Tag Archive | "Museum Conservation Institute"

Museum Conservation Institute research scientist Ed Vicenzi discusses his work analyzing daguerreotypes

Museum Conservation Institute research scientist Ed Vicenzi discusses his work analyzing daguerreotypes

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Fungi still visible in wood charcoal centuries after burning

Fungi still visible in wood charcoal centuries after burning

Scientists from the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute, the University of Valencia in Spain and the University of Minnesota, recently made an important observation regarding charcoals from wood fires excavated at ancient archaeological sites. They verified that the remains of fungi that had been living in the wood before it was burned could clearly be seen [...] [...more]

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Problem plastics in museum collections have conservators on alert

Problem plastics in museum collections have conservators on alert

While society at large frets about plastics that pile up and seem to last forever— grocery bags clogging landfills and soda bottles washing up on beaches—museums worry about the thousands upon thousands of artifacts in their collections made of plastic, objects that in many cases are crumbling and cracking and sometimes damaging other artifacts as they break [...] [...more]

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Scientists Determine Geese Involved in Hudson River Plane Crash Were Migratory

Scientists Determine Geese Involved in Hudson River Plane Crash Were Migratory

Scientists at the Smithsonian Institution examined the feather remains from the Jan. 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 bird strike to determine not only the species, but also that the Canada geese involved were from a migratory, rather than resident, population. This knowledge is essential for wildlife professionals to develop policies and techniques that will reduce the risk of future collisions. The team’s findings were published in the journal “Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment” in June. [...more]

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Scientists from the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center have found that fledgling catbirds living in the suburbs are extremely vulnerable. Almost 80 percent are killed by predators before they reach adulthood. Nearly half of the deaths are connected to domestic cats. The team studied catbird nests in 3 suburban neighborhoods in Maryland: Spring Park, Opal Daniels Park, and Bethesda. Learn more about this 2011 study by clicking here. (Catbird photo by Gerhard Hofmann)

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