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New Acquisition: Late Triassic Araucarian Conifer
Last week the museum recieved our newly acquired Late Triassic Araucarian Conifer, purchased with the generous support of the Louise Hawley Stone Charitable Trust- Acquisitions Fund. This vertically-sectioned, polished fossil tree trunk stands nearly 2 metres in height and it over one-half metre
New Acquisitions: Screening Process
Ever wonder what the process is whenever the ROM gets a new acquisitions? Well wonder no more! Here is the general process of how the ROM screens new acquisitions. The acquisition procedure typically begins with an email, letter, or phone call from someone wanting to make a donation to the
NEW Discovery: A Bone-headed Dinosaur the size of a Dog
This week the prestigious scientific journal Nature Communications reported the discovery of a new species of dinosaur, Acrotholus audeti. It is the oldest bone-headed dinosaur ever unearthed in North America. The unusual dog-sized, plant-eating dinosaur was discovered by palaeontologists Dr.
New Research from the Burgess Shale: Thorny worms that swarmed in the Cambrian seas
Hallucigenia sparsa is no ordinary animal. This poster child of the Burgess Shale biota is the ultimate weirdo, and the ROM holds the world’s largest collection of specimens. New research published July 31st in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series B, provides fresh new revelations about
NEW RESEARCH: Seed Eating May Have Helped Beaked Birds Survive
Living birds may have their ancestors' beaks to thank for surviving the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs. New research indicates the closest relatives of modern birds, the small feathered raptor dinosaurs and primitive toothed birds, went extinct abruptly at the end of the
New to ROM: Frances Ferdinands
For over a decade, the ROM has steadily acquired the work of contemporary Canadian artists who are part of the South Asian diaspora. Such collecting is important not only to provide points of context and contrast with ROM’s historical South Asian collections, but also to preserve the complexities
New to ROM: Nao Uda, Words Fail Me, 2013-15
Nao Uda, born in Yokohama in 1983, is a contemporary Japanese artist who works in drawings, photography, and paintings. Having received her BFA at the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 2007, Nao lived in Toronto as an artist in residence at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Center thanks to a
New to ROM: Tiger Claw Necklace
Hunting trophy. Victorian jewelry. Conservation symbol. This tiger claw necklace comes from the late 19th century, during the time of the British Raj in India. Such ornaments were made from the claws of tigers killed during popular elite hunting activities. On the one hand, it is quite a beautiful
New Website Launch
I am very pleased today to announce the launch of the Royal Ontario Museum’s new website. The new www.rom.on.ca provides an essential online destination for trusted information about our world. You’ll have direct access to ROM research, collections and curatorial expertise as never before.
Next Stop Mars! New NASA Rover Launched
By Brendt Hyde, Mineralogy Technician Curiosity starts its journey towards Mars! (Image Credit NASA/Scott Andrews/Canon) On November 26, 2011 at 10:02 am EST, NASA successfully launched its next rover, Curiosity, towards Mars. As discussed on the ROM Blog in November, Curiosity will help to
No Cutting Corners: Canada C3 Explores our Country's Coastline
Guest Blog written by 2017 Environmental Visual Communication student Mary Paquet Have you ever been in a place where you knew that not many other people had ever stepped foot? As an “ocean nation”, surrounded on three sides by the longest coastline of any other country, there are nooks and
Not just for show: how and why museum specimens are collected
Guest blog by Environmental Visual Communication student Samantha Stephens I don’t know which is more overpowering- the dense 35 o C air, or the peculiar rotting scent- but when I opened the first bolted door, both hit me like a powerful wave. The sign on the second door seemed quite appropriate.
Notes from Oman: Part 2
Dr. Sarah Fee, Associate Curator, Eastern Hemisphere Textiles & Costumes, is the first-ever recipient of the YPC Research Fund. This November 2011, YPC supported Sarah’s trip to Oman to research ancient forms of pitloom weaving and the trade routes of the Muscat cloth, which will inform part
Notes from Oman: Part 3
Dr. Sarah Fee, Associate Curator, Eastern Hemisphere Textiles & Costumes, is the first-ever recipient of the YPC Research Fund. This November 2011, YPC supported Sarah’s trip to Oman to research ancient forms of pitloom weaving and the trade routes of the Muscat cloth, which will inform part
NOUVELLE RECHERCHE: Les graines auraient pu aider les oiseaux munis d’un bec à survivre
Si les oiseaux actuels ont survécu à l’extinction massive des dinosaures, c’est peut-être grâce au bec de leurs ancêtres. D’après une nouvelle recherche, les proches parents des oiseaux modernes, les petits dinosaures à plumes de type raptor et les oiseaux primitifs munis de dents,
Objects and stories from Namibia
Sometimes collections grow out of chance encounters and long distance personal relationships. A couple of years ago, I was put in touch with Nharo!, a Toronto based fair trade company, by my colleague Trudy Nicks, who is a passionate explorer of the CNE international pavilion. Last year, this
Of Africa at the ROM. Exploring the complexity of African and Diasporic experience.
The third week of October marked the launch of the three-year multi-platform project Of Africa: a rich and thought-provoking series of talks and performances entitled Histories, Collections, Reflections. Led by independent curators Julie Crooks and Dominique Fontaine and myself, Of Africa is a
Of India and Modernism: Youngo Verma
Youngo Verma (1938-2014), Tantra 21, New Dehi, India, Graphite on Paper, 1981, 36 x 48 inches. ROM 2014.14.1 Recently, the ROM acquired a work by Canadian-Indian artist Youngo Verma (1938-2014) that exemplifies his work with organic abstract forms. Pulling from an Indian “neo-tantric” visuality
Of Quilts and Quilting
By Joan Schiff, Chair of the Programs and Events Committee, Friends of Textiles and Costume. Left: Fashionable ladies in 18th century Britain wore quilted petticoats for warmth and beauty. Right: Love Apple is an example of a wedding quilt from the ROM’s collection. As fall approaches, thoughts
Oh Canada! Celebrating our history
Recently, the Hon. James Moore, federal Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, announced the creation of a new initiative: Canada History Week. Its goal is to help make history more accessible to all Canadians and particularly to youth. It is only fitting that we should mark this
Old Collection, New Research
Dr. Chen Shen, Vice President, Senior Curator, Bishop White Chair of East Asian Archaeology at the ROM gives a preview of his presentation, Peking Man Revisited: A Who’s Who of Human Evolution at the upcoming ROM Research Colloquium this Friday, February 3 in the Signy and Cléophée Eaton
Old School Still Works
When I was a little younger, my parents gave me a black and white film processing kit. I would wait until it was dark outside and then hang towels over the bathroom window and put another towel under the door. Next, I would mix my developer, stop bath and fixer chemistry in jars and place them in
On the GO with the Maya High Priest
This morning, the ROM’s Maya High Priest hopped on the GO-Train giving commuters a surprise welcome with their morning coffees. Promoting the final days of Maya: Secrets of their Ancient World before it closes on April 9, 2012, this was a fun event for everyone (and a chilly one for the our
On the Rocks Again — in which a pair of intrepid palaeontologists head for the hinterland.
Ah, the romance of fieldwork. There’s nothing quite like waiting for the morning sun to rise high enough to illuminate a cold, wet outcrop, so that one can spend the next 8 or 9 hours kneeling in mud and splitting razor-sharp rock slabs. But we have hot coffee in the thermos, dry gloves in the
On the Shoulders of Giants – Phil Currie at the ROM on Oct. 7th
First introduced to dinosaurs through a plastic toy in a cerealbox, renowned palaeontologist Philip J. Currie embarked on a life-long journey to study these creatures of the past. Last year, he had a museum named after him—the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum in Alberta—and this year he joined
Ontario BioBlitz 2013: Report from the Field
What do you get when you gather more than 400 avidly curious citizen-scientists in a 40-square-kilometre park to count species for 24 straight hours? Well… you get more than 100 different types of bird, 80 different spiders, hundreds of insects, approaching 600 plants… and a tonne of fun! In
Ontario BioBlitz Brings Bad News for Arachnophobes
By Guest Blogger and 2014 Ontario Bioblitz Arachnid Taxon team leader Dr. Gergin Blagoev, Research Associate at the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO). I have to admit, as I pulled my bright blue “Ontario BioBlitz” t-shirt over my head on the morning of the event, I wasn’t feeling very
Ontario Road Ecology Group- Protecting biodiversity from the threat of roads
Authored by Mandy Karch Over 14,000 wildlife vehicle collisions are reported in Ontario. This number mainly reflects collisions with large wildlife (moose, deer). Many thousands more unreported collisions occur with small wildlife (snakes, frogs, turtles) and the threats of roads for some of
Ontario tables the "Invasive Species Act": What is it, and what role should natural history museums play?
By Dave Ireland, Managing Director, ROM Biodiversity The Ontario Minister of Natural Resources, David Orazietti, joined by the Ontario Biodiversity Council, which includes representation from the ROM, introduced a new piece of legislation yesterday: the Invasive Species Act. This is unprecedented
Opening a Can of Ancient Worms
David M. Rudkin, Assistant Curator in Invertebrate Palaeontology, will be presenting at the upcoming ROM Research Colloquium – join us on February 3 at 11:30am in the Signy & Cléophée Eaton Theatre to hear more about An Embarrassment of Worms: Fossil Priapulida from the Silurian of
Opening Night for A Third Gender: Beautiful Youths in Japanese Prints
Written by Sofia D’Amico (Student at Fordham University) Supervised by Asato Ikeda (Assistant Professor at Fordham University and Research Associate at the Royal Ontario Museum) Cue the unsophisticated toddler: that’s me. Pan to the setting: that’s Japan Society full of well-established
Origins of a Collection: A look at R.S. Williams' Historic Musical Instruments
I Have a House and Land in Kent. Compsed by Thomas Ravenscroft (arranged by Richard M S Irwin for Flute, Violin, Bassoon and Harp), 1611. *Please Note: This composition is not from the exact period as the ROM's Hooked Harp. The ROM’s Collection The ROM holds a wonderful collection of
Our Darling Dermestids- A Visit to the ROM's Bug Room
Guest blog written by 2015 Environmental Visual Communication student Robert Elliot How does the Royal Ontario Museum get their Skeletons so clean without compromising their integrity? A well-kept colony of hide beetles cleans every crevice of the various cadavers in the ROM’s bug room with
Our first Google+ Hangout on Air
Yesterday, we hosted our first Google+ Hangout on Air at Crestwood School here in Toronto. We tagged along with Burton Lim, Assistant Curator of Mammalogy, and Dave Ireland Managing Director of ROM Biodiversity, as they visited the school to talk about bats and to supervise a school program
Our Future is Deep in the Ocean
Guest blog written by 2017 Environmental Visual Communication student Shawn Wu 我们的未来在海洋深处 "Our Future is Deep in the Ocean" Charm, size, beauty... blue whales also help fight climate change This blog, written in Mandarin by a graduate student studying at the ROM,
Our NBA All-Star Starting 5
With the NBA All-Star game in town this weekend we got to thinking, what if Dinosaurs could play?! We held try-outs and here's our starting five! Point Guard- Deinonychus A Raptor (see what we did there?) with good pack mentality, killer instincts, and big hands, Deinonychus would
Our next Google+ Hangout on Air: De-Extinction
Join us for our next Google+ Hangout on Air on September 24th at NOON. Topic: De-Extinction De-Extinction is a word that you don't hear very often but one that is circling within scientific communities, particularly those scientists interested in biodiversity conservation and genetics. What
Our Top 10 Blog posts of 2016
We are fortunate to have a lot to talk about here at the museum. With collections that span art, culture, and nature we can cover many topics. Here's a quick look at ten blogs that resonated with people in 2016. As always, we appreciate you taking the time to read our blog, if there's
Overgrown Bone — A ROM Paleontologist identifies the fish with the swollen head
Originally published in the Summer 2010 edition of ROM Magazine. Bluecheek Silver grunt Q. I found this object on a beach in Oman. I think it might be part of a fish skull. If it is, can you tell me what kind of fish it is from? Mike Silver, Toronto A. You are indeed correct: it is part of a
Pacifist Males & Warrior Females
During the recent Hero-themed Friday Night Live at the ROM, I brought out examples of popular prints from the collection that explored different hero tropes in South Asian culture. Here are some of them. About a hundred year ago, mass produced colour lithographs proliferated across the South Asian
Padded Hangers 2.0: Revamping Storage for Fitted Jackets
Written by Priscilla Lo, Textiles & Fashions intern from Fleming College, under the supervision of Kristiina Lahde (Textiles & Fashions collection technician) and Karla Livingston (Textiles & Fashions senior technician) Hanging storage is a common method of housing garments within
Paul Sereno is coming to the ROM!
Paul Sereno, one of my FAVOURITE palaeontologists, is coming to @ROMToronto this Sunday and I could not be be MORE excited. Except for maybe those times when I was a kid… (cue time travel sound effect- swosh swish swash) When I was a kid I had a pretty strict bed time. For grades 3 through 5,
Phil Currie, the legend, my hero, is coming to the ROM!
One of the greatest experiences of my life occurred when I was just 7 years old. My mom took me for a week-long adventure to Alberta to visit Drumheller and the Badlands. The Badlands is an incredibly special place – the way only a barren, rocky and sandy place could be. Not only is it one
Photographer thoughts: A conversation with Mark Peck
Guest Blog written by Environmental Visual Communication student Fatima Ali In a recent CBC interview Mark Peck, the Royal Ontario Museum’s (ROM) very own ornithologist and devoted baseball fan, said, “If the baseball team plays with as much heart as the birds show in everyday life, we'll
Photography in the Field: equal parts business & pleasure
By Guest Blogger Thomas Cullen, PhD Student and ROM Fossils and Evolution researcher. While I have always been interested in research, and in particular my own field of palaeontology, I was first drawn to science through a love of natural history. Growing up I have always taken any chance
Plant Sex on Display at the World Pride FNL "OUT of the Cupboards" Event
Last Friday, June 27 th, the ROM hosted a Friday Night Live with the rainbow-coloured theme of World Pride. In addition to the usual food, drinks and music, this event included a special series of displays called “OUT of the Cupboards” where we were asked to bring out our best examples of weird
Pompeii Saga: Last Day
The horrors of the Mount Vesuvius eruption were buried under volcanic ash. Thankfully one scholarly young man wrote the story of his own survival. By: Douglas Thomson On the day Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, it spewed ash and pumice kilometres into the atmosphere. Small hail-sized pebbles
Pompeii: In the Shadow of the Volcano Opens with a Bang
If you happened to go by the ROM at night last week, you might notice that we were looking quite....volcanic. Over the week, the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal was the canvas for an outdoor activation that featured an animated Mt Vesuvius. The volcano got more and more active, culminating in an
Popular Motifs on Asafo Flags from Southern Ghana
Blog by Silvia Forni, Curator of African Arts and Culture The Fante are one of the many culturally and linguistically related groups known collectively as the Akan. They mostly live in the Central Region of Ghana, their territory extending along the coast and inland from Takoradi in the west, to
Premier Kathleen Wynne visits the Schad Gallery of Biodiversity
On Tuesday, November 24, Premier Kathleen Wynne visited the Royal Ontario Museum to announce the new Ontario Provincial Climate Change Strategy Dave Ireland, Managing Director for the Centre of Discovery in Biodiversity at the ROM greeted the Premier and toured her through the Schad Gallery of