Human Environment
Public and private places and buildings, including cities, monuments, parks and reservations
A Tour of France’s Cave Homes
In France’s Loire Valley, domesticated cave dwellings, known as troglodyte homes, offer a history as rich as the region’s chateaus
May 19, 2009 |
By Kristin Ohlson
Dinosaur Tracks Go on Display at Oxfordshire Museum
It can be a long road from the quarry to the exhibition site for some fossils. Most of what is collected is put in storage rather than placed on display, but even exceptional specimens can take a long time to prepare for their public debut. Such was the case with a series of dinosaur tracks found i...
May 14, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Going Buggy at the New Audubon Museum
Crickets, spiders, ants and many other insects thrive in historic New Orleans, where kids and adults learn about creepy crawlers
May 13, 2009 |
By David Zax
Having a Blast at Dinosaur National Monument
Financial times may be tough, but the push to reinvigorate the economy has provided an unexpected boon for Dinosaur National Monument. The national park, which straddles the Colorado/Utah border, will receive more than $13,000,000 in stimulus money for the construction of a new visitors center. The...
May 12, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Triceratops on Tour to Celebrate Louisiana Purchase
In 1904 the city of St. Louis, Missouri hosted the grand Louisiana Purchase Exhibition. It was a chance to celebrate the centennial of the grand acquisition of the midwestern states, and many states contributed exhibits to the festival. The Smithsonian Institution was represented there, too, and as...
May 04, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Five Movies That Memorably Feature Museums
The ‘Night at the Museum’ films aren’t the only films that take place largely in the confines of a museum
May 04, 2009 |
By Joseph Caputo
Hollywood on Exhibit
Movie memories come to life inside the filmmaking collections of these seven museums
April 24, 2009 |
By Joseph Caputo
A Paleontologist's Long-Lost Lunchbox
Digging up fossils can be hard work, and it is important for any fossil hunter to pack a hearty lunch to keep their strength up. Apparently that is what the 19th century amateur paleontologist William Parker Foulke did. As reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Foulke's lunchbox has recently been f...
April 22, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Dinosaurs Get a Day at the Beach
If you live in the vicinity of Frankston, Victoria in Australia, you still have a few days to see gigantic dinosaurs made from sand. This year the theme for the Sand Sculpting Austrlia exhibition was "DinoStory," and an international team of sand sculptors has etched dinosaurs into the sand. They a...
April 21, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Dinosaurs and Cavemen (sigh) to Invade Binghamton in 2010
Right about this time in 2007, the creationist cartoonist Johnny Hart, creator of the "The Wizard of ID" and "B.C.," passed away. While many people have placed cavemen and dinosaurs together out of ignorance or artistic laziness, Hart truly believed that his cartoon B.C. contained at least a minor...
April 17, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Did Sauropods Hold their Heads High?
In museums all over the world, skeletons of sauropod dinosaurs are reconstructed with their heads held high. It seems like the most natural position for these animals, but a short letter recently published in Science has questioned whether it is correct. According to biologist Roger Seymour, saurop...
April 14, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
The Measure of Genius: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel at 500
Half a millennium later, the story of the painting of the Sistine Chapel is as fascinating as Michelangelo’s masterpiece itself
April 10, 2009 |
By Jamie Katz
Julia Keefe’s Jazz
The young musician discusses the joys of improvisation and her new tribute to fellow American Indian artist Mildred Bailey
April 09, 2009 |
By Katy June-Friesen
Walking with Dinosaurs in Melbourne
If you're a paleo fanatic in the vicinity of Melbourne, Australia, you might want to stop by the Melbourne Museum this weekend. The museum has been undergoing a massive renovation and the first of the completed exhibits, the Dinosaur Walk, is now open.The exhibit promises to include some fossils no...
April 03, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Isfahan: Iran's Hidden Jewel
Once the dazzling capital of ancient Persia,Isfahan fell victim to neglect, but a new generation hopes to restore its lost luster
April 2009 |
By Andrew Lawler
National Zoo Celebrates Birth of Rare Clouded Leopards
Notoriously difficult to breed, two new clouded leopards are born at the National Zoo’s research facility
March 25, 2009 |
By Cristina Santiestevan
Voices from Literature’s Past
The British Library’s Spoken Word albums of recordings by British and American writers shed new light on the authors' work
March 20, 2009 |
By Matthew Gurewitsch
Dinosaurs Invade Cleveland and New Orleans
New Orleans Audubon Zoo Exhibit
Exhibitions of robotic dinosaurs seem to be back on the upswing. They were very popular when I was growing up but have been harder to find in recent years. According to reports released over the weekend, however, zoos in Cleveland and New Orleans will be fea...
March 16, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Costume’s Cultural Reveal
The Los Angeles County Museum aims to draw new visitors and historic insights with a landmark costume acquisition
March 06, 2009 |
By Jeanne Maglaty
