Museum of Life and Science https://www.lifeandscience.org/ Your home for wonder, curiosity, & discovery Mon, 25 Mar 2024 19:24:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://i0.wp.com/www.lifeandscience.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/cropped-MLS-Site-Icon-1_MLS-Site-Icon.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Museum of Life and Science https://www.lifeandscience.org/ 32 32 25740867 Egg-cellent engineering for all https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/egg-cellent-engineering-for-all/ Mon, 25 Mar 2024 18:01:16 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=9360 Highlighting women in STEM at this year's Engineers Day!

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Happy Women’s History Month! We at the Museum of Life and Science had the pleasure of hosting our annual Engineers Day event earlier this month, and with it some incredible local scientists. Women are still underrepresented in the field of engineering, making up only 16.7% of professional engineers and architects in the United States. I was excited this year to highlight some of the incredible women doing work in this field.

Kendra Settles, an electrical engineer with Siemens, led circuitry activities in The Lab exhibit space. Her programs are always awesome — you may have seen her previously at Black Excellence in Science — with participants quickly connecting to the material. Kendra is an incredible facilitator, and a regular in The Lab, so look out for more chances to learn with and from her in the future!

The NC High Powered Rocketry Club had a blast outside in Hideaway Woods, launching rockets way up into the air and exploring the power of pressure. Indoors, Splat Space tinkerers and engineers showcased some of their work, along with our very own Dawn Trembath, who volunteers with our exhibits team. Dawn has done a substantial amount of work revamping our circuitry table — the new and improved version of which can be found in TinkerLab!

The wonderful Women in Electrical and Computer Engineering (with support from the Quantum Computing Club) from NC State led a quantum computing workshop during the day as well! If you read my blog on Engineers Day from last year, you already know that this material is way out of my comfort zone. But these excellent engineers were able to break down complex topics so that even I could understand them!

Speaking of egg-cellent, I would be remiss not to mention the many successful participants in our first ever Epic Egg Drop Challenges. Using recycled materials, all these young minds were able to design a vessel that protected an egg as it fell from the top of our Hideaway Woods treehouses! I was floored by the overwhelming success of both groups, and the ingenuity displayed throughout the day.

I am so excited to see what we design next year — and to watch the field of engineering become more inclusive over time. So many people are doing important work in breaking barriers, and it is always an honor to give them a platform to share!

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Niñitos de la Naturaleza brings nature to all https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/ninitos-de-la-naturaleza-brings-nature-to-all/ Thu, 07 Mar 2024 20:38:22 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=9337 The Museum and El Futuro partner to foster connections with the outdoors.

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In November 2023, El Futuro and the Museum of Life and Science came together to co-create a nature-based learning experience inspired by the Museum’s Nature Kids program. El Futuro is a community-based nonprofit organization that seeks to transform Latino-serving mental health care in North Carolina and beyond. Connections with nature have been shown to generate positive emotions, lower stress, and improve mental health. This program was facilitated in Spanish with attention to a culturally responsive approach to nature-based learning.

This was an opportunity for caregivers to socialize with other adults, for toddlers to be with other toddlers, and for everyone to learn from one another. The Therapeutic Green Space at El Futuro was the background that embraced the growing relationships between families, holding a safe space where the children could interact with nature, be curious, and wonder with plants, rocks, and animals. When children use their senses to explore the natural world through sensory play, they build neural pathways that contribute to healthy brain development.

By the end of the session, the children grew more comfortable with one another, and their adults described feeling more comfortable seeing the toddlers reaching out to touch and play with objects found in nature. “I realized it was ok for my daughter to get messy with the soil, it was normal.”

Some of the participants during the different sessions shared their search for social interaction as “being home taking care of my child feels very isolated.” Their common experience of raising children in a culture different from the one they were raised in created a shared bond as they all rejoiced seeing the kids’ new skills and words.

By the end of the program, families described their interaction with nature being more meaningful and was part of their routine at home. They also felt their time spent in the Therapeutic Green Space had a positive effect on their mental health as they described feeling less stressed, more connected with their children, more willing to open up about their challenges, and knowing it was ok to look for support around their mental health.

We are looking forward to the growth of this program and our continued partnership this spring and beyond.

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Making Black history in science https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/making-black-history-in-science/ Tue, 27 Feb 2024 16:24:52 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=9313 The Museum hosted our fifth annual Black Excellence in Science event on February 4.

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Happy Black History Month! We had a blast at the Museum’s fifth annual Black Excellence in Science event, which welcomed visitors to meet local Black scientists and organizations that empower our community, to celebrate the Black innovators, researchers, and STEM professionals of today — and tomorrow.

This event wouldn’t have been possible without the input and expertise of our community partners: Duke’s BOOST (Building Opportunities and Overtures in Science and Technology) Program, Purpose Learning Lab, and the Durham Colored Library. Co-creation is an approach that asks the experts—whether they be community members, scientists, local organizations, civic leaders— to be a part of developing new programs. The result is programs that are better-informed, connected, and relevant! Not only is everyone an expert in their own lived experiences, these amazing community partners have a history of exemplary work serving the Durham community. We asked our them: how can we work together to better honor and empower present and future Black excellence in STEM?

Together, we put the plan into action and the result was an amazing event, new future opportunities, and a great day with almost triple the usual number of Durham Community Day visitors! We are so grateful for all of the hard work that went into this year’s Black Excellence event, as well as the generous support of our donors, Duke Energy and M&F Bank, and all the books provided by Book Harvest to give out to visitors for free!

The event day was packed, from hands on activity tables with local scientists Kendra Settles, Dr. Christine Daniels, Dr. Alex Marshall, and the Museum’s own Leon Bradford, to experiments in The Lab with Ava the STEM Princess, the UNC Chapel Hill Chancellor’s Science Scholars, and Duke Boost Junior Coaches.

The Durham Colored Library showcased their Techies4Tomorrow online game with visitors, Dr. Terry Morris and the Vets to Vets United did service dog training demonstrations, and Purpose Learning Lab hosted experiments, a gallery exhibition, and their dance team performed step and cheer routines!

Dr. Siobahn Day Grady and Dr. Antonio Baines joined the cohort of amazing scientists who finished the day with a drop-in Q&A session, where visitors could network, chat, or do a science scavenger hunt!

Missed the event? We’re still celebrating Black excellence in science all month—and beyond! Check out the Hall of Black Excellence in the Terrace Gallery, on the Second Floor of the Museum next to The Lab, as well as around the museum. This ever-growing poster-show recognizes more incredible Black STEM professionals doing groundbreaking work right here in the Triangle!

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Red Wolf behavior https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/red-wolf-behavior/ Thu, 08 Feb 2024 20:04:00 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=9271 Museum Naturalist Greg Dodge shares his recent observations of the Red Wolves.

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This is the time of year I start to look for courtship or mating behavior in our Red Wolves. All Red Wolves are born in April or May. Given the gestation period for Red Wolves averages 63 days, now through the end of February is the best time to witness breeding behavior in our Red Wolves. If it happens, it will happen soon.

Our female, Oak, seems to be doing all she can to interest our big male, Adeyha. Oak follows Adeyha, walks under or over (not around) him, and tries her best to elicit play. But so far he doesn’t seem interested. He seems to be doing his best to ignore Oak.

Sticking close (Oak – right).
Right under his nose.
Relentless elicitation.
Nuzzling and nibbling is part of the wolf’s courtship (Oak – top).

On several occasions when these photos were taken (6 days into February) Adeyha bared his teeth and snapped at Oak (no harm done).

Adeyha (right) doesn’t seem quite ready to commit.

As the days and weeks go on we may see more cooperative behavior from Adeyha and perhaps actual mating. I’m going to keep my camera at the ready. Be especially watchful February 14 through 17 as these dates coincide with my observational and photographic experiences in the mating of our Red Wolves.

Previous posts with actual Red Wolf mating here and here.

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With gratitude for a life well lived https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/with-gratitude-for-a-life-well-lived/ Mon, 05 Feb 2024 13:14:28 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=9242 With love and appreciation in our hearts, we say goodbye to Gus.

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With incredible sadness, we say goodbye to a cherished member of our Museum family, Gus, the magnificent 18-year-old American black bear. Gus graced our lives with his presence at the Museum of Life and Science and became an enduring symbol of kindness, compassion, and wonder for visitors of all ages.

Last week, after Animal Care staff noticed a dramatic change in Gus’ behavior, veterinarians from the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine were on campus to sedate and perform a physical, including radiographs, blood work, and ultrasound. The results were not good; an inoperable mass was found in his chest near the heart and lungs. Given the prognosis and his age, the team made the difficult decision to euthanize him. The Animal Care staff were able to spend time with him and say goodbye. Gus was never alone, he had people who loved him close by as the responsible and heartbreaking choice was made to let him go.

Gus’ journey to the Museum began as a young cub, when he was found orphaned by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries in the spring of 2006. Wildlife officials determined Gus would not be a candidate for release, they contacted the Museum, and we were able to provide him with a forever home. Over the years, he grew into an ambassador for his species. With his sleek black coat, easily recognizable blonde muzzle, oversized ears, and soulful eyes, Gus captivated the hearts of everyone who had the privilege of meeting him. Gus was affectionately referred to as “Mama Gus” as he raised several cubs over the years. He was playful and patient with each of the cubs as he taught them how to be bears. He could be seen laying on his back, all four feet in the air, while first Yona and later Little and Murray leapt onto his stomach and playfully boxed his face. While not a swimmer, Gus was quite skilled at standing on the edge of the pools waiting for watermelons to float to the edge, where he delicately plucked them from the water and devoured them in the sunshine.

“Gus was one of those souls that brought people (and bears) together,” Senior Director of Animal Care Sherry Samuels shared. “His behavior with other bears, young and old, as well as what he did on his own, has made many of us smile, laugh, moan, roll our eyes, and just look at him in awe. The repeated stories have allowed those who cared for him, visited our bear habitat, or read about him online, to forge a relationship. He brought connections. He touched so many hearts”.

“And while I sit with this huge hole, I also have immense gratitude. Gratitude for how Gus impacted so many so positively. Gratitude for the veterinary team who cared for Gus so quickly and thoughtfully in his last days and minutes. Gratitude for how people are pulling together rather than apart at this very difficult time. I am so appreciative that Gus will live on not just in stories told of him by people I know, but likely hundreds if not thousands of people I don’t. I also know that Gus will help other bears, other animals, and veterinarians care for critters in the future. His cells are being shared with four different cancer research facilities and will help scientists understand and treat cancer in humans and animals. Even in his death, he continues to help others do better. How can I not be thankful for that.”

When an animal dies it is not one singular moment in time, grief comes in waves and is a reminder of the love you shared. Our staff continues to keep a close eye on Mimi, Little, and Murray. For now, we hold onto the good memories, take care of those left behind, and cherish the fact that we were lucky enough to know Gus.

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Museum Store Stories: Socially responsible, environmentally sustainable https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/museum-store-stories-local-and-sustainable/ Fri, 02 Feb 2024 18:32:34 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=9221 We're proud to offer environmentally sustainable and socially responsible products in Elements Museum Store and Gizmo Garage.

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At the Museum of Life and Science, we know that change starts with aligning people around a common vision to do better. With this in mind, we are proud to offer an increasing number of environmentally sustainable and socially responsible products in Elements Museum Store and Gizmo Garage. Sourcing as many products as possible that are fair trade, recycled, up-cycled, or local is a mission we take seriously but also have a lot of fun with! Our favorite part of this initiative is the opportunity to work with some truly incredible local vendor partners and we’d love to share some of their stories with you here.

Lo & Behold Naturals

Lo & Behold Naturals is also known as the makers of our favorite lip balms, hand salves, and bug spray! This all-natural skincare company is women-owned and operated and based in Durham, NC. All of their products are handmade in small batches using locally grown and certified organic ingredients. In addition to local ingredients, the beautiful artwork on the packaging was created by a local artist!

New South Pattern House

Speaking of local artists, we are excited to be working with Katie Hayes of New South Pattern House based in Hillsborough, NC. In addition to offering her amazing nature-inspired, hand-pressed block prints, bookmarks, and cards for sale in Elements Museum Store, we now have our very own custom Hideaway Woods print available for purchase!

Amy Wetsch

Another incredible local artist we have partnered with is Durham-based Amy Wetsch. In collaboration with NASA and Johns Hopkins University planetary scientists, she creates otherworldly works of art! Amy up-cycles copper gasket rims that are integral to experiments that simulate the atmospheres of distant planets. Otherwise discarded after one use, Amy takes the copper gaskets and uses salt, sand, glue, pigments, glass, and resin to create art that represents the distant atmospheres being studied.

Bright Black Candles

This Durham, NC Black-owned, family-owned company doesn’t “just” sell candles. They use scent as a medium and candles as a platform for sharing positive narratives about Blackness, wanting to bring about change and representation. Specifically, our museum store offers their incredible Durham candle for sale, which is intended to evoke the spirit of the Bull City’s charm and grit with a striking and soulful blend of tobacco, cotton, and whiskey.

Team Genius Squad

It is our pleasure to introduce you to Ava the S.T.E.M. Princess! Ava is the face of Team Genius Squad, which is a Durham-based non-profit organization whose mission is to promote S.T.E.M. awareness and encourage individuals to believe in themselves and pursue their goals no matter the challenges. To achieve this, Ava conducts free and fun educational S.T.E.M. activities and videos to share within the local community and globally, in-person or virtually. Recently, Team Genius Squad released their very own line of educational science kits, books, and even slime. All these and more are available in Elements Museum Store (because you know we couldn’t help but give Ava her own shelf!).

Thanks for taking the time to read about some of our local vendor partnerships! The next time you shop with us, look for green leaf logos and talk with store associates to learn more about featured products and join us in making a difference. Buying products in our stores gives consumers the chance to do good by buying something greener, but also goes a long way toward supporting the Museum and its conservation and education efforts, so we appreciate your patronage!

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Bidding farewell to “The Best Pig” https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/bidding-farewell-to-the-best-pig/ Tue, 30 Jan 2024 12:38:08 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=9206 Miss Piggy has been a constant joy for the last 15 years. We will dearly miss her.

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It is with heavy hearts that we bid farewell to a cherished member of our Museum of Life and Science family — Miss Piggy, a pot-bellied pig who graced us with her presence for an incredible 15 years. She shuffled into our lives as a young pig in May 2009, leaving an indelible mark on all who had the privilege of knowing her.

Considered an elderly pig, Miss Piggy had several age-related health issues. After a recent decline in her health and well-being, we made the responsible decision to euthanize her on Monday, January 29. Veterinarians from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine were on campus to assist our staff with the procedure. She was surrounded by those who cared for and loved her dearly.

Miss Piggy was referred to by staff as “The Best Pig,” and she truly was just that. She was a lover of peanuts, watermelon, belly rubs, and naps in the warm afternoon sun. She was Auggie’s patient and compassionate “roommate” for over 12 years. Miss Piggy, a rescue, flourished in her home here at the Museum, thriving even more since living independently for the past 2+ years. From rooting around her habitat to lounging in the sun, her playful antics brought laughter to the faces of visitors, both young and old, who couldn’t resist her charm.

Miss Piggy wasn’t just a resident of our Museum; she was a beloved friend, a source of joy, and a constant reminder of life’s simple pleasures. She will be deeply missed by visitors and staff alike.

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Creating home for a cub https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/creating-home-for-a-cub/ Tue, 09 Jan 2024 16:34:17 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=9167 An update on Murray the black bear cub from Senior Director of Animal Care Sherry Samuels

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Our newest black bear, Murray, arrived almost two years to the date of Little Bear’s arrival. In addition to the same timeline, and circumstances, he came with a lot of the same issues. It took Little Bear over 12 months of behavior plans, medicines, care, and natural bear biology to kick in before she settled in here. Murray’s been on grounds for three months.

During Murray’s first couple weeks here we learned he seemed to really like ice (and water). So we prepared daily ice cubes/treats and gave him larger water troughs.

The story is the same … wildlife officials contacted me about a cub that needed a home. The cub was found abandoned in April and put into a rehab setting with other cubs for more than five months. Then the cubs would be released to the wild in September, and hopefully never seen again. Unfortunately, this cub (like Little Bear two years earlier) could not make it in the wild. He lost weight and was engaging repeatedly with humans on trails. This is not a recipe for safety or success. In fact, it was either find a forever home (like the Museum) or, sadly, be euthanized.

We told the wildlife officials that we’d take the cub. We rapidly prepared for his arrival — both physically and mentally. While physically it was a lot of work — many hours creating a secure, safe, and enriching environment for him, as well as dealing with all permits and transportation needs — mentally was even harder. We knew he would be coming with some issues that would need addressing.

Murray was underweight when he arrived, but immediately started eating and engaging with his surroundings in quarantine.

Black bear cubs are born in the winter, and stay with their mother for about a year and a half before heading out to a life on their own. This formative time is when the cub is cared for, grows, and learns how to fend for itself. (Check out BearWise, where you can learn about black bears and how to responsibly live with them). Murray (like all our other bears) is learning to live a different way.

There is a huge void for Murray without his mother to teach, nurture, care for, reprimand, and model what a bear is supposed to do. However, Gus, our 18-year-old male black bear is stepping in.

“Mama” Gus.

While somewhat confusing, this is consistent for Gus. When Gus arrived on grounds at only six months old, two-year-old Mimi bear “mothered” him. (She’s now 20 and based on her behavior she has no interest in being the one to “raise” Murray). Gus spent time with Yona first, then two years ago with Little, and now, Murray. Gus is the one who sits with Murray, eats with him, wrestles with him, reprimands him, and comes to Murray when he hears the whining or sees the pacing.

Gus, with Little Bear last year.

 

Gus (left), with Murray.

But even Gus can’t stop himself from getting sleepy for winter resting. This puts Murray in an extra bind. In essence, he’s got no other bears right now. Even Little, now three years old, is spending most of the days sleeping. Murray would benefit from being chased around by her, but that will have to wait a couple months.

Look at what Gus allows Murray to do to him!

All guests are likely to see for a couple months is one bear, and that’s Murray. Pacing near the pools, where guests are, is one of Murray’s activities. He exhibits all sorts of other cub behaviors too. He swims, dives, climbs, runs, rolls, digs, eats grass, and more. He even gets to places the big bears cannot. Thanks to Skinny, Exhibit’s Fabricator extraordinaire, for bringing in his mountain climbing gear so we could keep Murray off a section of the cliff.

Skinny helped to get a new line of electric wire run to keep Murray out of an area that wasn’t the safest for him — or us.

Animal Care staff are training Murray to “recall.” This means he comes when called. And he listens. This is a good sign for positive behavior outcomes. He is learning to present his paws, so we can check their condition, and he easily takes his medicines (to help with his anxiety and stress). Those therapeutic medicines are offered to him on a long spoon, and he’s already learned the important behavior of not chewing on the spoon.

So, when you come visit our bear habitat, have a little patience and empathy. Wish Murray well, and know that he is (and we are) working through life and he will settle in later this year.

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Christmas 2023 https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/christmas-2023/ Mon, 25 Dec 2023 16:34:33 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=9128 Christmasssssss 2023 issssss in the bookssssss.

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Another Christmas is here. It’s sooooo much warmer than last year!

The theme this year is bad photos. EVERY SINGLE PHOTO I took was truly horrible. So bad. Really really bad. As cold as last year was, that’s how bad all my photos are. So bad, that I thought about not posting any. (My first Christmas posts about 15 years ago had no photos, and I contemplated returning to that format). However, they are all so bad it’s making me chuckle, so I will share them with you. The best of the worst are embedded below. If you prefer, just close your eyes and imagine stunning images.

I’m wearing pajamas to work. I was discussing with the team on Friday some Christmas traditions. Since I always work the holiday (and don’t celebrate it) I was interested in how they would be spending the day. While numerous items were shared, spending much of the day in pajamas was a theme that was desired. So, in honor of them, I’m wearing my pajamas.

My pjs are old Museum shirts. When the shirts get stained, or torn, I cut off the sleeves or tie-dye them (or both) and just wear them to bed. Apparently, I did both to this shirt.

Early thoughts before the day gets started:

  • The annual Christmas-Team is settling in. With me are Nicole, and Volunteer Joyce, again this year. I think Nicole would be happy to be here all day by herself to make sure the critters are cared for. However, long gone are the days when people work alone- a very wise decision made several years back.
  • This is the first year my mother offered to come in and help now that she lives in NC. (Since I know she is reading this I will not elaborate on the helpfulness of this offer, but as usual, she is generous and kind, and sharing of her time).
  • Yet again, we still have four (4) black bears, but it’s a different group of four, again. Goodbyes continue to be hard and the arrivals are welcome, albeit challenging at the same time. (I’ll write about our newest black bear Murray in the coming weeks).

Nicole will do the literal, and figurative, heavy lifting of the day. The division of labor is heavily in my favor (meaning, Nicole is bearing the heavy load). I’ll basically take care of the Explore the Wild critters, quarantine, and get some blog time. She’ll take care of indoors, we’ll divide treatments, and she and Joyce will knock out the Farmyard.

Nicole was too busy working to adequately pose for my photo. It’s almost as if she knew my photos were going to be bad today.
Nicole’s photos turned out slightly better than mine.

Nicole is a rock star, and a workhorse. She believes in always wearing shorts, working efficiently, rapidly, and thoroughly, and there’s never anything she wouldn’t do to ensure the team is taken care of. Nicole would’ve been in at 4 AM if I let her. Instead, we compromised on 6:30 AM. (By compromise, I said how about 6:30 and she said ok).

I made my way in the dark to ETW. Functional headlights on our service vehicle were a welcome bonus this year! First stop, lemurs and tortoises. My work began with a flashlight, until quickly the lights turned on. No heating or water issues, and all 11 critters seemed okay. (The tortoises as usual sleeping through my morning visit). With the tortoise habitat clean, and the lemur stalls mostly clean, my work progressed quickly, and error free.

The five tortoises were in different areas. You can see three here buried in the straw

 

Cassandra eating a primate biscuit.

Both Wolves were out! Adeyha, our male, usually in the den, was on top of the cliff. The below photo might be my favorite from the morning. I’m sure you can clearly see both wolves. Adeyha on the left, next to the tree, and Oak, our female, on the right. Yes? You see it, don’t you??

I know, horrible photo of both wolves! Trust me– both wolves.

 

While I was at the bear house, I heard sirens in the distance, and then, as the wolves typically do, they both started howling. For a long time too. It was awesome to hear the two going on for so long.

In the bear house were the two bears I expected. Mimi was snoozing away in stall #1, and Murray was up and about on the other side of the house (Little was asleep on the cliff, and Gus was snoozing in the cave).

My first Christmas miracle… Mimi did not huff at me! She slowly, quietly, and seemingly politely, woke up and took her fish oil supplements easily. Murray, our 11 month old, quickly walked on to the scale (46 kg) and took his meds, then went outside to eat.

Murray eating sweet potato and bear chow.

As I finished up at bears, Nicole and Joyce were taking care of the Farmyard. Volunteer Joyce is a gift to us. She’s been volunteering for a few years, and is one of our go-to-expert-volunteers who is welcome on a closed holiday to help ease the load. Moreover, while I really do like doing dishes, I always get soaking wet. Joyce will help keep me dry this year too.

 

Ray and Emily alpaca

Because Nicole took on the lions share of the work, I was able to get to quarantine early and care for our newest team members. Check out this amazing photo:

It took me twelve photos to get this one where at least hopefully you can identify that there are 2, brown, furry, things.

These two young ferrets will join our Education Team when they are done with quarantine. I was so excited because it’s only been a few days that they are actually using the litter pans. All “waste” has stayed not only inside their habitat, but also in the litter pans! Hallelujah- Christmas miracle #2! My excitement may have lead to me locking my keys in the quarantine building. Have no fear, Super-Nicole arrived in a flash to save me, and my keys.

As the morning winds down, everything and everyone is in descent shape. Nicole and I will review the afternoon list, setting me up for what hopes to be an easy end to the day.

I was reminded that when I come back to work tomorrow I’ve also got to get some permit renewals that have to be taken care of. My hope is that it will go as smoothly as it did for Mr. S. Nicholas Claus of the North Pole. I’ll be back the end of the day to finish up and assure that all is well here. May everyone’s day be filled with what brings them a little (or a lot) more joy, and peace.

All smiles from the Christmas Crew.

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Bovine identity https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/bovine-identity/ Wed, 13 Dec 2023 20:20:33 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=9056 Next time you’re in the farmyard, have a closer look at our “little” cattle and see if you can tell who’s who.

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I usually occupy myself with matters natural, studying the “wild” animals and plants in our outdoor landscape. But as I walked through The Farmyard the other day I realized I had ignored the two cattle we have here at the museum.

Oh, I knew there were two of them, and they had names, Dusty and Dallas, but I hadn’t devoted a lot of time to which was which, how to tell them apart. They used to have ear tags with their names printed clearly, black on yellow, Dusty, Dallas. Not so anymore.

I was a bit embarrassed by the fact that I couldn’t, at a glance, tell one from the other. I decided to change that. I asked a few questions of the caretakers of the animals, the Animal Care Specialists, and did a little observational study on my own.

Dusty and Dallas are two miniature Hereford cattle that live in The Farmyard. You might not realize it by looking at them but they’re about half the size of a standard Hereford. This posting, however, is not about how big the two bovines are but whether or not you can distinguish one from the other, and how. They’re very similar.

Who is who?

Take a look at the two ungulates happily chewing their cud in the photo above. At first peep they look almost identical. But if you stare a bit longer you start to see quite a few differences in the two beasts. To start, the one of the left has a broader head. But that’s obvious, and just the beginning!

Look at the legs. The animal on the left has nearly all white legs (except for the front right leg), the other’s legs are brown. Pink nose, gray nose. White hair on the back of neck and crest, brown hair on the back of neck and crest.

That’s Dusty on the left and Dallas on the right.

Note that Dusty has a nearly all white dewlap. Dallas has brown fur spilling down on his dewlap. I could probably pick out more differences, but you get the picture.

Dusty. Note mostly white dewlap (flap of skin hanging from neck or throat).
Dallas. Note brown fur on dewlap (flap of skin hanging from neck or throat).

Can you see any differences that I missed?

Next time you’re in the farmyard, have a closer look at our “little” cattle and see if you can tell who’s who.

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Looking for Adeyha https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/looking-for-adeyha/ Tue, 28 Nov 2023 18:02:50 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=9010 Ranger Greg shares an update on the wolf den camera!

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If you’ve visited the red wolf exhibit lately you might have had a difficult time finding both of our wolves. Oak, our female is usually not too hard to locate. She may be walking along the fence at the top of the enclosure, or trotting by at ground level, or lately, reclining behind a pair of mahonia shrubs near the kennel area of the enclosure. Fortunately for the viewer, she doesn’t sit still for long and gives away her position every few minutes or so, even when napping.

Oak, resting behind mahonia.

Adeyha, our new arrival, has discovered the den, the quiet and secure den. He has chosen to spend a good deal of his time laid out on the soft wood-shaving lined den just in front of the enclosure’s overlook.

Up until recently it’s been near impossible to see him except with a pair of binoculars and a bit of imagination. But now, thanks to the hard work of our exhibits team we can spy on Adeyha without his ever knowing it. We have a working den-camera.

Adeyha, (bottom right) watches the entrance of the den.

Here are three of many team members who worked on the final stage of the project.

Kyle, Skinny, and Dakota, all happy with their work.

Thanks to you and the other members of the team for making the viewing of the wolves so much easier.

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Joining BOOST at Holt Elementary https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/joining-boost-at-holt-elementary/ Tue, 28 Nov 2023 17:27:59 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=9002 Members of the Museum of Life and Science’s Education and Engagement team had the wonderful opportunity to join the staff […]

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Members of the Museum of Life and Science’s Education and Engagement team had the wonderful opportunity to join the staff from Duke University’s BOOST Program at Holt Elementary on Thursday, November 16.

From their website, “BOOST (Building Opportunities and Overtures in Science and Technology) is a multidimensional program designed to excite young people about science and inspire them to pursue careers in medicine and related fields. BOOST serves Durham Public Schools students from underrepresented communities including African American, Latinx, and Indigenous students; girls; and students from economically challenged families. BOOST is situated within Duke University School of Medicine’s Multicultural Resource Center.”

The fifth-grade students visited six tables of activities over the period of an hour, during which they experimented and interacted with Alka-Seltzer rockets, gummy bear DNA models, and even some of our bug ambassadors from the Museum! Between noises of delight and wonder, we could feel the energy of excitement for science. We can’t wait for BOOST to join us for our Black Excellence in Science event in February!

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The view from above: Impacting Hispanic communities in STEM https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/the-view-from-above-impacting-hispanic-communities-in-stem/ Wed, 22 Nov 2023 19:42:01 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8991 A recap of the Museum's Education and Engagement team's recent trip to NASA Langley Research Center.

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Story by Andrea Tejada, Joan Ballista, and Isabella Lima

Although NASA is a familiar name to us all, there are many things about it that can be unclear. While we may know that NASA is constantly working on many exciting projects in the fields of STEM, we may not know exactly what it is they are working on. How are all of these projects getting done, and who are the individuals that are doing all of this exciting science?

These questions were successfully addressed in an exciting visit to an Open House in NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. On Saturday, October 21, our Museum’s Education and Engagement team, in collaboration with our community partners at El Futuro and El Centro Hispano, facilitated a two-day field trip to this research center for 15 Hispanic families. The NASA Langley Research Center opened its doors to the public for the first time in seven years to over 40,000 visitors, and provided opportunities for guests to attend various STEM demonstrations and participate in different hands on activities and seminars.


With the creation of this unique experience, we fulfill our goal to build relationships, engage, and attract a diverse group of Hispanic families to STEM through learning opportunities that stoke interest and provide connections to NASA’s work and mission. This incredible opportunity was generously funded by the Sparking Interest in STEM Among Hispanic Learners Nationwide Through Meaningful Connections to NASA Explorations and Discoveries Award through the NASA Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions program (NASA Teams II), along with other private donors who made this life-changing trip possible.

On Saturday morning we met with the families at the Museum and drove together in a charter bus. When we arrived at the research facility, we were privileged to be guided by Marilé Colón Robles, a project advisor and a close friend to the Museum of Life and Science. Through her hard work, our families were able to see NASA through a different lens and speak to amazing scientists. Among those scientists were seven Hispanic professionals who work on various important projects at the Research Center. They shared their own stories, experiences and answered the many questions of our curious aspiring scientists.

Additionally, our group toured inside a high-speed wind tunnel used for researching material limits, an inflatable moon habitat built for astronauts to live in while exploring places like the moon and Mars, met pilots, and saw a gigantic robotic arm among other amazing things. Our last stop was the visit to the historic aircraft hangar, where we were able to learn more about the future of flight, talked with Hispanic scientists, and stood under the Boeing 777, one of the NASA’s giant research aircraft.


We were fortunate enough to meet Lisa Ziehmann, the Acting Director of NASA Langley Research Center, who met with the families and eagerly engaged with the children in our group to help foster their sense of wonder about space. She expressed her delight and support at this initiative, “This was an absolute pleasure and a huge highlight of the day for me! I’m thrilled to hear the families had a wonderful time, and I hope we inspired a few to pursue a career in STEM and at NASA.”


On Sunday morning, we took a short trip to Buckroe Beach and Park where we played in the sand and had lunch before returning home to Durham. While there, we were able to speak to the families and hear more about their experiences exploring NASA Langley.

“This trip meant so much to my kids,” said mother of two Daisy Zelaya. “My son told me ‘Mom, everything we saw is going to be so helpful to me in school, for science.’ I was surprised at this trip; I had no idea there was a Research Center like this in Virginia. This has been really nice.”

When asked what her favorite part of the trip was, third-grader Sarha responded, “Everything! But I really liked learning about the planets. I had some questions about the big red spot on Jupiter and it was cool to learn more about that.”

We are thrilled to have experienced part of the mission of the Hispanic Employee Advisory Committee (HEAC), which is to influence and promote awareness of challenges Hispanics face in STEM. Being able to hear from some of those scientists was incredibly valuable in allowing Hispanic children to see themselves as future scientists, astronauts, or engineers. The fields of STEM have historically felt exclusive to certain groups of people, but by facilitating educational opportunities like this one and helping empower young people to feel a personal connection to STEM, we are hoping to break down some of those barriers. This was truly a transformative experience for the families.

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Life and Science and Love: Mira and Sam https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/life-and-science-and-love-mira-and-sam/ Tue, 14 Nov 2023 19:39:13 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8951 Mira and Sam said "I do" at the Museum this summer. Read more about their very special day.

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Mira + Sam
August 23, 2023

Tell us your proposal story!
“Sam built a shelter with our boys in the yard. They spent all day working on the shelter, so we had a place to hang out together. After they finished the shelter, we all sat inside it and Sam discussed what it means to be a family and to work together. He proposed to my son and gave him a gift from Sam’s grandpa, then he proposed to me.”

If you could relive one moment, what would you pick?
“Picking one is hard. When I was walking toward the ceremony with my dad my boys saw me and thought that I was lost. They both started waving and calling me to come join them. I was so nervous that this helped me to relax and laugh.”

Do you have a favorite spot in the Museum?
“No favorite. We enjoy the entire museum! We wanted a family-friendly venue so our children and guests would have fun.”

What song was your first dance to?
“For Your Precious Love” by Otis Redding

Favorite bite?
“Mediterranean Deli! It is the best ever!”

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Looks like autumn https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/looks-like-autumn/ Thu, 09 Nov 2023 20:36:09 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8953 With beautiful autumn colors and excellent crunchy leaves all around, it’s sometimes tricky to tell exactly what we’re seeing.

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The temperature has fallen (… sort of) and so have the leaves! With beautiful autumn colors and excellent crunchy leaves all around, it’s sometimes tricky to tell exactly what we’re seeing. Though not at all an exhaustive list, check out the guide below to help you identify foliage you see around the Museum and in your own backyard.

Sweetgum
(Liquidambar styraciflua)

White oak (varieties)
(Quercus alba)

Pin oak
(Quercus palustris)

Longleaf pine
(Pinus palustris)

Elm
(Ulmus americana)

Black gum
(Nyssa sylvatica)

Red maple
(Acer rubrum)

Tulip poplar
(Liriodendron tulipifera)

Red bud
(Cercis canadensis)

Wild grape vine
(Vitis riparia)

Did you know that the leaves on the ground are known as “leaf litter” and provide wildlife with shelter from the colder fall and winter weather? Many species of moths, butterflies, and other insects rely on the coverage for protection during hibernation.

For more fall colors, check out Museum Naturalist Ranger Greg’s blog!

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Adeyha’s first days https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/adeyhas-first-days/ Thu, 02 Nov 2023 17:44:45 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8940 Museum Naturalist Greg Dodge's photos from Adeyha's first day.

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Born in May of 2014, our new red wolf Adeyha is a nine year old male. He arrived onsite from Naibi Zoo in Coal Valley, IL, to his new home here at the museum the night of October 24 and was placed in the kennel area of our Explore the Wild: Red Wolves enclosure. The gate to the kennel was opened Thursday morning and out he came.

He spent most of the morning cautiously exploring his new home and seems to be adapting well.

So, without further delay, here’s some photo’s of at least part of his first morning in his new enclosure.

A handsome red wolf.
Weighs nearly 100 lbs.
Checking it all out.
Getting used to the new sights and sounds.
All seems well.

Hopefully, Oak and Adeyha (a-DAY-ya) will mate and add to the some 280 red wolves both in captivity and the wild, the vast majority of which are captive (about twenty in the wild here in North Carolina’s eastern counties). Watch for mating behavior in February. All red wolves are born in April – May.

You should be able to differentiate the two wolves by size alone, Adeyha being much larger than our resident female Oak. However, if you see him alone and find it difficult to judge size, check out the nice white cheek patches on Adeyha. That ought to help you sort things out.

Coming out of the shadows.

Come and see Adeyha, but remember, this is all new to him. Quiet observation is the ideal.

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Seeds, leaves, two volunteers, and a flower https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/seeds-leaves-two-volunteers-and-a-flower/ Wed, 01 Nov 2023 18:34:39 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8925 The latest Nature Watch blog from Ranger Greg Dodge.

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Wingleaf primrose-willow (Ludwigia decurrens) is sometimes called seedbox because of its seed pod shape, square in cross section. Other names include, wingstem water primrose, willow primrose, upright primrose-willow. The alternate leaves of Ludwigia decurrens are “decurrent” – the leaf base extends down the plant’s stem as “wings.”

This herb grows in wet or marshy areas, and is sometimes aquatic. Fragments of the plant will root in a day or two if placed in water. As you can see in the photos there are many very small seeds crammed into the plant’s numerous pods.

Wingleaf primrose-willow flower (April).
Seed pod (Sept).
Seed pod (Oct).
Seed pod (Oct).
Pod opened with seeds spilling out into hand (Oct).

Primrose-willow is considered a pest in some areas but is native on the Carolina Piedmont and Coastal Plain.

We’re well into fall but our leaves have yet to peak. There are, though, a few ahead of themselves.

Sweetgum.
Swamp white oak (bottom) and sycamore.
Swamp white oak (note young bullfrogs top right).
Elm.
Elm.

And finally, thanks to our volunteers for helping out here at the museum.

Volunteers Sammie and Marian discuss the morning’s strategy.
Blue aster in front of Butterfly House.

Enjoy!

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Museum announces arrival of male red wolf Adeyha https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/museum-announces-arrival-of-male-red-wolf-adeyha/ Thu, 26 Oct 2023 19:34:55 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8909 Welcome Adeyha, our new male red wolf, to Explore the Wild.

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wolf looking at camera

The Museum of Life and Science announced today the arrival of male red wolf Adeyha (M2080) in a direct swap for male red wolf Niko (M2164) with the Niabi Zoo in Coal Valley, Illinois. Female red wolf Oak (F2304) remains with the Museum.

As part of a national coalition of zoos and nature centers dedicated to red wolf survival, there is often the need to move red wolves to offer the best chance for reproduction that will help the recovery of the species. Niko and Oak were previously paired for breeding for two years without a successful pregnancy. The hope is that both Niko and Oak will be successful with new partners.

“Bringing Adeyha to the Museum is a significant milestone in our continued commitment to red wolf conservation,” Senior Director of Animal Care Sherry Samuels said. “Adeyha’s arrival represents another step that the Museum is taking in preserving this majestic species and providing our visitors with a unique opportunity to connect with one of the world’s most endangered species.”

Adeyha (uh-DAY-yuh) was born on May 22, 2014, at NEW Zoo in Green Bay, Wisconsin, into a litter of six pups. He was relocated to Niabi Zoo on October 28, 2015.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Red Wolf SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) program supports conservation efforts for this species by maintaining a healthy and viable population of red wolves under human care, growing education and awareness efforts, and aiding in critical research.

Red wolves were once common in North Carolina, but only roughly 300 individuals now survive worldwide, with fewer than 20 red wolves remaining in the wild. Since 1992, the Museum has been home to 52 red wolves and welcomed more than 25 pups born on our campus. Each new pup born as a result of these conservation efforts is valuable for the survival of the species and represents hope for the red wolf population overall.

“The survival of the red wolf is not merely a conservation endeavor,” Samuels said. “It serves as a testament to our role as stewards, highlighting our responsibility to safeguard the beauty and diversity of our natural world for the well-being of future generations.”

For more on the Museum’s history with red wolves, please click here.

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Turtles and Persimmons https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/turtles-and-persimmons/ Wed, 18 Oct 2023 15:43:13 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8874 Ranger Greg shares the lengths to which a turtle will go for a persimmon.

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It’s well known among catfish aficionados that persimmons will catch a bucketful of the opportunistic, gill breathing, bony fish. In the fall, if there’s a persimmon tree next to the pond there’s probably a catfish hovering nearby.

I was surprised to learn this past week that besides catfish, aquatic turtles seek out persimmons. Not surprised so much by what they were eating (the persimmons) but by the length in which they’d go to do so.

Are these turtles dreaming of persimmons?

Sliders (the dominant aquatic turtle in our wetland) will eat most anything. I’ve seen them grazing on everything from grass, cattails, fish, frogs, and even stripping meat from a dead opossum that somehow ended up in the water. They eat it all.

Trekking across mud in search of fruit.

 

About to drop.

The turtles described here were leaving the security of the water and trekking 25 feet and more to seek out the silky fruit. There are many persimmon trees surrounding our wetland including one next to an octagonal platform halfway down our boardwalk leading to our wetlands. This tree overhangs and drops many fruit onto the boardwalk, but also to the ground below and next to the walkway.

A smashed persimmon on boardwalk.

 

Turtle scores a persimmon.

I wondered how the turtles became aware of the fruit so far from the water. Then it struck me. Currently, the water level is extremely low. The “normal” shoreline is only a few feet from the base of the persimmon tree. Many of the persimmons, during a typical fall, would be dropping directly into the water.

Same turtle later grabs a not-quite-ripe persimmon.

The turtles were well aware of the free food falling from the tree’s branches. Cruising by the wetland’s persimmon trees in fall is probably part of their daily foraging routine, at least when there’s water in the wetlands.

Aquatic turtles don’t often expose themselves to the vulnerability of terrestrial travel except during the egg laying season, which is long past (they have to come ashore to lay eggs). I don’t know what goes on in the mind of an aquatic turtle, but the turtles in these photos knew exactly where they were going and thought it worth the risk to venture out and pick some fresh fruit.

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MLS Mailbag No. 8 https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/mls-mailbag-no-8/ Mon, 02 Oct 2023 20:35:14 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8842 Hello and welcome to a regular feature on lifeandscience.org in which I take your questions about the Museum of Life […]

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Hello and welcome to a regular feature on lifeandscience.org in which I take your questions about the Museum of Life and Science and answer them in mailbag form. Hopefully, the final product is insightful to some degree, and we have a little fun along the way!

We’re back from our summer MLS Mailbag hiatus! Thanks for your patience AND your questions so far this autumn. Let’s get into it.

When’s the chicken coop going to be ready? — janet_snakehole108 on Instagram

GREAT TIMING! (And great handle. I’m a big Parks and Recreation gal myself.) The chicken coop is officially open for chicken business!

In case you missed it, the hen house in The Farmyard was closed from just before July 4 until September 21 for a necessary facelift. While our chickens spent their summer behind the scenes, Museum Exhibits Team extraordinaire Scott “Skinny” Eney worked hard to design and build a completely updated home for them.

Chicken coop plans!

With the chickens fully moved back into their domain, you may notice a few key differences, namely that it’s bigger and that you’re able to get a little closer. Skinny’s gift to our egg-laying sisters also removed and replaced all the old, decaying wood and wire, and added a ROOF! That’s right, the old coop lacked a fully functional roof, but no more.

Skinny sitting in the new coop with the hens! If you see Skinny around campus, please shower him with compliments!

Make sure you stop by The Farmyard to check out the hens’ new crib.

The girls, making sure their new home is up to SCRATCH. Get it??

 

How long is the dinosaur beer going to be available? — lesliefann on Instagram

Have y’all (or at least those of you who are of legal drinking age) tried Citrusaurus Wheat yet? Our collaboration with Bond Brothers Beer Company is a deliciously crushable citrus wheat beer made from malted barley, malted wheat, and a citrusy German hop called Mandarina Bavaria. The beer is 5.8% ABV, with big grapefruit aroma up front, some crackery malt sweetness through the beer, and a pleasant grapefruit and lime finish.

Whether you’ve tried it and loved it or have yet to give it a go, I have good news. Citrusaurus Wheat is here to stay as a permanent fixture on draft at both Hops & Vine here at the Museum and at Bond Brothers’ taproom in Cary.

Check out a short behind the scenes video here. Read more about the ongoing partnership here.

 

When do you replenish the fossil dig area? How often? — gstreko on Instagram

The Museum’s fossil dig site gives aspiring paleontologists of all ages the chance to try their hands at history hunting. Filled with dirt that has been trucked in from an area in Eastern North Carolina that’s rich with marine fossils, the dig site is turned weekly by our exhibits team and replenished with new material monthly.

The material is anywhere from 5 million to 23 million years old — too young for dinosaur fossils — and is packed with the remains of ancient sharks, fish, coral, and shells. However, just like a real paleontological dig, there’s no guarantee of Cenozoic treasures so roll up those sleeves and see what you can unearth! (For the record, I’ve got a pretty cool little collection going on my desk, so there’s plenty of finds to be found.)

 

Who weighs more, Gus the bear or Dusty the bull? — oceanwolf88 on Instagram

I immediately went to Senior Director of Animal Care Sherry Samuels with this one, and here’s what she had to say.

“Not even close. Gus weighs under 200 kg and the bulls are well over 300 kg each.”

There you have it. Dusty and Dallas are the undisputed heavyweight champs! 💪🐮

——

That’s all for now, y’all! I hope you will join me next time for more questions and more answers.

If you have a question you’d like answered or are lamenting your NFL team’s 0-4 start to the season as well, you can drop us a note here.

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Museum of Life and Science highlighted at the White House https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/museum-of-life-and-science-highlighted-at-white-house/ Thu, 28 Sep 2023 21:04:25 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8835 The Museum of Life and Science's climate adaptation work was highlighted today at the White House during the country's first-ever Climate Resilience Summit.

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(Title image credit: NOAA)

Today, September 28, the Biden-Harris Administration hosted its first-ever Climate Resilience Summit. At the summit, the Administration unveiled the National Climate Resilience Framework, consisting of more than a dozen new initiatives to build a climate-resilient nation. These initiatives are history’s most ambitious climate, conservation, and environmental justice agenda.

The Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have announced they will receive $3.9 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law over the next four years. This funding will benefit existing NOAA Climate Adaptation Partnerships (CAP) and expansion activity regions. Its purpose is to support testing, scaling up, and knowledge transfer for national adaptation to floods and wildfires.

The Museum of Life and Science is proud to engage in these critical actions as one of the foundational partners in our regional Climate Adaption Partnership – the Carolinas Collaborative for Climate, Health, and Equity. Together with our partners at the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University, the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center, and the University of Hawai’i, we will work with communities to co-produce equitable adaptation and resilience against changing coastal flooding risks. The project was awarded $486,933

Museums have a role to play in our warming world. We look forward to rolling up our sleeves and doing this work. We are grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration for including our work at today’s White House Climate Resilience Summit.

Read more: bit.ly/3LE8QkJ

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Merck’s generous gesture empowers the future https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/mercks-generous-gesture-empowers-the-future/ Tue, 26 Sep 2023 18:57:29 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8817 Today, we are delighted to share the compelling story of Merck’s sponsorship of our Invent the Night Gala at the […]

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Today, we are delighted to share the compelling story of Merck’s sponsorship of our Invent the Night Gala at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, North Carolina. This invaluable partnership is a testament to our shared values and commitment to making a positive impact on society.

Merck has been a steadfast supporter of our social events, and the Invent the Night Gala is no exception! The Museum is incredibly grateful for their continuous contributions, which helps ensure our success, and events like the Gala allow Merck employees to connect with each other and our community. This year’s Gala proved to be an elegant and fun social setting for our community to mix and mingle.

The alignment of Merck’s mission with that of the Museum of Life and Science is truly remarkable. Merck’s vision is to use leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world, a goal that resonates deeply with our mission of creating a place of lifelong learning where people of all ages can embrace science as a way of understanding themselves, their community, and the world. With our organizations located just 10 minutes apart in Durham, North Carolina, this partnership is a natural fit.

The Museum of Life and Science has been an integral part of the Durham and Triangle area for more than 75 years. We take pride in providing a space where the scientists in all of us can thrive. In today’s rapidly evolving world of information and technology, nurturing scientific literacy and curiosity is more vital than ever, and Merck’s support enables us to do just that.

Merck’s involvement with the Museum goes beyond sponsorship; Merck recognized the Museum as a valued Neighbor of Choice. This prestigious title comes with financial grants from Merck’s corporate office, which are dedicated to implementing and sustaining key programs and initiatives at the museum. Additionally, the employees of the Merck Durham manufacturing site wholeheartedly contribute countless hours of community service to enhance the museum’s offerings, making it an even better place for all our visitors. We are also grateful for Merck’s long-standing business membership, which allows their employees to visit with their families and friends, fostering a strong sense of community and enjoyment.

“As a Merck employee and father of two young sons, I am thrilled that the Museum of Life and Science exists within our community,” said Rashid Beyah, a director of operations at the Merck Durham site and Museum of Life and Science board member since 2021. “Attending museums like this as a child helped to spark my interest in science, which ultimately led to me becoming an engineer. STEM is the key to success in our rapidly changing world, and I see the inspiration in my sons’ eyes every time we visit. I truly believe in Merck’s mission as well as the museum’s mission.”

At the Museum of Life and Science, we firmly believe in the power of collective responsibility. Merck’s partnership exemplifies this belief. As part of their sustainability efforts, they actively work to expand access to health, protect the environment, and operate with the highest standards of ethics and values. Together, we strive to make the world a better place through the wonders of science and education.

Merck shared that what they wish the community knew about the Museum is that it is not just for young science enthusiasts. It is a place for learners of all ages! Our exhibits and programming are thoughtfully designed to cater to a broad spectrum of interests and age groups, ensuring that there is something for everyone here.

We are grateful for Merck’s unwavering support and partnership. Together, we are fostering a love for science, encouraging lifelong learning, and making a meaningful impact on our community. With a shared passion for knowledge and discovery, we believe that the possibilities are boundless. Join us as we embark on this incredible journey of inspiration and exploration!

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New Chicken Coop Ready https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/new-chicken-coop-ready/ Thu, 21 Sep 2023 20:12:06 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8796 Our chickens have a new coop!

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Our chickens spent all summer behind the scenes as their home was upgraded. Now that summer is ending, they are back in the Farmyard– to their new and improved home! Our summer project was to build our Farmyard chickens a new coop. Much planning, purchasing, strategizing, scheduling, cutting, lifting, hammering, screwing, digging, painting, and repeating, occurred throughout the summer.

 

While many people were involved, Scott “Skinny” Eney from our Exhibits Team, made it his mission to ensure that the work would get done, and get done right. From design, to demolition, and final touches, Skinny’s work can be seen everywhere.

 

Skinny, in blue on the right, working with Christian in the maroon shirt and Michaela in the gray shirt in the early days of demolition.

 

A majority of the old coop down by this point

 

 

After demolition was finished, some tents were set up to keep equipment sheltered. We also posted a design plan for guests to see throughout the work.

 

 

 

Skinny in the back, with Nicole in the front getting the roof beams positioned and secured.

 

The old chicken coop didn’t have a roof, but this new coop has a roof and the chickens are likely to stay dry no matter how much it’s raining.

 

With the roof finished, the painting of the post began, along with the addition of our entry vestibule.

 

With posts painted it was next time for Skinny to add the screening

 

Final painting and adding of screening were some of the final touches. Of course, we had to make sure the coop safely contained all our equipment before we would deem it safe for our hens.

 

A final few days of getting the coop ready for the chickens, was followed by a staff party to welcome the chickens back to the Farmyard, and then bringing the chickens- and guests- back. We look forward to seeing you all back in the Farmyard.

Lots of us are excited to welcome the chickens back home.

 

Our Farmyard is now complete with the chickens back home.

 

Thanks Skinny!!!!!

 

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Saying goodbye to Satyrus https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/saying-goodbye-to-satyrus/ Tue, 12 Sep 2023 11:09:31 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8774 The Museum mourns the loss of the beloved ring-tailed lemur Satyrus.

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It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Satyrus, a beloved ring-tailed lemur who captured the hearts of all who knew him. Museum animal care staff noticed behavioral changes in Satyrus, who, upon veterinary examination, was discovered to have a large liver mass. We made the difficult and responsible choice to euthanize him, and Satyrus passed away on September 11, 2023.

Born April 11, 1997, Satyrus has been a cherished member of our Museum since he arrived in 2005. His passing has left a void and a somber atmosphere within the organization and the community.

Satyrus’s caregivers first noticed a significant change in his behavior, prompting immediate concern. Recognizing the need for prompt action, our dedicated animal care team arranged for a thorough examination by our trusted veterinarian from NC State Veterinary Hospital. He was diagnosed with a large liver mass.

After careful consideration and following our ethical animal wellbeing standards, it was decided that the most compassionate course of action was to relieve Satyrus from any potential pain and suffering. He was euthanized peacefully, surrounded by the familiar faces of his dedicated caretakers.

“Satyrus was not just an animal under our care; he was a part of our family,” said Sherry Samuels, our Senior Director of Animal Care. “His presence brought joy to countless visitors who had the privilege of viewing and getting to know him. His passing deeply saddens us, but we take solace in knowing we provided him with the best possible care and a dignified farewell.”

Satyrus’s legacy lives on in the countless memories he created with visitors, volunteers, and staff members alike. His engaging personality made him an ambassador for his species and a symbol of conservation efforts’ importance in protecting lemurs in their natural habitat.

The Museum remains committed to the wellbeing of all the animals in our care, and we are grateful for the continued support of our community during this difficult time. He will be deeply missed.

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Magnify your curiosity at SEM Saturday https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/magnify-your-curiosity-at-sem-saturday/ Tue, 05 Sep 2023 19:34:50 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8760 Get a close-up look at the world around you!

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SEM Saturdays are the newest way to explore at the Museum, giving guests the chance to take a close-up look at the world around them. For the first Saturday event, we were pleased to welcome back Dr. Holly Leddy, along with experts in all things small from the Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility (SMIF) at Pratt School of School of Engineering at Duke University, which is part of the Research Triangle Nanotechnology Network. While we have light microscopes and digital microscopes at the museum, they’ve got nothing on SMIF’s portable Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)! The next opportunity to join SEM Saturday, is this Saturday, September 9.

A simple light microscope manipulates how light enters the eye using a curved convex lens. When light reflects off an object being viewed under the microscope and passes through the lens, it bends towards the eye. This makes the object look bigger than it actually is!

The face of a yellow jacket through a scanning electron microscope.

Scanning electron microscopy works by scanning a sample with beams of electrons. An electron can show us such tiny images because the electrons themselves are so small and have such tiny wavelengths. Meanwhile, photons (light particles) have wavelengths about a thousand times larger than an electron’s wavelengths! Imagine trying to paint a tiny picture with a gigantic brush! Like a fine, single-haired paintbrush, electrons’ tiny wavelengths are why the resolution of an electron microscope is much higher than that of an optical microscope.

Mexical ruellia pollen through the view of a scanning electron microscope.

Graduate students Winston Lindqwister and Morgan Heckman, undergraduate student Mia Woodruff, and three staff members, Emily Moreno-Hernandez, Lydia Parks, and Dr. Leddy brought a selection of microscopes for visitors to use on different specimen.

Along with the parts of a yellow jacket and grass and pollen, the SEM took a close look at some Blue Morpho butterfly and Atlas moth wings from the Butterfly House!

 

The wing of a Blue Morpho butterfly through a scanning electron microscope.

 

An Atlas Moth under a scanning electron microscope.

We asked visitors to suggest what they would like to see under a SEM so the SMIF team can bring them for the next SEM Saturday in just a few days from now! Join us in the Lab on the second floor between 10 am – 12 pm and 1 pm – 3 pm on Saturday, September 9 to see these marvelous microscopic materials, and many more!

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Paper wasp, caterpillars, and butterflies https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/paper-wasp-caterpillars-and-butterflies/ Wed, 23 Aug 2023 18:45:32 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8706 Fall webworms are already forming their protective webs in some of the trees here at the museum.

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Fall webworms (Hyphantria cunea) are already forming their protective webs in some of the trees here at the museum. The webs, or tents, are full of caterpillars who spend their lives inside the web, never venturing out to eat. The webs cover the area in which the caterpillars are feeding. The larvae only come out when its time to pupate in the leaf liter, the soil, or cracks and crevices in wood, siding, concrete, and other sheltered locations. They will emerge as adult moths the following spring.

Fall webworm, web, or tent.

The webworms build their ever expanding webs as they go, protecting their food source, as well as themselves. Wasps, other insects and birds find it difficult to get to the caterpillars inside the webs, some becoming entrapped.

Caterpillar within protective web.
Wasp dangerously deep within web.
Here, the wasp is more concerned with freedom than food.

The wasp finally made it out of the web. Lucky, this time.

In Catch the Wind’s Wander Away I found a well worn juniper hairstreak (Callophrys gryneus) on the still blooming joe pye weed. In fresh attire the butterfly shows green scales on its wings. The individual I came across had seen better days.

Worn juniper hairstreak nectaring on joe pye weed.
A “fresh” juniper hairstreak from a different time.

On the north side of Wander Away stands a row of hackberry trees. Hackberry trees host at least three local species of butterfly, American snout, hackberry emperor, and tawny emperor. Today, it was a tawny emperor’s caterpillar I happened upon. It was making its way across the path.

Caterpillar from above.

At first, I thought the caterpillar another species, a prominent of some kind. Prominents are a group of about 60 moth species, some larvae of which have two projections on their posterior end.

Head first, note facial markings.
The facial characteristics are key.
Adult tawny emperor.

I’ve seen all three species of butterfly at this location, tawny emperor (Asterocampa clyton) was today’s offering. Even so, you have to be there to see any one of them. Get outside and have a look around!

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A summer filled with science, stories, and togetherness https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/a-summer-filled-with-science-stories-and-togetherness/ Tue, 15 Aug 2023 16:19:08 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8687 This summer the Museum teamed up with Book Harvest to share stories and science.

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This summer the Museum of Life and Science teamed up with Book Harvest to join in on the Science Storytime fun! Each month, we ventured to the Family Space on University Drive or to Solite Park to share a story and do some science together.

Storytelling is a special art that has been practiced for centuries. It binds us together and asks us to expand our thinking and see new ideas or perspectives. Similarly, science pushes us to ask questions and think critically about the world around us. Both of these practices call on us to build a better world for all, so we could think of no better pairing than Science Storytimes.

Our first story, “What Would You Do with a Tail Like This?” is a fan favorite for Book Harvest’s incredible Book Babies program. It is also now featured at Durham’s first story walk, right next door to the Museum, at Edison Johnson Park. For our May story time in the Book Harvest Family Space, we read the story in Spanish and English and then the Museum’s resident bearded dragons, Deisel and Merida, showed off their long, lovely tails! Kids and their families learned all about these magnificent creatures and how they use their tails, along with other unique characteristics, to thrive in their environment.

In June, we traveled to the stars using the Museum’s StarLab. This unique planetarium experience allowed us to look at worlds beyond Earth and hear about how, for thousands of years, people have used the stars to navigate and tell stories. We read “A Big Mooncake for Little Star” and told our own stories under the stars.

July brought with it some extreme heat, and we decided to keep it cool! Reading “Water Protectors” and learning about how sweat cools us off was not only fun, but extremely relevant considering we were in Solite Park! We also did some fun sensory play, using freshly cut herbs, flowers, and leaves from the Museum’s educational garden. Freezing all the edible clippings and using the ice to smell and taste certainly cooled us off.

Like so much of our community work, it would not be possible or nearly as impactful without the hard and important work of our partners. Book Harvest is no exception. The space they have created on University Drive and in the community at large is incredible. Durham is invited to come, have fellowship, share some stories, and take some home with them. Whether it is through the warm smiled greeting to all who enter from Bria and Gabby, or the beautiful Bienvenido song sung by Wilma and guests before we begin, all are welcomed and appreciated in this space and program.

All in all it has been a fun summer celebrating stories and science with families in Durham! Join us for our final summer Science Storytime on August 17 in the Book Harvest Family Space. Learn more and pre-register for this free event here.

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Spiny-backed spider and more https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/spiny-backed-spider-and-more/ Thu, 27 Jul 2023 18:32:20 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8655 Some of the critters orb-weaving, nectaring, peaking, and singing around campus.

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Only about 1/2” wide, spiny-backed orb weavers are distinctive for their shape and pattern.

The individual pictured is mostly white with black markings and red spikes. But, they may also be yellow or red with shades in between. The spines may be black.

Variable in color.

Some suggest the spines may deter predators such as birds or even subterranean-nesting, spider-seeking, solitary wasps. I doubt birds would be put off by the spikes. I must admit, though, it could be difficult for a wasp to drag a pointy, spiky object through an underground tunnel, the spikes getting hung up on every pebble, root, or bend along the way.

The first clue to spotting the camo looper in the photos below was the frass on the black-eyed Susan petals. Frass is caterpillar poop and wherever there are caterpillars, there’s frass.

Tell-tale frass on flower petals.

Camouflaged loopers (Synchlora aerata) are small caterpillars, the larvae of wavy-lined emerald moths in the geometrid family, which includes the so-called inch worms. These small loopers cover themselves with plant matter, petals, foliage, and disk material in order to camouflage themselves.

Covered with plant material as disguise.

Camouflaged loopers are attracted to various food plants but I most often find them on composites, most frequently on black-eyed Susan.

Closeup of camo looper on black-eyed Susan disk.

Frass also led me to a group of green-striped maple worms feeding on red maple above the boardwalk which descends into the wetlands. The frass was on the walking surface of the boardwalk.

Green-striped maple worms on maple leaf.

Each caterpillar eventually turns into a lovely pink and yellow moth called a rosy maple moth. But in the mean time, it spends its larval days devouring maple and sometimes oak leaves.

Note red mark on posterior segments of abdomen.

Buttonbush grows alongside the boardwalk, in the wetlands. It’s ball-like white flowers attracts many nectar seeking insects. I was lucky enough to be there when a hummingbird moth sought nectar from the flowers of the water-loving shrub.

Hummingbird moth nectaring on buttonbush.

There are two species of diurnal moth in our area which may be mistaken for one another, the snowberry clearwing and the hummingbird moth. The behavior of the two moths is similar, if not identical (they even share host plants). It’s the red and green coloration that makes this moth the hummingbird moth.

Green, red, and white hummingbird moth.

 

Black and yellow/green snowberry clearwing.

Hibiscus is in bloom in the wetlands.

White hibiscus.

 

Pink hibiscus.

 

Red hibiscus.

Check the frog pipes at Troodon on Dino Trail, Water’s Edge in Explore the Wild, and Earth Moves in Catch the Wind.

Green tree frog peaking out of frog pipe in Earth Moves.

And to sing us out of here…

Locally breeding common yellowthroat.

Get outside and have a look around!

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Where studio meets garden https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/where-studio-meets-garden/ Fri, 21 Jul 2023 16:19:15 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8622 Artist and professor Naomi Kasumi brings creativity, sparks curiosity, and delivers a lasting Pollinator Day impact.

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Among the many wonderful things going on at the Museum of Life and Science for Pollinator Day this year was a workshop presented by Naomi Kasumi, Professor & Director of Design Study at Seattle University, in collaboration with the Museum’s Innovation & Learning and Family Events teams. Naomi is one of the incredible artists that submitted pieces to the 30×30: Art, Nature, and Science exhibition.

Artist Naomi Kasumi standing next to one of her art pieces, Home Sweet Home, in the Museum’s 30×30: Art, Nature, and Science exhibition. In part, this piece expresses her personal gratitude to the work of bees and their contribution to her life and art. (Photo by Steve Scholle)

Naomi travelled to Durham from Seattle to join us for Pollinator Day because connecting people to nature and conservation, as well as celebrating the incredible and vital work of our natural systems, including pollinators like bees, are central themes of Naomi’s art and life. Naomi wanted to offer Museum guests the opportunity to connect to the natural world more deeply and personally through a hands-on creative experience resulting in a community Pompom Garden for Conservation art piece. Each workshop attendee contributed their energy and inspiration to a community-created piece that we installed next to our Magic Wings Butterfly House. Each participant carried their pompoms to the garden as a bee might carry pollen granules from flower to flower.

Naomi gave an overview of some of her work exploring conservation and the natural world through her art. Naomi uses materials from nature to offer viewers opportunities to think about the natural world and the myriad connections we all share to the environment around us. (Photo by Steve Scholle)

 

Each participant worked on their own pompoms that would be representative of the work that pollinators do every day all around us. (Photo by Steve Scholle)

 

Naomi is excitedly helping Museum members create their pompoms for our Pompom Garden. (Photo by Steve Scholle)

 

Naomi working with workshop participants, including Museum President and CEO, Carrie Heinonen (center), to “plant” their pompoms in our Pompom Garden. (Photo by Steve Scholle)

 

A pair of workshop participants planting their combined, and particularly Seussian, pompoms in our Pompom Garden. (Photo by Steve Scholle)

 

Multiple families of workshop participants adding their pompoms to our Pompom Garden and inspecting their work with Naomi (center). (Photo by Steve Scholle)

 

Naomi (second from the left) helping workshop participants find spots for their pompoms in the Pompom Garden. (Photo by Steve Scholle)

 

Naomi taking photos of the Pompom Garden. She was excited to explore ways she might use images of the Garden that we made in her future work with other folks. (Photo by Steve Scholle)

 

Bugs-eye view of our Pompom Garden. (Photo by Steve Scholle)

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Turtle Nest https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/turtle-nest/ Thu, 13 Jul 2023 16:22:37 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8602 Naturalist Greg Dodge checks in on a turtle nest on campus.

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Painted turtles come ashore each spring and summer to lay eggs. They deposit 2 – 6 eggs in a hole dug by themselves. The eggs take from 70 – 80 days to hatch with some young remaining in nest until the following spring.

Painted turtle laying eggs.

 

Digging the hole.

The turtle’s eggs, like the other aquatic turtles in our wetlands, are frequent victims of predation by terrestrial mammals, raccoons, foxes, and even squirrels. When we witness an aquatic turtle laying eggs, actually see her in the act, we’ll wait for her to finish digging, laying eggs, covering up her nest and finally leave the site.

Heading back to pond.

 

White circle marks nest site.

To keep predators at bay we sprinkle cayenne pepper over the site, which discourages the would be nest robbers from digging up and devouring the eggs. So far, each nest we’ve treated with hot pepper has successfully made it through the critical first night, and in fact, has made it through to the entire season (If they make it through the first night without being dug up they’ll probably make it through the season).

Volunteer Sammie sprinkles a hefty dose of cayenne pepper on nest site.

 

Pepper spread to keep out smell sensitive animals.

This nest has an excellent chance of making it through the season. As I write this, two days later, it has not been raided or harassed in any way.

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30×30 Artist Spotlight: Ina Liu https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/30x30-artist-spotlight-ina-liu/ Tue, 11 Jul 2023 17:59:07 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8597 Meet Ina Liu, a visual artist with a background in public health, and the creator of Yin Yang (acrylic on canvas).

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More than 40 pieces of art line the walls of the Museum of Life and Science’s 30×30: Art, Nature, and Science exhibition, and we are honored to introduce you to a few of the artists. The exhibit is open through July 16 and entry is included with Museum admission.

Meet Ina Liu, a visual artist specializing in paint and graphic design with a background in public health, and the creator of Yin Yang (acrylic on canvas). Read more about her here!

Please share a little bit about yourself as a person and artist.

I am passionate about leveraging art for advocacy and equity, with key projects completed with the World Health Organization, UNC Asian American Center, and other social justice organizations. As an Asian American female, my work also centers on working with my community to create art that authentically shares their stories, with a goal to advocate and create belonging for my community.

What drew you to 30×30: Art, Nature, and Science?

I was very drawn to the 30×30 exhibition because I believe in the message and advocacy efforts to protect our earth. My past experience has leveraged art in advocating for social justice issues and this aligned very well with my philosophy as an artist.

How does your piece, Yin Yang, showcase art, nature, and science?

Yin yang is a cornerstone in Chinese philosophy where nature is concerned and emphasizes the need to find balance in being able to preserve the connectedness within nature. Despite the fact that yin and yang may seemingly depict contrary and oppositional concepts, if one looks closely at the painting, the stars, water, birds, and sky are all developing into each other in a constant cycle. A small spectator watches the connectedness of nature unfold, representing the small but significant part humanity plays in a greater context of respecting and preserving nature.

Please share some insight into your process behind making Yin Yang.

I wanted to highlight the theme of connectedness despite being so oppositional. I have observed that while our society faces stark differences in their views of climate change’s threat and the ways to preserve our world, connectedness and the need to recognize that we must come together to protect our home is important now more than ever. As an Asian American, my body of work encompasses influences from East Asian art through a lens molded by my Chinese ethnicity and American upbringing. As such, I decided to use the yin yang concept to highlight our relationship with nature. However instead of the typical yin yang figure one is usually familiar with, I wanted to depict the symbol “opening” up to show the connectedness of everything, even if on the surface it seems oppositional.

Is there anything else you’d like our visitors to know about your piece, process, or the intersection of art and the global conservation movement?

My hope is that 陰陽 (Yin Yang) can elicit and instill a sense of balance and connection with nature and with each other, in the hopes to move forward in protecting our home.

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Be sure to check out Ina Liu’s pieces and all the works in 30×30: Art, Nature, and Science now through July 16. Visitors are also invited to cast their vote for their favorite piece! The winner of the Visitors’ Prize will be announced at a later date, so click here to make your choice.

The exhibit is located on the first floor of the main building next to Gizmo Garage and is open during Museum hours.

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30×30 Artist Spotlight: Raman Bhardwaj https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/30x30-artist-spotlight-raman-bhardwaj/ Mon, 10 Jul 2023 17:58:58 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8592 Meet Raman Bhardwaj, the creator of Bagh of Bengal 2 (acrylic on canvas).

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More than 40 pieces of art line the walls of the Museum of Life and Science’s 30×30: Art, Nature, and Science exhibition, and we are honored to introduce you to a few of the artists. The exhibit is open through July 16 and entry is included with Museum admission.

Meet Raman Bhardwaj, a South Asian painter, illustrator, muralist, animator, designer, and the creator of Bagh of Bengal 2 (acrylic on canvas). Born and raised in Chandigarh, India, he now lives in Greensboro, NC. Read more about him here!

Please share a little bit about yourself as a person and artist.

I create murals, canvas art, book illustrations, digital paintings and designs. I have been working as a professional artist since 2000 and have displayed in several group exhibitions in India and the USA. I’ve also held solo exhibitions in India, Norway and the USA. I have painted more than 45 murals in North Carolina. Besides my passion for art, I have a deep interest in spirituality and Vedic Astrology.

What drew you to 30×30: Art, Nature, and Science?

I have been working on a series of paintings about tigers and when I got to know about the 30×30: Art, Nature, and Science show I thought it would be a nice fit to participate and share my love for the tigers. The Museum of Life and Science is a prominent place and that also attracted me to try to get my art displayed in the building and reach the masses.

How does your piece, Bagh of Bengal 2, showcase art, nature, and science?

Bagh of Bengal 2 is an ode to the beauty of tigers. The tiger is a national animal of India, my birth country, and is a magnificent animal. Over the last century the population of tigers has been on a great decline due to poaching and habitat loss, making it an endangered species. The painting is an effort to contribute to the cause of raising awareness about saving tigers.

Please share some insight into your process behind making Bagh of Bengal 2.

Bagh of Bengal 2 is painted with acrylic colors on a canvas using an airbrush. Since it is a naturalistic painting the first step was to find a good reference photo and license it to use as my inspiration. After I found a photograph which matched my idea, I set out to create my stylized version of a tiger’s profile. For this I drew a very light sketch with minimal lines using a pencil on the canvas. I kept my palette limited by using only transparent black and brown. I employed a set of French curves to create some sharp curves in the art as I sprayed thin transparent layers of paint on the canvas to create a very soft and airy look. The majority of the shapes are laid out only once leaving little or no scope for editing and overlaying as it would make the paint opaque. In few calculated sprays the tiger’s face came to being on the canvas in a minimalistic transparent look.

Is there anything else you’d like our visitors to know about your piece, process, or the intersection of art and the global conservation movement?

This piece is a reminder of the magnificence of the tigers, and through the roar of a tiger, it attempts to raise a voice for protecting the species from poaching and habitat loss.

I believe art is a strong medium to raise awareness and sensitize people about any social or environmental cause, and this effort by the Museum of Life and Science can be very effective contribution in the global conservation movement by starting discussions among people who look at the art and those who will buy the art and spread the message through their private collection among their circles.

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Be sure to check out Raman Bhardwaj’s pieces and all the works in 30×30: Art, Nature, and Science now through July 16. Visitors are also invited to cast their vote for their favorite piece! The winner of the Visitors’ Prize will be announced at a later date, so click here to make your choice.

The exhibit is located on the first floor of the main building next to Gizmo Garage and is open during Museum hours.

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30×30 Artist Spotlight: Naomi Kasumi https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/30x30-artist-spotlight-naomi-kasumi/ Thu, 06 Jul 2023 20:05:08 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8587 Meet Naomi Kasumi, the creator of Home Sweet Home (mixed-media) and Urban Colonial Sanctuaries (handmade felt, colored machine-made felt, fishing strings).

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More than 40 pieces of art line the walls of the Museum of Life and Science’s 30×30: Art, Nature, and Science exhibition, and we are honored to introduce you to a few of the artists. The exhibit is open through July 16 and entry is included with Museum admission.

Meet Naomi Kasumi, the creator of Home Sweet Home (mixed-media) and Urban Colonial Sanctuaries (handmade felt, colored machine-made felt, fishing strings). Born and raised in Kyoto, Japan, Naomi is currently both a professor of design and the director of the design program at Seattle University in Seattle, WA. Read more about her here!

Artist photo of Naomi Kasumi smiling at camera

Please share a little bit about yourself as a person and an artist.

My background is highly varied. I was educated in music beginning at age five; as a young adult I was an elite professional cross-country ski racer; and in the U.S., I am certified as a PADI SCUBA dive master. My involvement in outdoor sports has given me a deep connection to nature.

My work includes a variety of media — some ephemeral, some (semi-)permanent. Recurring themes include “presence and absence,” “memory/memorial,” and “loss and healing” that are derived from personal experience of loss and grief, a primary focus of my installation art and research. My smaller scale projects include book art, and design overall.

What drew you to 30×30: Art, Nature, and Science?

My love of nature, the theme of the 30×30 exhibition, and the size limitation all perfectly matched with what I create.

I saw the call for artists by the Museum of Life and Science was like, “Oh, this is for me!” Instantly I felt that it was important to participate and felt I would belong to this community and artist works.

How do your pieces showcase art, nature, and science?

(Speaking on Home Sweet Home) I have been inspired by bees and the extraordinary quality of “bee’s wax” in the making of their home. That has been vital to my creative work for a long time. I decided to put a spotlight on those bees that give us so much, but we don’t give back in the way we should, so I created a special prototype accordion book, called Home Sweet Home. This book is made to raise awareness of the environmental issue related to bees that sustain our life, food sources, and the environment. These tiny creatures help turn a huge wheel in the world agriculture system. In addition, bees are vitally important not only to human food but also to the ecosystem.

Many trees in the forest and plants rely on bees to pollinate to grow and reproduce. Without them, not only do we just lose our favorite coffee and fruits, but also there is a more widespread effect on nature, the forests that enrich the soil as well as provide clean water through the soil to all living things. Now seven different species of bees are listed as endangered species. This is an urgent matter that the texts in the book are selected to highlight them.

In this very personal perspective, the book expresses my gratitude to these tiny creatures, for their contribution to my creative work and research, as well as enriching my life. [Home Sweet Home] was dedicated to bees and their contribution to our life. Therefore, the shape of each page on this special book is hexagon and creates a very unique form with the binding method of accordion book.

Is there anything else you’d like our visitors to know about your pieces, process, or the intersection of art and the global conservation movement?

I have another piece called Urban Colonial Sanctuaries in the exhibition. The birds’ nests made out of felt are very unique shape nests hanging from the museum ceiling. This work is developed in the theme of “making crisis visible” that is surrounded by the ideas of environmental issues and crisis. The crisis of our planet, for which we are absolutely responsible, will lead us into a new age: the age of a new nomadic way of life. As sea levels rise, many of the world’s global hubs will be flooded and rendered inhabitable. Even if we try to shield ourselves from migration today, in a future after the climate crisis we will probably all be migrants.

Urban Colonial Sanctuaries reminds us of what hospitality means and how we can live together peacefully. In a nomadic future, in which we should remember the very hospitable of our nomadic past, we will be depending on each other once again in our everyday life.

[I admire] the labor-intensive process to construct a beautiful “home” using just own beak and feet with limited materials that they can find and collect, so I wanted to build forms inspired by the Baya weaverbird’s nest that has elaborate shapes like “hanging woven chambers.” Also, all birds have the freedom of crossing borders, and freedom of creating their own colonies for survival. High up in a tree, they start building their nests on thin branches to protect their home from predators. But this is not the case in human society. These characteristics of weaverbirds and their nests remind us of historical and contemporary immigration issues. “You forgot that you are also an immigrant. If you think you aren’t, then your grandmother was.”

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Be sure to check out Naomi Kasumi’s pieces and all the works in 30×30: Art, Nature, and Science now through July 16. Visitors are also invited to cast their vote for their favorite piece! The winner of the Visitors’ Prize will be announced at a later date, so click here to make your choice.

The exhibit is located on the first floor of the main building next to Gizmo Garage and is open during Museum hours.

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30×30 Artist Spotlight: Maureen Seltzer https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/30x30-artist-spotlight-maureen-seltzer/ Tue, 04 Jul 2023 16:03:03 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8580 Meet Maureen Seltzer, the creator of Hope Released Two Red Wolves, and the winner of the Director’s Prize.

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More than 40 pieces of art line the walls of the Museum of Life and Science’s 30×30: Art, Nature, and Science exhibition, and we are honored to introduce you to a few of the artists. The exhibit is open through July 16 and entry is included with Museum admission.

Meet Maureen Seltzer, the creator of Hope Released Two Red Wolves (acrylic and paper collage on canvas), and the winner of the Director’s Prize. Seltzer lives in Wake Forest, NC, and has worked to promote the arts in various capacities and roles for many years. Read more about her here!

Maureen Seltzer

What drew you to 30×30: Art, Nature, and Science?

I was drawn to the 30×30 show because of my love for nature. I was hoping to showcase the wolves and help make people aware of them. I was drawn to the challenge of making a torn paper collage that big as to date it is the biggest one I have completed.

How does your piece, Hope Released Two Red Wolves, showcase art, nature, and science?

This piece of collage art is the first in a series of endangered animals in North Carolina. Why start with the red wolf, you may ask?

I have always had a great love and respect for nature, especially animals of all kinds. Indeed, most of the art I create is about them. As I learned more about the endangered species of our great state, I became intensely drawn to the story of the red wolf — and the program to reintroduce them to the wild at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. The more I researched, the more I fell in love with this noble species.

There are two red wolves to represent a pair — male and female — as they mate for life. That is why I named this work Hope Released Two Red Wolves.

Bit by bit through my work, I hope to raise awareness of the plight of red wolves. Maybe others will fall in love with them also.

Would you mind sharing a little about your process in creating Hope Released Two Red Wolves?

When looking at my collage art from far away it looks like just a painting, but on closer observation one would be able to pick out text from an old book page or a music note or two and maybe the corner of a map of some faraway place. Each collage allows me to explore both the abstract and realism in one piece of art. Once the idea is planted in my head, it is quickly underway. I paint in acrylic paint onto the canvas, which acts as a road map for the collage. Then it’s on to mono printing the papers.

Armed with old book pages, sheet music, or maps, the challenge is to make wildly abstract papers in all the shades and tones needed for that particular piece. I often find my mind wondering about the people that once owned them and, in some strange way, I feel like this allows me to take them on my artistic journey as well as save them from the trash pile.

Having monoprint papers ready, the next part of this process begins. Tearing and gluing the papers down much like a painter lays a brushstroke using archival matte medium. Did you know that there is something very zen about ripping paper and then gluing it down? I love watching these abstract papers turn into a very realistic piece of art. When this is finished each piece of art has 3 coats of U.V. varnish applied to seal it. There is no paint added after the paper is placed onto the canvas.

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Be sure to check out Maureen Seltzer’s piece and all the works in 30×30: Art, Nature, and Science now through July 16. Visitors are also invited to cast their vote for their favorite piece! The winner of the Visitors’ Prize will be announced at a later date, so click here to make your choice.

The exhibit is located on the first floor of the main building next to Gizmo Garage and is open during Museum hours.

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Sparks empowers STEM futures https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/sparks-afterschool-program-empowers-stem-futures/ Tue, 27 Jun 2023 18:46:36 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8571 The Sparks Afterschool Program brings out the inner scientist in participants through a lens of community science.

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Late afternoon usually sees the Museum start to clear of guests but, on Wednesdays during the school year, a group of middle schoolers is just getting started.

For the last two years, the Museum of Life and Science’s Sparks Afterschool Program, powered by BioCryst, has brought together students from Durham’s Brogden Middle School for mentorship and STEM enrichment at the Museum. The goal of Sparks is to cultivate curiosity and bring out the inner scientist in participants through a lens of community science. This year, that included a special emphasis on how science addresses societal challenges.

Through 26 weeks of programming, students worked alongside Museum staff and BioCryst employee volunteers to design and carry out four social action projects: do-it-yourself toys for shelter dogs, sensory kits for EL Futuro’s Mental Health Day of Action, toys for Families Moving Forward for children experiencing homelessness, and an Ellerbe Creek clean-up. Students also heat-mapped the temperature of their school campus, discovering where the hottest places were, then came together to discuss how they could rearrange or redesign their campus to cool down high-traffic areas.

Stepheny Hine-Laverack, the Museum’s associate program manager of community and school engagement, said the Sparks curriculum is built to help the students see themselves in science and STEM spaces.

“The goal is for our kids to find the museum to be a place for them, but also a place made by them,” Hine-Laverack said. “I hope they learned about things that are relevant to them and were challenged by new ideas. I hope they played, tested, and experimented with tools that were both familiar and new to them. But most of all, I hope they go home at the end of each Wednesday tired, maybe a little bit sweaty, and happy because they had so much fun with one another.”

The program also invites local professionals to share experiments and explore real-world applications. For example, Dr. Tonya Gerald-Goins, a scientist and associate professor at North Carolina Central University, joined the Sparks kids to discover the impacts of antioxidants, salt, and sugar on the human body.

While still new, the Sparks program has become a steadfast pillar of the Museum’s educational mission.

“Part of what makes the program so special are the relationships that are cultivated by our staff,” Hine-Laverack said. “When the kids get off the bus, they run up to us, give hugs, and ask for us by name, which is very unusual for middle schoolers! That kind of authentic relationship building is hard to maintain, and we are certainly very proud of what we have built with the kids.”

For more information on all of the Museum of Life and Science’s educational programs and opportunities, please visit lifeandscience.org/learn.

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From Durham to Panama: Butterfly House opens at Summit Municipal Park https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/from-durham-to-panama-butterfly-house-opens-at-summit-municipal-park/ Mon, 19 Jun 2023 16:09:58 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8557 The innovative partnership between the Museum, the McMillan Lab from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Duke University, and Summit Municipal Park recently opened the first of two butterfly houses in Panama.

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This piece was written by Sylvia Garza, Outreach Programs Lab Intern at the McMillan Lab, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and Max Cawley, Director of Climate Research and Engagement, Museum of Life and Science

For the last few years, the Museum of Life and Science has been working with the McMillan Lab from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Duke University, and Summit Municipal Park to aid in the development of two new butterfly houses in Panama. This National Science Foundation-funded partnership helped in the opening of the first of these butterfly houses, Casa de Domo, in April at Summit Municipal Park in Panama.

Through this innovative and mutually-rewarding partnership, the Museum has played a role in the design, evaluation, and consultation of the space, the learning outcomes, the signage, and the programming in places like the new butterfly conservatory in Panama.

The Museum and the McMillan Lab share a passion and commitment for strengthening the relationships between people and their natural environment — from Durham’s long-distance relationship with tropical forests and butterflies, to Panama’s up-close and everyday encounters with these beautiful and imperiled species. Butterfly conservatories play an important role in building emotional connections through awe and wonder that lead to greater empathy and connectedness to nature.

Similarly, our organizations share a commitment to the conservation and protection of imperiled habitats and species like these tropical butterflies. Critically threatened through climate change and habitat destruction, butterflies and their larvae play vitally important roles in the global ecosystem.

The partnership has provided a wealth of content and scientific expertise, local, cultural, and contextual knowledge, and programs and signage that will continue to be evaluated onsite at the Museum in the conservatory space this coming summer.

You can help another butterfly house grow! From June 12 – 23, the Museum will be prototyping and evaluating new signage from the Smithsonian for another new butterfly house in Panama. You can help us out by stopping by and letting our evaluators know what you think. They will be up in the Magic Wings Butterfly House commons, and all evaluations will help to make these new butterfly houses (and our own!) a success.

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De Durham a Panamá: Casa de mariposas abre en el Parque Municipal Summit

Escrito por Sylvia Garza, Pasante en Programas de Divulgación del laboratorio McMillan, Instituto Smithsonian de Investigaciones Tropicales (STRI), y Max Cawley, Director de Investigación y Compromiso Climático, Museum of Life and Science

Durante los últimos años, el Museo “Museum of Life and Science” ha estado trabajando con el McMillan Lab, la Universidad de Duke y con el Parque Municipal Summit para ayudar en el desarrollo de dos casas de mariposas nuevas en Panamá. Esta colaboración, financiada por la Fundación Nacional de Ciencias, ayudó en la apertura de la primera de estas casas de mariposas, la Casa de Domo, en abril en el Parque Municipal Summit en Panamá.

A través de esta innovadora y mutuamente gratificante colaboración, el Museo ha desempeñado un papel en el diseño, la evaluación y la consulta del espacio, los resultados del aprendizaje, la letrería y la programación en lugares como la casa de mariposas nueva en Panamá.

El Museo y el McMillan Lab comparten la pasión y el compromiso de fortalecer las relaciones entre las personas y su entorno natural — desde la relación a larga distancia de Durham con los bosques tropicales y las mariposas, hasta los encuentros cotidianos y cercanos en Panamá con estas especies hermosas y en peligro. Los conservatorios de mariposas juegan un papel importante en la creación de conexiones emocionales a través del asombro y la maravilla, lo que conducen a una mayor empatía y conexión con la naturaleza.

Del mismo modo, nuestras organizaciones comparten un compromiso con la conservación y protección de hábitats y especies en peligro como estas mariposas tropicales. En peligro crítico a causa del cambio climático y la destrucción de hábitats, las mariposas y sus larvas desempeñan un papel de vital importancia en el ecosistema global.

La colaboración ha proporcionado una gran cantidad de contenido y destreza científica, conocimiento local, cultural y contextual, y programas y letrería que continuarán siendo evaluados en el Museo en el espacio del conservatorio este verano.

¡Tú puedes ayudar a crecer otra casa de mariposas! Del 12 al 23 de junio, el Museo realizará prototipos y evaluará la nueva letrería del Smithsonian para otra casa de mariposas en Panamá. Nos puedes ayudar al darle tu opinión a nuestros evaluadores cuando nos visites. Ellos estarán ubicados en el Magic Wings Butterfly House commons, y todas las evaluaciones ayudarán a que estas casas de mariposas (¡y la nuestra!) sean un éxito.

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MLS Mailbag No. 7 https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/mls-mailbag-no-7/ Sat, 27 May 2023 23:15:48 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8506 The MLS Mailbag returns to answer your questions about critter names, the Museum's native birds, and how carnivorous plants get nutrients.

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Hello and welcome to a regular feature on lifeandscience.org in which I take your questions about the Museum of Life and Science and answer them in mailbag form. Hopefully, the final product is insightful to some degree, and we have a little fun along the way!

 

As a birder, my favorite exhibit at the museum is Explore the Wild: Wetland. How many bird species are typically seen here per year? — Jonah

If you’re a frequent flyer (I AM NOT SORRY) on the Museum blog, you are surely acquainted with Ranger Greg, our resident park naturalist who is widely known for his knowledge of all things nature here at the Museum, including the local bird community. Asking him this question was a no-brainer.

“I’ve personally seen about 140 species of birds on or above the museum property,” Greg said. “Not all those species are exclusive to the wetlands. I spend most of my time very close to the wetlands, and most species have been seen either from the path around the wetlands or within, say, 50 to 100 feet or so from the wetlands proper.”

So, roughly 140 species around the Museum’s outdoor spaces, with a good portion of those being spotted down Wetlands way!

I’m a birding super-novice, so I took the opportunity to prod Ranger Greg for birds to look out for.

“I don’t have a favorite, they’re all cool, interesting, or unique in their own way, but I’m very fond of gray catbirds,” he said.

A grey catbird! This is a bird, not a cat! Don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do i– PSPSPSPS!

If you’re planning to scan the area for our winged friends, you are likely to notice common native birds like the northern cardinal or Carolina chickadee most often.

The northern cardinal, our beloved state bird. Also the state bird of six other US states.

“One species (among others) I’ve seen on only one occasion and don’t expect to see again is northern harrier,” Ranger Greg said. “They’re raptors of open country, marshes, fields and the like. I saw one about 13 years ago while it was migrating south in December at great height over Catch the Wind.”

I’m interested in Venus flytraps and other carnivorous plants. I know they grow in coastal areas of NC. What are the different kinds and how do they get nutrients? — Deb

Exposing myself as a theatre kid but growing up, I was thrilled to learn that something like Little Shop of Horrors’ Audrey II actually existed in our world. Granted, not conversational, but carnivorous nonetheless!

Carnivorous plants are a unique group of plants that get most of their nutrients from eating insects and other arthropods.

“They use enzymes and bacteria to break down their prey, similar to digestion in animals,” Manager of Horticulture Bobbi Jo Holmes said. “Some different types of ‘bug-eating’ plants include pitcher plants, sundews, butterworts, bladderworts, and flytraps. They all have different trapping mechanisms, which aid in their ability to capture their prey. Some use a pit-fall method, while others use flytrap mechanism. Most of them don’t need to actively move to catch their prey, like pitcher plants and butterworts, but flytraps and sundews sense an insect and moves quickly to capture it!”

Mind blown? Imagine a human baby being fed via “airplane method” and that’s a pitcher plant. Sort of. The below is definitely a pitcher plant (and one you can visit at the Museum).

Definitely a pitcher plant.

Most species of carnivorous plants grow in boggy sites in all parts of the world, except Antarctica as they require bright light and prefer rainwater (tap water can actually harm them). According to the Nature Conservancy, an astounding 36 of the United States’ 66 native species can be found in North Carolina. So the next time you’re at the Museum, check out the tropical pitcher plants hanging in the Magic Wings Butterfly House and the native carnivorous plant collection next to the wooden raised beds just down from Sprout Café.

What are the animals’ names in Carolina Wildlife? — kaitlyn__sarah_ on Instagram

It is my distinct pleasure and delight to inform you all that every animal on the Animal Care Team has a name — except the fish, although my dear colleague Senior Director of Animal Care Sherry Samuels tells me that is up for debate.

Names come about in a few different ways. Some animals have come to the museum with names already. That would include our ring-tailed lemurs, most of the Farmyard (except Lightning), and the raptors in Carolina Wildlife. The aviary birds in Carolina Wildlife, however, all got their names from the Animal Care Team that takes care of them on a daily basis. The third way (arguably my favorite) is through public vote, the most recent of which is our trio of alligators, Snap, Crackle, and Pop.

Gators Snap, Crackle, and Pop are an important part of a balanced breakfa–, um, exhibit!

Here are the names of the other Carolina Wildlife residents!

  • Right Dot the salamander
  • Cricket the kestrel
  • Milton the mink
  • Aya the merlin
  • Lord Tubbington the box turtle
  • Spot the spotted turtle
  • Rhr and Oscar the water turtles
  • Speedy and Poppy the American robins
  • Luca, Youngdove, Blueband/Colman the mourning doves
  • Waldo the bluebird
  • Polo the water snake
  • Yellow the yellow rat snake
  • Sam the black rat snake
  • Darwin the northern pine snake
Spot is a great name for a turtle. 10/10, no notes.

Be sure to say hi, but please don’t tap on the glass.

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That’s all for now, y’all! I hope you will join me next time for more questions and more answers.

If you have a question you’d like answered or are counting down the days till Greta Gerwig’s Barbie comes out, you can drop us a note here.

 

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Rest in Peace, Yona https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/rest-in-peace-yona/ Tue, 23 May 2023 11:50:49 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8465 The Museum mourns the loss of Yona, one of the Museum's black bears

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I write this with a tired, heavy heart. Saying goodbye to an animal, a friend, or a family member, is never easy, and for me, especially when it is unexpected. We went into Yona’s surgery with the full intention that her issues could be identified, and fixed. However, as day turned into night that was not the case.

At the Museum, a team of eight people from the Vet School did Yona’s physical, radiographs, and ultrasound in the bear house.

Several weeks ago, our animal care specialists noticed that Yona was straining to urinate. We moved her November physical up six months (see photo above), and learned that her urinary and reproductive tracts, in plain speak, “had issues,” so surgery was scheduled for the next week. During surgery, several issues that were identified on ultrasound were tended to, but as the day went on, the discovery of other medical concerns continued. After numerous efforts, and a last long-shot attempt to address and repair Yona’s medical issues, the difficult realization was made that there was no way to “fix” her.

Early Friday morning at The Vet School, the first wave, the anesthesia team, stabilized Yona so the surgery could begin safely.

I walked into the surgery room Friday evening. As my voice cracked and my eyes began to water, I thanked the team who had been working on Yona for longer than anyone had planned and asked them to thank the other 50 or so people who had assisted all day. (Really—no exaggeration on the number of people who were brought in to care for Yona). My day started in the dark, and it would end in the dark driving back to the Museum alone.

Thanks to John Joyner from the Office of Communications and Marketing at NC State College of Veterinary Medicine for this photo

Sadly, this was the last time I would ever take Yona in for care; however, it was not the first. It was in June 2010 that her first visit occurred. She was limping upon arrival at the Museum in early 2010. Tests indicated multiple issues with her right arm. A massive team (yes, another 50+ team) from the Vet School worked wonders, removing fragments of broken bone in her elbow. She did great, and healed well, and a couple of months later, was back in the habitat with the other bears.

Yona arrived in early 2010, at just under a year old. After unsuccessful rehabilitation for release at Appalachian Bear Rescue (the same place Mimi came from) we received the call to provide a forever home for Yona. We met in Johnson City, Tennessee, and Yona, about 90 pounds at the time, was moved to my van and we returned back to Durham well into the evening. Click here to see how small she was when she was found as an orphaned cub and also how small she was (and young I was) when she arrived on the grounds 13+ years ago.

A young Yona… less than a year old

From the beginning, she was an active (her arm issues never stopped her from doing anything) and somewhat silly bear. (Her stubbornness arrived later in her life!) Finding her laying on her back playing with tree limbs, or enrichment toys, and apparently enjoying her time in our habitat were regular sights. Upside-down, feet in the air, was how I would mostly see her in the early years. Actually, on our drive back to Durham in 2010 she was lying on her back, feet up, half rolling in the crate, for the majority of the ride. Even as an adult, sleeping for her occurred regularly with feet up.

an older Yona, snoozing in her primary bed, in her primary position

Gus, like he did recently with Little Bear, would engage with Yona. (“Engage” would mean tolerate at times, but at other times, from my point of view, he was truly positively invested in their relationship). Here’s a picture of Gus and Yona their first time together.

This is not the first RIP post I’ve written, and I know it will not be the last. Knowing what to say and deciding what to write come in waves of both clarity and confusion. Many people want – need – to know different things. What happened, what did you do, tell me the story of the end- beginning-middle, and much more. Since sharing, asking, crying, laughing, yelling, and sitting in quiet, are all part of grieving, I hope that what was shared helps people start to heal. To all who knew Yona, or know the people who cared for her and loved her, may reading this have helped. Condolences. Deep and sincere condolences to all.

Finding Yona in a tree was a common occurrence in her early years at the Museum

So, I end with a confession. As I drove into the Museum parking lot with Yona in January 2010, I decided I did not want to have the discussion about what we should name her, who would name her, how it would be decided, etc. So, I lied. I just lied. I said she already had a name. Yona, the Cherokee word for bear. One of the best decisions I’ve made 😊

 

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Dazzling sights on the outdoor loop https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/dazzling-sights-on-the-outdoor-loop/ Fri, 19 May 2023 14:59:32 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8461 You never know what you’re going to run into

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A walk around our outdoor loop through the Dinosaur Trail, Explore the Wild, and Catch the Wind can be relaxing and rewarding. You never know what you’re going to run into. Anything from snakes to folded-wing skippers is possible, and frankly, expected.

Here’s some of the things I bumped into this past week.

The photos above and below are of a common local resident, rat snake. The individual above is about average length. It looks to be a five-footer. They can, though, reach eight feet.

Rat snakes are excellent climbers and frequently slither up trees in search of avian food.

Rat snake in tree.
Bird eggs and nestlings are favorite rat snake foods.

The floating walkway in our wetlands is always worth a visit. You’ll see mosquito fish, bullfrog tadpoles, a handful of Odonata species, and maybe even an otter. Looking closer, especially at the vegetation that grows on the floating platforms alongside the deck you may spot a far less conspicuous creature, a cattail toothpick grasshopper. Here, a mating pair on common rush.

Mating cattail toothpick grasshoppers.

Always fun to watch wherever you find them are green anoles. At this time of year the males are strutting their stuff letting all other males, and females, know they’ve arrived.

Green anole showing off for all to see.
Bright red dewlap when backlit.

A butterfly which is widespread throughout the warm months is the red-spotted purple.

Red-spotted purple resting on my shoe.

Keep an eye out for hatchling aquatic turtles. There’re still some of the young turtles emerging from subterranean nests dug and egg-filled last year by adult females.

Fresh out of the nest, this yellow-bellied slider is headed towards the wetlands and relative safety of the water.

In fact, keep an eye out for adult female sliders and other aquatic turtles up on land searching for secure nesting sights. The one pictured below was at the Red Wolf Enclosure.

Out searching for a new nest sight.
Which way to go?

Besides the red-spotted purple above, another butterfly you may see while hiking the outdoor loop is the summer azure. They usually stay fairly low to the ground. Though small, they’re quite visible as they flutter away.

A small but conspicuous butterfly, summer azure.

Summer tanagers are nesters here at the museum. The males are bright red. Even so, they can be difficult to locate among the greenery of the tulip poplars, maples, sweetgums, and other deciduous trees on the north side of our campus.

Summer tanager out in the open amongst tulip poplar leaves

A small and quick moving butterfly frequently encountered conspicuously perched in sunny spots of the path are zabulon skippers. The males are more commonly seen than the females, which are also darker in color.

Male zabulon skipper.

Larger elm leaf beetles are back. Over the past couple of years we’ve been visited by hordes of these beetles in adult and then larval form. The larvae eat elm leaves, skeletonizing them, rendering them useless as the photosynthetic units they’re meant to be.

They’re supposedly cyclical and only appear in large numbers for a couple of years, then disappear. We’ll be testing that statement this year.

Larvae of the larger elm leaf beetle can do considerable damage to elm tree leaves (adult shown).

Another beetle which doesn’t come in as large numbers nor does as much damage is the milkweed leaf beetle. Most people wouldn’t consider damage to milkweed as a problem. Monarch lovers might disagree (monarch butterflies are closely tied to and owe their existence to milkweed). I recently found a few milkweed leaf beetles on the milkweed in front of the Butterfly House.

Milkweed leaf beetles prefer toxic milkweed leaves to dine on.

Yarrow comes in many colors.

Pink.
White.
Yellow, and more.

Dogbane leaf beetles have emerged from the ground as adults. This, after having spent the previous fall and winter months underground as larvae eating dogbane’s roots, eventually pupating and surfacing as an adult beetle to once again consume the plant’s leaves while searching for a mate to start the cycle all over again.

One of my favorite beetles, dogbane leaf beetle.

Daisy fleabane is a small, delicate flower.

Daisy fleabane.

And finally, a familiar and favorite flower to insect and human alike, black-eyed Susan.

Black-eyed Susan.

So, what are you waiting for?

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MLS Mailbag No. 6 https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/mls-mailbag-no-6/ Wed, 03 May 2023 20:52:25 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8433 The MLS Mailbag answers your questions about fruit trees, how the lemurs fit in, and the status of our milkweed plants.

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Hello and welcome to a regular feature on lifeandscience.org in which I take your questions about the Museum of Life and Science and answer them in mailbag form. Hopefully, the final product is insightful to some degree, and we have a little fun along the way!


What do you do with the fruit that grows in the Butterfly House? — oceanwolf88 on Instagram

As you stroll through the Magic Wings Butterfly House, you’re probably mostly checking out the winged creatures and the insane variety of plants that provide them shelter. But you may have missed that the Butterfly House is also home to several fruiting trees that do produce, well, produce!

This was news to me, so I was excited to take your question to Butterfly House Director Uli Hartmond.

“We offer it to our partridges in their food bowl and put it out on the trays to feed our butterfly species that use fermented fruit as part of their diets,” Uli said. “Our staff has even sampled some of the ripened fruit, and occasionally have served them to our guests during special events.”

Uli said that our papaya tree has been especially productive this season and has grown way more fruit than butterflies are able to consume. Since papaya is infamously quick to turn once ripe, the Butterfly House and Insectarium staff made lovely papaya smoothies. Nothing goes to waste!

We need to work on our papaya portion control.

The golden apple (aka ambarella or June plum) can also be found in our conservatory and is a relative of the mango. Its fruit is hard even when ripe, and while it does get picked at by the BFH birds, it’s not necessarily a favorite. However! The golden apple is a pretty popular part of many cultural cuisines, such as in Central America, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia, and the BFH staff have been known to share with curious culinarily-minded guests.

One last thing from Uli:

“If you want to smell, touch or sample any fruit you see, just ask our staff and they may be able to let you have a piece…”

Noted, Uli. Noted.

So most of the animals at the museum are native to or found in North Carolina, but how do the lemurs fit in? — Kelsey

Great question, Kelsey! Before we get to the ring-tailed lemurs, let’s touch on one quick thing.

If you count the many, many species in the Magic Wings Butterfly House and Insectarium (and we do), the Museum is revealed to be home to a lot of non-native creatures. Furthermore, looking around the Farmyard, our domesticated pals are quite exotic too! That fact sent me down a rabbit hole, but we can save it for another time (submit Mailbag questions here).

With the exception of Carolina Wildlife and the Butterfly House (which highlight species native to North Carolina and tropical varieties of Lepidoptera, respectively), geography isn’t our primary way of developing exhibits. For example, Explore the Wild is designed to invite visitors to step into the shoes of wildlife biologists and encourages them to use all of their senses as they experience the habitats. And here’s where I finally answer your lemur question (“Oh, thank GOODNESS.” –Kelsey, probably).

You’re right that the black bears, red wolves and many wetland residents are native, and that lemurs (and radiated tortoises) are not. Many of North Carolina’s native species are more solitary by nature, nocturnal (active during night hours) or crepuscular (active during twilight), which doesn’t always provide the best during-museum-hours experience for our budding wildlife biologists. Buuuut…

“Primates, even prosimians like lemurs, are much more social in nature, and the lemurs are diurnal, or active during the day,” Sherry Samuels, the Museum’s senior director of animal care, said. “Having primates on habitat fills a niche that the native critters don’t, so they are wonderful animals to have here for guests to see.”

If you’re not charmed by these sunshine-loving, sweet potato-eating, matriarchal Madagascans, TRY AGAIN.

The Museum is continuing to develop Explore the Wild into a more conservation and urban ecology-focused exhibit — zeroing in on coexistence, sharing land and resources, urban ecology, global preservation of animals and habitats, and building human awareness and empathy. Lemurs fit this niche as well!

And let’s not forget, we have some of the world’s leading experts in prosimian science across town at the Duke Lemur Center. How could we not partner with them and add ring-tailed lemurs to our community here?

How many milkweed plants have you put around the grounds this year? — robkeehner on Instagram

Spring has sprung and warm-weather flora is flourishing, including our milkweed population! Over the coming weeks, 200 new milkweeds will take root around campus, joining the 20 current plantings outside the Magic Wings Butterfly House.

“The milkweed you see across the Museum has been planted throughout the years to provide nectar as food for pollinators,” Manager of Horticulture Bobbi Jo Holmes said. “It is also the only food source for Monarch caterpillars. With the Museum’s current plantings, and the incorporation of flower beds along the Museum’s Pollinator Pathway, we add in as much diversity of nectar plants as possible.”

A path for you, a path for pollinators!

By planting native flowers like milkweed, pollinators (think butterflies, bees, beetles, etc.) have a greater chance to enjoy the food they’re used to eating.

“We do also incorporate non-native flowering plants, as they are considered supplemental food sources and give the garden spaces longer flowering times and more overall flower diversity,” Bobbi Jo said.

Keep an eye out for all the blooms and activity around our Pollinator Pathways this year!

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That’s all for now, y’all! I hope you will join me next time for more questions and more answers.

If you have a question you’d like answered are foaming at the mouth for Round Two of the Stanley Cup Playoffs (GO CANES!), you can drop us a note here.

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Spring into Action with AZA at the Museum of Life and Science https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/spring-into-action-with-aza-at-the-museum-of-life-and-science/ Wed, 19 Apr 2023 14:03:06 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8382 Join us as we Spring into Action to help better our planet!

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Earth Day is April 22, and it’s also the kickoff for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Party for the Planet: Spring into Action, a yearly celebration encouraging folks to create habitats, reduce and clean up litter, and get outdoors!

Here at the Museum of Life and Science, we have a constant commitment to conservation education and action. We’re bringing some of our green events and programs to the forefront during this season to celebrate Party for the Planet alongside the many other participating AZA organizations.

Check out our plans for the season below!

April 22: Earth Day

Get ready to Spring into Action by making a plan for your involvement in the season! We will host training onsite for the iNaturalist app to participate in the Durham BioBlitz, the unveiling of our 30×30: Art, Nature & Science community art project, and a printable tracker available for you to chart participation in the season. This printable will be recycled into new materials at our Party for the Planet event. Prefer paperless? You can post your engagement online and show us at Party for the Planet!

April 22 – May 7: Durham BioBlitz and Birding Challenge

Durham BioBlitz

This citizen science project is led by Keep Durham Beautiful, with the Museum of Life and Science as one of the long-time participants and contributors. Learn how to use iNaturalist at the Museum on April 22 – 23. April 23 is also ¡Celebremos las ciencias!, so training will be available in both English and Spanish! Afterwards, get outdoors and log what species you see through this collaborative effort to understand Durham’s natural spaces.

The Great Birding Battle – Beat Ranger Greg!

Park Naturalist and museum celebrity Ranger Greg has put together an incredible challenge to see who can log the most birds spotted on campus: him, or all of us put together! Grab his checklist at the museum or print your copy and get birding. If you’re practicing with iNaturalist, you can also use the app in lieu of a checklist! Checklists will be tallied at Bird Bonanza on May 6 to count towards the challenge.

April 26: Durham Farmers Market

Find our stand at the Durham Farmers Market to learn more about the BioBlitz and our natural surroundings!

May 3 & 10: Carolina’s Wild Butterflies Workshop

Sign up for this free workshop here! In partnership with the Carolinas Butterfly Monitoring Project, this workshop with introduce you to North Carolina’s wild butterflies, how to identify them, and how to become a citizen-scientist butterfly monitor.

May 6: Bird Bonanza

Soar into the museum to learn all about our local feathered friends. You’ll meet with bird experts from the Triangle and learn how to support local wildlife in tangible ways. Turn in your birding checklist at the event to be counted towards the Birding Battle competition!

May 6: Moth Watch

As the sun sets after Bird Bonanza, we’ll head out to our creek trail and see what moths we can find! Join experts from the Museum and Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association on a moth watch with special tools and guides. This program is free, and you can register for it here.

May 7 – 13: International Compost Awareness Week

Join us for drop-in compost programming on Sunday, May 7, and Tuesday, May 9 (Durham Community Day), and stop by the Lab on May 9, 12, and 13 to Draw a Decomposer and learn more about the critters that live in our compost! Visit between 10 am – 12 pm and 1 pm – 3 pm to attend these programs.

May 14 – 20: Bear Awareness Week

Meet with AAZK and our Animal Care Team at our bear overlook on May 14 for Q&As focused on coexisting with the bears that live in North Carolina and keeping wildlife wild! There will be a bear Q&A every day at 2 pm throughout the week. Stop by to ask all your bear questions and grab a temporary tattoo!

May 20: Culmination Celebration: Party for the Planet!

On Endangered Species Day, we will reflect on the past month and celebrate the work that we all can contribute to support our world’s biodiversity. Whether you attended one or many of our Spring into Action programs, you are welcome to come learn and grow with us at this event. Bring your activity tracker to get a special ‘Spring into Action’ pin, and to see us transform the old paper into new materials! Can’t make this event? Turn in your activity tracker at Elements Museum Store until May 28 to collect your pin.

Why keep all the action on the Museums campus? Take the Spring into Action season as a chance to assess how you can protect and support the natural spaces around you. Check out the below resources from AZA for some ideas!

Create a garden for wildlife (National Wildlife Federation)

Create a bird-friendly habitat (National Wildlife Federation)

Take action to save species (AZA)

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Mimi enjoys a swim https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/mimi-enjoys-a-swim/ Thu, 13 Apr 2023 13:32:30 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8385 Black bear Mimi knows how to cool off

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Mimi bear going into the water
Mimi Bear prepares to go for a swim

Born in 2004, Mimi is the oldest of our four black bears. She spends much of her time sleeping on the boulders out in front of the cave in the black bear enclosure, especially in the cooler months of the year.

But when it begins to heat up, you’ll likely catch her taking a dip in the moat in front of the main bear overlook. She fancies a solitary morning swim in the pool. The earlier you arrive at the overlook the better your chances of catching her casually swimming about.

It truly appears she enjoys the activity. I’m sure she does.

A pause before she commits.
And off she goes.
After each trip around the pool she shakes if off.

A quick scan for other bears who might disturb the tranquility.

Dripping wet, she retreats to the cave.

Mimi spent a full 12 minutes floating and swimming about the pool before heading back to the cave area of the enclosure.

On a warm April 2023 morning

 

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Photo Blog: Schooled or Fooled? https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/photo-blog-schooled-or-fooled/ Mon, 10 Apr 2023 14:44:24 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8319 Check out how we here at the Museum celebrated all things April Fools' Day!

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By now, you’re probably one of the tons of people who saw our April Fools social media post announcing a new Wetland Waterpark portion of the museum. What you might’ve missed is that the April 1 hijinks continued through our campus. On that rainy day, we pranked critters and visitors alike to celebrate!

If you stood at the right spot in front of the Butterfly House, you may have noticed this message…

What’s this our butterflies are munching on? It may look like ice cream, but it’s actually fruit! Our Butterfly House Team put these look-alike treats together. Butterflies, consider yourself pranked!

One of our program snakes took over an enclosure in Carolina Wildlife for the day! Apollo is a milk snake, and is not native to the Carolina region, but is a great example of coloring mimicry. Can you see his little snake snout?

The red wolves that live here blend in well with the habitat. So well, in fact, that some folks doubt if they really exist… See if you can spot them in this picture.

Bonus from the afternoon of Niko taking his moment on the runway.

Before the rain washed it away, some of our guests and staff got a chance to balance on this temporary exhibit: the chalk cube. Thanks to Ranger Patrick and Birthday Party Emily for being excellent models!

Overheard at the lemur enclosure: “Hey, what’s up with the new guy?” Lemurs: pranked! Picture cred to Animal Care Kate.  

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MLS Mailbag No. 5 https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/mls-mailbag-no-5/ Thu, 30 Mar 2023 22:09:19 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8277 The MLS Mailbag returns to talk all things bird ears, bee sleep, and our animals with the most life-experience!

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Hello and welcome to a weekly feature on lifeandscience.org in which I take your questions about the Museum of Life and Science and answer them in mailbag form. Hopefully, the final product is insightful to some degree, and we have a little fun along the way!

 

Do bees sleep? — Bob

A few MLS Mailbags back, Butterfly House Director Uli Hartmond and I answered a question about butterfly sleep, which is very different from how humans and other mammals sleep. But bees? Turns out our buzzy little buddies are a lot more like us than we might think.

Uli chipped in again for this question, this time sending me to a 2003 paper by Sauer, Kinkelin, Herrmann, and Kaiser, called The Dynamics of Sleep-Like Behaviour in Honey Bees. That’s right, y’all — I read my first academic paper since college (go Wolfpack).

According to Sauer et al., honeybees are big on getting quality rest and exhibit similar sleep behaviors to humans. Their bodies are relaxed and immobile, and body temperatures drop when bees fall asleep, just like us! But another way scientists track bee sleep cycles is through antennae movement, which is something we humans do not do when resting. Shocking, I know, but such is life without cranial sensory appendages!

There’s a lot of ongoing research around bees, but at this point, it’s still unclear what the duration and quality of sleep does for bees biologically.

I made zero puns throughout this whole answer. Bee proud of me.

Who is the oldest animal on campus? — thelozen on Instagram

We’ve had live animals on-site at the Museum since the late 1940s, so we have almost always been lucky to share our spaces with some truly amazing critters. Check out this edition of the MLS Mailbag for more on that!

Certainly, the youngest animals we have are actually insects — you can watch new butterflies and moths emerge from chrysalises at the Emerging Wonders window in the Magic Wings Butterfly House — but our oldest friends might surprise you.

Laurel Walosin, the Museum’s registered veterinary technician, told me that the oldest known age of one of our animals is 33-year-old Gatsby the ball python. Gatsby has exceeded the 20- to 30-year lifespan of the average ball python and continues to be in great health. You may even see him around as part of our animal programs.

The Great Gatsby! Though he throws far fewer parties than his namesake.

But Gatsby isn’t the only golden oldie in these parts. While we don’t know their exact birthdays, a few of our turtles are potentially well into their 30s. There’s also Finch the 28-year-old ball python, Lightning the 24-year-old donkey, and Pepper the 20-year-old chinchilla!

How do birds hear? — Pace

This is the kind of question that surprises me into thinking way too much about every bird I’ve ever seen. And, thanks to what we know about evolution, that thought spiral leads me into wondering if dinosaurs had ears and produces some VERY entertaining mental images.

PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT a real dinosaur. I made this in Canva and I am NOT an authority on dinosaurs. I am not even a scientist, though I did come first place in my elementary school science fair two years in a row.

Back to business. Birds have ear structures just like mammals, but they look SUPER different in appearance from mammalian ears.

“Unlike mammals, birds do not have an external ear structure, which is known as the pinnae in mammals,” Musem vet tech Laurel Walosin said. “Instead, there’s an external ear opening, which looks like a small hole, typically located behind and slightly down from the eye. Birds do still have internal ear structures that are what function to help them hear.”

Unless you’re looking at an ostrich or an emu, you probably won’t see this ear as it’s typically hidden by feathers, like on our lovely model, Wren the chicken!

On the left, we have no ear. On the right, we have ear. On both left and right, we have the most coop-erative (hehe) gal. Great job, Wren.

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That’s all for now, y’all! I hope you will join me next time for more questions and more answers.

If you have a question you’d like answered are AMPED about the new donkey emoji, you can drop us a note here.

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MLS Mailbag No. 4 https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/mls-mailbag-no-4/ Thu, 16 Mar 2023 21:05:01 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8142 The MLS Mailbag checks in to give a sneak peek at Play to Learn, ease wildlife worries and open the Museum history books!

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Hello and welcome to a weekly feature on lifeandscience.org in which I take your questions about the Museum of Life and Science and answer them in mailbag form. Hopefully, the final product is insightful to some degree, and we have a little fun along the way!

 

When will the play space for the littles be open? And can you give us a sneak peek 👀 – sastone676 on Instagram

We’ve gotten a lot of variations on this question since starting the MLS Mailbag and I am SO EXCITED to finally be able to tell you that Play to Learn will be open to the public beginning March 21!

Play to Learn is our biggest indoor experience in years, a reinvention and reimagining of our popular early-childhood exhibit. It’s almost three times the size of the previous exhibit and features a range of interactive activities for guests ages five and younger (and their grown-ups). Play to Learn invites children to practice new skills, flex their imaginations, and engage with others, which will help develop essential social, cognitive, and critical thinking skills for their success later in life!

And, of course, the requested sneak peek …

The Gentle Zone: A safe, designated infant and toddler space for our smallest learners to explore, practice rolling, crawling, and walking, and engage with sensory activities.

It’s ok to be a baby in here! In fact, it’s encouraged!

Ball Play: This reimagining of our popular ball track experience allows for a crash course in cause and effect. Children will learn about the physical world as they bounce, roll, and drop balls in exhibits designed to explore gravity and other forces.

No biggie, just creating future physicists and world-changers.

Pattern Play: An area for children to experiment with light and shadow, exploring pattern, shape, form, color, opacity, and color mixing, while developing self-awareness through interaction with the space and seeing the impact of their changes.

“Ok, I like it Picasso.” – Me, to every child at the station

I have always wanted to know … have you ever seen a snake in the cave at Earth Moves? 🐍 – anna.chapman22 on Instagram

Our beautiful 84-acre campus shares the space with lots and lots of wildlife beyond the ones in Explore the Wild, so (pretty unsurprisingly) yes, we’ve found a variety of friends in the cave! The sandstone cave in Earth Moves offers a cool and shaded area for guests and animals alike, so snakes, raccoons, frogs, and birds have been known to make it a temporary home.

Critters usually depart the area on their own once they realize it’s a high-traffic human area, but the Animal Care Team will safely and thoughtfully relocate animals to a chiller area on campus if needed. So, should you happen to meet a new friend unexpectedly, please find a Museum staffer to help!

What was the first animal to live at the Museum? – kaitlyn__sarah_ on Instagram

So there’s this, like, typewritten document that lives at my desk that was written by a fellow named Leonard Sherwin in 1986, and it’s a 30-page historical account of our Museum. I’ve learned a ton from its yellowed pages in the three-and-a-half months I’ve been with the MLS, so I was pleased to turn to it again for this question.

Here’s the earliest reference to live animals I could find. Waaaaay back in 1947, the Museum was located on Georgia Avenue — a stone’s throw from the 18th hole of Hillandale Golf Course — and was quite a bit different from the Museum of Life and Science we know and love today. There was a “Carolina Room” that featured native minerals, wood samples, and mounted animals (something we do not have at all today), and served as the home for several live specimens as well.

From Leonard’s hand:

“A glass case containing two writhing copperheads brought one up short. Non-frightening neighbors followed: live turtles, fish, white mice, rabbits, and a talking parrot which had a large following. Each year the parrot had a birthday party, replete with birthday cake. Children brought crackers for the parrot and food or the other animals.”

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any photos of the early live exhibits, but I am fairly confident this is the “Carolina Room” from our old home on Georgia Avenue. A bit different to what we’re used to in Carolina Wildlife, eh?

There you have it! Though it cannot be overstated that visitors should please refrain from bringing food of any kind for the animals. They are very well fed. Please see last week’s MLS Mailbag for more on that.

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That’s all for now, y’all! I hope you will join me next week for more questions and more answers.

If you have a question you’d like answered or are doing a daily rewatch of each new Ted Lasso episode as they come out, you can drop us a note here.

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Lemur physicals complete https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/lemur-physicals-complete/ Fri, 10 Mar 2023 16:58:21 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8090 The lemurs recently received their annual physicals.

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Our ring-tailed lemurs have their annual physicals in February/March. It takes two days to complete the physicals since seven physicals are just too many in one day. In fact, the work to have a successful outcome starts way before the actual day of physicals.

The work and training our staff invests in relationship building, and operant conditioning with our lemurs is ongoing and necessary so the lemurs choose to self-crate without getting any tasty food rewards. We cannot feed the lemurs before they get sedated- just like people who go in for medical procedures and are going to be sedated, food is not to be eaten prior to procedures. (Click here to see a post from about 10 years ago about lemur crate training).

We’ll get photos of the lead-up process for lemur physicals next year so we can share that portion, but for today we’ll focus on the actual physicals. Each lemur is moved from their travel crate into a small “squeeze” area. This is a small cage in which one pulls forward the back wall, so the lemur is in a progressively smaller area. In here, we can more easily give them medicine injected from a syringe to put them to sleep, before moving them to the procedure table.

Dan, with a bunch of hands (and people) tending to his care.

 

The picture above has a lot going on.  On the left, the veterinary resident, Dr. Mumm, has the anesthesia mask on the head of the lemur, while also looking in his eyes to assess their health. To the right, a veterinary student uses the stethoscope to listen to the heartbeat and respiration. On top, the small red cell-phone looking thing is a monitor. We clip the wire probes to the lemur to get oxygen saturation, heart rate and other values.

 

Here’s another view, with the lemur getting anesthesia and oxygen through the mask, the “cell phone” (really, it’s called a VetScan) with the cords connected to the lemur.

The photo above shows four new things to focus on. First, near the lemur’s head is a small tube. This is eye lube, and is added to each eye to make sure they stay moist. The second thing to note is Dr. Mumm using her hands to palpate Dan’s entire body. Then, another veterinary student, has the clipboard and is in charge of tracking vital signs and writing everything down that is done. The final item to note, for those that can see colors, is the collar around the lemur’s neck, with some blue cable ties. Dan has blue cable ties.

 

Misa, getting his new collar placed on.

 

Why collars, and why colored cable ties? Since I cannot wait for you to answer I will just share the why. All our lemurs wear collars that allow us to track them should they leave their habitat. We use radio telemetry, and our team actually practices lemur escape and recapture drills with the equipment. (Click here, or here to see some past posts about tracker drills). The cable ties are added to assure the collars stay on, and once we add them, we decided to give each lemur their own color.  The colors allow us to more quickly identify each lemur. Misa gets yellow cable ties. The batteries on the collars have to be replaced annually, so during their physicals we take them off and replace with a new one (each lemur therefore has two collars- one on them, and one we send out for replacement batteries prior to physicals).

Vet Tech Laurel tending to lemur teeth.

 

 

Here, one of the students gets a blood sample. (Remember which lemur has the blue collar…). Each lemur has a blood sample taken. They all get vaccines, a TB test, and some fluids.

 

When we’re done, the anesthesia gets turned off (they receive just oxygen at this point), and reversal medicines are injected. As the lemur wakes, we set them back in their crate so we can monitor them as we move on to the next lemur. Below is a close up of one of the lemurs back in his crate, and then Dr. Mumm, attempting to make friends with one who is fully recovered.

 

Lemur physicals are an exciting time. The Animal Care Team staff has to have their A-game making sure the lemurs are crated and ready to go. We get to have Veterinary students learning for their intended career, and new residents participating in our veterinary procedures. Lots of moving parts, lots of training, and lots of learning go into lemur physicals every year.

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MLS Mailbag No.3 https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/mls-mailbag-no-3/ Fri, 10 Mar 2023 15:08:57 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8115 The MLS Mailbag answers your questions about introducing new critters to the Museum, exhibit intent, and just how much we spend feeding our animal friends!

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Hello and welcome to a weekly feature on lifeandscience.org in which I take your questions about the Museum of Life and Science and answer them in mailbag form. Hopefully, the final product is insightful to some degree, and we have a little fun along the way!

Let’s get to it.

How do you know when to bring another animal to MLS? How do you find a good fit? – sab0tron on Instagram

Starting this week’s MLS Mailbag off with a BANGER of a question with an equally bangarang answer. As has become my wont, I turned to Senior Director of Animal Care Sherry Samuels to learn what there is to know about this process.

It boils down to this. It’s usually easy to know when to bring an animal in — an animal has died, or left, and a vacancy needs to be filled. Sometimes it’s as simple as needing new animals for education programs. Other times, it’s about capacity. For example, we can house several birds in the Carolina Wildlife aviary, so we connect often with local rehabbers for birds who need a home. And occasionally, it’s down to external factors. Our red wolves’ movements are determined by red wolf recovery and management groups, so those are sort of decided for us!

But let’s get to that second question because Sherry says the hardest part is finding the animal that is the best fit for the Museum.

“We know our education team uses certain animals for programs, like a bearded dragon, chinchilla, or ball python,” Sherry said. “In these cases, we ask questions and learn what we can about the critter’s current status, like its housing set up, diet, handleability, veterinary care, age, etc. We learn as much as we can through documentation, but we also send team members to meet animals and talk with their current human caregivers.”

The same can be said for non-program animals. We agreed to give Little Bear a home when asked because the Museum had the space and because she is female. Only one male per sleuth (the name for a group of bears) is our rule, so Gus is king!

Gus (right) and Little Bear (left) shortly after Little was introduced to the sleuth.

 

Playtime for Gus (the upside down one) and Little (the composed one).

Can the big earth sphere get a Jupiter option on it? – Elise

Oh, man. Science on a Sphere is one of my personal faves inside the Museum. I didn’t realize watching digitized real-time climate patterns on a massive globe could be so engrossing, but it is. And did you know there’s a sea turtle migration option? YEAH! It shows the main currents sea turtles use around the world.

Visitors checking out Science on a Sphere. This could be you! It SHOULD be you! What are you doing still reading this??

Anyway, Jupiter. I got up with MLS Exhibits Engineer Kyle Zobel to help us learn a little more about the piece’s capabilities.

“The big earth sphere has a whole lot of program options that we can run, including one of Jupiter and all the other planets in the solar system,” Kyle said. “Sometimes we even run the planet programs during special events or when someone on the museum staff requests it.

“Most of the time though, we choose programs that fit in with the weather theme since the exhibit is located in our weather gallery. Lots of things about earth, like how storms form, how weather changes over time, and some of our local neighbors that affect our weather like the moon!”

So, as cool as it would be to have the stormy eye of Jupiter displayed so close, it’s really important to maintain focus on exhibit intent. Science on a Sphere is part of our Weather exhibit and is intended to display worldwide climate data sets from NOAA and NASA as they play out across the digital globe.

How much does the Museum spend on food for the animals annually? – Igor

At this point, Sherry and I are best friends and I rely on her input to help me plan my day and every move I make. Just kidding. Sort of.

Taking into account all of our animals, Sherry informed me that the Museum of Life and Science spends roughly $38,000 on food annually, with another $10,000 of food coming via donation (typically rodents for snakes and some of our more omnivorous birds and mammals). That’s, like, a million times more than my annual grocery budget, so let’s break it down a bit!

Our pals in The Farmyard (goats, chickens, bulls, alpacas, a donkey, and a pig) consume an estimated $12,000 in food, and the total bill for our four bears is pretty much the same. One of the biggest pieces of the total annual food costs is produce — yummy fruits and veggies — weighing in at more than $10,000.

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That’s all for now, y’all! I hope you will join me next week for more questions and more answers.

If you have a question you’d like answered or are looking forward to the rest of the Carolina Hurricanes’ season as much as I am, you can drop us a note here.

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Our Engineers Day design process https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/our-engineers-day-design-process/ Tue, 07 Mar 2023 18:49:17 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8062 Go behind the scenes of what it takes to put on an event like Engineers Day — ideation to execution.

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I was very excited to plan Engineers Day this year. I was excited because as a popular reoccurring event, I knew that our community loves it. I was excited because I knew it would involve a ton of awesome, hands-on activities. And I was most excited to plan Engineers Day because I knew very little about engineering.

I studied biology, with emphasis on ecology and paleontology. To me, technology has always been a helpful tool that someone else will teach me how to use, rather than a part of a process I feel comfortable shaping. However, here at the Museum of Life and Science, we value “inquiry-based learning,” and understand that growth happens when you explore new ideas. Despite my trepidation at putting together an event with content out of my wheelhouse, I was excited to start my inquiries.

Participants take the lead building their own Lunar Lander with the help of Innovation L fellow Andrea.
Participants take the lead building their own Lunar Lander with the help of Innovation and Learning fellow Andrea.

Luckily, none of us exist in a vacuum. With the input of our tinkerers in the Innovation and Learning department, our Exhibits engineers, and the many community partners that contributed to planning this event (a big thanks to Kendra Settles, Dawn Trembath, the Duke Academy for Model Aeronautics, and NC State’s High Powered Rocketry Club), we put together a day packed with activities in the hopes that it would enrich our visitors’ experience and encourage hands-on engagement.

In the engineering design process, there’s a period of brainstorming followed by research and planning. However, real learning happens once we’re able to test our creations. This is where you come in. We can plan these events for months, brainstorm across departments, and bring in community experts to share their knowledge, but we won’t really know how the event will work until the day comes and the people arrive.

In Studio Earth, visitors painstakingly designed boats from natural materials to float along the Earth Moves stream.

I spend event days on my feet, checking in on activities and helping wherever I’m needed. This Saturday, I spent the day grinning as I watched both kids and adults take on engineering challenges and ask incredible questions of our engineers. Our wonderful facilitators, volunteers, and community partners explore in tandem with our guests, and I made note of a thousand different things that I’m excited to update and hone for future events.

Planning and running this event demystified engineering for me and made me feel more comfortable trying something new. I hope that attending the event had the same effect on our visitors, and that folks feel empowered to delve into this field on their own.

Now, I get to start the design process all over again and begin brainstorming for next year. Keep tinkering and testing in the meantime, and we can see how much we all grow!

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Imagine Durham 2100 https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/imagine-durham-2100/ Thu, 02 Mar 2023 19:34:15 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8039 How will Durham look in 2100? We co-created an exhibit with the Hayti Heritage Center to ask community members that very question.

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By Angela Lee (Executive/Artistic Director of Hayti Heritage Center) and Max Cawley (Director of Climate Research and Engagement, Museum of Life and Science)

Over the past year, the Hayti Heritage Center and the Museum of Life and Science have brought together families in Durham to ask them to create pieces of visual art that reflect their values, perspectives, and priorities for the future of Durham. The pieces you see on exhibit were developed through a process of asking evocative, thought-provoking, and sometimes challenging questions about what sort of future people want to see for their community — the community that their children and grandchildren will inherit. What should Durham look like in 2100?

The artwork exhibited in Imagine Durham 2100 was created by families engaged in the Hayti Heritage Center’s incredible Saturday Youth Arts Enrichment Program (SYAEP), through a series of seven co-designed programs. Several pieces were also created through a partnership with Families Moving Forward by families who were guests at FMF’s NEST (Neighbors Experiencing Success Together) in Downtown Durham.

The policies of the future related to climate and environmental change, equity, and human well-being ought to center on and trust peoples’ ability to tell their stories and voice their priorities honestly — the artwork we create is a direct expression of these stories and perspectives and has tremendous meaning and value to science, planning, and policy.

This program was made possible through a Climate Change and Human Health Seed Grant from Burroughs Wellcome Fund and in partnership with Duke School of Medicine, Families Moving Forward, and the Carolinas Collaborative for Climate, Health, and Equity (C3HE).

You can see these incredible works of art in the Terrace Gallery on the second floor of the Museum’s Main Building.

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MLS Mailbag No. 2 https://www.lifeandscience.org/blog/mls-mailbag-no-2/ Wed, 01 Mar 2023 22:24:55 +0000 https://www.lifeandscience.org/?p=8022 The MLS Mailbag returns to answer your questions about the sleep habits of butterflies, the fate of a certain trash can, and how our wolves are getting along!

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Hello and welcome to a weekly feature on lifeandscience.org in which I take your questions about the Museum of Life and Science and answer them in mailbag form. Hopefully, the final product is insightful to some degree, and we have a little fun along the way!

Let’s get to it.

Do butterflies sleep? – thelozen on Instagram

Head down to the Magic Wings Butterfly House and you’ll notice that our winged friends are often as busy as the honeybees in the Insectarium next door, so it’s only natural to wonder if they rest. I come bearing good news — yes, butterflies and moths do sleep! But not like you and me!

According to Uli Hartmond, the Museum’s Butterfly House Director, butterfly sleep is called “roosting” or “half-sleep,” which describes the periods when butterflies rest for longer than a few minutes at a time. For some species of butterflies — lookin’ at you, Miss Monarch — roosting periods can last for entire months as a form of overwintering or hibernation. Fingers crossed human hibernation periods become a thing soon.

Some of our longwing butterflies in roost. Some of our guests understandably captivated.

ANYWAY, it can be hard to tell when butterflies and moths are in roost because of a big difference between humans and lepidopterans. They don’t have eyelids! Butterflies and moths won’t look like they’re sleeping to us, but there are some behaviors we can see that let us know they’re catching those sweet, sweet Zs.

“Our butterflies clearly respond to the diurnal cycle of day and night,” Uli said. “Butterflies can be observed hanging motionless from leaves and twigs with their wings folded after dusk and during the night, sometimes in large groups. Moths do the same thing during the day.”

Whatever happened to the hippo trash can that talked when you threw something away? I loved it as a child and used to pick up trash just to hear it talk! – Rachel

Truth time. I’ve only been at the Museum for a few months and, while I have learned a lot and get to exercise my science and nature-loving side, I was kind of at a loss for this one. Just kidding, I have amazing coworkers who have a lot of institutional knowledge, and we were able to figure it out.

As far as we can tell, the story goes that the talking hippopotamus trash can (or Litter Hippo as I have taken to calling it) went out of commission in the early- to mid-1990s when it could no longer be repaired. Ultimately, the Museum decided not to replace it.

Shout out to Sherry Samuels and Jennifer Armstrong for the big-time assist.

It MUST be stated that in real life, hippos do NOT love trash. It is never, ever on the menu for them. Do not feed hippos trash. Do not feed hippos full stop.

Have you observed any breeding between your red wolves Oak and Niko? – Veronica

HERE WE GO. Ok, for y’all not in the know, we welcomed two new red wolves to Explore the Wild this past autumn. Niko (male) and Oak (female) came to us from our similarly wolfy pals at NC State University and are a breeding pair, which means exactly what it sounds like. The Museum has a steady history of producing pups with the most recent litters born in 2017, 2018, and 2019, so here’s to increasing the red wolf population in 2023.

Enough from me on this. Here are the experts.

“We have observed breeding attempts with the red wolves,” Senior Director of Animal Care Sherry Samuels said. “We’ve seen mounting several times, but no tie yet. Realize, of course, we don’t have eyes on the wolves every second of every day, so we don’t know if the pair has tied. Regardless, now is the time we just wait and see if we will be fortunate enough to welcome new red wolves to the planet at the Museum this spring.”

Sherry used some potentially unfamiliar words there, so check out Ranger Greg’s blog on the subject to learn more!

Our red wolves, Oak (left) and Niko (right). When I smile, I’m definitely a Niko.

Why is Lightning the best in the world? – nnpow on Instagram

Lightning is a mood, a vibe, a whole aesthetic. There is no answering this question. He just IS.

Lightning the donkey is the way.

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That’s all for now, y’all! I hope you will join me next week for more questions and more answers.

If you have a question you’d like answered or you’re looking forward to season three of The Mandalorian as much as I am, you can drop us a note here.

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