Member Magazine Spring 2015 Vol. 40 No. 2

life at the limits: Stories of Amazing opens april 4 2 News at the Museum 3

From the Solve a Science-Based Mystery Designed by Teens On December 10, 2014, the Museum’s Board of technology, engineering, and mathematics) President Trustees voted unanimously to create a new facility education, and enhancing science literacy among on the Museum’s west side, near Columbus Avenue the general public. To do so, it will house some of Ellen V. Futter at 79th Street. To be named the Richard Gilder the most thrilling and high-tech exhibits, theaters, Center for Science, Education, and Innovation after laboratories, classrooms, teaching facilities, Trustee and longtime benefactor Richard Gilder, collections, and gathering spaces anywhere. the new facility will meet many of the Museum’s In addition, as those of you who have visited programmatic and visitor needs in an era of recently know, the Museum is nearly bursting at scientific advancement, educational priorities, the seams, with yearly attendance having grown and burgeoning technology. to approximately 5 million. Navigation and It has become increasingly apparent that improved visitor services are continuing challenges the expression of the Museum’s mission in that the new Gilder Center, which will connect to the 21st century calls for new kinds of facilities the existing facility, will help to address. that are even more immersive, integrated, and We hope to unveil the Gilder Center during the technologically advanced. With the new Gilder Museum’s 150th year, 2019–2020. In the meantime, Center, the Museum will sustain its long-standing I look forward to updating you as we proceed with leadership in science and education, particularly in the planning and design for this exciting new the areas of cutting-edge research, STEM (science, addition to the Museum campus.

Table of Contents Hunting tool or murder weapon? High school students Monica Chhay and Sarah Carrillo show a visitor how to use a smartphone to create virtual Neanderthal tools. News 3 The Museum’s Sackler Educational Laboratory is looking for a few good Sackler Educational Laboratory Neanderthal detectives—and you just might fit the bill. Close-Up 4 Earlier this year, 19 high school seniors from Millennium Brooklyn High The Museum’s Sackler Educational Laboratory 4 6 School wrapped up a 14-week program in which they worked with a science for Comparative Genomics and Origins -Defying Feats 6 advisor and Museum staff to develop an interactive experience for family visitors is a state-of-the-art interactive lab. based on cutting-edge research and rooted in the Spitzer Hall of Human Origins To help test “CSN: Crime Scene Neanderthal,” Curators’ Picks 10 and the Sackler Educational Laboratory. Drawing on the latest findings about our join Museum staff and seniors from Millennium relatives Homo neanderthalensis, it even has a ready-for-prime-time name: CSN: Brooklyn High School in the Sackler Educational The Imitators 12 Crime Scene Neanderthal. Lab on Saturdays and Sundays, from April 11 to Family visitors who participate in CSN will be led by student interns, armed June 6. Come ready to pursue prehistoric clues! Next 14 with a paper guide and a mobile app, to explore both virtual and cast Neanderthal The Sackler Educational Lab is located on the fossils to solve a science-based mystery. It’s part of an experimental approach to first floor, inside the Spitzer Hall of Human Origins. Behind the Scenes in Collections 20 engaging youth in science learning by challenging students to co-design a unique It is free for Members and open on Saturdays and Museum experiences for families. Sundays from noon to 5 pm. Inside View 22 10 20 “CSN is both a fantastic opportunity for the students and a 21st-century learning experience for Museum visitors,” says Barry Joseph, the Museum’s associate director for digital learning. “CSN helps us explore what digital layers—like mobile The Museum greatly acknowledges games, augmented reality, access to real-time information, and more—can add to a The Mortimer D. Sackler Foundation, Inc. young visitor’s engagement with scientific content within the Museum.” for its support to establish The Sackler Brain In April and May, Members will have a chance to experience the program Bench, part of the Museum’s Sackler Educational firsthand when the student developers return to the Museum to test the Laboratory for Comparative Genomics and Human prototype with the public, guiding groups of families and youth to dioramas and Origins, in the Spitzer Hall of Human Origins, microscopes to unravel such puzzles as: how do we know a Neanderthal’s hair offering ongoing programs and resources for American Museum of Natural History ISSN 0194-6110 Chairman Lewis W. Bernard USPS Permit #472-650 color? What can clues tell us about Neanderthal culture? What killed off this adults, teachers, and students to illuminate the President Ellen V. Futter Vol. 40, No. 2, Spring 2015 recent human relative? (See the sidebar for details on how you can participate.) extraordinary workings of the human brain. Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Rotunda is published quarterly by the Membership Office of the American “This interactive experience will add new content to the hall and show visitors Strategic Planning, and Education Lisa J. Gugenheim Museum of Natural History, 15 West 77 Street, New York, NY 10024-5192. that science is a dynamic process with new information emerging all the time,” The 14-week student program and spring Director of Membership Louise Adler Phone: 212-769-5606. Website: amnh.org. Museum membership of $75 per says Julia Zichello, manager of the Sackler Educational Lab. “CSN more directly internships are supported by a generous grant from year and higher includes a subscription to Rotunda. ©2015 American Museum links the hall to the hands-on experience in the lab.” The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation. Magazine of Natural History. Periodical postage paid at New York, NY and at additional Coming soon from another student digital learning project: MicroRangers, a Editor Eugenia V. Levenson mailing offices. Postmaster: please send address changes to Rotunda, Contributors Joan Kelly Bernard, Ian Chant, Jill Hamilton, Membership Office, AMNH, at the above address. mobile game to solve problems related to microbial organisms, biodiversity, and Additional support for the development of the Karen Miller, Elena Sansalone human health, that will launch this fall as the Museum opens a special exhibition “CSN” prototype was provided by Miguel and Grace Design Hinterland, www.hinterlandstudio.com Please send questions, ideas, and feedback to [email protected]. on the human microbiome. Hennessy and The Margarita and John Hennessy

Photo 5 © AMNH/D. Finnin; photo 6 Oxford Scientific/Photolibrary/Getty Images; photo 12 © Image Source/Corbis; photo 20 © AMNH/R. Mickens © AMNH/R. 20 photo Source/Corbis; Image © 12 photo Images; Scientific/Photolibrary/Getty Oxford 6 photo Finnin; AMNH/D. © 5 Photo © AMNH/M. Shanley Family Foundation.

Rotunda / Spring 2015 / AMNH.org 4 Close-Up at the Museum 5

Tools in the Field Sense and Sensibility In the quest for better prediction, volcanologists A Shark’s Sense The electrosensory ampullae of Lorenzini were use satellites to spot telltale signs, such as first discovered by Marcello Malpighi, an Italian bulges in a volcanic mountainside or rising The flattened head of the hammerhead shark (family Sphrynidae) is more than biologist in Bologna, Italy, in the 1660s. In 1678, temperatures registered in infrared wavelengths. just a distinctive feature: it’s the anatomical structure behind these ’ the Florentine physician Stefano Lorenzini won Tilt meters also detect changes in slope, while extraordinary sensory capabilities. naming rights by describing the organs in detail, seismometers track earthquake tremors as Hammerheads depend on some of the same senses as . Their broad, although he speculated that ampullae were magma ascends and the tremors creep closer flat head, known as a cephalofoil, enhances several of these, including vision and mucus ducts. Over the next 300 years, until Dutch to the surface. Instruments on planes, trucks, smell. Wide-set eyes provide a better visual range, allowing the hammerhead researchers finally determined their function, or positioned by scientists on the edge of a crater to see above and below it on both sides, and the spacing of the far-apart nostrils ampullae were believed at various times to sense measure gas content. helps the shark determine the direction from which a scent originates. touch, pressure, salinity, and temperature. Maneuvering around a marine habitat, hammerheads have also developed ways Most Common Volcano to detect key signals, including vibrations, currents, and changes in water pressure. A Distinctive Family There are many types of volcanoes, but the most And when they hunt, they use their electrosensory ability to locate prey. The family Sphyrnidae includes 10 species of common is the cinder cone, in which an explosive How? Even small muscle movements generate bio-electrical signals, which hammerheads worldwide, only three of which eruption of gas sends runny lava (runny because are amplified in an aquatic environment. A hammerhead can detect these (the scalloped, great, and smooth) pose any of low silica-content) flying from a volcanic impulses with sensory organs called ampullae of Lorenzini. The ampullae are danger to humans. The Carolina hammerhead vent. The fragments cool, harden, and fall to the Left: Pumice, catalog no. 5584 composed of clusters of pores concentrated around the shark’s mouth and along (Sphyrna gilberti) is the most recently described ground, accumulating around the vent in a cone Right: Basalt, catalog no. 1703 its front that are lined with hair-like cells that send signals to the brain when species (2013). The great (Sphyrna mokarran) shape. Most volcanoes of this type are small, stimulated. When searching for food, a hammerhead sweeps its head from side and scalloped (Sphyrna lewini) hammerheads around 1,000 feet in height or less. to side like a metal detector to pick up electrical signals. In this manner, sharks are listed as endangered, and two other species successfully root out rays—a favorite snack—and other bottom-dwelling fishes that as vulnerable, by the International Union for the High Drama Recipes for Eruption bury themselves in sand or mud on the ocean floor. Conservation of Nature. Overfishing due to high The most explosive and much larger volcanoes— The sharks’ electrosensory capability also helps them pick up on electrical demand for their fins, which are considered a stratovolcanoes—spew a massive column of Early in their course work, some of the Earth science students in the Museum’s fields generated by salt water as it moves through the Earth’s magnetic fields, delicacy in some places, is a top threat. gas and ash into the air or out the mountainside, Master of Arts in Teaching program get an explosive object lesson in the petrology allowing hammerheads to orient themselves during daily feeding and long- sending incandescent debris, called pyroclastic lab of geologist James Webster. They recreate a volcano. distance migrations. It’s even used in reproduction: during mating season, males Group Efforts flow, rushing downward at hundreds of miles “They are very excited to be able to that,” says Dr. Webster, curator in the can find females by tracking the bioelectric fields they produce. Before their populations crashed from an hour. Perhaps the most famous example is Department of Earth and Planetary Science, who notes that visitors can try their Electrosensitivity is not unique to hammerheads; other sharks and rays also overfishing, schools of hundreds of scalloped Italy’s Vesuvius, which buried Pompeii in AD 79. hand at erupting a virtual volcano in the special exhibition Nature’s Fury. have these ampullae. But here the shape of the species’ head offers another hammerheads were a common sight in the Gulf The Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth features The way Webster’s experiment works is this: The students take a small chip advantage. The higher number and density of pores on the cephalofoil of the of California. Hammerheads are not the only a large cast of a collapsed column from a villa of igneous rock, like the gray Augustine volcano pumice or the black basalt from hammerhead are thought to give this family greater electrosensory capabilities sharks to engage in such mass aggregations— excavated in Pompeii that reveals that fateful Mt. Vesuvius, above. They tuck the sample, along with water, inside a tiny gold than those of its more streamlined cousins. whale sharks, among other shark species, have sequence of events. cylinder, which in turn is put into a 200-pound steel reaction vessel. (Why gold? been observed gathering in large numbers as Because it is one of the more chemically resistant metals and won’t interfere with See a life-size hammerhead shark model over the entrance to the well—but this behavior makes them particularly Slow Mover chemical reactions within the vessel. It is also malleable, allowing pressure to affect Milstein Hall of Ocean Life. vulnerable to fisheries. Shield volcanoes get their name from their the sample.) The gold cylinder then is subjected to extreme pressure and high shape, a gentle slope resembling an upside-down heat—nearly 2,000° Fahrenheit—which causes the water and its constituent gases to Marine Marvels warrior’s shield, formed by lava as it cools. They “dissolve” into the molten rock sample. Finally, when the pressure is dropped, the Find out more about how the ocean’s most can stretch for miles and erupt for years. Kīlauea, gases come back out of the melt, they expand, and voila! A tiny volcano. unique organisms adapt and thrive at the family- the most active of the five volcanoes on the Island The experiment is fun, but it’s also a vivid example of painstaking efforts friendly Milstein Science Series, which is free of Hawai’i, is a shield volcano. This relatively being employed by Earth scientists to unlock the variables that make some for Members. Upcoming programs include benign tourist attraction made news around the volcanoes the destructive powerhouses they are. Incredible Oceans on Sunday, April 19, and Sea world last year when its lava advanced into the Again and again, changing the kinds and amounts of added materials—water, Turtles on Sunday, May 3. See pages 14 and 15 town of Pahoa, igniting properties in its path. sulfur, chlorine, carbon dioxide—and varying the heat and pressure, Webster for more details. and his colleagues calculate the effects of different combinations of gas, rock, Uncertainty Principle heat, and pressure and their potential to create a major eruption. The type of Despite great strides in understanding and even rock is a factor too. Basalt and pumice, for example, are at opposite ends of the predicting volcanoes, the unexpected still occurs, viscosity spectrum. Basalt’s low-gas, low-silica, and low-viscosity makeup results Sphyrna lewini sometimes with tragic results. Last September in eruptions of slow-moving lava; pumice’s high-gas, high-silica content, and in Japan, magma from much-monitored Mount higher viscosity create more explosive outcomes. Ontake came into contact with a crater lake, “Ultimately we are trying to generate enough data to create models,” says setting off a sudden explosion of hot gas and ash Webster. “There are so many combinations, there’s no way to replicate all of that killed more than 60 climbers near the top. nature. But models can tell us how certain materials under certain conditions Similarly, in the U.S., closely watched Mount St. will likely behave.” Helens killed 57 people when it erupted in 1980 with record-breaking force. Design and erupt a volcano in an interactive feature of Nature’s Fury: The Science

of Natural Disasters, which is free for Members. Photos © AMNH/D. Finnin Photo © istockphoto.com/D. Burns

Rotunda / Spring 2015 / AMNH.org 6 life at the limits opens april 4 7 death-defying

Three organismsfeats Some species are so hardy, so creative in their responses to the that just won’t quit usual wear, tear, and stress of life, they seem to cheat death. Here are just three of the remarkable organisms featured in the Museum’s new exhibition Life at the Limits: Stories of Amazing Species.

feat 1: play dead mosses or lichens. But though they’re common in moderate Spallanzini in 1776—is still the best understood. mission. The tuns didn’t disappoint: tardigrades became climes, terrestrial tardigrades are also among the few animals First, the curls into itself, tucking its eight limbs and the first animals to survive the one-two punch of solar radiation Tardigrades—a group of microscopic eight-legged animals that that thrive in spots that are particularly inhospitable to life, such head inside its body. It sheds more than 95 percent of its water, and the vacuum of space. resemble plump piglets in puffer coats—have been charming as Antarctica’s McMurdo Valleys, thought to be the driest and shriveling into a blob, one-third its original size, known as a tun Tardigrades are far from the only animals that enter and astonishing biologists in equal measure since they were coldest desert on Earth. for its resemblance to a beer barrel. In the process, the tardigrade cryptobiotic states—rotifers, nematodes, and other invertebrates first discovered in the 1770s. To eke out a living in the mosses of Antarctica and even in produces a sugar that replaces the lost water, protecting internal do it as well. But, in part because it’s so extraordinary, the Zoologist Johann Goeze first dubbed the tiny aquatic more mild places where their habitats are vulnerable to sudden structures from fatal damage. Metabolic processes dwindle to tardigrade’s hardiness has, at times, inspired some tall tales, animal he saw lumbering around on clawed legs “kleiner water loss, tardigrades have evolved a remarkable ability. When less than 0.01 percent of normal activity as the tardigrade waits including legends about their longevity. The total lifespan Wasserbär”—German for little water bear. A few years later, conditions turn life-threatening—whether from rapid drying, for conditions to improve. of tardigrades—that includes pauses to wait out unfavorable Italian naturalist Lazzarro Spallanzini named them slow extremes in temperature, or spikes in salinity—they seem to As tuns, tardigrades appear to be lifeless, and indestructible. conditions—is actually thought to be under a decade. steppers (tardi grada)—and provided the first description of defy death by imitating it. Tardigrades temporarily wind down Researchers have exposed tuns to extreme temperatures on And while phenomenal, the tardigrade’s resiliency is the amazing transformation tardigrades undergo when under their metabolism in a reversible process called cryptobiosis, either side of the scale, including 20 hours at absolute zero, to not absolute: though the majority of tardigrades in the 2007 environmental stress. (More on that in a bit.) literally, hidden life. extreme pressures, and to toxic concentrations of gasses such experiment survived simultaneous exposure to space vacuum Tardigrades are phenomenally successful organisms, There’s still much to be learned about the mechanisms as carbon monoxide. In all cases, tardigrades have amazingly and solar radiation, 32 percent didn’t. Most humbling, perhaps: having first appeared more than half a billion years ago. More by which tardigrades become cryptobiotic when faced with sprung back to life once water was resupplied. In 2007, the The longest verified uninterrupted lifespan of Milnesium than 1,000 species can be found all over the world, in sea different stressors. The dramatic change they undergo in European Space Agency even tested tuns in space, sending two tardigradum, the ultra-resilient tardigrade species that can

and fresh water as well as on land, where they cling to moist response to lack of water—anhydrobiosis, first described by Spears David © Images Scientific/Photolibrary/Getty Oxford Photos: Unlimited/Corbis Nelson/Visuals Diane © FRMS/Corbis, FRPS species of tardigrades into low Earth orbit on the FOTON-M3 endure open space? Just 58 days after hatching.

Rotunda / Spring 2015 / AMNH.org 8 life at the limits opens april 4 9

swimming, genetically identical medusae—the animals we Life at the Limits: Stories of Amazing Species recognize as —which grow into adulthood in a matter of weeks. Fully grown, Turritopsis dohrnii is only about 4.5 mm On view in the LeFrak Family Gallery, fourth floor (0.18 inches) across, smaller than a pinky nail. A bright-red stomach is visible in the middle of its transparent bell, and the Imagine holding your breath for an hour and a half. Enduring edges are lined with up to 90 white tentacles. temperatures above 300° Fahrenheit and below -458˚ F. Or seeming The medusae of Turritopsis dohrnii have an extraordinary to cheat death by repeatedly cloning yourself. Life at the Limits: survival skill. In response to physical damage or even Stories of Amazing Species explores the diverse and sometimes starvation, they take a leap back in their development process, jaw-dropping strategies animals and plants employ to find food, transforming back into a . The born-again polyp colony fend off predators, reproduce, and thrive in habitats we would find eventually buds and releases medusae that are genetically inhospitable, even lethal. identical to the injured adult. It’s a process that looks The exhibition, co-curated by curators Mark Siddall, a remarkably like . In fact, since this phenomenon parasitologist, and John Sparks, an ichthyologist, introduces visitors was first observed in the 1990s, Turritopsis dohrnii has come to many subjects from bizarre mating calls to extreme examples to be called “the immortal jellyfish.” of parasitism, using specimens, videos, interactive exhibits, and The cellular mechanism behind it—a rare process known models, including a climbable Hercules beetle. Live animals on as transdifferentiation—is of particular interest to scientists display include the surprisingly powerful mantis shrimp, the for its potential applications in medicine. By undergoing nautilus, which uses jet propulsion to navigate its ocean habitat, transdifferentiation, an adult cell, one that is specialized for and the axolotl, an entirely aquatic salamander that breathes a particular tissue, can become an entirely different type through external gills. feat 2: be clear (clear-blooded, that is) When antarctic icefishes, as channichthyids are commonly of specialized cell. It’s an efficient way of cell recycling and Life at the Limits tells the stories of these and many more known, were discovered in the 1920s, biologists were puzzled. an important area of study in stem cell research. If stem extraordinary creatures across the tree of life—and their extreme While the tardigrades’ extraordinary resiliency is a response Many assumed that the animals’ curious lack of red blood cells cells have this capacity, and if we can learn to harness it, approaches to the unusual challenges of living on Earth. to rapidly changing conditions, other species have risen had some adaptive value. Because they’re so cold, Antarctica’s transdifferentiation could be used to replace cells lost to or to a different sort of challenge: enduring a consistently waters are also incredibly rich in oxygen, and scientists thought damaged by disease. The Museum gratefully acknowledges the severe environment. that icefishes might soak up enough dissolved oxygen through As for Turritopsis dohrnii, this jelly is not only an Richard and Karen LeFrak Exhibition and Education Fund. How severe? Consider the Southern Ocean, which their gills and skin to be able to afford to thin out their blood, extraordinary survivor. It’s also an increasingly aggressive surrounds Antarctica. The highest temperatures in the saving energy by circulating a watered-down version instead. invader. Marine species have long been known to hitch rides Generous support for Life at the Limits has been provided by the waters near Antarctica’s northernmost peninsula reach 1.5° After all, some fishes in warmer waters show a decrease in red around the world in the ballasts of ships, which take on water in Eileen P. Bernard Exhibition Fund. Celsius (34.7° Fahrenheit) and that only during the brief blood cells during colder seasons for this very reason. originating ports for stability and then release it, along with any summer months. As it turns out, that’s not actually the case. Without stowaways, at the final destination. Researchers have recently Life at the Limits is proudly supported by Chase Private Client. The saving grace of this chronic chill is its unrelenting hemoglobin, icefish blood is thinner but it carries less than identifiedTurritopsis dohrnii as an “excellent hitchhiker,” consistency. With less than a 4° C difference between its highs 10 percent of the oxygen found in the veins of their red- particularly well-suited to surviving long trips on cargo ships. and lows, the Southern Ocean is considered to be the most blooded notothenioid cousins, putting significant pressure In the same study, researchers also documented essentially Curator Lecture: Life at the Limits thermally stable marine environment on the planet—and one on the cardiovascular system to distribute enough oxygen. To genetically identical Turritopsis dohrnii individuals distributed Tuesday, May 12, 6–8 pm of the most long-lived. This narrow range of temperatures compensate, icefishes have considerably larger hearts pumping across the world’s oceans. If all of an organism’s cells are Enter at 77th Street has been a feature here for the last 10–14 million years. higher volumes of blood, and spending about twice as much replaced, is it still the same individual? The genes are the Free for Adventurer-level Members and above Furthermore, currents and deep ocean trenches around energy in the process. They also move that blood through same, of course—and in biology, that may be enough to declare Antarctica conspire to keep warmer waters away, isolating wider blood vessels and devote a much denser network of a winner. Join us for a special presentation about Life at the Limits: Stories the Southern Ocean in the extreme. This has allowed a group blood vessels to sensitive organs like the retina of the eye than of Amazing Species with Curator Mark Siddall. Following the of particularly gritty animals to stake their claim on a singularly do red-blooded fishes. Being an ice-veined icefish turns out to Explore other amazing organisms in Life at the Limits: Stories lecture, enjoy an after-hours visit and explore the exhibition severe sea: about 90 percent of the fishes in the Southern be quite expensive, metabolically speaking. Instead of a clever of Amazing Species, now open and free for Members. away from the crowds. Ocean belong to a single suborder, Notothenioidei. adaptation, hemoglobin-less blood starts to look more like an To survive in an environment where water temperatures evolutionary mishap. Still, these clear-blooded icefishes have drop below the freezing point of blood, notothenioids have thrived for millions of years—and it’s hard to argue with success. evolved incredible characteristics. Many species produce antifreeze proteins that thwart ice crystals from forming in their bodies during a big chill. But the species that belong feat 3: hit reverse to the family Channichthyidae, which branched off from It’s one thing to act the lineage about 5.5 to 2 million years ago, went in a It’s one thing to act young and quite another to reverse the “ different direction. aging process altogether. Only one animal is known to have Somewhere along the way, channichthyids shed their red this remarkable ability: a small species of jellyfish, Turritopsis young... and another blood cells and hemoglobin, the iron-rich protein found in dohrnii, first discovered in the 1880s in the Mediterranean Sea. red blood cells that transports oxygen throughout the body. Like all jellyfish, Turritopsis dohrnii begins life as a , to reverse the aging They became the only vertebrates without red blood cells called a planula, that develops from a fertilized egg. A planula and hemoglobin—an oddity that manifests itself in their eerily swims at first, then settles on the sea floor and grows into a process.

colorless blood. cylindrical colony of polyps. These ultimately spawn free- Icefish photo © NorbertWu/Minden Pictures/Corbis; jellyfish photoTakashi Murai/The© New York Times Syndicate/Redux

Rotunda / Spring 2015 / AMNH.org ” 10 life at the limits opens april 4 11

Curators of Life at the Limits: Stories of Amazing Species highlight three species that have ignited their interest throughout their careers—including a favorite curators’ picks from the new exhibition.

Mark Siddall took a surprising turn away John Sparks was born to be an ichthyologist. from medical school when, while researching blood He loved fish since boyhood, nurturing cichlids in a parasites in college, he found himself more interested home aquarium. And he was certified as a scuba diver in the delivery system—leeches—than in the bodies at the very first opportunity—at age 16, in an Ohio they invade. quarry, on a snowy day in March. His passion for these bloodsuckers and protozoan As curator-in-charge in the Museum’s As for a favorite species from the exhibition? “There are so many to parasitology in general has taken him from the Department of Ichthyology, Dr. Sparks has studied choose from, but I would have to say Amazon to Africa. In addition to his role as curator in freshwater fishes in Madagascar, blind cavefishes, the treehopper,” says Sparks, calling the Division of Invertebrate Zoology, Dr. Siddall enjoys and, more recently, a variety of bioluminescent and out a harmless, plant-eating insect a reputation as an “expeditionary gastronomist”— biofluorescent fishes, work that has taken him to (Cyphonia clavata) with a structure on game to try live grubs, sea urchin gonads, and the Indo-Pacific region, South America, the Western its back that resembles a venomous seaweed custard in the field. Atlantic, and the Caribbean. turtle ant (Cephalotes atratus). The treehoppertreehopper is is among the many different species that mimic ants. Ants can be venomous, have a Sparks was fascinated by painful sting, or an acrid taste—any Dr. Siddall is currently studying electric fishes, fishes, especially the of which might scare off a predator. Ozobranchus, a group of leechesleeches African mormyrids (elephantfishes) This species has never been observed that feeds on the blood of turtles. and South American gymnotiformes using the “ant” as protection, so its Ozobranchus margoi targets green (knifefishes). In the deep, dark turbid purpose in this case is conjecture, sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) and rivers where these species live, vision An accidental discovery on a 2011 trip says Sparks. Ozobranchus branchiatus are found is of little use. Both groups have to the Cayman Islands led Sparks to in a variety of sea turtles, primarily independently evolved similar systems his recent focus on biofluorescent loggerheads (Caretta caretta). Like of communication via electric signals: fishes. One2 photo of a coral reef Early in his career, Siddall was struck other blood-feeding leeches, these gymnotiformes signal to mates, and showed a bright green eel none of by the “incredible life cycle” of a parasites open a wound and deliver mormyrids pack hunt. “Even as a kid the team had seen while in the water. parasitic worm, worm called Ascaris an anticoagulant to prevent blood I was amazed by electric fishes,” says It turned out to be a falsefalse moray moray eel eel lumbricoides. Humans are infected clotting, attaching themselves on the Siddall’s favorite vertebrate in the Sparks. “But when I learned that some (family Chlopsidae) that exhibited when worm eggs, passed through mouth, neck, cloaca, and flippers of exhibition? The flyingflying fish, fish (family groups have evolved unique species- biofluorescence—the capacity to feces, contaminate food. The eggs turtles. An Asian species, Ozobranchus Exocoetidae) found3 in tropical and specific systems of communication absorb light, transform it, and eject it hatch out in the host’s small intestine, jantseanus, is highlighted in the subtropical areas of the Pacific, based entirely on electric wave and in a different color—a phenomenon 1penetrate the intestinal wall, and exhibition for its ability to survive a Atlantic, and Indian oceans. Flying fish pulse signals, I was blown away.” virtually unknown until then in fishes. hitch a ride to the lungs in the blood 24-hour dunk in liquid nitrogen. have large pectoral fins—and in some Sparks and his team went on to stream. Then they break out into the species, enlarged pelvic fins as well— discover that molecules in many fishes alveolar spaces of the lungs, causing that act as “wings,” allowing them to absorb ambient blue light, left over irritation, which leads the infected leap up and glide above the water. “I’ve after most of the remaining visible person to cough, bringing the worms seen them in the wild in Raja Ampat, light spectrum has been absorbed up the trachea to the esophagus. The Indonesia,” says Siddall. “They were in shallow water, and re-emit it in precocious parasites are swallowed streaking across the water behind our neon greens, reds, and oranges. “Well- again to return to the stomach and boat. Wicked fast!” camouflaged fishes you would never 3 arrive in the small intestine, where they notice otherwise under white light started, and grow into adults. “That’s exhibit extremely brilliant and vivid just amazing!” says Siddall. fluorescent patterns,” says Sparks. 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13 Illustration by 5W Infographics/P. Velasco 14 Next at the Museum 15

April May Programs and Events Colonel Louis Cook: Super Science Lab: Sea to Space Astronomy Live: Baby Animal Encounter Sackler Brain Bench Salon SciCafe: Why Walk Revolutionary War Hero Saturday, April 18 How Big Is the Universe? Saturday, April 25 Series: Discovering the Mind Concrete Jungle: New York For more programs and on Two Legs? Tuesday, April 14 9 am–4 pm Tuesday, April 21 11 am (recommended for younger Four Mondays, April 27–May 18 City and Our Last Best Hope to purchase tickets, Wednesday, April 1 6:30 pm $85 6:30 pm children), 1 pm, 2:30 pm 6–8 pm for a Sustainable Future visit amnh.org/calendar. Free for 21+ with ID Free; reservations required Life on Earth is—as far as we $12 $10 $35 per session ($105 series) Sunday, May 3 Join Museum Curator Brian at 212-769-5200 know—unique in the universe. Look up into the night sky—can Meet some of nature’s wildest Probe the science behind 2–4 pm For updates and reminders, Richmond and Jeremy DeSilva Join Curator Peter Whiteley for In this daylong workshop, you tell how big the universe and cutest youngsters, with brain-based illnesses such as Free sign up for monthly Calendar from Boston University in an exploration of the life of Col. complete with tasting menu, is? Brian Levine explores the animal expert Jarod Miller. autism, ADHD, depression, Join Sidney Horenstein for a Highlights for Members by exploring the advantages Louis Cook, Atayataghronghta we will apply what we know history of human perception and addiction in this salon- discussion of his new book, sending your membership of walking on two legs, as by his Mohawk name, about the extreme ecosystems of the breadth of the universe. style series led by experts. co-written with Curator number and request to subscribe well as the unfortunate simultaneously the highest- of the deep ocean to what Emeritus Niles Eldredge, to [email protected]. The consequences of evolving ranking African-American and astronomers are uncovering which uses New York City Museum does not trade, rent, bipedalism from a body plan Native American officer in the in deep space. Behind the Scenes: 2015 Isaac Asimov Memorial as a microcosm to explore or sell this information. designed to walk on four legs. Continental Army during the Herpetology Debate: Water, Water the relationship between cities, Revolutionary War. Tuesday, April 21 Tuesday, April 28 the environment, and the Tickets 6:30 pm, 7 pm, 7:30 pm 7 pm future of global biodiversity. Our Earth’s Future Enter at 77th Street Live stream at amnh.org/live Tickets are available by phone at Saturday, April 11 Culture Salon: $30 Watch the live video stream 212-769-5200, Monday–Friday, 9 am–4 pm Rice Wine and Sake Curatorial Associate David of this annual special event, 9 am–5 pm, or by visiting amnh.org. Free with application Thursday, April 16 Kizirian shares research from hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Please have your membership This one-day course explores the 6:30 pm, 7:30 pm fieldwork in Vietnam while Member Hall Tour: at amnh.org/live. number ready. science of climate change—and $45 Scientific Assistant Lauren World of Sharks how to talk about it. Will also be Take an after-hours journey Vonnahme discusses sea turtle Sunday, April 26 Availability may be limited. offered as an online course in of libations through the research. The tour is for 10:30 am–noon or 2:30–4 pm Please purchase tickets in advance. April, May, and June. Visit Museum and trace the history visitors ages 10 and up. Free Milstein Science Series: amnh.org/calendar for details. of traditional sake in Asia. This Join a Museum tour guide and Sea Turtles Please be aware that ticket sales experience details culinary Milstein Science Series: learn more about the evolution Sunday, May 3 are final for all Member programs. history, distillation processes, Incredible Oceans Spring Blooms Trolley Tour and diversity of sharks. 11 am–4:30 pm All programs go ahead rain How to Take a Picture and more, with inspiration Sunday, April 19 Saturday, April 25 Explore the Halls of Vertebrate Free or shine. There are no refunds of a Black Hole from the Museum’s Stout Hall 11 am–4:30 pm 10:30 am–12:30 pm Origins, Biodiversity, and the Sea turtles lived alongside unless the program is cancelled Monday, April 13 of Asian Peoples. Free $25 Milstein Hall of Ocean Life. For dinosaurs 150 million years ago by the Museum. 7:30 pm In conjunction with the Green-Wood Cemetery is one participants age 12 and up. and today play a crucial role $12 Museum’s Life at the Limits of the most beautiful historical Lunchtime Bird Walks in oceans ecosystems. Learn Information about programs is Shep Doeleman describes exhibition, this program will sites in New York City. Prepare in Central Park more with Eleanor Sterling, chief current as of March 3, 2015. Please an effort to link radio dishes examine the life cycles and to be dazzled by the spring Four Tuesdays, April 28–May 19 conservation scientist at the check amnh.org/calendar for around the world to form an adaptability of the oceans’ blooms at Green-Wood Noon–1:30 pm Museum’s Center for Biodiversity updates. Earth-sized virtual telescope most unusual creatures. Join Cemetery on a private trolley $50 and Conservation; Wallace J. that could make the first images us for live performances, live tour with Joe Charap, curator Museum ornithologist Paul Nichols, scientist and author of the supermassive black hole animals, and presentations of the plant collection. Sweet leads midday bird walks of Blue Mind; and Michael Coyne at the center of the Milky Way. from scientists. through Central Park. of seaturtle.org.

Exhibitions Nature’s Fury: The Science of Countdown to Zero: Natural Histories: 400 Years The Butterfly Conservatory Admission is by timed entry only. Natural Disasters Defeating Disease of Scientific Illustration from Closes Monday, May 25 Free for Members Free for Members the Museum’s Library Please check amnh.org Life at the Limits: Stories of From earthquakes and volcanoes This exhibition developed in Free for Members for Member prices Amazing Species to tornadoes and hurricanes, collaboration with The Carter Featuring scientific illustrations Housed in a vivarium that Free for Members nature’s forces shape our dynamic Center highlights scientific and spanning five centuries, this approximates their natural Discover the diverse and planet and endanger people social innovations that are ridding visually striking exhibition explores habitat with live flowering sometimes jaw-dropping around the world. Discover the world of ancient afflictions— the integral role illustration has plants, butterfly species in this strategies animals and plants the causes of these natural yet including the 30-year campaign played in scientific discovery. ever-popular exhibition include employ to find food, fend off hazardous events and explore the that may soon eradicate Guinea iridescent blue morpho butterflies, predators, reproduce, and thrive risks associated with each. worm disease. striking scarlet swallowtails, in habitats we would find and large owl butterflies. inhospitable, even lethal.

Rotunda / Spring 2015 / AMNH.org 16 Next at the Museum 17

SciCafe: Cone Snails Curator Lecture: Spotlight Asia Great Swamp SciCafe: Flipping Water World: Immersive and Venom Life at the Limits Saturday, May 23 Sunday, May 31 the Genetic Switch Dome Experience Wednesday, May 6 Tuesday, May 12 Noon–5 pm 8 am–6 pm Wednesday, June 3 Monday June 8–Saturday, July 11 7 pm 6–8 pm Free $95 7 pm Splash down into the deep Free for 21+ with ID Free for Adventurer-level Bring your family and friends The Great Swamp Refuge in Free for 21+ with ID oceans to examine life Mandë Holford, a marine Members and above to enjoy a dynamic day featuring Morris County, New Jersey, Geneticist Tuuli Lappalainen underwater in this 10-minute biochemist, discusses her Join us for a special a variety of performances, consists of 7,600 acres of varied from the New York Genome geodome experience, which research into marine cone presentation about our latest new cultural expressions from habitats. It’s a resting and Center explains how genetic mixes science visualization snails, the toxins they produce exhibition Life at the Limits: across Asia, storytelling, and feeding area for more than 244 variants shape the way our and high-resolution video in their venom, and how Member Hall Tour: Mothers Stories of Amazing Species with hands-on activities taught by species of birds and a variety genes are expressed and how to reveal the many scales at those toxins may be used and Babies in the Wild Curator Mark Siddall. Following master artists. of reptiles and amphibians, her lab is seeking to uncover which scientists explore our as therapeutics. Saturday, May 9 the lecture, enjoy an after- wildflowers, and plants. Join the “rules” of human variation. oceans and . 10:30–noon hours visit and explore the Behind the Scenes: ornithologist Paul Sweet and Free for Members exhibition free of crowds. Earth and Planetary Sciences herpetologist David Kizirian Learn about the unique Wednesday, May 20 for a day trip. Round trip Rooftop Farming ways that mothers in the wild 6:30 pm, 7 pm, 7:30 pm transportation by private coach Thursday, June 4 interact with their babies, $30 is provided from the Museum. 6–8 pm and the lengths they go to in Explore the labs and $25 order to care for their offspring collections of the Department Discover a farming system and protect them. This special of Earth and Planetary right over our heads, at the tour will explore the Akeley Sciences with Dr. Céline Martin June Brooklyn Grange rooftop Hall of African Mammals and and Scientific Assistants organic farm in Long Island Birding and Wine in the the bird and dinosaur halls. Saeybul Choe and Shawn Astronomy Live: Behind the Scenes: City, Queens. Join the Museum Basha Kill with Paul Sweet Wallace. For visitors ages Dance of the Planets Darwin Manuscripts for a tour and learn about Saturday, June 13 10 and up. Tuesday, May 26 Tuesday, June 2 the farm’s daily operations, 8 am–6 pm Frontiers Lecture: 6:30 pm 6:30 pm, 7 pm, 7:30 pm sustainable design, and $95 Identification Day A Planet for Goldilocks $12 $30 environmental benefits. Then, Paul Sweet, collections Saturday, May 9 Monday, May 11 Birding in Prospect Park Humans as Animals: Primate Using our Zeiss IX The Museum Library hosts the enjoy a special mushroom manager in the Department Noon–4 pm 7:30 pm Saturday, May 16 Politics, Culture, and Morality Planetarium projector, Joe Rao Darwin Manuscripts Project—a cultivation workshop and of Ornithology, leads a birding Free $12 10 am–1 pm Thursday, May 21 will demonstrate how the two joint effort with Cambridge bring home a mushroom kit. excursion to the Basha Kill Inspired by the legacy Finding so-called Goldilocks $25 6:30 pm brightest planets, Venus and University Library to digitize Wildlife Management Area, one of Theodore Roosevelt, the planets and evidence of life Join Museum ornithologist Free; reservations required at 212- Jupiter, slowly approach each and annotate original works by of the largest freshwater marshes Museum celebrates natural beyond Earth is a goal of Paul Sweet to look for birds 769-5200 other on the final night Charles Darwin. Join Director of in New York State. The wetlands history collections by inviting science agencies worldwide. on their spring migration as Biologist and primatologist of spring for a spectacular Library Services Tom Baione and surrounded by deciduous visitors to bring in their own Kepler mission scientist they pass through Brooklyn’s Frans de Waal explores the conjunction. Meanwhile, Director of Darwin Manuscripts woods are home to abundant specimens to Identification Natalie Batalha describes the Prospect Park. similarities between humans shining sedately in the Project David Kohn to view rare and diverse wildlife, including Day. Scientists will attempt to endeavor’s latest discoveries and other primates in power southern sky is the “Lord items from our Photographic nesting bald eagles and osprey. identify your discoveries while and the possibilities for finding politics, transmission of of the Rings,” Saturn, Collections and to learn about Following the walk members showing you specimens from inhabited environments knowledge and habits, displaying the best views of Darwin’s original works. For visit the Bashakill Vineyards the Museum’s collections. in the not-so-distant future. empathy, and sense of fairness. its rings in at least 10 years. visitors ages 10 and up. for lunch and a wine tasting.

Please check amnh.org for Hayden Planetarium Space Credits: Nature’s Fury: The Science of Countdown to Zero is presented by Dark Universe was created by the The Museum also gratefully Member ticket prices for IMAX, Show: Dark Universe The American Museum of Natural Natural Disasters was originally the American Museum of Natural American Museum of Natural acknowledges major funding from 3D films, and the Space Show. Narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, History gratefully acknowledges created by The Field Museum, History in collaboration with History, the Frederick Phineas the Charles Hayden Foundation. the Space Show celebrates the Richard and Karen LeFrak Chicago, with additional content The Carter Center. and Sandra Priest Rose Center for LeFrak Theater pivotal discoveries and the cosmic Exhibition and Education Fund. developed by the American Earth and Space, and the Hayden Presented with special thanks to Tiny Giants mysteries that remain. Gaze up Museum of Natural History. Countdown to Zero is proudly Planetarium. NASA and the National Science In an adventure of epic at the Milky Way from Mt. Wilson Generous support for Life at the supported by Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. proportions, Tiny Giants reveals Observatory in California, plunge Limits has been provided by the Nature’s Fury is proudly sponsored Foundation, Lions Clubs Made possible through the the astonishing lives of some very into Jupiter’s atmosphere with Eileen P. Bernard Exhibition Fund. by Travelers. International Foundation, Mectizan generous sponsorship of Accenture. Dark Universe was developed by small animals. a NASA probe, and more. Donation Program, Mr. John J. the American Museum of Natural Life at the Limits is proudly The presentation of Natural Moores, Sr., and Vestergaard. And proudly supported by History, New York (www.amnh.org) supported by Chase Private Client. Histories at the American Museum Con Edison. in collaboration with the California of Natural History is made possible This exhibition is made Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, through the generosity of the possible by the generosity of the and GOTO INC, Tokyo, Japan. Arthur Ross Foundation. Arthur Ross Foundation.

Rotunda / Spring 2015 / AMNH.org 18 Next Next Jersey. The areaoffersavariety own collectingequipment. of invertebrate andvertebrate changing, andperhapsspota of Central Park. Identifybirds on awildlifeexploration on dolphinacousticsandwhy where to look for it! JoinJulie where tolookforit! wildlife—but you needtolearn 9 am–5 9 pm am–5 whale migrationpatternsare expert foranexpedition toBig and animal activity,including abundant inwildlifeandmarine and learnaboutnaturein and butterflies by thelake, Whale Watching Adventure Comparative Genomics, sneakers, andlunch,travel 6–8 pm 6–8 period. Feel freetobringyour 11 am–6:30 pm 11 am–6:30 $25 join naturalistsPaul Sieswerda $95 $95 Rockaway, Queens, whereyou’ll Pack your collectingbag,old Harbor. Learn aboutresearch Brook in Monmouth County, New Brook inMonmouthCounty, New New York City waters are New York City isteemingwith in theShakespeareGarden, look forinterestinginsects in theSacklerInstitutefor Wednesday, June 17 back in time with a Museum fossils back intimewithaMuseumfossils boat touraroundNew York migrating whales.Enjoy a but notguaranteed.) Saturday, June 27 Saturday, June 20 fossils fromtheLate Cretaceous the Museum’s backyard. the way! (Seeingwhalesislikely, ferry ridefromPier 11toFar few ofthesegentlegiantsalong with Julie Feinstein Evening Nature Walk with Carl Mehling Fun with Fossils Feinstein, collectionsmanager Kristi Collum onaprivate atMuseum the

collecting equipment. offers avariety ofinvertebrate The skyoftheSouthern Astronomy Live: 9 am–5 9 pm am–5 July Tuesday, June 30 and vertebrate fossilsfrom County, New Jersey. The area sneakers, andlunch,travel some ofthesegems. stars, thecloseststartoEarth, unfamiliar, butitisactually Jouney to a Lost World 6:30 pm 6:30 Feel freetobringyour own $95 $12 Pack your collectingbag,old Hemisphere may be Southern Skies back intimewithaMuseum more! JoinHayden presenters home tomany ofthebrightest Saturday, July 25 Christina Pease andLydia Maria the Late Cretaceous period. to BigBrookinMonmouth the MagellanicClouds, the fossils expert foranexpedition with Paul Nascimbene Southern Cross, andmuch Petrosino asthey highlight

of Health(NIH). on the Arts with the support of on theArtswithsupportof and The MaxandVictoria Dreyfus and Leoma SimonFoundation, and Paul MilsteinFamily. The ispresented AprilSciCafe event The SciCafe seriesisproudly The issupported MaySciCafe event The MilsteinScienceSeriesis sponsored byJudyandJoshWeston. Governor Andrew Cuomo and the Governor AndrewCuomoandthe Our Earth’s Future courseswere Credits: Services under grant number Services undergrantnumber Support for Celebrate Culture Support forCelebrateCulture Spotlight Asia is made possible in Spotlight Asiaismadepossiblein Partnership Award(SEPA) Foundation. Institute ofMuseumandLibrary Programs isprovided,inpart,by MA-10-13-0200-13. Foundation. Foundation, theSidney,Milton program of the National Institutes program oftheNationalInstitutes proudly sponsored by the Irma proudly sponsoredbytheIrma New York Special StateLegislature. part bytheNewYork StateCouncil in collaborationwithThe Leakey thanks totheFord Foundation. the MayandSamuelRudinFamily made possible in part by the made possibleinpartbythe by the Science Education by theScienceEducation

American Museum of Natural American MuseumofNatural educational programs of the educational programsofthe endowed byrelatives,friends,and discovery. Proceeds fromticket on thefrontierofscientific admirers ofIsaacAsimovandhis authors of our time, was a dear authors ofourtime,wasadear ongoing programs and resources ongoing programsandresources acknowledges The MortimerD. The lateDr. IsaacAsimov,oneof The Museumgratefully sales of the Isaac Asimov Memorial sales oftheIsaacAsimovMemorial support toestablishtheSackler year to debate pressing questions year todebatepressingquestions Support for Hayden Planetarium Support forHaydenPlanetarium Sackler EducationalLaboratory Sackler Foundation, Inc.forits friend and supporter of the friend andsupporterofthe for adults,teachers, andstudents for ComparativeGenomicsand Programs isprovidedbythe thefinestminds work—bringing workings ofthehumanbrain. Fund. Debates benefit the scientific and Debates benefitthescientificand Horace W. GoldsmithEndowment Hayden Planetarium. Memorial Debate—generously Hayden Planetariumishonored History. Inhismemory,the Hall of Human Origins, offering Hall ofHumanOrigins, intheSpitzer Human Origins, Brain Bench, partoftheMuseum’s to host the annual Isaac Asimov to hosttheannualIsaacAsimov the most prolific and influential the mostprolificandinfluential to illuminatetheextraordinary in theworldtoMuseumeach

Photos © AMNH/C. Chesek, D. Finnin, R. Mickens and M. Shanley with exception of tardigrade (© Eye of Science/Science Source ), volcano (© Pablo Hidalgo), Ethiopian health workers (© Carter Center/A. Mosher), Tiny Giants (© BBC 2014) Basha Kill (© Matt Zeitler), Brooklyn Grange (© AMNH/Jason Wyche), whale watching (© Artie Raslich), fossil hunting (© B. DePaul). Rotunda / Spring 2015 / AMNH.org / 2015 Spring Rotunda/ After-Hours Genetic Switch SciCafe: Flipping the wednesday 3 Member Darwin Manuscripts Behind the Scenes: tuesday 2 June After-Hours SciCafe: Cone Snails and Venom wednesday 6 Family Sea Turtles Milstein Science Series: Member for a Sustainable Future City and Our Last Best Hope Concrete Jungle: New York sunday 3 May Hayden of a Black Hole How to Take a Picture monday 13 Adult Course Our Earth’s Future One-Day saturday 11 After-Hours SciCafe: Why Walk on Two Legs? wednesday 1 April

Course Program Planetarium Program Program Program Program Program

Program

Through Saturday, July 11 Dome Experience Water World: Immersive monday 8 Member Rooftop Farming thursday 4 Member Curator Lecture: tuesday 12 Hayden A Planet for Goldilocks monday 11 Member Mothers and Babies In the Wild Member Hall Tour: Family Identification Day saturday 9 Adult Super Science Lab: Sea to Space saturday 18 Celebrate Rice Wine and Sake thursday 16 Museum Revolutionary War Hero Colonel Louis Cook: tuesday 14

Course Program Planetarium Excursion Program Program Lecture Culture Life

Program at

the

Limits Member with Julie Feinstein Evening Nature Walk wednesday 17 Member in the Basha Kill Birding and Wine saturday 13 Museum Politics, Culture, and Morality Humans as Animals: Primate thursday 21 Member and Planetary Sciences Behind the Scenes: Earth wednesday 20 Member Birding in Prospect Park saturday 16 Family Baby Animal Encounter Member Spring Blooms Trolley Tour saturday 25 Hayden How Big Is the Universe? Member Behind the Scenes: Herpetology tuesday 21 Family Incredible Oceans Milstein Science Series: sunday 19 Program Program Planetarium Excursion Excursion Program Excursion Program Program Lecture

Program

tuesday Member Whale Watching Adventure saturday 20 tuesday 26 Celebrate Spotlight Asia saturday 23 Adult Sackler Brain Bench monday 27 Member World of Sharks Member Hall Tour: sunday 26 Southern Skies 30 Member Fun with Fossils saturday 27 Member Great Swamp sunday 31 Hayden Dance of the Planets Tuesdays Lunchtime Bird Walks Special Debate: Water, Water 2015 Isaac Asimov Memorial tuesday 28

Course Event Planetarium Excursion Program Excursion Excursion through Culture

May Program 19 19 20 Explore at the Museum 21

For a detailed look inside the Museum’s collections, Clear, then Stain catch up on the first four episodes of Shelf Life, Behind the Scenes in Collections Some fish, reptiles, and a new original series at amnh.org/shelflife. Collections are the lifeblood of scientific research, an irreplaceable record of amphibians are treated biodiversity that can help answer—and inspire—questions not just today but for with enzymes to turn them many years to come. So how do museums assure that biological specimens transparent, then with are preserved for future research? Let us count the ways… chemicals that dye their bones and cartilage vivid shades of red and blue, a process known as clearing and staining. The finished Grab some DNA product is stored in glycerol. Taking a DNA sample can be non-invasive, and it’s now “Clearing and staining Episode 1: 33 Million Things standard procedure for biological specimens. A small allows us to see the bones What’s in that jar? The Museum’s collections sample of tissue—for instance, a fin clipping from a fish—can and cartilages of vertebrates recently passed the 33-million mark. Our scientists provide a treasure trove of information about the animal. in their natural positions and and collections staff offer a glimpse of the Genetic material extracted from those samples is sequenced their relationships to soft treasures in the stacks. and analyzed by powerful computers and can be compared body parts,” says Curatorial to other DNA samples, providing insight on how closely Slice into Sections Associate David Kizirian. related two species are, among other things. Preserving a specimen doesn’t always mean keeping it intact. Sometimes it’s helpful for scientists to be able to examine the cellular structure of a creature. To provide this view, specimens are Episode 2: Turtles and embedded in wax or epoxy Herpetologist Darrel Frost talks taxonomy, the and sectioned: cut into science of classification, and how collections can Fix it in Formalin very thin slices using a inspire new questions. To stop tissue decay, specimens are treated in a bath of microtome, a device that is formalin, a solution of formaldehyde, for several days. Once essentially a very precise a specimen becomes rigid, it’s rinsed and transferred for version of the deli meat long-term storage in 70 percent ethyl alcohol. “We have slicer. These thin slices can specimens that are hundreds of years old, and they’re then be stained with dyes absolutely fine,” says Axelrod Research Curator Melanie that highlight different cell L. J. Stiassny. The downside? Pigments dissolve, leaving types and viewed through a specimens largely colorless. microscope to observe fine cellular structures. Take a CT Scan To see inside a specimen Episode 3: Six Ways to Prepare a Coelacanth without destroying it, Watch specimen prep methods and learn the researchers can use non- story behind the Museum’s iconic prehistoric fish destructive computed specimen, the coelacanth. tomography, or CT scanning. A modern technique for gleaning additional Clean the Skeleton information about the Skeletal specimens are picked clean by the larvae of specimens in the Museum’s Dermestes maculatus, or hide beetles. After a sample’s skin collections, CT scans are and large organs are removed, these hungry insects go an especially important to work, stripping the dried flesh from small animals in a method when the sample is matter of days. “Hide beetles will gladly tackle any animal particularly rare or delicate. with little to no preference,” says Robert Pascocello, senior CT scanning is now much Episode 4: Skull of the Olinguito scientific assistant and keeper of the Museum’s in-house more widely used in Discover how one specimen—Mammal #66753— colony. If necessary, they can even make a meal of animals Museum research thanks to went from obscurity to scientific treasure nine that have been previously preserved in ethanol. an in-house machine. decades after it was first collected. Photos © AMNH/R. Mickens and D. Finnin; CT scan courtesy University of Texas / Dr. Timothy Rowe

Rotunda / Spring 2015 / AMNH.org 22 Seen at the Museum 3

Inside View

A few months ago, the Museum invited a few of the most popular 10 12 photographers on Instagram, the photo-and video-sharing social send us your pics from your visits network, to walk the halls after hours and tour a few behind-the- to the Museum—behind-the-scenes, or in your favorite gallery— scenes collection areas. by May 1, and we’ll highlight a few in our Summer issue. Email us The collaboration, #InsideAMNH, became an instant sensation. your pictures, along with your name and your Membership number, Rotunda picked some of our favorite shots to share with you— to [email protected]. and to inspire you to share your photos with us.

2 3 9 11

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#InsideAMNH with our favorite 8. Tyrannosaurus rex towers in Instagram photographers this shot by @karimmustafa. 1. The Hall of Reptiles and Amphibians, 9. The Dolphin and Tuna diorama in the photographed by @jmsuarez. Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, photographed 2. @samthecobra photographed a by @jmsuarez. 8 cleared-and-stained specimen. 10. The Rotunda by @davidkrugman 3. @jnsilva photographed beautiful 11. A visitor pauses in front of a diorama morpho butterfly specimens. in the Bernard Family Hall of North 4. Jamie Newman, senior scientific American Mammals by @jnsilva. assistant in the Department of Earth and 12. @davekrugman photographed these Planetary Sciences, was photographed collections catalogs in the Department with a specimen by @karimmustafa. of Earth and Planetary Sciences. 5. A glance at collections storage in this 13. The Hayden Sphere bathed in light photo by @davekrugman. in the Rose Center for Earth and Space, 6. This case in the Morgan Memorial was photographed by @samthecobra. Hall of Gems was photographed by 14. The Guggenheim Hall of Minerals, @karimmustafa. and an onlooker, photographed by 15 6 7 7. A close look at a specimen @samthecobra. by @samthecobra. 15. A drawer of sea urchins, captured by @jmsuarez.

Rotunda / Spring 2015 / AMNH.org Membership

Central Park West at 79th Street New York, New York 10024-5192 amnh.org © Eye of Science / Science Source Science / Science of Eye © 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, Shop for Earth and Space, Cosmic Shop, Life at the Limits: Stories of Amazing Species explores the diverse and sometimes jaw-dropping strategies animals and plants use Life at the Limits Shop, Nature’s Fury Shop, to find food, fend off predators, reproduce, and thrive in habitats and Online Shop (amnhshop.com) most species would find inhospitable, even lethal. offer Members a 10-percent discount. The animal pictured above, the microscopic tardigrade, is one of the hardiest organisms on our planet. Find out more in this issue and by visiting Life at the Limits, which is free for Members.