Dear subscribers,
I hope you're looking forward to the fall season as much as we are! Between the pumpkin patch visits and Halloween parties, we have several thematic events that will keep you celebrating the spooky season all month long. Perhaps the biggest and most anticipated event happening at the KU Natural History Museum this October is Macabre at the Museum, a free event for KU students to explore the museum after dark while learning about fascinating natural history creatures and curiosities, like snakes, spiders, and bats. There will be stations throughout the galleries tabled by graduate students, museum staff, and friends from various KU student clubs eager to share their expertise and provide fun experiments for visitors. We hope to see you there!
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Sincerely,Â
Natalie Vondrak
Communications CoordinatorÂ
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Thursday, Oct. 24
7:00-9:00 PM
KU Natural History Museum
Dyche Hall
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Discovery Day:
National Fossil Day
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Saturday, Oct. 12
11:00 AM-2:00 PM
KU Natural History Museum
Dyche Hall
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Explore global change throughout time by examining fossils, hear about paleontology field work, and try fun fossil activities in honor of National Fossil Day. Plus, we'll have our popular dig pit where you can uncover local invertebrate fossils over 300 million years old!
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| Six-Legged Science with K-POP
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Sunday, Oct. 20Â Â
2:00-4:00 PM
KU Natural History Museum
Dyche Hall
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Join us and our friends K-POP, the Kansas Postdoctoral Outreach Project, for a program all about insects! You won't want to miss this special highlight of the fascinating world of bloodsucking, piercing, and parasitic insects in honor of Halloween!
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| Science on Tap with Dr. Paulyn Cartwright
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Wednesday, Oct. 23Â Â
7:30-8:30 PM
Free State Brewing Company
636 Mass St., Lawrence, KS
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Enjoy a pint of beer while learning about the latest scientific discoveries. This month, EEB Professor Dr. Paulyn Cartwright will share her research on a jellyfish species known for invading freshwater lakes and rivers all over the world.
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Curating Collections: Herpetology
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Did you know there are over 10 million biological specimens and 2 million
archaeological artifacts in the Biodiversity Institute's worldwide collection?
And each one has a story just waiting to be shared with you!
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Discovery of a new species of fanged frog in the Philippines
KU researchers have described a new species of fanged frog from Luzon Island in the northern Philippines. The frog, now known as L. cassiopeia, had been overlooked by biologists who assumed the first specimens were just juveniles of the larger, previously known species, L. macrocephalus. However, after careful studies by lead author EEB doctoral candidate Mark Herr and his team, significant differences were identified, concerning its smaller body size, sexual dimorphism, and the brightly colored tips of its fingers and toes. Learn more about the discovery in the KU News Article.
Photo credit: Mark Herr
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A new species of Cunninghamia (Cupressaceae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Hokkaido, Japan
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Kelly Matsunaga, assistant curator of paleobotany and the Thomas N. Taylor assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, is part of a research team that discovered a new fossil species. An important feature of Cunninghamia nakatonbetsuensis is its nearly closed cone configuration. This feature may have some advantage for seed survival or dispersal. It might also explain why the species survived the massive extinction of cunninghamioids after the Campanian.
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KU study points to Asian instead of African origins for snake superfamily
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Jeff Weinell's latest study examines broad genetic sampling and fossils to determine that elapoid snakes, including cobras, mambas, and many common pet species, point to Asian origins versus African. Weinell performed the research as part of his doctoral dissertation at the KU BI/NHM.
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| Working as an Indigenous Archaeologist
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Carlton Shield Chief Gover, curator of archaeology, shares his journey to becoming an archaeologist in the new book Working as Indigenous Archaeologists: Reckoning New Paths Between Past and Present Lives. This volume is a collection of 60 autobiographical chapters by worldwide Indigenous archaeologists and heritage specialists.
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| Phylogeography of the Island Leaf Warbler in Northern MelanesiaÂ
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A brand new manuscript, led by Ornithology Collection Manager Lucas DiCicco, reveals a rapid secondary sympatry or ecological speciation of Island Leaf Warblers on Kolombangara Island. Learn more about the complex evolutionary history of this iconic group in the link below.
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New visitor attendance record set in September
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We are excited to share that another museum visitor attendance record was broken—2,388 total visitors in September 2024. For comparison, our next highest September count was 1,905 visitors in 2022. Seeing an increase in attendance is a positive sign, so thank you all for visiting!Â
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Save the date for an exclusive member event on Saturday, December 7, from 5-7 PM for an opportunity to interact with BI scientists and celebrate the new interactive exhibit, Fossil Mammals in Turkey, based on the research of Chris Beard, vertebrate paleontology curator at the BI/NHM. More information on how to RSVP will be announced in November. Not a member? Sign up today!
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| Gift shop deals and discounts
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Are you ready for Halloween? The museum's gift shop is here to help you get into the spirit! During October, we are offering special discounted prices on plush tarantulas for $10.99, plush copperhead snakes for $13.50, and temporary insect and reptile tattoo sets for $3.00. Please note that this offer is only available in-store and not online.
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Staff & Student Spotlights
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Stay up-to-date with current activities and events by following us
on your favorite social media channels.
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In August, KU Entomology Research Associate Victor Gonzalez and Andrés Herrera, a doctoral aspirant in EEB, participated as an instructor and a student in the world-renowned Bee Course, which focuses on training participants in the ecology, systematics, and evolution of bees.
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BIMOL—the Biodiversity Institute MOLecular group is a student-led discussion that includes staff, faculty, and students from across BI divisions doing genetic research on specimens in the BI/NHM's collections. This semester's theme is "Applied Species Delimitation," and discussions are led by Ben Wiens, PhD student in Mammalogy.Â
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KU Vertebrate Paleontology Curator Chris Beard, visiting KU scientist Dr. Faruk Ocakoglu, and their French colleague Dr. Gregoire Metais presenting a copy of a technical paper describing a new species of embrithopod mammals from Turkey to Davut Sahin, a local farmer in central Turkey, who has worked with their team for several years. The new species was named Crivadiatherium sahini in his honor.
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Last month, BI/NHM graduate students Joanna Corimanya and Anahi Quezada conducted fieldwork in the High Uintas Wilderness Area. They are working on a repeat photography project with Dr. Town Peterson that assesses the dramatic treeline shift across the Rocky Mountains.
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Pop Up Science: Mighty Microbes
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Saturday, November 23
2:00-4:00 PM
KU Natural History Museum | Dyche Hall
Explore microbial life at the museum! Microbes generally refer to single-celled organisms that belong to a wide range of biological groups. They are so small that there are more of them on your hand than there are people on the entire planet. Discover the connections between microbes and other living things at this fun and FREE event, which includes several hands-on learning activity stations.
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