المؤلفون: HEATH, ELIZABETH (AUTHOR)

المصدر: Discover. Mar/Apr2024, Vol. 45 Issue 2, p48-51. 4p. 7 Color Photographs.

مصطلحات موضوعية: *NATURAL history, *AESTHETICS, *STONE columns, *SLEEP duration, *BUSTS, *SPIRITUAL healing, *FOOT

مستخلص: Excavations at the ancient baths of San Casciano dei Bagni in Italy have revealed a significant discovery in Mediterranean archaeology. The site contains over two dozen bronze statues and busts, as well as bronze anatomical figures, suggesting that the site was not only a place of worship but also a center of medicine. The artifacts date back to a period of transition from Etruscan to Roman rule, challenging the accepted history of the time. The presence of thermal mineral water at the site and the association of springs with healing in ancient Roman and Etruscan cultures further support the idea that San Casciano was a site of healing. [Extracted from the article]

المؤلفون: Stimpson, Christopher M¹ (AUTHOR) cms@wwfr.co.uk, Jukar, Advait M^2,3,4 (AUTHOR), Bonea, Amelia⁵ (AUTHOR), Newell, Susan^1,6 (AUTHOR), Howlett, Eliza¹ (AUTHOR)

المصدر: Historical Biology. Jul2024, Vol. 36 Issue 7, p1167-1179. 13p.

مصطلحات موضوعية: *NATURAL history museums, *FOSSIL bones

مصطلحات جغرافية: INDIA

الشركة/الكيان: OXFORD University Museum of Natural History

مستخلص: This article describes results from a review of South Asian fossils in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. These materials include two early 19th century collections of fossils from the Siwalik Hills in India. While this assemblage was summarised in 1837 by William Buckland as 'large and valuable collections of fossil bones', it has remained largely unstudied and unpublished in any detail since collection. Here, as a precursor to a comprehensive re-evaluation, we establish a chronological and geographical context of one collection event, provide details of its donor, and outline its history after arrival in Oxford. We then describe select taxa in the collection, including a well-preserved maxilla and toothrow of the large extinct giraffid, Sivatherium giganteum, as a basis to justify our current understanding of the biostratigraphic affinity of the assemblage. Conservatively, the collection is a 'classic' Upper Siwalik Plio-Pleistocene fauna, possibly the first to be transported to the UK. While further analyses will realise the scientific potential of the fossils, the narrative of their journey from India to Oxford remains incomplete. Further investigation of the hidden history of the collection is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

المؤلفون: Noble, Mike mikenoble@lineone.net, Reinisch, Sophia, Burton, Victoria J., Garner, Beulah

المصدر: Bulletin of the Amateur Entomologists Society. Jun2024, Vol. 83 Issue 553, p48-55. 8p.

مصطلحات موضوعية: *NATURAL history museums, *ENTOMOLOGISTS, *BUMBLEBEES, *PHASMIDA, *BIOLOGICAL pest control agents, *LUMIX digital camera, *COCKROACHES

الشركة/الكيان: NATURAL History Museum (London, England)

مستخلص: The article offers information on the Amateur Entomologists Society (AES) Young Entomologists' Day 2024 at the Natural History Museum in London, England. Topics discussed include the presentations by young entomologists; collaborations with youth nature groups and conservation trusts; and discussions on insect diversity, behavior and their cultural impact in computer games, design and fashion.

المؤلفون: Wertheim, Margaret (AUTHOR)

المصدر: Mitteilungen der DMV. Jun2024, Vol. 32 Issue 2, p105-108. 4p.

مصطلحات موضوعية: *NATURAL history museums, *MATHEMATICS education, *SCIENCE projects, *CROCHETING, *CORALS, *CORAL reefs & islands

مصطلحات جغرافية: VENICE (Italy)

الشركة/الكيان: NATIONAL Museum of Natural History (U.S.) , SMITHSONIAN Institution (Washington, D.C.)

الملخص (بالإنجليزية): The article reports on Margaret Wertheim's Crochet Coral Reef project, which has attracted worldwide attention. The project combines art, craft, and STEM and has already attracted 25,000 participants, mainly women, in 52 cities and countries. It is the largest art and science project in the world and has been exhibited at the Biennale in Venice and the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Although the project is popular with a wide audience, science promoters have refused to support it, believing that handicraft is not a valid method for mathematical education. The article criticizes these prejudices and emphasizes the importance of tangible learning tools for teaching mathematical and scientific concepts. [Extracted from the article]

Abstract (German): Der Artikel berichtet über das Crochet Coral Reef-Projekt von Margaret Wertheim, das weltweit große Aufmerksamkeit erregt hat. Das Projekt verbindet Kunst, Handwerk und STEM und hat bereits 25.000 Teilnehmer, hauptsächlich Frauen, in 52 Städten und Ländern angezogen. Es ist das größte Kunst- und Wissenschaftsprojekt der Welt und wurde auf der Biennale in Venedig und im Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History ausgestellt. Obwohl das Projekt bei einem breiten Publikum beliebt ist, haben Wissenschaftsförderer die Unterstützung verweigert, da sie der Meinung sind, dass Handarbeit keine gültige Methode für die mathematische Pädagogik ist. Der Artikel kritisiert diese Vorurteile und betont die Bedeutung von materiellen Lernwerkzeugen für die Vermittlung von mathematischen und wissenschaftlichen Konzepten. [Extracted from the article]

المؤلفون: Russell, Sara S.¹ (AUTHOR) sarr@nhm.ac.uk, King, Ashley J.¹ (AUTHOR), Bates, Helena C.¹ (AUTHOR), Almeida, Natasha V.¹ (AUTHOR), Greenwood, Richard C.² (AUTHOR), Daly, Luke^3,4,5 (AUTHOR), Joy, Katherine H.⁶ (AUTHOR), Rowe, Jim^7,8 (AUTHOR), Salge, Tobias¹ (AUTHOR), Smith, Caroline L.¹ (AUTHOR), Grindrod, P.¹ (AUTHOR), Boazman, S.¹ (AUTHOR), Bond, L.⁷ (AUTHOR), Bond, V.⁷ (AUTHOR), Casey, C.⁹ (AUTHOR), Dickeson, Z.¹ (AUTHOR), Ensor, G.⁹ (AUTHOR), Farrelly, S.¹⁰ (AUTHOR), Godfrey, P.⁷ (AUTHOR), Hallis, L. J.³ (AUTHOR)

المصدر: Meteoritics & Planetary Science. May2024, Vol. 59 Issue 5, p973-987. 15p.

مصطلحات موضوعية: *METEORITES, *NATURAL history museums, *ATMOSPHERIC nitrogen

مصطلحات جغرافية: UNITED Kingdom, GLOUCESTERSHIRE (England)

الشركة/الكيان: NATURAL History Museum (London, England)

مستخلص: The Winchcombe meteorite fell on February 28, 2021 and was the first recovered meteorite fall in the UK for 30 years, and the first UK carbonaceous chondrite. The meteorite was widely observed by meteor camera networks, doorbell cameras, and eyewitnesses, and 213.5 g (around 35% of the final recovered mass) was collected quickly—within 12 h—of its fall. It, therefore, represents an opportunity to study very pristine extra‐terrestrial material and requires appropriate careful curation. The meteorite fell in a narrow (600 m across) strewn field ~8.5 km long and oriented approximately east–west, with the largest single fragment at the farthest (east) end in the town of Winchcombe, Gloucestershire. Of the total known mass of 602 g, around 525 g is curated at the Natural History Museum, London. A sample analysis plan was devised within a month of the fall to enable scientists in the UK and beyond to quickly access and analyze fresh material. The sample is stored long term in a nitrogen atmosphere glove box. Preliminary macroscopic and electron microscopic examinations show it to be a CM2 chondrite, and despite an early search, no fragile minerals, such as halite, sulfur, etc., were observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

المؤلفون: Barrio, Javier¹ (AUTHOR) javbar@gmail.com

المصدر: Mammalia: International Journal of the Systematics, Biology & Ecology of Mammals. May2024, Vol. 88 Issue 3, p259-266. 8p.

مصطلحات موضوعية: *SPECIES distribution, *NATURAL history museums, *HABITATS, *BOGS, *SWAMPS, *RATS, *TAXONOMY

مصطلحات جغرافية: PERU, ANDES

الشركة/الكيان: NATURAL History Museum (London, England)

مستخلص: The Andean swamp rat Neotomys ebriosus is a sigmodontine rodent restricted to the Central Andes of South America. A distribution map of the species in Peru have been previously drawn based on few of the localities where the species has been captured and collected. I update the distribution of the species in Peru based on new records from three different areas surveyed by the author, specimens at Museum collections in the United States and France from VertNet webpage, localities from the collection at the Natural History Museum of Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, and localities from the collection at the Natural History Museum of the Universidad Nacional San Agustín. The northern limit of the species distribution is increased based on new localities with collected individuals. Habitat used by N. ebriosus is mainly high Andean bogs; most individuals caught adjacent to the borders of Andean bogs and along streams near the bogs. Collected individuals leave unclear subspecies division and identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

المؤلفون: Boev, Zlatozar¹ (AUTHOR) boev@nmnhs.com

المصدر: Diversity (14242818). May2024, Vol. 16 Issue 5, p284. 16p.

مصطلحات موضوعية: *NATURAL history museums, *NATIONAL museums, *ORNITHOLOGY, *PERFORMANCE in children, *COLLECTIONS, *MUSEUM studies

مصطلحات جغرافية: BULGARIA, SOFIA (Bulgaria)

الشركة/الكيان: NATIONAL Museum of Natural History (U.S.)

مستخلص: For the first time, an attempt has been made to present, chronologically and in a systematized form, the development of ornithological studies at the National Museum of Natural History in Sofia (Bulgaria) from its foundation in the last decades of the 19th century to the present day. This 135-year period (1889–2024) includes the work of 12 curators of the ornithological collections. Their major contributions and most-significant ornithological publications are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

المؤلفون: Laich, Yannik^1,2,3 (AUTHOR), Georgiou, Michalis^1,2,4 (AUTHOR), Fujinami, Kaoru^1,2,5 (AUTHOR), Daich Varela, Malena^1,2 (AUTHOR), Fujinami-Yokokawa, Yu^2,5,6 (AUTHOR), Hashem, Shaima Awadh^1,2 (AUTHOR), Cabral de Guimaraes, Thales Antonio^1,2 (AUTHOR), Mahroo, Omar A.^1,2 (AUTHOR), Webster, Andrew R.^1,2 (AUTHOR), Michaelides, Michel^1,2 (AUTHOR) michel.michaelides@ucl.ac.uk

المصدر: Ophthalmology. Jul2024, Vol. 131 Issue 7, p845-854. 10p.

مصطلحات موضوعية: *MACULAR degeneration, *NATURAL history, *ENDOTHELIAL growth factors, *ANISOMETROPIA, *PHENOTYPIC plasticity, *VISUAL acuity, *HYPEROPIA

مستخلص: To analyze the genetic findings, clinical spectrum, and natural history of Best vitelliform macular dystrophy (BVMD) in a cohort of 222 children and adults. Single-center retrospective, consecutive, observational study. Patients with a clinical diagnosis of BVMD from pedigrees with a likely disease-causing monoallelic sequence variant in the BEST1 gene. Data were extracted from electronic and physical case notes. Electrophysiologic assessment and molecular genetic testing were analyzed. Molecular genetic test findings and clinical findings including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), choroidal neovascularization (CNV) rates, and electrophysiologic parameters. Two hundred twenty-two patients from 141 families were identified harboring 69 BEST1 variants. Mean age at presentation was 26.8 years (range, 1.3–84.8 years) and most patients (61.5%) demonstrated deterioration of central vision. Major funduscopic findings included 128 eyes (30.6%) with yellow vitelliform lesions, 78 eyes (18.7%) with atrophic changes, 49 eyes (11.7%) with fibrotic changes, 48 eyes (11.5%) with mild pigmentary changes, and 43 eyes (10.3%) showing a vitelliruptive appearance. Mean BCVA was 0.37 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR; Snellen equivalent, 20/47) for the right eye and 0.33 logMAR (Snellen equivalent, 20/43) for the left eye at presentation, with a mean annual loss rate of 0.013 logMAR and 0.009 logMAR, respectively, over a mean follow-up of 9.7 years. Thirty-seven patients (17.3%) received a diagnosis of CNV over a mean follow-up of 8.0 years. Eyes with CNV that received treatment with an anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agent showed better mean BCVA compared with eyes that were not treated with an anti-VEGF agent (0.28 logMAR [Snellen equivalent, 20/38] vs. 0.62 logMAR [Snellen equivalent, 20/83]). Most eyes exhibited a hyperopic refractive error (78.7%), and 13 patients (6.1%) received a diagnosis of amblyopia. Among the 3 most common variants, p.(Ala243Val) was associated with a later age of onset, better age-adjusted BCVA, and less advanced Gass stages compared with p.(Arg218Cys) and p.(Arg218His). BVMD shows a wide spectrum of phenotypic variability. The disease is very slowly progressive, and the observed phenotype–genotype correlations allow for more accurate prognostication and counselling. Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

المؤلفون: Galati, Giuseppe^1,2 giuseppe.galati5@gmail.com, Germanova, Olga², Pedretti, Roberto Franco Enrico^1,3

المصدر: Cardiology. Jun2024, p1-4. 4p.

مصطلحات موضوعية: *HYPERTROPHIC cardiomyopathy, *NATURAL history, *CARDIAC amyloidosis, *BUNDLE-branch block, *CARDIAC magnetic resonance imaging, *GENETIC mutation

مستخلص: The article focuses on the role of multiple gene mutations in worsening hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Topics include the correlation of sarcomere gene mutations with severe outcomes, the impact of calcium-channel gene mutations on heart failure progression, and the identification of genetic predictors through advanced Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) sequencing techniques.

المؤلفون: Faraone, F. P.¹ (AUTHOR) francescopaolo.faraone@unipa.it, Vecchioni, L.¹ (AUTHOR), Goldenberg, J.^2,3 (AUTHOR), Giacalone, G.^1,4 (AUTHOR), Muscarella, C.⁴ (AUTHOR), Signorello, G.⁵ (AUTHOR), Battista, A.⁵ (AUTHOR), Nicolosi, G.⁶ (AUTHOR), Marrone, F.¹ (AUTHOR)

المصدر: European Zoological Journal. Jun2024, Vol. 91 Issue 1, p305-317. 13p.

مصطلحات موضوعية: *NATURAL history, *PLUTONIUM, *CENTIPEDES, *DIETARY patterns, *SOIL animals, *PREDATION

مصطلحات جغرافية: SICILY (Italy), ITALY

مستخلص: Plutonium zwierleini is a large plutoniumid centipede of great evolutionary interest, occurring with isolated populations along the western Mediterranean area, from Spain to Italy. Due to its rarity and the extreme paucity of available records, P. zwierleini is among the least known Mediterranean chilopods, and scarce information is currently available on its ecology and natural history. Based on an extensive sampling effort carried out in Sicily between 2022 and 2023, we here provide additional occurrence localities for the species across Sicily, and new insights into its ecology. Overall, 29 novel Sicilian records of P. zwierleini, scattered across 21 localities, were collected thus increasing its known Sicilian distribution area by 117%, and the number of localities by 110%. The species was found in a wide range of habitats such as open areas, woods, buildings, and caves, characterizing Plutonium zwierleini as a habitat generalist, whose fine ecological preferenda need to be further explored. Moreover, to explore the diet and behaviour of the species, some specimens were kept in captivity. The captive individuals fed mostly on dead or poorly mobile soft-bodied prey and inert food, without ever displaying predatory behaviour; this suggests that, contrarily to what is currently assumed, P. zwierleini might be a scavenger rather than a predator. The potential distribution of Plutonium zwierleini in Sicily was inferred based on georeferenced occurrence records and climatic variables. The implemented MaxEnt model forecasts the possible occurrence of P. zwierleini on the whole island, with the single exception of its south-easternmost part, possibly due to the local pattern of precipitation seasonality. We hope that the present work might pave the way for further surveys aimed at a better understanding of the ecology of Plutonium zwierleini and the collection of new data in the other regions inhabited by this secretive species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]