Notes from the Museum

A Very Cool Podcast...

2009-07-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday, Melvyn Bragg and guests Martin Brasier, Richard Corfield and Rachel Wood discuss the Ediacara Biota, the Precambrian life forms which vanished 542 million years ago, and whose discovery proved Darwin right in a way he never imagined on the BBC Radio 4 Program In Our Time.

Here's the link to the podcast: In Our Time

Fossil of the Week

2009-07-09T13:33:00.001-07:00

We usually think of fossils as hard objects - bones, shells, teeth - organisms (or parts of organisms) that are hard to begin with and naturally have excellent fossil records. So, when you consider the leaf on a tree - soft, thin, usually fairly flimsy - you don't really expect it to fossilize often or well. However, as the picture here attests, fossil leaves are actually fairly commonplace. These are almost always in the form of impressions. The leaf itself is actually gone, but it has left its impression in the mud (now rock). These are almost always in the form of "part/counterpart", which means that when the rock containing the impression splits along the plane of the leaf, one side of the leaf (the "part") is revealed on one side of the rock and the other side of the leaf (the "counterpart") is on the facing side of the rock. This particular fossil is a sycamore leaf from the Green River Formation in the western U.S. Today's American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) is fast-growing and has been extensively planted as a shade tree. The second oldest tree in the city of Buffalo, New York, is a Sycamore dating to the year 1700. The Green River Formation, spread across Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah, dates to the Eocene Epoch (48 million years ago). It is one of the most famous fossil formations in North America, known for exceptional preservation of soft-parts, including fish, crocodiles, insects, leaves, and even feathers. Insects have been found fossilized whole, preserving delicate wing membranes and spider spinnerets.The leaves of palms, ferns, and sycamores are common in Green River, some showing details of insect damage sustained during their growth.

Text by Paula Mikkelsen

Field Guide to the Cayuga Lake Region

2009-07-08T12:42:00.001-07:00

ITHACA, NY (July 8, 2009) -- The Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) and the Cayuga Nature Center (CNC) present “Field Guide to the Cayuga Lake Region: Its Flora, Fauna, Geology, and History” by James Dake. The field guide is significant in focusing on specific information regarding the areas surrounding Cayuga Lake, and addresses a demand for the regional field guide spurred by CNC's recently increased programming. The field guide for the first time pulls together sections on local history and geology, as well as the expected descriptions of plantlife and wildlife found across the region.

The field guide’s value is endless in a region surrounded by natural gorges, state parks, and Cayuga Lake. Paula Mikkelsen, Associate Director for Science and Director of Publications at PRI, believes that the field guide will be popular with hikers, summer camps, and those who simply want to explore the area. Mikkelsen predicts that the field guide will become an essential in every backpack and reported, “I’ve already used it in my own back yard.”

In addition to the contents concerning the area’s natural formations and wildlife, the history of the region is outlined in the field guide. The historical content contributes to the appreciation of the local area. The region’s natural history has drawn visitors for years. The chapter also ties in the history of CNC and PRI, along with national events that occurred during the area’s early settlement.

Author James Dake acts as the liaison between PRI and CNC, fostering the collaboration between the two organizations. “The collaboration has taken the best of both organizations and improved them,” stated Mikkelsen. “Field Guide to the Cayuga Lake Region” is Dake’s first published book. The publication was made possible by a grant from the Triad Foundation.

James Dake -- In the field.

"Field Guide to the Cayuga Lake Region" can be purchased at our online bookstore, the Museum gift shop, Buffalo Street Books, and the Cornell College Bookstore.

To order online please click here: Field Guide to the Cayuga Lake Region

The Paleontological Research Institution is an active research institution located in Ithaca, New York and was founded in 1932 by Gilbert Harris, professor of geology at Cornell University, to house his collection and library. PRI has outstanding programs in research, collections, publications, and public outreach. The Institution cares for a collection of 2-3 million specimens (one of the 10 largest in the U.S.), and publishes the oldest paleontological journal in the Americas (Bulletins of American Paleontology, begun in 1895). In 2003 PRI opened the Museum of the Earth on its campus on Ithaca's West Hill, overlooking Cayuga Lake. This education and exhibits facility contains 8000 square feet of permanent exhibits, telling the history of the Earth and its life through the geologic record of the Northeastern U.S. Unique elements include the skeletons of the Hyde Park Mastodon and Right Whale #2030 and the 544 square foot mural, Rock of Ages Sands of Time. The Museum builds upon PRI’s wide variety of programs and activities for people of all ages.

What We're Reading

2009-07-07T10:46:00.000-07:00

Greetings Readers! Wondering what to read this summer? Here are some books that our staff members are currently making their way through.

Billy Kepner, our Director of Marketing and frequent blog contributor, just finished Watership Down. It is is a heroic fantasy novel about a small group of rabbits, written by British author Richard Adams. Billy is now gearing up to read The Falconer by Rachel Dickinson. Rachel is a local writer whose husband, Tim Gallagher, recently joined our board of trustees.

Trisha Smrecak, our Evolution and Global Change Projects Manager, has two books going at present. They are A Sea Without Fish: Life in the Ordovician Sea of the Cincinnati Region by Meyer and Davis and The Testament by John Grisham.

Scott Callan, our Associate Director for Institutional Advancement, has three books to report on. He is reading Wild Thoughts From Wild Places by David Quammen - a collection of essays by a great modern naturalist. Also, War and Peace and War by Peter Turchin which Scott says is "an intriguing attempt at using the historical record to demonstrate that war is an almost inevitable outcome of cycles of growth, prosperity, and decline. Occasionally over-reaching, but fascinating nonetheless." And finally Europe Central by William Vollmann which he is starting for at least the third time with no promises of getting any further that he has previously.

Carlyn Buckler, Education Associate, has taken her reading out of this world with An Archaeologist on Mars (1995) by Oliver Sachs. She's also working on The Best American Science Writing - 2008 and, as always "The New Yorker."

Sam Moody, our volunteer coordinator who recently headed back to school for her masters in anthropology, is spending part of her summer catching up on school books. Right now she is reading Museum Frictions: Public Cultures/Global Transformation, which is her new favorite book because it is a collection of articles concerning contemporary topics regarding the museum industry. She's also having a bit of fun this summer with Best American Fantasy 2008, specifically a short story by her brother, Christian Moody titled "In the Middle of the Woods".

Don Duggan-Haas, a member of our education department, wrote in that "I recently finished Norman Doidge's The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science. It's a fascinating look at neuroplasticity and how new approaches can help people recover from massive strokes and other sorts of brain damage. It also addresses issues of interest to teachers of all sorts. There are discussions of new treatments for dyslexia informed by neuroplasticity, and how blind people take over the visual cortex to effectively beef up other senses. The book effectively dismisses the general idea of our brains being hardwired and unchangeable. The brain may indeed be very resistant to change, but resistance doesn't equate to impossibility. It is quite possible to build new neural pathways throughout the lifespan.

"I'm now reading Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet by Jeffrey Sachs. It lays out a plan for solving economic and environmental crises (which are inseparable) at manageable cost. I'm unsure if we can muster the political will Sachs suggests we need, but there is some hope in what he sees in our future. The booking is loaded with striking facts like China is currently building new power plants each year that equal the UK's entire capacity!"

Mike Lucas, our Associate Director for Administration, is reading Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto by Mark Levin and Sarah Chicone, our Director of Exhibits, is reading Museums and Identity by John Falk which was just published in May (2009).

Whew, what a list! As for me, I'm in between books and am trying to decide what I'll read next from my pile of recent acquisitions. One thing is for sure, I can't wait to check out our newest publication here at the Museum by my friend James Dake. We just published his field guide to the finger lakes region and I'm told that the proofs looked great!

Happy reading and feel free to make some book recommendations of your own for our readers.

Cheers,

Sarah Degen - Development Operations Manager & Membership Coordinator

Opinions on Evolution...

2009-07-06T11:25:00.000-07:00

From 10 Different Countries...

A survey of opinions on evolution from ten countries was released. And
paleontologists took a trip to the Creation "Museum" and were dismayed
by what they saw.

OPINIONS ON EVOLUTION FROM TEN COUNTRIES

A recent international survey conducted by the British Council
investigated awareness of Darwin, acceptance of evolution, and
attitudes toward evolution and faith. In a June 30, 2009, press
release, Fern Elsdon-Baker, the head of the British Council's Darwin
Now program, commented, "The international Darwin survey has thrown up
some very interesting results, especially as it includes data from
countries not previously covered before. The most encouraging aspect
of the survey shows that whilst there are diverse views on Darwin’s
theory of evolution, there appears to a broad acceptance that science
and faith do not have to be in conflict. Whilst the results show that
there is some way to go in communicating the evidence of evolutionary
theory to wider audiences, it is evident that there is clear space for
dialogue on this sometimes complex area of debate."

The survey was conducted in April and May 2009 in ten countries:
Argentina, China, Egypt, Great Britain, India, Mexico, Russia, South
Africa, Spain, and the United States. For the question "Have you heard
of Charles Darwin?" Russia led the list with 93% of respondents saying
yes, with Great Britain and Mexico tied for second at 90%, and China a
close third at 90%; the United States was fifth at 84%. For the
question "To what extent do you agree or disagree that it is possible
to believe in a God and still hold the view that life on earth,
including human life, evolved over time as a result of natural
selection?" India led the list with 85% of respondents agreeing, with
Mexico second at 65% and Argentina third at 62%; the United States was
fifth at 53%, just behind Great Britain, Russia, and South Africa,
which tied for fourth at 54%.

For the question "To what extent do you agree or disagree that enough
scientific evidence exists to support Charles Darwin’s Theory of
Evolution [sic]?" -- posed to respondents who had heard of Charles
Darwin and knew something about the theory of evolution -- India led
the list with 77% of respondents agreeing, with China second at 72%
and Mexico second at 65%. The United States was ninth at 41%, just
behind South Africa at 42% and well ahead of Egypt at 25%. In keeping
with reports on previous international surveys on public attitudes
toward evolution, such as Miller, Scott, and Okamoto's article in
Science in 2006, the United States was also conspicuous for the level
of disagreement with the theory of evolution: 30%, second only to
Egypt's 63%. Only 29% of respondents in the United States indicated
that they neither agreed nor disagreed or didn't know.

Respondents were also asked which of the following was closest to
their own view: "life on earth, including human life, evolved over
time as a result of natural selection, in which no God played a part";
"life on earth, including human life, evolved over time in a process
guided by a God"; and "life on earth, including human life, was
created by a God and has always existed in its current form."
(Respondents were also offered the response, "I have another view on
the origins of species and development of life on earth, which is not
included in this list.") The first view was preferred in China by 67%
of the respondents, in Mexico, Great Britain, and Spain by 38%, in
Argentina by 37%, and in Russia by 32%; the third was preferred in
Egypt by 50% of the respondents, and in India, South Africa, and the
United States by 43%. In no country was the second view held by a
plurality of respondents.

Source: National Center for Science Education

Let us know what you think by posting a message in the comments section!

Red, White & Green

2009-07-02T07:08:00.001-07:00

Come celebrate the opening of our newest summer exhibit, A Forest Journey, with a day of fun for the whole family!

We will have fun forest crafts, woodsy activities and you can even learn about plants through interactive activities before you head off to your Fourth of July picnic!

Saturday, July 4
11 am - 3 pm
Included with admission to MOTE!

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

Fossil of the Week

2009-07-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

A cicada is an insect of the order Hemiptera, which feed by piercing plants with their mouthparts and sucking out the liquid sap. Cicadas are large insects with large eyes set far apart on the head and transparent, well-veined wings. Cicadas do not bite or sting, but are pests to some cultivated crops. People in many areas around the world, including China, Malaysia, Burma, Latin America, and the Congo, regularly eat cicadas, and the molted shells of cicadas are used in the traditional medicines of China. The word cicada means "buzzer" in Latin, and refers to the cicada's familiar summer song, which is among the loudest of the insect world. The sound is actually caused by vibrating membranes on the sides of the abdomen. There are about 2,500 named species of living cicada worldwide and each species has its own distinctive song. Most cicadas have a life cycle lasting 2-5 years, but some have much longer cycles, most notably the famous 17-year and 13-year cicadas of North America. It was recently reported that in New York City, the 13-year cicadas due to show up again in 2013 are hatching now - four years early! Must be another symptom of Global Warming! The oldest cicada fossils we've found lived with the dinosaurs in the Cretaceous Period (ca. 100 Ma) and modern cicada genera (like the one shown here) are known from the Miocene Epoch (ca. 5 Ma).

Text by Paula Mikkelsen, Photo courtesy J. Casciano

What happens when 70 paleontologist pay a visit to the Creationist Museum?

2009-06-30T07:42:00.000-07:00

Last week several staff members attended the North American Paleontological Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati is not just the home to the 'Reds, but it's also home to the Creationist Museum (or at least the Creationist Museum is across the river in neighboring Kentucky).

Some of the paleontologists paid a visit to this museum. Here's a link to a great article in the New York Times about their visit: "Paleontologist and Creationist Meet but Don't Mesh".

Front Page News!

2009-06-25T04:44:00.000-07:00

John Gurche, PRI's artist in residence, is featured in this weeks Ithaca Times and he even made the cover! It's a really great article all about the work he's doing in his studio at the Museum. Be sure to check out the article here: www.ithacatimes.com.

John is nearing completion on this project so be sure to get to the Museum to see these sculptures!

We're having a party!

2009-06-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

Opening Reception

Friday, June 26

6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Museum of the Earth's Borg Warner Gallery

Tickets $10

Join us for a delightful evening "picnic" in the forest as we explore our summer exhibit, A Forest Journey, generously supported by the Tompkins Trust Company and Tompkins County Tourism Grants. Socialize with friends, learn more about our exhibit, and enjoy delicious tidbits and local wine from King Ferry Winery. The perfect way to start out the weekend! Purchase your tickets by calling 607.273.6623 x11 or by ordering online: Museum of the Earth!

A Forest Journey at Museum of the Earth

2009-06-22T08:02:00.000-07:00

Beginning June 20th the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) and its Museum of the Earth will host the Franklin Institute Science Museum's traveling exhibition, "A Forest Journey". This interactive exhibition explores the role of trees in peoples' everyday lives while examining the environmental impact of society on forests. The exhibition focuses on exploring the use of wood throughout the history of civilization including paper products and pharmaceuticals, the relationship between forest, trees, and people as well as the effects of deforestation.

"A Forest Journey" focuses on creating a holistic understanding of the environment, science, and society. Interactive stations provide information about a wide range of topics such as tree life cycles and processes, habitats, conservation, the green house effect, products, and society. It explores the use of wood throughout the history of civilization including paper products and pharmaceuticals, the relationship between forests, trees, and people as well as the effects of deforestation to combine science and history in making connections between the past, present, and future.

"One of the core principals we try to convey here at Museum of the Earth is our responsibility to the Earth, as stewards of a precious resource" stated Dr. Sarah Chicone, director of exhibits. "We tell this story through our permanent exhibits, through our outreach activities, and through the traveling exhibitions we bring to our visitors. A Forest Journey is a very hands experience that promises to be fun for people of all ages. In addition to A Forest Journey, a series of regionally inspired wooden sculptures by local artist June Szabo will also be on display in our Borg Warner Gallery. This exhibition along with June's artwork is not to be missed."

Museum of the Earth will be hosting its opening reception on Friday, June 26 from 6-8 pm and tickets are $10. Its family opening will be held on Saturday, July 4th. Bring your children and join the Museum in celebrating Independence Day with our "Red, White, and Green" family day filled with fun activities regular admission is charged for this event, and as always members are free!

This exhibition is generously sponsored by Tompkins Trust Company and the Tompkins County Tourism Grants. "A Forest Journey" will be on display from June 20, 2009 - September 20, 2009 in the Museum's Borg Warner Gallery. Museum of the Earth is open Monday - Saturday from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm, and on Sunday from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm. For more information about rates and special events please visit us on the web at www.museumoftheearth.org.

Who We Are: Danielle Jenkins

2009-06-19T11:09:00.000-07:00

Danielle is an intern in the Marketing Department at the Paleontological Research Institution. She is originally from Albany, New York and is a senior at Ithaca College. Danielle is studying Integrated Marketing Communications and chose to intern at PRI in order to gain more hands on experience for her major. As an intern, Danielle is working on press for the museum’s newest exhibit, A Forest Journey. Meet Danielle:

Fossil of the Week

2009-06-17T07:19:00.000-07:00

A belemnoid, or belemnite, is a extinct type of cephalopod related to squid and cuttlefish. Like the latter, belemnoids had an internal shell made of aragonite (a form of calcium carbonate) and much smaller than the animal, an ink sack, and preyed on fish and other small marine animals, but they had 10 arms with small hooks and no tentacles (instead of 8 arms and 2 tentacles of squid). Most belemnoids were about the size of present-day squid, 12 to 20 inches long. Belemnoids thrived in the ocean from the Early Devonian Period (400 million years ago) through the Cretaceous Period (66 million years ago). They were apparently a favorite food of ichthyosaurs, whose fossilized stomachs often contain belemnoid hooks and shells. The last belemnoids disappeared during the Eocene Epoch, which ended 34 million years ago. The internal shell was usually straight, but was loosely coiled in some species. The shell served for support, muscle attachment, and for buoyancy, similar to the gas-filled shell of the modern Chambered Nautilus. The word "belemnoid" comes from the Greek word belmnon meaning "a dart or arrow" and the Greek word eidos meaning "form." Cigar-or bullet-shaped belemnoid fossils are the favorites of many collectors.

What We Do...

2009-06-16T07:44:00.001-07:00

In case you haven’t heard, PRI is working on bringing the field to the web. This is done through the creation of virtual field experiences (VFE). The foundation of these VFE’s is the satellite imagery provided via Google Earth, which is then augmented by PRI staff through the inclusion of high resolution Gigapan images, 360 degree panoramas, as well as regular photographs.

Recently three PRI staff traveled to the High Peaks Region of the Adirondack State Park, NY to create a VFE on Mt. Marcy. Mt. Marcy is New York State’s highest peak, at an elevation of 5,344 feet. Most VFE’s to date have focused on the geologic features of an area. To incorporate a broader picture of Earth Systems, we decided to concentrate on the ecological diversity and rare habitats found here.

Stay tuned for more about our excursion and in the mean time enjoy the view from atop Mt. Marcy!

Who done it? The Cretaceous Crime Scene...

2009-06-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

Our outreach department recently held a program called Cretaceous Crime Scene here at the Museum for a group of visiting students. The idea is that the students are "dino detectives" in charge of solving a murder scene. A poor dinosaur was killed in the night, and based on footprints and other clues found at the crime scene, the students must determine which of the suspects is the killer. The suspects are: Johnny Two-Fingers (a Tyrannosaurus); Abner the Alamosaurus; Norman the Ankylosaurus; Hungry Joe the Triceratops; Priscilla the Parasaurolophus; and Toothpick Pete (a raptor). The underlying message of the program is that a paleontologist is much like a detective; they both must look carefully at clues to solve the many mysteries they find. For a paleontologist, these clues are fossils, and these fossils help the paleontologist understand mysteries about ancient worlds.

Here are a couple photos from this program:

The crime scene.

The dino detectives in action!

If you are interested in this program, or others like it please feel free to visit our website for more information: www.museumoftheearth.org/outreach.php.

Who We Are: Billy Kepner

2009-06-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

Billy Kepner is the director of marketing and communications here at the Paleontological Research Institution and its Museum of the Earth. He has spearheaded the re-design and re-launch of our home on the web, brought us into the 21st century with blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and with PRI's own YouTube channel. Meet Billy:

WROC 8...

2009-06-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

If you live in Rochester, NY be sure to tune into channel WROC 8 next week for an appearance from Warren Allmon, the director of PRI and its Museum of the Earth. We will let you know when we have more specifics. In the mean time here's a picture from Warren's interview with Bob Metcalfe:

Fossil of the Week

2009-06-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

Sea stars are echinoderms, related to sea urchins, brittle stars, sea lilies, and sea cucumbers. Sea stars are sometimes also called starfish, but this term includes the closely related brittlestars (Class Ophiuroidea). Sea stars are members of the Class Asteroidea, and are radially symmetrical (see our earlier Fossils of the Week on crinoids and sea urchins), typically with five arms. They first evolved in the Ordovician Period (about 460 million years ago), but their fossil record is poor because of their relatively soft bodies that easily fall apart after death. Living sea stars move using a water vascular system - a network of blood-vessel-like tubes and hundreds of tiny "tube feet" with suckers to carry them along. They also use the tube feet to open clams, one of their primary food sources. Another unique feature of a sea star is its two stomachs, one for digestion, and another that can be everted out of the mouth to engulf prey, allowing the sea star to hunt prey that wouldn't fit through its mouth. The arms of sea stars can be regenerated if lost or cut off. The planktonic larvae of sea stars and other echinoderms look nothing like the adults until they settle and metamorphose; echinoderms and their larvae are frequent subjects of developmental research. There are between 1,600 and 1,800 species of living sea stars, all of which are marine. They are important members of marine ecosystems, from both good and bad viewpoints - the Crown of Thorns sea star on the Great Barrier Reef off of Australia is a major predator on living corals and can cause death of a coral reef if present in large numbers.

Text by Paula Mikkelsen, Photo courtesy J. Casciano

World's Largest collection of Antarctic Invertebrates Comes to PRI

2009-06-09T12:11:00.000-07:00

The Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) has added to its permanent holdings one of the largest collections of Cretaceous to Eocene fossil mollusks from Seymour Island, Antarctica. The collection was assembled over more than four decades by William J. Zinsmeister, a professor of geology at Purdue University, and is widely recognized as among the largest and finest in the world from this region. (Below is a photo of Dr. Greg Dietl (right), Director of Collections at PRI and Dr. William Zinsmeister (left) loading the collection on to trucks for shipment.)

The addition of this collection to PRI's permanent holdings will allow for new research collaborations between PRI staff and colleagues at other institutions and for scientific visitors to PRI to use these collections for their research. It will also allow PRI to create an online exhibition of the Zinsmeister collection to share these unique specimens with the public that will highlight its importance for discussions of climate change, evolution, and extinction.

"This collection is important for two reasons," stated Dr. Gregory Dietl, Director of Collections at PRI. "The first is that it includes samples from one of the best K-T boundary sections in the world (the time interval when dinosaurs became extinct). Recent discoveries from Seymour Island are challenging the view that the K–T extinctions were caused solely by a catastrophic asteroid impact. Instead, a prolonged interval of decline in diversity, prior to the impact event at the end of the Cretaceous Period 65 million years ago, is evident from the fossil record on Seymour Island. These data suggest that more protracted changes in the Earth’s climate may also have been important. The second reason this collection is important is that it can help us understand the effects of current climate change on marine communities in Antarctica. Today global warming is enabling crab predators to reinvade Antarctica, after being excluded from the region following the onset of a cooling event in the Eocene some 40 million years ago. Scientists are trying to understand how the indigenous fauna will respond to such changes. The collection’s strength during this critical interval in the history of the Antarctic region provides unique information to addressing this problem."

The Zinsmeister collection is full of amazing fossils. Most notable is the heteromorphic ammonite (Diplomoceras), which is related to the living nautilus (pictured below with Judith Nagel-Myers, Collections Manager at PRI). One Diplomoceras specimen measures about 6 feet in length and resembles a saxophone. "It boggles the mind," stated Dr. Dietl. "It makes one wonder how did that organism live; was it able to swim? Most ammonites could swim, but this specimen makes you wonder."

PRI’s collection of fossils is one of the largest in North America. Over the course of the next several years PRI will begin the process of making the Zinsmeister collection publicly available. By making this collection available to researchers, students, and educators, the institution is furthering its more than 75-year mission that was started by Gilbert Harris in 1932.

The Paleontological Research Institution is an active research institution located in Ithaca, New York and was founded in 1932 by Gilbert Harris, professor of geology at Cornell University, to house his collection and library. PRI has outstanding programs in research, collections, publications, and public outreach. The Institution cares for a collection of 2-3 million specimens (one of the 10 largest in the U.S.), and publishes the oldest paleontological journal in the Western Hemisphere (Bulletins of American Paleontology, begun in 1895). In 2003 PRI opened the Museum of the Earth on its campus on Ithaca's West Hill, overlooking Cayuga Lake. This education and exhibits facility contains 8000 square feet of permanent exhibits, telling the history of the Earth and its life through the geologic record of the Northeastern U.S. Unique elements include the skeletons of the Hyde Park Mastodon and Right Whale #2030 and the 544 square foot mural, Rock of Ages Sands of Time. The Museum builds upon PRI’s wide variety of programs and activities for people of all ages.

Things to do...

2009-06-05T11:14:00.000-07:00

PRI Director, Warren Allmon, to read from new book at Buffalo Street Books

Saturday, June 6, 4 p.m.

Warren Allmon, Director of the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI), will read from his new book Evolution & Creationism: A Very Short Guide, 2nd ed. at Buffalo Street Books on Saturday, June 6, at 4 PM. This compact volume, written for the general reader, teachers, parents, students, and elected officials, is a concise, user-friendly handbook that addresses organic evolution - the theory that all living things are connected by genealogy and have changed through time. Dr. Allmon will also be available to sign copies and answer questions. For more information about his book, click here. For directions and information on the event, contact Buffalo Street Books at (607) 273-8246 or email BuffaloStreetBooks@hotmail.com This event is free and open to the public.

Buffalo Street Books (formerly Bookery II) is the city's largest and oldest independently owned bookstore and is located in the DeWitt Mall, in the heart of downtown Ithaca. The friendly and knowledgeable staff invites you to enjoy the bright open space, fresh coffee, free wireless access, stylish music and a great selection of books, CDs, DVDs, maps, cards, and more. Buffalo Street Books is open Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm and Sunday 11 am to 6 pm.

Louisiana Science Education Act...

2009-06-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

The Louisiana Science Education Act encourages the use of 'supplemental materials' attacking the science of evolution, origins of life, climate change, and research on stem cells and cloning.

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is approving a policy to implement it very soon, and the last day for public comment is June 9th. Below is a draft letter, provided by NCSE, that points out the flaws with the act and recommended changes that would support evolution education and remove the threat of creationist teachings in Louisiana state schools. Please feel free to use the below letter as a guide to form your own letter to the state Board, or simply copy this letter into another document and sign it.

NOTE: Comments must be sent by mail, and should arrive no later than June 9 at 4:30 pm. Please address them to:

Nina A. Ford
State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
P.O. Box 94064
Capitol Station
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9064

The Paleontological Research Institution will be sending a letter to Ms. Ford and the state Board later this afternoon on behalf of the institution, its staff, and national members. But every voice is very important, so please take a moment of time and contact your state Board with a version of the letter provided, and share this with any other concerned citizens in the great state of Louisiana.

____________________________________________________________________
Dear Ms. Ford:

Act 473, the Louisiana Science Education Act, is written so loosely as to allow creationism and other religious concepts to be taught in classrooms. In order to protect the civil liberties of students and to protect local educational authorities from costly litigation, BESE's policy implementing this act, which was adopted on January 13, 2009, must close any loopholes that might allow non-science into classrooms. In particular the following aspects of the policy passed in January, 2009, require revision.

Section C should have the sentence "Religious beliefs shall not be advanced under the guise of critical thinking" restored. This language is based on State Superintendent Pastorek's letter to LEAs on August 27, 2008, and serves as an important warning for teachers and administrators.

The process for challenging supplemental material laid out in section D of the proposed policy is unclear, ill-conceived, and onerous. The instructions for the Department of Education review are vague and confusing, and they unnecessarily complicate what should be a straightforward decision based on the professional expertise of Department of Education staff. In considering citizen input concerning supplementary materials, the process should not require a "meeting" at which "any interested party" could "present their arguments" (D.3). Such a meeting places a needless burden on the finances and time of concerned parents, teachers, and staff. It would be better to employ the extant system of public comment on textbooks for adoption, which allows written comments to be submitted by a set deadline. In the absence of any clear deadline for resolution of a challenge, it is likely that inappropriate material would remain in a classroom indefinitely after a challenge. A better procedure would allow the LDoE to generate a list of clearly inappropriate material based on their expertise and experience as educators, and provide that list to BESE for approval. Citizen challenges to those materials would be automatically sustained, while challenges to other material should be reviewed by LDoE staff based on a speedy process involving public comment and peer review by recognized experts in science and science education.

In addition, section D.4.b requires only that material be "scientifically sound and supported by scientific evidence." Materials which contradict the Louisiana Content Standards should be subject to additional review to ensure that they are not outdated or otherwise lacking in scientific credibility. Science classes should endeavor to give students a context to understand the current state of scientific knowledge, recognizing that "[f]or scientific ideas to become widely accepted, peers must review, analyze, and critique results through journal articles, replication of experiments, and presentations at scientific meetings" (Louisiana Content Standards, Benchmarks, and Grade Level Expectations for Science §301.B). Scientific claims which have not been reviewed by the scientific community, or which have been found lacking after such review, do not belong in science classrooms. Works which deny widely agreed upon scientific concepts like evolution and anthropogenic climate change are thus not appropriate for science class. Section D.4.b should thus require that information contained in the supplemental materials must be accepted by the community of scientists as valid, current, and
rigorous science.

Finally, the LSEA Advisory Committee had recommended a prohibition against teaching creationism in Section D.4.d, reading:

"Materials that teach creationism or intelligent design or that advance the religious belief that a supernatural being created humankind shall be prohibited for use in science classes."

This much-needed clarification was unfortunately removed from the policy before it was passed. It would prevent the use of inappropriate and unconstitutional teaching materials, and should be reinserted into the policy just as the LDoE's experts recommended.

Thank you for your consideration and your efforts to improve science education in Louisiana.

Fossil of the Week

2009-06-03T07:36:00.000-07:00

Sea urchins are echinoderms, related to sea stars, brittle stars, sea lilies, and sea cucumbers. They belong to the Class Echinoidea, along with sand dollars, heart urchins, and sea biscuits. Because of their hard test, echinoids have a good fossil record, dating back to the middle Ordovician. They have radial symmetry (see our earlier Fossil of the Week on crinoids) and a hard, calcareous "test" or outer skeleton that is festooned with moveable spines for protection and in some cases locomotion. This particular specimen is called a pencil urchin because the spines are as thick as pencils. The word "urchin" comes from Old English as a name for a hedgehog - an obvious similarity! The mouthparts of sea urchins are a complex system of muscles and calcareous plates called Aristotle's Lantern that can be partially extruded from the mouth for grazing on algae.

Text by Paula Mikkelsen, Photo Courtesy J. Casciano

What We Do...

2009-06-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

Over the past several weeks we've posted videos that introduce you to who we are. Today, I'm excited to post a video about one of the many things that we do! The Paleontological Research Institution and its Museum of the Earth is not just a museum, it's not just a research institution, but it is many things. One of the great things we do comes through our outreach programs. Over the next several months a team from PRI will be working to create Virtual Field Trips. These trips will be accessible via www.virtualfieldwork.org. To learn more about this program watch the short video below:

Traveling Trilobites...

2009-06-01T05:47:00.000-07:00

Truby's Continued Adventures

Truby continued her adventures in Maine at the Shoals Marine Laboratory on Appledore Island, participating in a class on Marine Invertebrate Biodiversity. Below are photos from her adventure:

Although the weather was rainy, Truby admired the view from her balcony of the lab's ships and small boats in the harbor.

Tidepools are wonderful places to explore! Truby wore her wetsuit today against the mud and rain!

Digging for clams was fun! We found some whoppers!

Truby listened attentively in class alongside Cornell students Catherine, Natalie, and Jake. Dr. Drew Harvell, the instructor of the class (looking on from the back row), enjoyed her presence.

Microscopes aren't really designed with trilobites in mind.

Truby thought the seawater tank, where students kept marine plants and animals to examine later in the lab, was fun to explore.

A museum collection of identified specimens helps students identify what they find in the field. Truby admires a jar of blue mussels.

Traveling Trilobites...

2009-05-31T15:38:00.001-07:00

Truby the Trilobite (Travis' cousin from Trumansburg) traveled to Maine with
Paula Mikkelsen to visit Paula's mother on her 93rd birthday. While there,
Truby met several of her distant cousins (the Lobster sisters), and admired
the Maine state tree, the White Pine. Next, Truby and
Paula will travel to the Isle of Shoals off the coast of Maine, where Paula
will help teach Marine Biodiversity at Shoals Marine Lab. More adventures to
come...

Truby with the Lobster sisters!

Truby with the Maine state tree - the White Pine!