Image courtesy of Davidson, J. P. (2002). Bonehead mistakes: The background in scientific literature and illustrations for Edward Drinker Cope’s first restoration of Elasmosaurus platyurus. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Vol. 152, p. 220 (via JSTOR)

Fossil remains of Plesiosaurus macrocephalus, a large marine reptile similar to Elasmosaurus platyurus.

Bone Wars: The Cope-Marsh Rivalry - ANSP’s 200 Stories

Othniel Charles Marsh (left) and Edward Drinker Cope Ewell Sale Stewart Library & Archives coll. 457

The rivalry between brilliant paleontologists Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh dominated American science during the second half of the 19th century. Marsh and Cope’s relationship soured when Cope showed off his fossil of Elasmosaurus, a large marine reptile from the Late Cretaceous period, and Marsh pointed out that the vertebrae (backbones) were oriented backwards. After a sharp exchange they agreed to have Academy curator Joseph Leidy decide who was right. Leidy promptly removed the head from one end and placed it on what Cope had thought was the tail. Afterwards, Cope frantically tried to collect all copies of a recently printed publication that contained his erroneous reconstruction. Leidy exposed the error and attempted cover-up at the next meeting of the Academy of Natural Sciences.

The rivalry between Cope and Marsh went from bad to worse. Although their race to discover and name new species yielded many fossil discoveries, it drove both men to extremes. Cope’s rushed work was plagued by careless errors. Marsh often resorted to bribery and bullying in the pursuit of specimens. Their exchanges in print were filled with poisonous charges and countercharges of errors, distortions, and fraud. At first these exchanges were limited to scientific journals, but later they made their way to the newspapers.

The Bone Wars between Marsh and Cope became so intense that Joseph Leidy veered away from his studies of vertebrate paleontology of the West. Learn how Leidy continued to develop a prolific career in other areas. 

“The competition between Cope and Marsh marked an extraordinarily productive period in American paleontology. Together, these two men discovered and described more than 140 new species of fossil animals” (Getting to know Cope, ANSP, 2011)

Click here to see this story online at ANSP’s 200 Stories series!

An awesome rendering of naturalist, Titian Ramsey Peale (via Wikimedia Commons)

Adding this one to my file for the Academy. I spent some time talking to my thesis adviser this morning (thanks, Skype!) and have really kicked it into gear in terms of getting things done. Thank goodness for vacation time! I’m not usually the type to actually get things done during vacation, but I suppose there’s a time for everything!

Keep questioning,
Sara 

Uploading a new picture of Frankenmoose, thanks to my friend and fellow Academy volunteer/employee, Erica Lucy. I saw Erica’s series titled “Creature Fear,” and was happy to recognize the furry faces of animals in the Academy’s dioramas. I’m excited to add the work of such a talented photographer to my thesis, even if it is only a photo or two. I might just have to make room for more! 

Keep questioning,
Sara 

Evolution in the air, ANSP’s 200 Stories

Title page for Leidy’s Flora and Fauna within Living Animals

Several historians have used the phrase “evolution was in the air” to describe the sentiment common among many naturalists and scientists during the first half of the 19th century. Evidence of the diversity of life in the tropics, the anatomical similarities among different groups of animals, and the succession of fossil forms over time challenged the idea of creation. Notable Europeans, including Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, proposed a variety of theories for evolutionary change or transmutation (the altering of one species into another).

In the United States, Academy naturalist Joseph Leidy discussed transmutation in the introduction to his 1853 monograph Flora and Fauna within Living Animals. He explained that “there appear to be but trifling steps from the oscillating particle of inorganic matter, to a Bacterium; from this to a Vibrio, thence to a Monas, and so gradually up to the highest orders of life!” His ideas were unpopular among some of his colleagues, yet six years later, widespread debate on the subject exploded with Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species.

Edgar Allen Poe at the Academy, ANSP’s 200 Stories

Daguerreotype showing the interior of the Academy of Natural Sciences, ca. 1840, Ewell Sale Stewart Library & Archives, Coll. 9

This image may be the earliest interior photograph taken in the United States and is almost certainly the first taken inside a museum. It’s a daguerreotype, a form of early photography developed by Louis Daguerre. Philadelphia inventor Paul Beck Goddard had dramatically enhanced this process a year after the French announced it in 1839. Exposure times were reduced from one hour to minutes.

This daguerreotype, taken by Academy member Goddard himself, features a teenage Joseph Leidy (center), who would later become one of the leading American scientists of his time. The young man seated on the right—known for his keen interest in natural history, chemistry, and phrenology (not to mention his writing talent)—is Edgar Allan Poe.

The Academy still is a haven for successful writers. To see some of our scientists’ work, visit We Wrote the Book, an exhibit located outside our Ewell Sale Stewart Library & Archives. The exhibit features a sample of the hundreds of books written by men and women with ties to the Academy of Natural Sciences.  

Ernest Hemingway, Ewell Sale Stewart Library & Archives, Coll. 707

ANSP’s 200 Stories: read about Hemingway’s contribution to the Academy here.

One of my favorite writers at the Academy? A killer pairing!

Keep questioning,
Sara 

Lake Hovsgol, Mongolia

ANSP’s 200 Stories

“When he first set eyes on Lake Hovsgol during the summer of 1994, Clyde Goulden knew it was special. Also known as Hövsgöl Nuur, Lake Hovsgol is located near Mongolia’s northern border with Russia. It’s nearly 85 miles long, more than 800 feet deep, and among the oldest lakes in the world. It’s also remarkably pristine. One could drink freely from its waters and see fish swimming 30 feet below its surface. Locals refer to it as the ‘blue pearl.’”

To read the rest of this story, click here.

Keep questioning,
Sara 

As part of my thesis, I’m going to be posting some of the Academy’s 200 Stories here on my blog, not only to raise awareness of this awesome initiative (200 stories about the institution - one a day until the 200th anniversary of ANSP!), but also as a means of hosting photos for my Google Earth file.

To read more about Frankenmoose, as he is fondly nicknamed, click here.

Keep questioning,
Sara 

Brooke Dolan II: Ewell Sale Stewart Library & Archives Coll. 457 (via ANSP)

I am happy to announce that progress on my thesis has finally gained momentum! I was able to go through the archives at the Ewell Sale Stewart Library at the Academy the other day to enhance my project, and I’ve gotten really excited* about doing more research.

Last Thursday, I put a few hours aside in the hopes of gathering photos for the research I did on Brooke Dolan’s second expedition to Western China & Eastern Tibet (1934-1936) for the Academy. Little did I know that the hours would quickly get away from me. I didn’t anticipate being in the library for more than an hour, but I was happily paging through folders upon folders of old documents for just over three hours.

Dolan’s unprecedented expeditions became the building blocks for many of the dioramas that have made themselves home at the Academy today. And to think, he was only in his early twenties! I’ve gotta get moving on my own aspirations and personal goals…

Keep questioning,
Sara 

* Believe me… I’m monumentally excited about this. I’ve suppressed the urge to use multiple exclamation points. At the end of each sentence.

John James Audubon (left) and Alexander Wilson: Ewell Sale Stewart Library & Archives Coll. 457 (via ANSP)

To read more about Audubon, Wilson, and American ornithology check out the story here; it’s part of the Academy of Natural Sciences’ 200 Stories leading up to their bicentennial celebration in March, 2012.

Keep questioning,
Sara 

npr:

Map an installation by Aram Bartholl (via architizer)

It’s happening. — Wright

First of all, I think this is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen! Secondly, I’m proud to share that I’m finally making some progress on my Google Earth file for the Academy of Natural Sciences. I went through a bit of a lull, with summer camps and my part-time job munching through much of my free time this summer. Now that school is back in full swing, I have dedicated more time to the Academy and my thesis.

(Reminder: I’m creating a KML file for ANSP in honor of their upcoming 200th anniversary! The file will be an exploration for the institution’s supporters, documenting the Academy’s global reach in scientific research.)

I’ve been spending a few hours a week at the Academy in an effort to make some progress on the KML file. I’ve finally played around with Google’s Spreadsheet Mapper, a program that makes it easier to plot several locations in Google Earth with a streamlined layout, and it’s been just the impetus I need to get moving on my project! 

I can’t wait to share more with you all, but for now, visit the ANSP Bicentennial page on the Academy’s website. In honor of the upcoming celebration, the Academy is posting a series of 200 stories about the institution, for the 200 days leading up to the big day: March 21, 2012!

Keep questioning,
Sara 

(via poptech)

(Taken with instagram)

Today was the first of a two-day festival at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.  I spent a few hours at the museum for the festivities and to support the organization that I’ve grown to respect and love so dearly over the past few months.

Although I was initially hesitant about interning at the Academy, and it took me some time to warm up to the idea of sharing space with hissing cockroaches and macroinvertebrates, I feel so proud of this organization. Not only because it is a wonderful educational venue, but because the museum has given the people of Philadelphia a place of scientific research to call their own.

My favorite part of today’s Bug Fest was the “Ask An Entomologist” area, where pieces of historic and current beetle collections were on display, a Charlie Brown-esque “The Expert is IN” booth was set up, and staff entomologists Jon Gelhaus and Jason Weintraub were sharing their research with the public.

I ran into a few kids from summer camp, too, which was really inspiring. The fact that these kids are excited to learn and come to the Academy at every chance they get is such a beautiful thing. I had a great time, even though I didn’t get my hands on any chocolate chirp cookies…

If you’re in the area, you should go check it out tomorrow from 10-5 at the Academy!

Keep questioning,
Sara 

(Source: birdwings)

discoverynews:

sciencecenter:

The Australian Peacock Spider. Its mating rituals are just as bizarre as its appearance.

Fabulous video. Watch this.

I was never one for bugs… but now that I’ve been spending many of my waking hours at the Academy, I’ve developed a thicker skin and even a bit of a fondness for them. Good timing, since the Academy’s highly-anticipated Bug Fest is this weekend!

As I was gathering supplies for the activities I created for next week’s camp theme: Ancient Animals, I was amid the hustle and bustle of the education department’s Bug Fest preparations. It’s a crazy-huge event at the Academy, with a TON of fun events for science-lovers of all ages, including insect cuisine. I may or may not have tried my first chocolate chirp cookie… you don’t even want to know.

Keep questioning,
Sara