From rows of tiny pinned insects to drawers of stuffed birds of prey, the holdings of natural history museums are as varied as the biodiversity they collect. However, accessibility is often a problem, as is the connection of data across institutions.
science
A New Digital Platform for Science in Museums
A new online journal is aspiring to create a dialogue among museum professionals and the public on science and museums in the 21st century.
Dire Prediction for Heritage Sites in a Future of Rising Waters
If the projections of climate change prove to be true and sea levels rise, there will be harrowing implications for much of human life on the shores. A new study released last week emphasizes the severity of this impact on culture: a whole fifth of the 720 listed UNESCO World Heritage Sites could be lost.
Why a New Film on Particle Physics Is Essential Viewing
In terms of understanding the very nature of our world, it’s hard to overestimate the significance of the Large Hadron Collider, and a new documentary makes a very convincing case.
Neuroaesthetic Research Probes Link Between Art, Perception, and the Self
When you look at a painting and feel that somehow it was made just for a person like you, it might actually be true. New neuroscience research shows that deep feeling of personal resonance from some works of art is linked to your brain’s sense of self.
New eBook Turns Space into a Tonal Universe for the Visually Impaired
A new eBook is aiming to make that starscape engaging for everyone, including the visually impaired.
New Online Magazine Bridges the Divide Between Art and Science
It’s no revelation that science and art have long been linked, the curiosity about the workings of the world aligned with artistic creativity. Recently, however, there seems to be more of a movement towards connecting the two worlds into a tighter community.
Walk Like an Octopus
“Octodad: Dadliest Catch” is a new video game coming out early this year that puts the player in the perspective of an octopus masquerading as a human.
Bad Book News: Libraries Burned in Lebanon, Dismantled in Canada
Arsonists torched a historic and beloved library in Tripoli, while the Canadian government has gutted its science libraries.
The Topography of Emotion: New Study Maps Feelings in the Body
A new study by a team of Finnish researchers recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences (PNAS) analyzes where we feel emotions in our bodies.
Scientists to Image Black Hole by Turning Earth into Giant Camera
The problem with trying to take a picture of a black hole is that it consumes everything, even the light around it. Now, a team of scientists is working to make the first image of a black hole by using telescopes around the world to look at its shadowy edge.
The Comical Side of Science
OAKLAND, Calif. — Science is always painted as a subject diametrically opposed to art, but some of the best scientists have talked about their thinking process as one that’s very creative in scope.