Smithsonian Science » New Acquisitions

Cinnabar specimen donated to Natural History

John Barrat — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:45:32 +0000

A mineral dealer from Dallas recently donated this fine specimen of Chinese cinnabar–the common ore of mercury–to the Department of Mineral Sciences of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. This twinned crystal is approximately 3 centimeters across. The specimen was donated to replace one that was damaged during the Aug. 23, 2011 earthquake. (Photo by Jeff Scovil)

Strange deep sea creatures confirmed as three new species

John Barrat — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 20:19:25 +0000

DNA analysis has established that creatures captured by scientists from the University of Aberdeen’s Oceanlab during a voyage to the mid-Atlantic are members of the Torquaratoridae; a recently discovered family of acorn worms.

Image right: North Atlantic deep sea acorn worm – Purple species (Images courtesy David Shale)

The identification of the delicate creatures–which could not be collected using the primitive deep sea grabs and dredges of previous centuries–may provide new insight not only into life in the deep sea but the evolution of life on earth.

The DNA analysis was conducted by Karen Osborn of the Department of Invertebrate Zoology of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. A paper detailing the identification of the three new species was published Nov. 16 in Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B.

The Torquaratoridae, which were captured last year using a remotely operated vehicle launched from the RRS James Cook , have no eyes and no tail but manage to crawl along the sea floor harvesting food that has fallen from the surface.

Image left: North Atlantic deep sea acorn worm – pink species

“The DNA analysis has shown the relationships of the three Atlantic specimens to the growing family tree of the Torquaratoridae,” says Monty Priede, director of the University of Aberdeen’s Oceanlab and leader of the expedition that retrieved the samples from the Atlantic. “The way is now clear to correctly describe and name these new species, which at present are just know by their colours, pink, purple and white.”

Acorn worms are known as a scientific curiosity, inconspicuous burrowing animals that are related to the ancestors of back boned animals.

Image right: North Atlantic deep sea acorn worm – white species

“They are perceived as an evolutionary dead end, having been surpassed by their cousins, the fishes which acquired tails became fast swimmers, conquered the oceans and gave rise to reptiles, mammals and birds,” Priede says.

“However the Torquaratoridae family of acorn worms has not stood still; on the contrary they crawl over the sea floor, ploughing nutritious sediment into the mouth and leaving a characteristic spiral trail behind. They have also been observed to make swimming movements lifting off the sea floor to drift on the currents between patches of suitable feeding territory.”

Priede added that expeditions to the deep sea, using remotely operated vehicles, were likely to lead to ‘an evolutionary explosion’ of these animals with 15 species discovered so far and many more likely to be found in coming years.”–Source: Office of External Affairs, University of Aberdeen, King’s College

Siemens donates SOMATOM Emotion 6 CT scanner to National Museum of Natural History

John Barrat — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:31:00 +0000

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History has pioneered the use of CT scanning technology in noninvasive scientific research. Now, with the gift of a Siemens SOMATOM Emotion 6 CT scanner from Siemens Healthcare, Smithsonian researchers are acquiring information about museum objects that is fundamentally changing the way scientists examine specimens.

Image right: A color-enhanced image from a CT scan of a violin from the collection of the National Museum of American History that reveals the thickness of the wood of the violin’s front as well as past repairs.

“For more than a century scientists have pursued the mysteries of the natural world through the study of specimens in Smithsonian collections,” said Cristián Samper, director of the National Museum of Natural History. “The presence of the Siemens CT scanner in our anthropology department has revolutionized the way we look at everything from mummies and dinosaur fossils to the Smithsonian’s priceless collection of Stradivarius violins. This donation and its importance to Smithsonian research are significant.”

Image left: Bruno Frohlich, right, and Smithsonian anthropologist Dave Hunt prepare a mummy from Mongolia for entry into the the Natural History Museum’s CT scanner. (Photo by Don Hurlbert)

The National Museum of Natural History is one of the world’s preeminent research institutions in the field of the natural sciences. With more than 126 million specimens in its collections—the largest in the world—the museum is a repository for examples of the diversity of life on Earth and humanity’s common heritage. Under the leadership of anthropologist Bruno Frohlich, Smithsonian scientists and curators use the CT scanner on a daily basis to enrich understanding of the natural world and people’s place in it.

Research in the Smithsonian CT laboratory focuses on employing the CT scanner with the objective of understanding and studying objects, secure in the knowledge that they can be used and studied again in the future. “Most often scientific analytical research is associated with destructive methods,” said Bruno Frohlich. “Normally we have to destroy objects in order to study them. Nondestructive and noninvasive methods, such as CT scanning, not only enable us to study objects with greater attention to detail, but also ensure the preservation of the object and leaving it intact for future generations to study.”

This 53-second video consists of a series of images taken with a Siemens Somotom CT scanner of a mummy at the Department of Anthropology in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. The individual shown here is a male who died at about 40 years of age; a relatively mature age by ancient Egyptian standards. He is believed to have lived in Lower Egypt sometime between the 25-26th Greco-Roman periods, which is between 600 B.C. and about 150 A.D., or roughly 2,500 to 1,900 years ago.

While the CT scanner belongs to the National Museum of Natural History and has been used extensively to study the mummy collections, it is also available for use with other Smithsonian collections. “We use CT equipment to study valuable and precious objects such as the musical instruments in Smithsonian collections,” Frohlich said. “Happily, after a study is completed, musicians can still play the instrument. This is a remarkable breakthrough for science and museum conservation.”

Research findings made possible through the use of the new CT scanner were announced at an Oct. 27 presentation to Washington, D.C., public school elementary students at the National Museum of Natural History’s public hands-on Forensic Anthropology Lab. Four high school students from the museum’s youth internship program, “Youth Engagement Through Science,” visited Frohlich’s lab to observe the CT scanner on the mummy collection. The program included remarks by Samper, Hemani, Frohlich and Spiegel.

National Zoo’s red pandas named “Pili” and “Damini” for stormy night

John Barrat — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:37:43 +0000

Thunder, lightning and strong winds greeted the National Zoo’s two female red panda cubs when they were born June 17, and that stormy night has now determined their names. One cub, Pili, received her name today after voting closed on NBC Washington’s website. Pili, which means “clap of thunder” in Chinese, was the winner among four names—all storm-related—with 30 percent of the vote. A Zoo supporter named Pili’s twin sister Damini, which is Nepalese for “lightning.” Red pandas are native to the cool, temperate bamboo forests of Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar and Nepal. Only about 2,500 remain in the wild. Red panda enthusiasts can watch cubs and their parents, Shama and Tate, on the Zoo’s red panda webcam.

New dinosaur species named from hatchling fossil donated to National Museum of Natural History

John Barrat — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 12:12:25 +0000

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine with help from amateur fossil hunter Ray Stanford, have described a previously unknown armored dinosaur hatchling from a fossil discovered in 1997 by Stanford near College Park, Md. The fossil represents the youngest nodosaur ever discovered, and the only known specimen of a new genus and species of dinosaur that lived approximately 110 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous Era. The new dinosaur, Propanoplosaurus marylandicus, was described in the Sept. 9, 2011 issue of the Journal of Paleontology.

The hatchling nodosaur fossil was donated to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History by Stanford, where it is on display to the public and also available for research.

After finding the fossil Stanford identified it as a nodosaur and called David Weishampel, a professor of anatomy at Johns Hopkins and a paleontologist and expert in dinosaur systematics. Weishampel and his colleagues established the fossil’s identity as a nodosaur by identifying a distinctive pattern of bumps and grooves on the skull. The body in the tiny fossil was only 13 cm long, just shorter than the length of a dollar bill. Adult nodosaurs are estimated to have been 20 to 30 feet long.

They then did a computer analysis of the skull shape, comparing its proportions to those of ten skulls from different species of ankylosaurs, the group that contains nodosaurs. They found that this dinosaur was closely related to some of the nodosaur species, although it had a shorter snout overall than the others. Comparative measurements enabled them to designate a new species, Propanoplosaurus marylandicus. In addition to being the youngest nodosaur ever found, it is the first hatchling of any dinosaur species ever recovered in the eastern United States. Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine

Smithsonian’s Dibner Library acquires astronomy volume published in 1570

John Barrat — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:28:09 +0000

The Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology, the oldest rare book collection of the Smithsonian Libraries, recently enriched its collection with an intriguing 16th century work in astronomy titled, Christop Clavius’s In sphaeram Ioannis de Sacro Bosco commentarius. Romae, 1570. Apud Victorium Helianum.

This first edition of Clavius’s commentaries on Joannes de Sacrobosco’s astronomical work Sphaera opens a fascinating window into the transitional time period of the early scientific revolution: the change from the earth-centered to the heliocentric world view, from Ptolemaism to Copernicanism.

Christoph Clavius (1538-1612), was perhaps the most distinguished mathematics professor of his generation at the Collegio Romano, the principal Jesuit seminary and college. He produced two extremely popular textbooks and he also served on the papal commission on calendar reform that would produce the Georgian calendar.

The basic text of this book, Joannes de Sacrobosco’s Sphaera (ca. 1230) was the most widely used astronomical resource of the late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period and went through literally hundreds of editions inspiring many commentaries.

Clavius’s edition of the Sphaera was an extremely important book, and according to modern historians is the “greatest of all Sphere commentaries.” The copy the Dibner Library has purchased bears extensive marginal annotations and intertextual mathematical calculations of several early readers, and would doubtless reward further study.

The book is richly illustrated. A woodcut of armillary sphere decorates the title-page, three half-page and many smaller woodcut illustrations and diagrams are in the text. There are also woodcut initials of various sizes and styles. —Adapted from a Smithsonian Libraries blog posting by Hosea Baskin and Lilla Vekerdy

500 carats of rough diamonds donated to Natural History Museum

John Barrat — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:58:43 +0000

More than 500 carats of rough diamonds were recently donated to the Department of Mineral Sciences of the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum by Jewlers Mutual Insurance Co. of Neenah, Wis. Although rough diamonds have a limited market value, their value to the museum for research and display is considerable. This donation in particular is unusual in that each diamond in the group is labeled with the location of where it was mined.

Images right and below: Rough diamonds

“It’s very rare to know where some rough diamonds came from because typically, once they come out of the mine, they go to market and are sold,” says Jeffry Post, curator in the Department of Mineral Sciences. “In most cases, diamonds lose any documentary links to their source by the time they reach the market.” This donation will be a great asset to researchers, allowing them to study specimens and knowing where they originated in the Earth.

The larger diamonds in the Jewelers Mutual donation will be added to the diamond exhibition in the Natural History Museum’s Gem and Mineral Hall. The others will be made available for scientific study. Jewelers Mutual originally acquired the diamonds to display in the company’s onsite gallery of gems and minerals in Neenah.

Sandia Interior Robot acquired by American History Museum

John Barrat — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:55:21 +0000

This interior robot was recently added to the permanent robotics collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History as a donation from Sandia National Laboratories. First introduced in 1985, it was the only robot at that time able to navigate a building without a pre-programmed pathway or floor wiring. Other recent donations from Sandia to the robotics collection included hopping robots; Miniature Autonomous Robotic Vehicles; and one of the earliest battlefield scout robots developed in the 1980s. The robots were donated during National Robotics Week at the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the American History Museum. (Photo by Randy Montoya, Sandia National Laboratories)

Keepers are optimistic about Zoo’s new breeding pair of Asian small-clawed otters

John Barrat — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:03:18 +0000

The National Zoo has received a breeding pair of Asian small-clawed otters at Asia Trail for the first time. Mac, a three-year-old male from the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, Wash., and Smidge, a five-year-old female from the Columbus Zoo in Ohio, arrived in April and are now in their exhibit. The keepers are optimistic about the breeding potential of this pair—they were breeding within 20 minutes of being introduced! Otters tend to do this in many contexts (when the female is in estrus and when she is not, and even when she’s pregnant or lactating), so it remains to be seen whether this pair will grow into an otter family.

“We are very excited to get these otters because although we have had numerous Asian small-clawed otters on Asia Trail, we have not had the opportunity to introduce a pair and observe breeding behaviors before,” says Tallie Wiles, an animal keeper at the Zoo. “We are hoping to get the chance to experience a pregnancy, birth and pup rearing on Asia Trail for the first time.”

Images: Asian small clawed otters Mac, above, and Smidge, left, are settling into their new exhibit at the National Zoo (Photos by Mehgan Murphy)

While a number of zoos throughout the country have breeding pairs, of Asian small-clawed otters, few have been successful in producing offspring. Smidge and Mac are especially important because their genes are underrepresented in the captive population and one of the goals of the National Zoo is to maintain the genetic health of its captive species.

Asian small-clawed otters are the smallest and the most social of the 13 different species of otters. They live in family units consisting of one breeding pair and its offspring. The entire family takes part in raising the young and researchers have recorded family groups of more than 20 individuals. The gestation period of an Asian small-clawed otter is 68 to 74 days, and litters can consist of one to six pups.

The Zoo hopes to have a dynamic family group living on Asia Trail just like the animals would in the wild. In fact, the Asia Trail otter exhibit was designed with the intent of housing a large family group one day. With the arrival of this breeding pair, the Zoo is a big step closer to making that goal a reality.

Damai, a two-and-a-half-year-old female Sumatran tiger, makes her debut at the National Zoo

John Barrat — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:09:05 +0000

The National Zoo’s great cat program recently expanded with the arrival of two-and-a-half-year-old female Sumatran tiger, Damai, who is now out of quarantine and spending time outside in her exhibit where visitors can see her. The Zoo hopes to bring a male tiger later this year to breed with Damai, as recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan for Sumatran tigers, which matches animals across the country to ensure genetic diversity in the population.

Image right and images below: Dami the National Zoo’s new Sumatran tiger. (Photos by Mehgan Murphy. Click to enlarge.)

“Every time we get a new animal, it’s a learning experience for us because each animal is different,” said Leigh Pitsko, a tiger keeper at the Zoo. “We can already tell that Damai is a great tiger. She’s sweet, very calm, and curious about everything going on around her. Visitors will really enjoy watching her and learning about her species.”

Damai’s genetics are not well represented among tigers in captivity in North America, and she is therefore a highly valued animal within the Species Survival Plan. The Plan opted to send her to the National Zoo because of its success in breeding Sumatran tigers and other cats, such as cheetahs and lions. The Zoo’s last litter of tigers was born in 2006 to female Soyono, who is 17 years old and has had three litters.

Conservationists believe there are fewer than 3,500 tigers left in the wild (and fewer than 500 Sumatran tigers), as the result of poaching and habitat loss. Not only is the Zoo helping to ensure that the North American captive population of tigers is sustainable, but the Zoo’s Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute leads the Global Tiger Initiative in partnership with the World Bank and other organizations. Tiger conservationists are meeting in Bhutan this week to develop recommendations for preserving tiger conservation landscapes in the country by looking at regional infrastructure planning tools, approaches to sustainable tourism, roads and hydropower projects. By working with wildlife officers, field managers, researchers and policymakers from tiger-range countries, the Global Tiger Initiative aims to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022—the next year of the tiger in the Chinese zodiac calendar.

“Because the Zoo plays such a large role in the Global Tiger Initiative, we want to make sure we’re doing our part to keep a healthy captive population,” said Marie Magnuson, a tiger keeper at the Zoo. “Ultimately we hope to have cubs here again. Because tigers are so highly endangered, every tiger born is a victory.”

The Zoo is now home to three Sumatran tigers: Damai, Soyono, and Soyono’s five-year-old offspring, Guntur. Pitsko and Magnuson will be training Damai, who came from the San Diego Safari Park, to exhibit a number of behaviors that will allow the Zoo’s veterinarian team to draw blood, give injections and conduct ultrasounds without having to anesthetize her.