Dr. Peter Cummings and George Farah of Boston University recently utilized the MCZ's Ornithology collection to investigate whether woodpeckers exhibited some of the same signs of brain injury detectable in humans. The behavior of woodpeckers of pecking at trees with their bills to extract insects or to create nest cavities makes them an interesting group to study in this way. The brains of several of the MCZ’s preserved woodpecker specimens were tested and revealed some distinct signs of brain injury including the presence of phosphorylated tau proteins which have been linked to detectability... Read more about MCZ specimens used for research on woodpeckers and possible brain damage
Members of the Edwards Lab used a museum specimen to reconstruct the DNA of the extinct little bush moa, a flightless bird driven to extinction 700 years ago. Read more about the project in Scientific American.
The Harvard Art Museums have recreated a historical cabinet of curiosities in the exhibit The Philosophy Chamber featuring MCZ specimens from Herpetology, Ichthyology, Invertebrate Paleontology and Ornithology collections. Read more info in the Harvard Magazine.
The MCZ specimens on display in the “Next of Kin” exhibit highlight human relationships to animals. On display now in the HMNH, the public face of the MCZ.
Combining models with specimens from multiple MCZ departments, the new Marine Life exhibit in the Harvard Museum of Natural History immerses visitors in the New England coastal water environment and presents research from around the world. Read more about the exhibit in the Harvard Gazette.
