Sunday, on display throughout the Museum—and often, that science will engage right about everything you come across in your adventures outside the Museum. when it hosts eight sessions daily. back! This educational space is home to a variety of live animals, including stick insects and Madagascar hissing cockroaches that kids can hold. (Adults Stories and Scientists School’s Out for the Summer? The Discovery Room was made are welcome to hold the cockroaches, too, though it’s usually a harder sell, In addition to the casual drop-in sessions held every day, the Discovery Room We’re here for you. Between July 1 and Labor possible by a grant from the says Danny Zeiger, assistant director for children and family learning.) is also a place for programs and special events. On Monday mornings, kids Day, the Discovery Room extends its hours of Edward John Noble Foundation. Interacting with animals is just one of the attractions the Discovery Room ages 2–5 and their caregivers can come in for Gateway Storytime, an hour of operation, opening its doors from 10:30 am– has in store for budding biologists. In the shadow of a replica baobab tree, kids storytelling that introduces the Museum’s collections and helps set the stage 1:25 pm and 2:15–5:10 pm, seven days a week. Additional support has been of all ages can learn about Africa’s wildlife by conducting a field survey of their for a day at the Museum. One recent storytime helped introduce visitors to the provided by the Ralph M. Cestone own, examining specimens from the Museum’s collections by opening drawers new Titanosaur and other sauropods around the Museum. Best Day for a Bath Foundation; the Louis and and chests to find horns, fossils, and other items they can explore with educators. Older kids and adults can find out more about what scientists do right If letting cockroaches crawl on you isn’t your Virginia Clemente Foundation; Aspiring anthropologists, on the other hand, can take a tour of puppets from from the source during the Discovery Room’s bimonthly Meet the Scientist thing (see story), there are other options for the Ducommun and Gross Family around the world, while those with a theatrical flair can stage shows with finger- weekend events, where curators, Ph.D.-degree candidates, and other Museum animal interaction. On Wednesday afternoons, Foundation; the Larkin Family; puppets they craft themselves. Tomorrow’s paleontologists can find out what researchers introduce their work and answer questions from attendees, visitors can watch the resident bearded dragon

and the V. and L. Marx Foundation. fieldwork feels like by chipping away at a replica fossil site, then help assemble © AMNH/R. Mickens generally children ages seven and up. get its weekly bath.

Rotunda / Spring 2017 / AMNH.org 20 mummies now open Time Capsule Ancient specimens may hold clues scientists are just starting to unlock.

(Left) The mummified body of Lyuba, one of two baby mammoths discovered in Siberia in the late 2000s. (Right) Computerized tomography scanning allowed researchers to visualize this specimen in unprecedented detail—right down to the sediment in Lyuba’s lungs and trunk that likely caused her untimely death.

The baby woolly mammoth on the Museum’s fourth floor, or F.E., arm of the Alaskan gold mine where it was found, it revealed invented yet when Effie was uncovered. Over the next few years, University of Michigan. Detailed imaging also showed that displayed right below the hulking frame of the Columbian to scientists new details about the species through measurements, they produced full-body x-ray computerized tomography (CT) both animals, which were found at different locations, mammoth, isn’t the same type of fossil as its outsized neighbor or external observations, and comparative studies with other fossils. scans of the mammoths, data made richer by the fact that the two likely suffocated after inhaling mud. the other fossils on view nearby. It’s a rare natural mummy, with In short order, it also went on display, becoming the Museum’s calves were close in age and, taken together, revealed new New imaging technologies, as well as ever-advancing skin, muscles, and other soft tissue that were preserved centuries second most-famous mummified specimen. (For more about the insights about mammoth development. genomic research techniques, have made each finding in the ago within a frigid layer of moisture-blocking permafrost. better-known “dinosaur mummy,” see the story on page 9.) “We were able to use the CT data to do comparative anatomy,” field that much more valuable. They’ve also vastly increased When the 21,000-year-old specimen washed out of the banks of Fast-forward 60 years. When two mummified mammoth says Zachary T. Calamari, a doctoral candidate in the Museum’s the potential for new discoveries closer to home—on the shelves the Yukon River in 1948, it was one of the best preserved mammoths calves, Lyuba and Khroma, were discovered in Siberia in 2007 Richard Gilder Graduate School who co-authored the 2014 of paleontology collections, which hold material that’s now found in North America. Named Effie for the Fairbanks Exploration, and 2008, paleontologists turned to a technology that hadn’t been Journal of Paleontology study as an undergraduate at the yielding more and more insights into ancient organisms.

Rotunda / Spring 2017 / AMNH.org 22 mummies now open

The method holds great promise as technology advances, At the same time, non-invasive techniques like CT scanning particularly in a field where nearly all specimens are and other 3D imaging now offer new possibilities to morphologists, incomplete. “You can get the whole genome now from researchers who compare the physical characteristics of extinct something the size of a fingernail,” says Dr. West. “The and modern species. Like the team that analyzed Siberian techniques are so good, we’re able to work on a finer mammoth calves using CT scans, researchers can now peer molecular scale. We don’t need that much material, which through fossil skulls, into nasal cavities, inner ears, and beyond allows us to study collections once off-limits for sampling.” without risking any damage. And they can virtually “unwrap” “Twenty years ago, no one would have envisioned this fossils that are too fragile to remove from the surrounding rocky fascinating study,” says Dr. Flynn, who is also co-curator for matrix—opening up avenues of research for decades to come. this year’s Mummies exhibition. “These collections become Says Ruth O’Leary, who is director of collections, archives, and very important because they allow us to look back in time.” preparation in the Division of Paleontology, “It’s wildly exciting.”

CT scan of a hatchling crocodile mummy from the collections of The Brooklyn Museum.

CT Scans and DNA Studies Reveal Two Species of Nile Crocodile While she was a fellow at the Museum’s Richard Gilder Graduate School, Dr. Abby West sampled extinct musk Man-made mummies of animals can also provide scientists with that the animal known as the Nile crocodile was actually two different ox specimens in an attempt to extract ancient DNA. valuable genetic material. Several years ago, Museum Research species, Crocodylus niloticus and Crocodylus suchus. The larger C. Associate Evon Hekkala, who studies crocodiles, turned to mummified niloticus turned out to be more closely related to Caribbean crocodiles, specimens in anthropological collections while researching the suggesting the animals, which can go without eating for up to 10 Take the Museum’s Fossil Mammal Collection, one of who is curator-in-charge of fossils mammals in the Division Nile crocodile. Along with colleagues, she sequenced genes from months, may have crossed to the New World riding ocean currents. the world’s largest and most important, with some 400,000 of Paleontology and studies early mammalian evolution. 123 living Nile crocodiles and 57 museum specimens, including a Hekkala also thinks that C. suchus is the tamer, gentler crocodile that specimens. These include remains of ancient animals such Access to the collection is a special boon to the Museum’s 2,000-year-old mummy of a crocodile hatchling. was considered sacred in ancient Egypt and appears in accounts by the as Paraceratherium, thought to be the largest land mammal graduate students. Last year, Abby West, a paleontologist who “I knew there were all these treasures stored in these Greek historian Herodotus and French naturalist Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire. that ever lived, as well as, yes, mammoths, and musk oxen, received her Ph.D. degree from Columbia University and institutions,” says Dr. Hekkala, who majored in art history as Now, Hekkala and colleagues are working with specimens from bison, foxes, coyotes, and more—an estimated 2,800 genera. studied as a graduate fellow at the Richard Gilder Graduate an undergraduate. “When I needed to fill in gaps in my study, museum collections to figure out whether all mummified crocodiles Such breadth, and the fact that some specimens are not fully School with Frick Curator of Fossil Mammals Dr. John Flynn, I thought, well, maybe I could get DNA from crocodile mummies.” were in fact C. suchus, and to use the mummified skeletons to arrive fossilized and may even still carry traces of organic material, She was able to extract and analyze sufficient DNA data to show at a more complete description of this species. offers researchers opportunities to study the genetic makeup of animals that died tens or even hundreds of thousands of years ago. “The techniques are so good, we’re In 2003, a large-scale study based on extinct bison specimens from the Museum’s collection, along with specimens from the able to work on a finer molecular scale. Yukon and Russia, pioneered an approach that used ancient We don’t need that much material, CT scanning let researchers digitally “unwrap” the crocodile mummy pictured above. DNA to analyze the dynamics of populations in deep time. In cases where ancient DNA cannot be extracted in enough which allows us to study collections quantity or quality, researchers have been able to pull more once off-limits for sampling.” limited genetic information from collagen, a protein found in bones that, unlike more fragile DNA, can survive for more — Abby West than a million years when conditions permit. It’s not just evolutionary biologists and paleontologists analyzing these specimens. Geochemists are increasingly bored tiny samples from 20 specimens of extinct musk turning to fossil collections to gain insights into how ancient oxen in the fossil mammal collection in hopes of extracting populations responded to climate change. ancient DNA. West was working to tease out evolutionary “In the past 10 years, we have been getting more and more relationships and migration histories by making comparisons

requests for sampling our collections,” says Curator Meng Jin, to the genomes of living relatives. Previous page Latreille,© F. University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology; p. 24–25 © AMNH/R. Mickens, © AMNH/E. Hekkala

Rotunda / Spring 2017 / AMNH.org Membership

Central Park West at 79th Street New York, New York 10024-5192 amnh.org Cover © 2015 The Field Museum, A115214d_035B, photographer John Weinstein John photographer A115214d_035B, Museum, Field The 2015 © Cover General Information

Hours Phone numbers Museum: Open daily, 10 am–5:45 pm; Central Reservations 212-769-5200 closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Membership Office 212-769-5606 Museum Information 212-769-5100 Entrances Development 212-769-5151 During Museum hours, Members may enter at Central Park West at 79th Street Transportation and parking (second floor), the Rose Center/81st Street, Subway: B (weekdays) or C to 81st Street; and through the subway (lower level). 1 to 79th Street, walk east to Museum Bus: M7, M10, M11, or M104 to 79th Street; Restaurants M79 to Central Park West Museum Food Court, Café on One, Parking Garage: Open daily, 8 am–11 pm; Starlight Café, and Café on 4 offer enter from West 81st Street. Members can park Members a 15-percent discount. for a flat fee of $10 if entering after 4 pm. Hours are subject to change. To receive this rate, show your membership card or event ticket when exiting the garage. Museum shops The Museum Shop, Dino Store, Accessibility Planetarium Shop, Cosmic Shop, The Gilded Lady is one of 19 mummies from the collections ¡Cuba! Shop, Mummies Shop, of The Field Museum on view in the special exhibition Mummies, open now and free for Members. and Online Shop (shop.amnh.org) For information on accessibility, offer Members a 10-percent discount. email [email protected] or call 212-313-7565.