May 2014

Monthly Archive: May 2014

Moonbird re-sighting

Posted: May 30, 2014 - 09:13 , by royal
Categories: 
From the Field, What's New, Ornithology, Research
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The orange flag on this Red Knot's leg indicates it was banded in Argentina.

Back in 1995 ROM ornithologist Dr. Allan Baker was part of an international team that banded a small shorebird in Argentina, a Red-knot soon to become dubbed Moonbird, with a leg band with the number B95 on it.

Weapon Wednesday: Swords from the Philippines

Posted: May 28, 2014 - 14:30 , by Robert Mason
Categories: 
Weapon Wednesday, World Culture, Collections
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17-18th century Filipino sword #927.59.47 (photo W.C. Pratt)

The ROM's collecton of swords from the Phillipines is outlined in the context of the history and geography of the archipelago.

 

Snapshots of Biodiversity: A Photo Essay on the 2014 Ontario BioBlitz

Posted: May 26, 2014 - 15:41 , by ROM
Categories: 
Nature, Natural History, Biodiversity, Research
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A scientist and a youth look closely at a specimen on a table next to a microscope.

The 2014 Ontario BioBlitz brought 500+ registrants together this past weekend to find and catalogue biodiversity in the Humber River watershed, and students from the Environmental Visual Communication (EVC) Program were there to capture the event from every angle.

Epic Civilizations During ROM Revealed: A Volunteer's Perspective

Posted: May 22, 2014 - 08:31 , by Deepali Dewan
Categories: 
ROM Revealed, Ancient Cultures, Contemporary Culture, Education & Engagement, World Culture, Programs and Events
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Hung out with lions and dragons at volunteer post in Far Eastern Department. Saw 250,000 year old mand mad artifacts. How was your Sat? #ROMrevealed

Guest blogger, Amanjeet Chauhan sums up her experience as a volunteer during ROM Revealed Weekend.

Happy International Museum Day!

Posted: May 18, 2014 - 09:00 , by Cheryl Fraser
Categories: 
International Museum Day, Education & Engagement, Exhibitions and Galleries, ROM Social Media
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Visitors take a selfie inside the bat cave.

Since 1977, Museums around the world have been celebrating International Museum Day on May 18.  Each year, a new theme is selected and this year we're celebrating "Museum collections make connections".

Study explores evolution of flightless birds

Posted: May 16, 2014 - 11:58 , by royal
Categories: 
Nature, Biodiversity, Natural History, Ornithology, Research
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Tinamous
Allan Baker and colleagues from Royal Ontario Museum, University of Toronto and Ontario Institute for Cancer Research used genetic techniques to show that tinamous, small flying birds from Central and South America, evolved within the ratites group.

DNA confirms relationship between the giant flightless moa and the tinamous

Posted: May 13, 2014 - 12:46 , by royal
Categories: 
Biodiversity, Ornithology, Research
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One of the longest running debates in ornithology may finally  have an answer thanks to new ROM research published in science journal Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Kissing the Cod!

Posted: May 13, 2014 - 09:37 , by ROM
Categories: 
Nature, Biodiversity, Natural History, Research
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A close up shot of the blue whales baleen.

Environmental communicator Jacqueline Waters shares more of her experience on the ground with the ROM team working to recover a blue whale carcass in NL.

My first day in Trout River, Newfoundland: ROM biologists arrive, town is curious

Posted: May 7, 2014 - 09:04 , by ROM
Categories: 
Nature, Biodiversity, Natural History, Research
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A blue whale carcass lies upside down in the water near a rocky shoreline.

Jacqueline Waters shares her impressions from Day 1 of the ROM's efforts to recover a Blue whale specimen near Trout River, NL.

Rhinoceros Reminder that Conservation Requires Continued Commitment

Posted: May 2, 2014 - 16:00 , by ROM
Categories: 
Biodiversity, Natural History, Nature, Collections
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A large make Southern white rhino dominates the entrance to the ROM's biodiversity gallery

A surge in the poaching of Southern White Rhinoceros made the ROM reconsider the presentation of our iconic specimen.