Member Magazine Fall 2016 Vol. 41 No. 4

¡Cuba!Opens November 18 for Members

Asteroid Mission 2 News at the Museum 3

From the On July 9 in Havana, the American Museum of Natural presentation of a major exhibition entitled ¡Cuba! The 40th Margaret Mead Film Festival Opens October 13 History and the Cuban National Museum of Natural Opening at the Museum this fall, it will present President History signed a Memorandum of Understanding the cultural and biological diversity of Cuba and (MoU), pledging to collaborate on scientific research highlight the work of the Explore21 expedition. Ellen V. Futter and training, education, and exhibition. This historic In addition, at the upcoming commencement milestone builds on and deepens a longstanding of our Richard Gilder Graduate School, we will elkhorn coral relationship between our two institutions. confer an honorary degree on our distinguished Broken branches of elkhorn coral Museum scientists have worked in collaboration Cuban colleague Dr. Gilberto Silva Taboada, a can reattach to reefs and grow again, with Cuban colleagues for many decades, including world-renowned authority on Caribbean bats. but the identical genetic makeup Cuba’s Reefs of the polyps mean they are particularly Tourism and fishing in the Jardines de la Reina more recently through our Center for Biodiversity The MoU is a groundbreaking step for both vulnerable to the sort of diseases that archipelago south of Cuba’s main island have been and Conservation. The changing political climate signatory museums, certainly, but it is also have struck reefs around the world. tightly restricted for 30 years, ensuring that its coral offers us the extraordinary opportunity to formalize a model for collaboration between U.S. and reefs remain largely undisturbed. and extend this work. Already, scientists engaged Cuban museums and research institutions more The result, says Katherine Holmes, a marine biologist in our Explore21 expedition initiative have been on broadly. We know that science has the power to at the Wildlife Conservation Society, is that the reefs the ground with Cuban colleagues in major, multi- unite, build bridges, and transcend differences. found here are among the healthiest and most disciplinary fieldwork studying the astonishing and This effort underscores the importance of that diverse in the region, and likely help to support unique biodiversity of this remarkable island nation. role for museums in the 21st century, and of the similar ecosystems throughout the region. Perhaps the most visible manifestation of this global imperative to work together to advance Dive into a reef like this one in ¡Cuba!, which exciting partnership will be the collaborative conservation and cultural understanding. A Flickering Truth, one of dozens of documentaries featured at the 2016 Margaret Mead Film Festival, explores the rich history of cinema in Afghanistan. opens November 18 and is free for Members. spotted eagle ray These large rays, with wingspans of up to 10 feet, are thought to This fall, the Margaret Mead Film Festival returns to celebrate the groundbreaking 2016 Margaret Mead Filmmaker Award Contenders migrate between Cuba and the spirit of the legendary Museum anthropologist. A Revolution in Four Seasons (Opening Night) Table of Contents coasts of Florida and Mexico. With the theme “Re:Frame,” the 2016 Margaret Mead Film Festival invites A Different American Dream viewers to probe their own perspectives and to celebrate stories and art forms A Flickering Truth News 3 that offer us opportunities to see the world anew. In this way, the festival Belén honors the legacy of Dr. Mead, the Museum curator whose groundbreaking Casa Blanca approach to anthropology revealed how our histories, values, and points Drokpa Close-Up brain4 coral 4 6 of view frame our encounters with other cultures and communities. As always, Like all corals, brain coral is made Reindeer in My Saami Heart Island Rules up6 of tiny, genetically identical the Mead will feature intimate conversations with filmmakers and film subjects, Shooting Ourselves organisms known as polyps. New as well as the presentation of the annual Margaret Mead Filmmaker Award. Under the Clouds (Das Nuvens Pra Baixo) generations build their homes on Cuba’s Reefs top12 of past ones, in time forming the In addition to the exciting shorts and eye-opening feature-length documentaries, Urmila: My Memory is My Power queen conch reefs for which corals are famous. this year’s Mead will offer a variety of special events, performances, and Zach’s Ceremony In the wild, these huge snailsNext can live for 14 installations. Highlights will include a display of Balinese masks designed up to 40 years, but many are taken for by contemporary artists and an installation by Samoan artist Dan Taulapapa their edible meat and beautiful shells before they make it to old Theage. Long Haul 20 McMullin, who explores the dynamics of cultural appropriation in Tiki kitsch. The Margaret Mead Film Festival is made A nod to the festival’s legacy includes a screening of Wife Among Wives, a classic possible by the New York State Council on the 2016 By the Numbers 22 film from the Mead’s archives. At the same time, the future of filmmaking will be Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. on display in the Virtual Reality Lounge, where visitors can test-drive VR headsets Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. 12 20 and experience how this cutting-edge technology is poised to transform cinema. On Saturday, October 15, festival consultant Dr. Faye Ginsburg, director Support for the Margaret Mead Film Festival of the New York University Center for Media, Culture and History, will host is provided, in part, by the May and Samuel makethe your Mead’s own Emerging brain Visual coral Anthropologists Showcase, featuring four short Rudin Family Foundation, Inc.; the Sidney, documentaries and a Q&A session with filmmakers. Milton and Leoma Simon Foundation; step one step two step three the family of Frederick H. Leonhardt; and Take a grapefruit-size piece Stick on pieces of Paint the pasta pieces olive of green clay and make it For a "radiatore"full lineup pasta of to films and showtimes,green, like the algaeand thatto purchaselive tickets, visit amnh.org/mead. The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation. into a dome shape. mimic the coral’s surface. with real brain coral.

American Museum of Natural History ISSN 0194-6110 Statement of ownership, management, and circulation. Chairman Lewis W. Bernard USPS Permit #472-650 Title of Publication: Rotunda (ISSN 0194-6110 USPS 472-650). Date of filing: nature of circulation: (A) signifies average number of copies of each issue President Ellen V. Futter Vol. 41, No. 4, Fall 2016 August 25, 2016. Frequency of issue: Quarterly. Number of issues published during preceding 12 months, and (B) signifies average number of copies of Vice President of Development and Membership Laura Lacchia Rose Rotunda is published quarterly by the Membership Office of the American annually: 4. Annual subscription price: Museum membership of $75 a year single issue published nearest to filing date. Total number of copies (A) 62,172 Director of Membership Louise Adler Museum of Natural History, 15 West 77th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192. or higher. Complete mailing address of known office of publication: 15 West (B) 61,277. Paid circulation through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Phone: 212-769-5606. Website: amnh.org. Museum membership of $75 77th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192. Complete mailing address of the Counter Sales, and Other Non-USPS Paid Distribution (A) and (B): None. Magazine per year and higher includes a subscription to Rotunda. © 2016 American To learn how to make otherheadquarters kinds of coral and or explore general more business hands-on offices projects, of the publisher: Same: Publisher: Mail subscription: (A) 59,461 (B) 59,077. Free distribution by mail: (A) 0 (B) Editorial Director Eugenia Levenson Museum of Natural History. Periodical postage paid at New York, NY and visit amnh.org/explore/ologyLouise. Adler, Sr. Director of Membership, American Museum of Natural 0. Free distribution outside of mail: (A) 1,900 (B) 2,200. Total distribution: Editor Ian Chant at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: please send address changes to History, 15 West 77th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192. Editor: Eugenia V. (A) 61,361 (B) 61,277. Copies not distributed: (A) 812 (B) 0. Return from news Pull-Out Poster Production Manager Monica Harris Rotunda, Membership Office, AMNH, at the above address. Levenson. Owner: American Museum of Natural History. Known bondholders, agents: None. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 97%. I certify that the Contributors Joan Kelly Bernard, Jill Hamilton, mortgage and other security holders: None. The purpose, function, and statements made by me above are correct and complete. (signed) Louise Adler Eliza McCarthy, Karen Miller, Elena Sansalone Please send questions, ideas, and feedback to [email protected]. nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for Federal income

Design Hinterland, www.hinterlandstudio.com © AMNH/D. Finnin, Bigstock/M. Kujipers, Getty Images/S. Winter, AMNH/5W Infographics, NASA © J. Bryant tax purposes has not changed during the preceding 12 months. Extent and Printed by Gateway Press, Louisville, Kentucky.

Rotunda / Fall 2016 / AMNH.org 4 Close-Up at the Museum 5

Tear-away Tails All in the Family Many anole species use a drastic defense Green Eggs Cassowaries are part of a group of large, flightless mechanism when faced with a threat—they will known as ratites that includes ostriches, shed their own tails. The lost tail continues to No, that’s not the Museum’s famed avocado specimen—below, you can rheas, emus, and kiwis. The Southern Cassowary move, distracting the predator and giving the see the large, thick-shelled, and emerald-hued egg of the Northern is the largest cassowary species. Measuring more anole time to make an escape. In most cases, Cassowary. Visitors can see examples like this—among other amazing than 5 feet tall and weighing up to 130 pounds, the anole will regrow the tail it sacrificed. ova—in the special exhibition Dinosaurs Among Us. it is second only to the ostrich in weight. There, you’ll get a look at how ancient dinosaurs never went extinct. Little Lizards Instead, they gave rise to the first birds, some of which abandoned flight Free-range Eggs If the idea of radiation and lizards fills you for the terrestrial lifestyle pursued by species like cassowaries. Female cassowaries leave egg-incubating and with Godzilla-sized anxiety, you can relax. This egg’s green tint is actually a clue to where—and how—the cassowaries chick-rearing to their mates, but other birds Even Cuban knight anoles, the largest anole nest, and as you may have guessed, it’s not up a tree. Like their closest relatives, take this hands-off approach even further. species known to science, don’t get any larger the emus, these ground-dwelling birds build nests among thick foliage, scratching Australian brush-turkeys—large birds that belong than 2 feet in length, and most species—including Anolis equestris shallow depressions in the dirt and lining them with leaves and grass. to a family called megapodes—make a giant the other anoles on display at the Museum These well-camouflaged nests usually hold between three and six eggs, compost heap in which to lay their eggs, letting as part of ¡Cuba!—are significantly smaller. which are watched over by the male. The proud papa incubates them for the heat from the rotting pile incubate them. nearly two months while the female departs, sometimes to mate again. Once Although the male builds the nest and tends it Colorful Neckwear the eggs hatch, the father also cares for the young birds for nine months or regularly to maintain optimum temperature, All anoles have a dewlap —a fold of skin longer, helping the chicks find food and protecting them from predators. neither parent sticks around to help the newborn beneath their neck that they can extend and Lookalike Lizards Thanks to a few extraordinary fossils, paleontologists now think that this chicks, who are on their own once they hatch. retract. Dewlaps are usually a different color nesting behavior looks very similar to that of some dinosaurs. A cast of than the rest of the lizard’s body, and their There are 414 species of lizard classified as Anolis, making this genus among one such specimen, Citipati osmolskae, is featured in Dinosaurs Among Us, Camouflage Chic display may be used to attract mates, scare the most species-rich known to science. Dozens of these are found only in Cuba. along with fleshed-out models. Discovered in 1993, this oviraptorid dinosaur All three species of cassowary sport colorful skin, off intruders barging into their territory, “The island of Cuba is so large, it acts as a miniature continent,” says specimen is positioned over the center of a large nest, assuming a protective with hues that include bright blues, reds, purples, and possibly for other purposes. Chris Raxworthy, co-curator of ¡Cuba! and curator-in-charge of the posture over its eggs that is similar to that adopted by modern birds like hawks. and pinks. Cassowary chicks, however, are striped Department of Herpetology. “Evolution there has produced a lot of species Uncovered at Ukhaa Tolgod, Mongolia, by scientists from the Museum brown and tan to blend into their surroundings— Fine The Way They Are that can’t be found anywhere else in the world.” and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, the original Citipati fossil shows a useful adaptation for avoiding predators. A 2015 study that compared modern anoles Many of these lizards, however, do have doppelgångers on neighboring that nesting was present more than 80 million years ago, far back in the to fossils trapped in amber from 20 million islands like Jamaica and Puerto Rico. But despite appearances, these doubles dinosaur line. Paleontologists think that behaviors like parental care by Prominent Paleo years ago found that these lizards have are often not closely related to one another. Anoles have ecomorphs—groups males may have already developed by that time, too. Citipati osmolskae is named for a famous changed little over that span of time. of species that share physical features and behaviors because they have Gobi dinosaur hunter: Polish paleontologist adapted, often independently, to similar ecological niches. Dinosaurs Among Us, which is free for Members, is open through January 2, 2017. Halszka Osmólska. That’s not the only species Sounds Like… Behind these legions of lookalikes is an evolutionary process called that honors her legacy. The dromaeosaurid Is anole a two-syllable word that rhymes with adaptive radiation, which has played out each time anoles landed on a new Velociraptor osmolskae, the reptile Osmolskina “coal” or a three-syllable word that rhymes with island. When the first anoles arrived in a new place, they headed for the czatkowicensis, and the ancient mammal “holy”? Curator Chris Raxworthy says two will do. trees, which hosted smaller microhabitats at the ground, at the top, and in Prolagus osmolskae bear her name as well. between, on trunks and twigs. The original species evolved over time into several, each adapting to their own distinct niche. In Cuba, large knight anoles, like the one pictured above, live in the crowns of trees, where they dine on fruits as well as on like tarantulas, geckos, and even small mammals and birds. Smaller brown anoles (below), meanwhile, live where the tree trunk meets the ground, preying on small insects. The different habitats anoles occupy also affect their behavior. When a knight anole feels threatened, it will skitter away; brown anoles, accustomed to blending in with their surroundings, are more likely to freeze.

See live Cuban anoles in ¡Cuba!, which is free for Members. Member Preview Days begin Friday, November 18.

AMNH Egg & Nest Collection 16971

Anolis sagrei © Bigstock/M. Kujipers, iStockPhoto/ArendTrent © AMNH/R.Mickens

Rotunda / Fall 2016 / AMNH.org 6 ¡cuba! opens november 18

island

why cuba brims rulesbiodiversity with

Rotunda / Fall 2016 / AMNH.org 8 ¡cuba! opens november 18 florida

Giant ground sloths and 3-foot-tall may sound like creatures of fantasy, but these animals roamed Cuba until just a few thousand years ago. Today, the the island nation is still home to endemic species that demonstrate the amazing bahamas power of evolution: birds no bigger than insects, frogs that fit on a fingertip, and one of the world’s rare venomous mammals. “In many ways, islands function as natural experiments,” says Ana Luz Porzecanski, director of the Museum’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation and co-curator of ¡Cuba!, a special exhibition that opens this November and lets cuba visitors explore the island’s extraordinary biodiversity. “They are isolated from dominican the mainland and from one another, they have set boundaries, and they vary yucatan republic peninsula in size and geography. Islands are an evolutionary biologist’s dream!” On islands, the effects—and pace—of evolution can be more dramatic, for jamaica haiti a variety of reasons. When an arrives on an island, be it by crossing a temporary land bridge, washing up there on a raft of vegetation, or hitching a ride puerto with another species, there may be nothing on the island that is looking to eat it. rico With fewer predators, most evolutionary pressure comes from within. As members of the same species compete for resources, they will naturally find different niches to occupy, and new species can arise in the process. (For more about this process, known as adaptive radiation, turn to page 4 and read about Cuban anoles.) Island species can often be endemic, which means they exist only on the particular island on which they evolved. In Cuba, for instance, 95 percent of Cuba is the largest island in the the dozens of frog species are found nowhere else on the planet. These include Caribbean region. Technically, Eleutherodactylus iberia, one of the world’s smallest frog species; adults can it’s an archipelago with more fit on a human fingernail with room to spare. than 4,000 islands and cays.

island threats Islands face many of the same conservation challenges as the mainland, but the effects (Left) Cuba’s native bee hummingbird is the smallest in the can be more pronounced given the sharp world. (Above) Eleutherodactylus iberia: Like about 30 percent of boundaries of island life. Cuba’s vertebrate animals, this tiny frog is only found on the island. On islands, endemic plants and animals can evolve in parallel and play a major role in one another’s life cycles. A 2012 study found that Cuba’s bee hummingbirds creatures great and small visited just 10 species of flowers looking for a nectar meal; nine of these plants This minuscule amphibian is just one Cuban example that might fit the are native or endemic to the island. so-called “island rule,” which proposes that over time, animals on islands Island species are also particularly tend to evolve smaller body sizes when food resources are constrained, vulnerable to the threat of invasive species. or evolve to become bigger when there is less pressure from predators. These relatively isolated ecosystems are not Until about 6,000 years ago, Cuba’s forests were home to Ornimegalonyx, used to new arrivals, and their introduction the largest ever known. Researchers estimate that this awesome bird can spell disaster for native species. weighed as much as 38 pounds in life—three times heavier than today’s largest Dr. Gilberto Silva Taboada, curator living owls. Ornimegalonyx likely evolved from a smaller ancestor and grew emeritus at the Cuban National Museum to its enormous proportions due to the absence of mammalian competitors for of Natural History, says the giant catfish its specialized diet of large rodents and sloths. But when its prey started to die Clarias gariepinus is a particularly out, so did this big bird. “Specialization is a one-way ticket, no return,” explains destructive example of invasive species, “islands are Cuban paleornithologist Dr. William Suarez, who was curator of birds from and not just in the Zapata wetlands 1999 to 2012 at the Cuban National Museum of Natural History in Havana. where they were introduced. an evolutionary “Without an adequate source of food, we think this owl was unable to adapt.” “This large fish can survive outside Cuba was also home to rodens, a giant . While water for days,” Silva Taboada says. “It biologist’s dream!” similar giant sloths went extinct about 11,000 years ago in North and South regularly climbs onto dry land, wandering America, radiocarbon dating shows that Megalocnus survived in the forests and feeding on all kinds of endemic dr. ana luz porzecanski of Cuba until just a few thousand years ago, long after its counterparts director, center for biodiversity animals, even inside caves.”

and conservation Page 6 photo © Getty Images/S. Winter; Hummingbird photo © iStockPhoto/USO; Frog photo © AMNH/C. Raxworthy on the mainland were wiped out.

Rotunda / Fall 2016 / AMNH.org 10 to The provided saturday, Generous Digest Endowment Fund. friday, november friday, november 10:30 10:30 sunday,and november provided exhibition exhibition See the Museum’s new special member preview days preview member ¡cuba! Major species; and live lizards, boas, and frogs. can examine fossil remains of extinct of a cave environment where visitors endangered Cuban crocodile; a display of Zapata wetlands, home to the Raxworthy, Porzecanski and Associate Curator Chris for Biodiversity and Conservation Ana Cuba’s culture, its people, and its history. In addition, the exhibition will highlight Cuban National Museum of Natural History. have been developed with colleagues at the reefs through immersive exhibits that caves, expansive wetlands, and dazzling across the island’s remote forests, deep explore the extraordinary biodiversity The new special exhibition 1 November by calling 212-769-5200. 18. November available Tickets starting at the level $105 and above begins Friday, Preview Days Member for Members to the A public. weekend of exclusive supporting ¡Cuba! Curated by Director of the Center Ford funding am to am Foundation by by support ¡Cuba! ¡Cuba! features a re-creation the the

november for Dalio Lila Wallace-Reader’s 4:30 pm 4:30

before it opens opens it before for ¡Cuba! has ¡Cuba! Ocean also 18, has ¡Cuba!

Initiative. has

19

been committed

, 20 20 been will

Member Preview Days begin Friday, November 18. ¡Cuba! likely holdsmorediscoveries instore. explored—and theislandthathasbeen hometosomany amazingspecies share thatdistinction.Despite itsrichhistory,Cuba’s biodiversity isstillbeing on anislandwhereabouthalfoftheplantsandathirdvertebrate animals studied, itisundoubtedlythesolenodon.” said throughaninterpreter. “IfthereisamammalinCuba thatneedstobe attributes makeitafocalspeciesforconservation inthepark,”Begué-Quiala Park, oneofthesolenodon’s few known stompinggrounds. says deputydirectorofAlexander GerardoBegué-Quiala, HumboldtNational solenodon survive—one inCuba andanotheronthenearby islandofHispaniola. line thathasexisted sincethetimeof thedinosaurs.Today, onlytwo speciesof insectivorous mammalswithavenomous bitethatarepartofamammalian due totheisolationthey offer. That’s thecasewithCuban solenodons, Animals thathave goneextinct elsewhere cansometimessurvive onislands time body weight insugarynectarjustafew hours. nectar,” Kirkconnellsays. The birdsarefasteaters,too,abletoconsumetheir “Hummingbirds arehighlyevolved nectarivores percent whosedietisabout90 Kirkconnell, curatorofbirdsattheCuban NationalMuseumofNaturalHistory. an average maleweighs inatlessthan2grams. species getclosetoitssize,butthistakestininessawholenew level: to theworld’s smallestbirdspecies—thebeehummingbird.Somemainland as knightanoles,thelargestexample oftheirgenus.The islandisalsohome And whilesolenodonsareremarkable, they’re justoneendemicspecies “Their ecologyandnaturalhistoryis stillnotwell understood,andthese That makesprotectingtheirfew remaininghabitatsallthemoreimportant, Their smallsizeismatchedonlyby theirmassive appetite,says Dr. Arturo Today, Cuba’s giantanimalsincludethehutia,a15-poundrodent,aswell opens to the public on November 21, and Members see it for free. capsule The Cuban solenodon is one of two living species of this venomous mammal.

Solenodon photo © Getty Images/J. Hancock; Owl photos © AMNH/R. Mickens Rotunda / Fall 2016 / AMNH.org / Fall2016 Rotunda/ See the model of gargantuan bird likely made in life. is true to the intimidating impression this stare, the eye-catching 39-inch-tall model outspread wings, long legs, and captivating of superior destructive power.” With its have constituted a terrible combination the claws and mandibles of this bird would mammals of the Pleistocene of Cuba, and scourge and terror of most of the larger “Ornimegalonyx had to have been the from steel, polyurethane foam, and epoxy. researchers to fashion a striking lifelike model Exhibition department, worked closely with senior principal preparatorBrougham, in the beak, talons, and other fossil evidence, Jason Extrapolating from fragments of bones, based on the latest scientific analysis. display in Natural Felipe Poey. The new model on exhibited at Havana’s Museo de Historia of the bird’s skeleton that were previously there was more than one species. and scientists are still debating whether the specimens, though, were incomplete, becoming fossils—found in 1954. All of from subfossils—bones on their way to paleontology, the late Oscar Arredondo, by the father of Cuban vertebrate became extinct about 6,000 years ago. model of One of the highlights of building big bird

Arredondo once speculated that Arredondo oversaw reconstructions Ornimegalonyx was first described Ornimegalonyx, a giant owl that ¡Cuba! is a masterful likeness Ornimegalonyx in ¡Cuba! is a life-sized ¡Cuba!

model workshop, preparator has takes of (Top to bottom) the been shape giant with building

where Jason

oustretched in owl the Ornimegalonyx The Brougham senior a Museum’s 39-inch-tall head principal wings.

¡cuba! opens opens november 18 elkhorn coral ¡cuba! opens november 18 Broken branches of elkhorn coral can reattach to reefs and grow again, but the identical genetic makeup Cuba’s Reefs of the polyps mean they are particularly Tourism and fishing in the Jardines de la Reina vulnerable to the sort of diseases that archipelago south of Cuba’s main island have been have struck reefs around the world. tightly restricted for 30 years, ensuring that its coral reefs remain largely undisturbed. The result, says Katherine Holmes, a marine biologist at the Wildlife Conservation Society, is that the reefs found here are among the healthiest and most diverse in the region, and likely help to support similar ecosystems throughout the region.

Dive into a reef like this one in ¡Cuba!, which opens November 18 and is free for Members. spotted eagle ray These large rays, with wingspans of up to 10 feet, are thought to migrate between Cuba and the coasts of Florida and Mexico.

brain coral Like all corals, brain coral is made up of tiny, genetically identical organisms known as polyps. New generations build their homes on top of past ones, in time forming the queen conch reefs for which corals are famous. In the wild, these huge snails can live for up to 40 years, but many are taken for their edible meat and beautiful shells before they make it to old age.

make your own brain coral

step one step two step three Take a grapefruit-size piece Stick on pieces of Paint the pasta pieces olive of green clay and make it "radiatore" pasta to green, like the algae that live into a dome shape. mimic the coral’s surface. with real brain coral.

To learn how to make other kinds of coral and explore more hands-on projects, visit amnh.org/explore/ology. © AMNH/5W Infographics

Pull-Out Poster 14 Next at the Museum 15

October November Programs and Exhibits Hall Tour: The World Fall Lunchtime Bird Walks What a Fish Knows: Family Astronomy Welcome to the Universe Celebrate Pacific of Crocodilians in Central Park The Inner Lives of Our Saturday, October 22 Wednesday, October 26 SciCafe: The Science of For more programs and Northwest Cultures Sunday, October 2 Four Tuesdays, Underwater Cousins 6:30 pm 7 pm Predicting an Election to purchase tickets, First Saturdays, 10:30–noon; 1:30–3 pm October 4–October 25 Thursday, October 6 $10 $20 Wednesday, November 2 visit amnh.org/calendar. October 2016–May 2017 Free Noon–1:30 pm Linder Theater The Hayden Planetarium Welcome to the Universe is 7 pm For updates and reminders, Noon–4 pm Registration required; $50 6:30 pm invites our youngest a personal guided tour of the Free for 21+ with ID sign up for monthly Calendar Free call 212-769-5200 Join ornithologist Paul Sweet Free for Members with astronomers to an evening cosmos by three of today’s How much do political Highlights for Members by Experience the Hall of Join a Museum tour guide to on walks through Central Park RSVP; call 212-769-5200. of star-hopping as we leading astrophysicists, polls mean, and what should sending your membership Northwest Coast Indians learn more about the evolution, during fall migration. Learn Myth-busting animal look at the fall and winter inspired by the popular we really be looking for? number and request to subscribe through a series of activities biology, diversity, and behavior how to identify the varied bird behavior expert Jonathan constellations using the introductory astronomy course Data scientists Sam Wang to [email protected]. The guided by Museum educators. of crocodilians. Visit displays species that pass through New Balcombe explores the Zeiss Mark IX Star Projector. that Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael and Josh Katz discuss how Museum does not trade, rent, Explore the interactive digital in halls including Reptiles and York City using field marks, minds of fishes to reveal Learn how to navigate the A. Strauss, and J. Richard Gott data can be mined creatively or sell this information. totem, a touch-screen portal to Amphibians, the Akeley Hall behavior, and song. the surprising capabilities night sky and see whether taught together at Princeton. for insights into what’s really the people, places, and sounds of African Mammals, and the of these animals. you can find celestial objects happening in this campaign Tickets of the Pacific Northwest, and Hall of Biodiversity to gain new hiding in plain sight. A book signing will follow. season and beyond. tour the hall with Haida Gwaii insight into this ancient and SciCafe: Secrets of the Tickets are available by phone Museum Curator Sean Young diverse group of reptiles. Crocodile Mummies The 40th Annual Margaret Recommended for children at 212-769-5200, Monday–Friday, through a telepresence robot. Wednesday, October 5 Mead Film Festival: Re:Frame ages 4–11. Live Bat Encounter Meet the Scientist in the Lab 9 am–5 pm, or by visiting amnh.org. This tour is appropriate for 7 pm Thursday, October 13–Sunday, Saturday, October 29 Saturday, November 5 Please have your membership Members ages 10 and up. Free for 21+ with ID October 16 11 am (recommended 3–5 pm number ready. The Science of Stem Cells Evon Hekkala, a professor at Screenings: $10 Sci-Fi Universe for young children) Free Availability may be limited. Weekends, October 1–2 Fordham University and Opening Night: $13 Tuesday, October 25 1 pm, 2:30 pm Join us in the Sackler Please purchase tickets in advance. and October 8–9 Mapping the Heavens research associate in the For more information, showtimes, 7 pm $15 Educational Laboratory Please be aware that ticket 12–5 pm Monday, October 3 Museum’s Department of and tickets, visit amnh.org/mead. $12 Get an up-close and personal to hear primate researcher sales are final for all Member Sackler Educational 7:30 pm Herpetology, discusses how With the theme “Re:Frame,” Where is that galaxy “far, introduction to live bats Shahrina Chowdhury discuss programs. All programs go Laboratory $12 tissue samples from centuries- the 2016 Margaret Mead Film far away?” Could someone from around the world! the complexity of social ahead rain or shine. There are Free with Museum admission The cosmos are now known old Museum specimens shed Festival invites viewers to probe really survive on Mars? See Conservation biologist and structures and behavior in no refunds unless the program and for Members to be expanding at an light on the mysterious origins their own perspectives and to the universe through the bat expert Rob Mies will host wild baboons. Bring your is cancelled by the Museum. What are stem cells, and accelerating pace, propelled by of the Nile crocodile. This celebrate stories and art forms lens of science fiction with this unforgettable presentation curiosity as exciting new Please check amnh.org for what promise do they hold dark energy and structured by DNA detective work may that offer us opportunities to Brian Levine and Irene Pease with many species of live findings in the field of Member ticket prices for live- for medicine? Research in the dark matter. Join astrophysicist even explain the presence see the world anew. as you examine locations bats, including a Rodrigues primatology are presented animal exhibits and giant-screen field is advancing rapidly, filled Priyamvada Natarajan as she of crocodiles in medieval and situations from film, fruit bat, a straw-coloured in an informal lab setting. 2D and 3D films. with immense challenges and explains the science behind medicine cabinets. television, and novels, and fruit bat, a big brown bat, Information about programs potential. Stop by the Sackler these essential ideas and uncover how much has (and and a Malayan flying fox. is current as of September 1. Educational Lab to discover the provides an understanding hasn’t!) been explored. Please check amnh.org/calendar basic biology of stem cells, their of how radical scientific for updates. function in development, and theories gain acceptance. how they can be used in the treatment of diseases. A book signing will follow.

Exhibitions Dinosaurs Among Us Countdown to Zero Crocs: Ancient Predators Admission is by timed entry only. opens nov. 18 Free for Members Free for Members in a Modern World live animals From flight to feathers, nests This exhibition, developed Explore the complex lives ¡Cuba! to wishbones, and brains to in collaboration with The Carter of crocodilians in this exhibition, Free for Members lungs, this exhibition highlights Center, focuses on the scientific which features live species This exhibition explores the the continuities between living innovations that are ridding from around the world, including extraordinary biodiversity dinosaurs—birds—and their the world of ancient afflictions— a rare African dwarf crocodile. across the island’s remote forests, extinct ancestors. including the 30-year campaign deep caves, expansive wetlands, that may soon eradicate Guinea and dazzling reefs, as well worm disease. as highlighting its culture, its people, and its history.

Rotunda / Fall 2016 / AMNH.org 16 Next at the Museum 17

December Hall Tour: Tyrannosaurus rex The Remarkable Nature Double Discount Days Seismodome: Sights Spaceman: An Evening Origami Fest Dinos After Dark Saturday, November 5 of Edward Lear November 14–20 and Sounds of Earthquakes with Mike Massimino Painting the Natural World Sunday, December 11 Friday, December 16 10:30 am–noon Monday, November 7 and December 4–10 and Global Seismology Monday, November 21 Eight Tuesdays, 30-minute sessions $35 (two drinks included) Free 6:30 pm Members can get out in Saturday, November 19 7:30 pm December 6, 2016–January 24, 2017 from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm 21+ with ID Registration required; Free for Members with front of holiday shopping 7 pm $12 7–9 pm $5 per person; registration Go back in time for a call 212-769-5200 RSVP; call 212-769-5200. with twice their regular Free Astronaut Mike Massimino’s $240 required prehistoric party in the Join a Museum tour guide Edward Lear (1812–1888) is discount! For a week each Registration required; journey to becoming an In this after-hours painting Fold, crease, and create an Museum’s celebrated to explore the iconic Hall of best known for “The Owl and in November and December, call 212-769-5200 astronaut is as unlikely workshop, artists Greg assortment of origami models dinosaur halls. Have a chance Saurischian Dinosaurs. Learn the Pussycat,” but he was also Members save 20 percent on Earthquakes happen as it is compelling. His new Follender and Eric Hamilton with a team of volunteers from to toast The Titanosaur more about the history of a fine painter of animals and purchases in the Museum’s frequently—but what book, Spaceman, is an ode provide hands-on instruction OrigamiUSA. Enjoy a display during an exciting evening of the Tyrannosaurus rex, its landscapes around the world. retail shops and online store. causes them? Why are to following your dreams in acrylic paint. Get a of some of the organization’s expert talks, demonstrations, discovery by scientists from Author Robert Peck discusses Just have your membership they unpredictable? What and finding your place in glimpse into the history most complex creations, snack and after-hours access to the Museum, and its place the remarkable life and natural card handy at checkout. do they tell us about Earth’s this world—or out of it. and craftsmanship behind on milk and cookies, and take Dinosaurs Among Us. Wander in the popular imagination. history paintings of this deep interior? Explore these world-class dioramas and take home a collection of your own freely, with cocktail in hand, beloved children’s writer. questions through immersive A book signing will follow. home a painting of your own. models for the holidays. and come face-to-face with Member Preview Days: ¡Cuba! displays of earthquakes and dinos after dark. Sackler Brain Course Friday, November 18 seismic waves with Earth Basic painting experience is Brain 101: The Inside Story Yes, Humans Are Saturday, November 19 scientists, astrophysicists, Next-Generation Astronomy recommended for this course. The Twisted Universe Five Mondays, Causing Earthquakes Sunday, November 20 and sound artists. Tuesday, November 29 Monday, December 12 Winter Solstice November 7–December 4 Thursday, November 10 10:30 am–4:30 pm 7 pm 7:30 pm Telescope Party 6–8 pm 6:30 pm Free for Members at the $12 SciCafe: When Black $12 Wednesday, December 21 $240 Free for Members with $105 level and above. Hackathon: Hack the Stacks Jackie Faherty and Jana Grcevich Holes Collide Professor Brian Keating leads 7 pm Join us for a five-part RSVP; call 212-769-5200. Admission by timed Sunday, November 20 highlight the science propelled Wednesday, December 7 this exploration of mysteries $12 introductory course exploring Since 2009, the central United entry only. Tickets available 2 pm by missions like the Hubble 7 pm in cosmology from the nature Join Steve Beyer, Brian Levine, the inner workings of the States has experienced starting November 1; Free Space Telescope and explain Free for 21+ with ID of space to concepts such as and Ted Williams for a sneak brain, with experts who will a significant increase in call 212-769-5200. Wallach Orientation Center what you can expect to see When black holes collide, they the “Arrow of Time.” peek at the celestial objects that discuss the latest neuroscience earthquake activity, specifically Be among the first to explore Data is everywhere, from the in the near future from offer clues about their nature appear in our winter sky. Begin research. Discover how in areas employing new remote forests, deep caves, smartphone in your pocket missions like Gaia and the in the form of gravitational the evening by learning the the brain processes sensory and emerging oil and gas expansive wetlands, and to scans of rare books in the James Webb Space Telescope. waves. Earth-based detectors techniques of observation from stimuli, delve into its anatomy, production technologies. dazzling reefs at the new Museum collections. As part aim to record the “songs” inside the Hayden Planetarium and explore the evolutionary Join Dr. Justin Rubinstein, special exhibition ¡Cuba! of the third annual Hackathon, of these waves, turning up the Space Theater. Then, weather history of this magnificent deputy chief of the Induced before it opens to the public. programmers are developing volume on the soundtrack of permitting, head out to the and mysterious organ. Seismicity Project at the United new ways to visualize and the universe. Barnard College Arthur Ross Terrace to look States Geological Survey, as he understand Museum archives. professor and astronomer through telescopes. discusses the many ways that Join us to find out what coders Janna Levin shares her research humans can cause earthquakes. can create in 24 hours. on the first recordings of a gravitational wave from the collision of two black holes 1.3 billion years ago.

The Butterfly Conservatory Wonders of the Arctic Dark Universe Credits The Museum gratefully live animals Opens December 10, 2016 2d and 3d Through compelling stories told space show Narrated by Neil DeGrasse Tyson, acknowledges the Housed in a vivarium that by scientists and Inuit leaders, the Space Show celebrates pivotal Major funding for ¡Cuba! Richard and Karen LeFrak approximates their natural this giant-screen film reveals the discoveries and the cosmic has been provided by the Exhibition and Education Fund. habitat with live flowering impact of ice on the inhabitants, mysteries that remain. Gaze up Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest plants, butterfly species in this both human and animal, of one at the Milky Way from Mt. Wilson Endowment Fund. Dinosaurs Among Us is proudly ever-popular exhibition include of the most beautiful and frigid Observatory in California, plunge supported by Chase Private Client. iridescent blue morpho butterflies, places on Earth. into Jupiter’s atmosphere with a Generous support for ¡Cuba! striking scarlet swallowtails, and NASA probe, and more. has been provided by the Additional support is generously large owl butterflies. Dalio Ocean Initiative. provided by Dana and Virginia Randt.

The Ford Foundation has also Credits continue on p. 18 committed to supporting ¡Cuba!

Rotunda / Fall 2016 / AMNH.org 18 Next at the Museum 19

October The Grand Tour Credits: Student classes in the Sackler The Margaret Mead Film Festival Tuesday, December 27 Educational Laboratory, offered is made possible by the New York 1 4 11 22 7 pm The Science of Stem Cells is through the Museum’s Gottesman State Council on the Arts with the saturday tuesday tuesday saturday $12 supported by the Empire State Stem Center for Science Teaching & support of Governor Andrew M. Celebrate Pacific Fall Lunchtime Bird Walks Fall Lunchtime Bird Walks Family Astronomy Do we hold a special place Cell Fund through New York State Learning, are made possible by a Cuomo and the New York State Northwest Cultures in Central Park in Central Park Hayden Planetarium Program Family Program Nature Walk Nature Walk in the universe? Join Brian Department of Health Contract generous grant from The Mortimer Legislature. First Saturdays through May 2017 Abbott and Ted Williams to # DOH01-C30157GG-3450000. D. Sackler Foundation, Inc. and 25 experience the entire observable The Spitzer Hall of Human Support for Celebrate Culture, The Science of Stem Cells 5 13 tuesday universe and come to a cosmic Support for Hayden Planetarium Origins’ lead benefactors Anne and the Margaret Mead Film Festival, Family Program wednesday thursday Fall Lunchtime Bird Walks understanding of where we Programs is provided by the Bernard Spitzer. and Kwanzaa 2016: Songs SciCafe: Secrets of the The 2016 Margaret Mead in Central Park Nature Walk are and how we came to be. Schaffner Family and the Horace for the Soul is provided, in part, Crocodile Mummies Film Festival 2 After-hours Program Through October 16 W. Goldsmith Endowment Fund. The Annual IRIS/SSA Lecture by the May and Samuel Rudin sunday Sci-Fi Universe Series is presented in collaboration Family Foundation, Inc.; the Hall Tour: The World Hayden Planetarium Program KWANZAA 2016: The Museum gratefully with the Incorporated Research Sidney, Milton and Leoma of Crocodilians 6 18 Songs for the Soul acknowledges The Mortimer D. Institutions for Seismology and the Simon Foundation; the family Member Tour thursday tuesday What a Fish Knows: The Inner Fall Lunchtime Bird Walks Sackler Foundation, Inc. for its Seismological Society of America. of Frederick H. Leonhardt; and 26 Friday, December 30 Lives of Our Underwater Cousins in Central Park wednesday Noon and 3 pm support to establish the Sackler The Max and Victoria Dreyfus 3 Museum Lecture Nature Walk Welcome to the Universe Film Screening at 4:30 pm Brain Bench, part of the Museum’s The Hackathon is part of Foundation. monday Hayden Planetarium Program Free for Members or Sackler Educational Laboratory BridgeUp: STEM, an initiative Mapping the Heavens Hayden Planetarium Program with Museum Admission for Comparative Genomics and educating youth and the public Kwanzaa 2016 is co-presented 8 saturday Human Origins, in the Spitzer about cutting-edge computing by Community Works and 29 Milstein Hall of Ocean Life The Science of Stem Cells saturday and Kaufmann Theater Hall of Human Origins, offering in scientific research and science New Heritage Theatre Group. Family Program Live Bat Encounter American Idol champion ongoing programs and resources communication. Member Program Ruben Studdard sings all for adults, teachers, and students The Kwanzaa marketplace is the right notes to usher in to illuminate the extraordinary BridgeUp: STEM is generously organized by the Harlem Arts a year of renewed faith, love, workings of the human brain. supported by a grant from the Alliance. November Helen Gurley Brown Trust.

and unity in his Museum Dinosaurs Among Us (Z. Chuang/ debut. Hosted by Linda Humes, With special thanks to Museum festivities kick The SciCafe Series is proudly Whole Foods Market. 2 7 18 20 Wonders of the Arctic Lickley) (D. wednesday monday friday sunday off with a performance by sponsored by Judy and Josh Weston. SciCafe: The Science of Brain 101: The Inside Story Member Preview Begins: ¡Cuba! Hackathon: Hack the Stacks students from the Celia Cruz Predicting an Election Mondays through December 4 Member Program Family Program Bronx High School of Music and After-hours Program The Remarkable Nature an international marketplace. of Edward Lear

(The Carter Center/E. Staub), 19 21 A screening of Let Freedom 5 Museum Lecture saturday monday Sing: How Music Inspired saturday Seismodome: Sights and Spaceman: An Evening the Civil Rights Movement Meet the Scientist in the Lab Sounds of Earthquakes with Mike Massimino concludes the celebration. Family Program 10 and Global Seismology Museum Lecture thursday Hayden Planetarium Program

Countdown to Countdown Zero to Hall Tour: Tyrannosaurus rex Yes, Humans Are Causing Member Program Earthquakes 29 Museum Lecture tuesday Credits continued from p. 17 Countdown to Zero is proudly Dark Universe was created by Presented with special thanks to Next-Generation Astronomy Hayden Planetarium Program

supported by Conrad N. Hilton the American Museum of Natural NASA and the National Science (M. Plunkett), Next-Generation Astronomy (NASA), and Crocs: Ancient Predators in a Foundation, Lions Clubs History, the Frederick Phineas Foundation. Modern World was created by International Foundation, Mectizan and Sandra Priest Rose Center Salero Peeling Productions at Clyde Donation Program, and Vestergaard. for Earth and Space, and the Dark Universe was developed by December Peeling’s REPTILAND. Hayden Planetarium. the American Museum of Natural

This exhibition is made possible History, New York (www.amnh.org), (J. McDonald)

Generous support for The Butterfly by the generosity of the Arthur Made possible through the in collaboration with the California Crocs 6 11 16 27 Conservatory has been provided by Ross Foundation. generous sponsorship of Accenture. Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, tuesday sunday friday tuesday Painting the Natural World Origami Fest Dinos After Dark The Grand Tour the Eileen P. Bernard Exhibition Fund. and GOTO INC, Tokyo, Japan. After-hours Program Member Program After-hours Program Hayden Planetarium Program Wonders of the Arctic is a The Museum also gratefully Eight Tuesdays through January 24, 2017 Countdown to Zero is presented co-production of Science North acknowledges major funding from by the American Museum of and Giant Screen Films; major the Charles Hayden Foundation. 12 21 30 Natural History in collaboration funding for the film was provided 7 monday wednesday friday wednesday The Twisted Universe Winter Solstice Telescope Party KWANZAA 2016: with The Carter Center. by Raglan Mine (a Glencore SciCafe: When Black Hayden Planetarium Program Hayden Planetarium Program Songs for the Soul Company) and the Northern Holes Collide Family Program Peking Natural Science Organization), Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation. AMNH/D. Finnin, R. Mickens, A. Porzecanski, C. Raxworthy, with the exception of After-hours Program

Rotunda / Fall 2016 / AMNH.org 20 Explore at the Museum 21

Sharing Space

As OSIRIS-REx wends its way to the asteroid Bennu, The Long Haul the Museum will be able to share accurate-to-the-second visualizations of its journey through a unique collaboration with NASA: OpenSpace. This open source software program draws on constantly updated data generated by NASA space explorations and builds on the Museum’s experience of translating scientific data into stunning imagery—think Hayden Planetarium Space Shows—to create engaging public presentations. Numerous scientific institutions, including universities, other museums, and various NASA entities are involved in the development and dissemination of OpenSpace with a view to increasing scientific literacy through public programs and, eventually, shared access for high school teachers and others online. Over the course of the OSIRIS-REx mission, the Museum’s visualization team will be updating the visualization with images of Bennu’s surface taken by the spacecraft. More OpenSpace-powered events are in the works, too. The team is currently working on a presentation to visualize (left) Rendering of OSIRIS-REx deploying its sampling global change, tentatively scheduled for April 21 as a celebration arm near the asteroid Bennu. (right) A return capsule of Earth Day. Stay tuned! will journey back to Earth with samples. OpenSpace is based upon work supported by NASA under award No NNX16AB93A. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions April 9, 2014: May 27, 2016: August 15, 2019: or recommendations expressed in this material are those OSIRIS-REx passes Final launch prep begins at OSIRIS-REx begins phase of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the critical design review. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. to choose a sample site. August 17, 2018: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Mission Timeline Arrival at Bennu. From planning to execution 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 to return, the OSIRIS-REx mission will take more than 12 years. Here are highlights March 4, 2021: of how events unfold. May 25, 2011: March 30, 2015: November 19, 2018: OSIRIS-REx mission announced. Spacecraft building begins. Survey of Bennu begins. Window for departing July 4, 2020: Bennu opens. September 24, 2023: September 8, 2016: Touch-and-go maneuver Sample return capsule lands by OSIRIS-REx mission launches. collects sample. parachute in the Utah desert.

Asteroid reconnaissance is not for the impatient—something and composed of materials relatively unchanged since it formed July 2010. Connolly currently serves as one of several American Meet the (Asteroid) Scientist geologist Harold C. Connolly, Jr., knows well. more than 4.5 billion years ago. Researchers hope that surface co-investigators on the second mission, to asteroid Ryugu, Harold Connolly was obsessed It’s been five and a half years since Connolly, a research samples will contain prebiotic organic compounds that can offer which launched in 2014. Several Japanese co-investigators with rocks as a child. When he associate in the Museum’s Department of Earth and Planetary clues not just to the formation of our solar system but to the origin are also working on OSIRIS-REx. was five, his grandfather noticed Sciences, was appointed to oversee the analysis of samples of Earth’s oceans and earliest life. One of the main tasks for Connolly and the OSIRIS-REx this interest and told him that for OSIRIS-REx—the first U.S. mission to gather material from Since the technology used to study the samples—CT scanning, team following this fall’s launch will be to determine the safest, there are people who study rocks an asteroid. If the mission, which launched this September, electron beam imaging, mass spectrometry—is developing at a most promising sampling site—a job complicated by the fact that for a living—and that they’re goes according to plan, the NASA spacecraft will arrive at the fast clip, the duration of the mission means scientists will have Bennu is not a monolithic rock but more of “a rubble pile”: a called geologists. Connolly was asteroid Bennu in 2018 to spend a year and a half photographing even better tools by the time Bennu specimens arrive on Earth. conglomeration of smaller rocks continuously pulling apart and also inspired by his 9th-grade and mapping this massive space rock. In 2020, a robotic arm “Already, the ability to look at really small things is astonishing,” moving back together again as Bennu revolves at the relatively fast Earth science teacher, and by the will touch down on the surface to gather soil samples in the says Curator Denton Ebel, who analyzes the makeup of meteorites, speed of one rotation per four Earth hours. The yearlong mapping time he graduated high school, course of just a few seconds. Only in September 2023 will the pieces of asteroids that have landed on Earth. “We can look at pre- is essential to selecting the site, after which the spacecraft will have his yearbook caption read: Will work of studying the samples back on Earth begin. solar grains, truly stardust, found in meteorites.” up to three tries to retrieve at least 2.1 ounces (60 grams) or up study geology, become a geologist, and teach geology. In college, Dr. Connolly isn’t daunted by the wait. “It’s what the process Unlike studies of meteorites, the capture of samples in space to 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms) of samples that may hold invaluable Connolly did study geology, but also paleontology and, at the of exploring is about,” he says. offers scientists the rare opportunity to work with “pristine” insights into our solar system and the emergence of life on Earth. suggestion of an advisor, wrote not one but two senior theses— Bennu is of particular interest to scientists because it has a specimens that haven’t been altered by the heat and shock Says Connolly, who is also founding chair of geology at one in invertebrate paleontology on Devonian invertebrates and high probability of crashing into Earth in the late 22nd century, of traveling through Earth’s atmosphere. The first asteroid- Rowan University, “Rocks are books. The pages are minerals. the other on chondrule formation in meteorites. His fate was and better understanding its nature is critical to possibly retrieval mission, led by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration They tell us a story—how they were formed, where they were sealed. “I discovered that what I was in love with was [deep]

deflecting it. It is also a rare type-B asteroid, carbon-rich Agency, brought samples from the asteroid Itokawa to Earth in © NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center; Harold Connolly opposite © AMNH/D. Finnin formed, what’s happened to them since.” time,” says Connolly. “And the ultimate fossil is a meteorite.”

Rotunda / Fall 2016 / AMNH.org 22 Members at the Museum

2016 By the Numbers

From microscopic life to massive dinosaurs, from pressing public science, innovative learning experiences, or groundbreaking health concerns to the exploration of outer space, the Museum’s new exhibitions, your support makes everything we do possible. exhibitions, research, and education initiatives ranged far and wide in The full impact of the work you support is immeasurable, 2016. None of this would happen without the support of our Members. but there are some things we can quantify—things that every What this institution means to visitors, educators, and scientists Member can point to and say “I helped make that!” Here are can seem abstract at times. But whether it’s behind-the-scenes just a couple, presented with our thanks.

feet of titanosaur 122 The newest addition to the fourth-floor fossil halls became an instant icon. mat Richard Gilder Graduate School alums in 4 Ph.D.-degree student André classrooms Carvalho described four new 65 new lizard species—including 13 students began the Museum’s Masters of Arts 4 Tropidurus lagunablanca, in Teaching program as it entered its sixth year this lizard pictured—encountered during summer, joining the 65 alums already teaching species his fieldwork in South America. in schools all over New York. crocodile + years species of mead Crocs: Ancient Predators in a Modern World brought live crocodilians to the Museum, 40This October, the 2016 Margaret Mead Film including adorable American alligator babies Festival marks a milestone as a preeminent 1100microbial and a rare dwarf crocodile. showcase for international documentary films. 110,000explorer swabsStarting in May, Museum downloads Reaffirm your vital visitors—including many role as an advocate for Revamped and relaunched in beta Members—donated their 2017another science and education by in March, the Museum’s flagship microbial samples to help : making a tax-deductible app offers a new way to see the researchers learn more gift today to the halls, whether you’re walking about the makeup of great Museum’s Annual Fund through them or checking the human microbiome at amnh.org/annualfund.

in from across the world. around the world. Clockwise from top left: © AMNH, A. Carvalho, AMNH/D. Finnin, McDonald Wildlife Photogrpahy, Felix & Paul Studios, AMNH/G. D’Alessandro year

Rotunda / Fall 2016 / AMNH.org Membership

Central Park West at 79th Street New York, New York 10024-5192 amnh.org Cover © iStockPhoto/sdbower © 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 special exhibition ¡Cuba! opens for Member Preview Days ¡Cuba! Shop, Dinosaurs Among Us Shop, on November 18. Come explore the extraordinary biodiversity of the island’s remote forests, deep caves, expansive wetlands, and Online Shop (shop.amnh.org) For information on accessibility at the and dazzling reefs, as well as Cuba’s culture and history. Live offer Members a 10-percent discount. Museum, email [email protected] animals on display include the brown anole, featured on the or call 212-313-7565. cover of this issue.