scholarly journals Change at the Museum - The Knowledge Production of Human Evolution

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Ceder
Keyword(s):  
Human Evolution ◽  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Evolutionary Change ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Natural History Museums ◽  
Relational Approach ◽  
History Museums ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Inherent Quality

Museums today play an important role as a space for learning about science and the world. For this article, the phenomenon of human evolution is explored as an example of knowledge production about change. Empirical materials on exhibitions of human evolution were collected from visits to 25 historical and natural history museums. The empirical materials are analyzed together with a posthuman version of evolutionary theory, with a focus on aspects of change. This is based on a post-anthropocentric and relational approach to human evolution and change. The analysis shows that (i) museums face an anthropocentric tension, (ii) evolutionary change is seen as both an inherent quality of the individual species and as an entanglement of humans and the natural environment, (iii) the notion of ‘the first human’ produces various and contentious versions of knowledges about evolutionary change.

The Ghetto Intern: Culture and Memory

2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-71
Author(s):  
Heather Macdonald ◽  
David M. Goodman ◽  
Katie Howe
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Memory ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Past ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
False Dichotomy ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Mental Events ◽  
Inherent Quality

Abstract Many philosophers have argued that psychological time is a fundamental, inherent quality of consciousness that provides continuity and sequence to mental events—enabling memory. And, since memory is consciousness, psychological time enables the individual intentionality of consciousness. Levinas (1961), on the other hand, argues that an individual’s past, in the most original sense, is the past of other. The irreducible alterity of one’s past sets the stage for the other who co-determines the meaning of the past. This paper is about the exploration cultural memory within the context of a Caucasian doctoral student entering into an African-American community during an internship, who finds that cultural memories are remarkably more complicated than the propositional description of historic events. The paper further explores how cultural memory is not a record of “what happened” but a sociolinguistic creative meaning making process. Histories can be contested. Memory, on the other hand, never adheres to the strict true or false dichotomy. Memory is like searching for the Divine, it cannot be found, only revealed in mysterious and small details. Memory, is the intruding of the infinite, creating as an effect the idea of a finite (August, 2011), they are not “representations” of the past nor are they a kind of mnemonic system of subjectivism to mediate all of consciousness.

scholarly journals Exhibitions as learning environments: a review of empirical research on students’ science learning at Natural History Museums, Science Museums and Science Centres

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nils Petter Hauan ◽  
Stein Dankert Kolstø
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Science Learning ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Natural History Museums ◽  
Science Museums ◽  
Educational Activities ◽  
History Museums ◽  
Science Centres

One aim for many natural history museums, science museums and science centres is to contribute to school-related learning in science. In this article we review published empirical studies of this challenging area. The review indicates that the effectiveness of educational activities at different types of science-communication venues (SCV) in supporting students’ science learning varies. There is also evidence of interesting differences between activities, depending on how these activities are designed. Firstly, these activities can stimulate interest and conceptual focus through a well-designed combination of structure and openness. Secondly, they can stimulate talks and explorations related to the presented topics. We have identified two possible areas which might prove fruitful in guiding further research: an exploration of the effects of different designs for guided exploratory learning, and an evaluation of the effectiveness of educational activities by studying the presence and quality of the learning processes visitors are engaged in. 

scholarly journals Phylogenetic isolation of host trees affects assembly of local Heteroptera communities

2010 ◽  
Vol 277 (1691) ◽  
pp. 2227-2236 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Vialatte ◽  
R. I. Bailey ◽  
C. Vasseur ◽  
A. Matocq ◽  
M. M. Gossner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Selection Pressure ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Species Sorting ◽  
True Bugs ◽  
Isolated Trees ◽  
Host Trees ◽  
The Individual

A host may be physically isolated in space and then may correspond to a geographical island, but it may also be separated from its local neighbours by hundreds of millions of years of evolutionary history, and may form in this case an evolutionarily distinct island. We test how this affects the assembly processes of the host's colonizers, this question being until now only invoked at the scale of physically distinct islands or patches. We studied the assembly of true bugs in crowns of oaks surrounded by phylogenetically more or less closely related trees. Despite the short distances (less than 150 m) between phylogenetically isolated and non-isolated trees, we found major differences between their Heteroptera faunas. We show that phylogenetically isolated trees support smaller numbers and fewer species of Heteroptera, an increasing proportion of phytophages and a decreasing proportion of omnivores, and proportionally more non-host-specialists. These differences were not due to changes in the nutritional quality of the trees, i.e. species sorting, which we accounted for. Comparison with predictions from meta-community theories suggests that the assembly of local Heteroptera communities may be strongly driven by independent metapopulation processes at the level of the individual species. We conclude that the assembly of communities on hosts separated from their neighbours by long periods of evolutionary history is qualitatively and quantitatively different from that on hosts established surrounded by closely related trees. Potentially, the biotic selection pressure on a host might thus change with the evolutionary proximity of the surrounding hosts.

“Lucy” Up Close

2020 ◽  
pp. 128-165
Author(s):  
Kathleen C. Oberlin
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Human Evolution ◽  
Washington Dc ◽  
National Museum ◽  
Human Origins ◽  
Natural History Museums ◽  
Field Museum ◽  
History Museums ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Creation

How did Answers in Genesis make particular decisions about what to display in its exhibits at the Creation Museum? This chapter hones in on the ‘Lucy’ exhibit, the Australopithecus used to depict human evolution and our common ancestor, to examine how Answers in Genesis constructs a plausible counterclaim and compellingly depicts this to visitors. Unpacking the materiality of objects in a contested exhibit affords a close up understanding of how a group attempts to make ideas and objects credible—what techniques do they use and how do they accomplish a plausible ‘look and feel.’ The Creation Museum is compared to three natural history museums across the US that feature Lucy in its human origins exhibits: the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the Field Museum, and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC. Throughout this comparative work, this chapter underscores how mainstream institutions vary in their approach and anticipation of challengers like AiG.

Foole’s Gold

Pyrite ◽  
2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Rickard
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Human Evolution ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Natural History Museums ◽  
Time Limits ◽  
History Museums ◽  
The World ◽  
Academic Courses ◽  
The Subject

This classic opening gambit at the stereotypical drinks party always throws me. I have been a professor at a university for most of my life, so the easiest answer is that I teach. This is true, but it disguises the reality that much of my waking time has been concerned with research. If I admit this, then it becomes necessary to explain what I actually research. One of my pet subjects is pyrite. But if I let on that I research pyrite, my interlocutors look at me as though I am one of those wonderful beings who haunt the bowels of natural history museums as world experts on a rare species of toad. As with toads, most people in the world have heard of pyrite. They know it is a mineral or stone, and most know that it is also called fool’s gold, a familiar theme of moral tales and nursery stories. So the idea of someone studying pyrite is not altogether the stuff of IgNobel prizes. Within the time limits imposed by decent conversation I cannot explain that pyrite is the mineral that made the modern world. I cannot refer them to a book about it since there has not been one published about pyrite since 1725. This book is an attempt to rectify the situation. In it I contend that pyrite has had a disproportionate and hitherto unrecognized influence on developing the world as we know it today. This influence extends from human evolution and culture, through science and industry, to ancient, modern, and future Earth environments and the origins and evolution of early life on the planet. The book is aimed at making the subject accessible to the general reader. It is not a scientific monograph, since these handle only the science and are really directed at the converted: the high priests of the cathedral of science and technology and their aspirant novices. It is also not aimed at being a textbook in the conventional sense: textbooks are generally aimed at specific academic courses and ultimately pave the way for the students to understand the monographs.

Introduction

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Ulrike Kirchberger
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Ecological Change ◽  
Natural History Museums ◽  
History Museums ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
State Of Research ◽  
Temporal Dimensions ◽  
The Individual

The introduction outlines the concept of the volume. It briefly sketches the state of research, it defines the key issues and it outlines the structures, dimensions and outreaches of the networks dealt with in the book. It reflects upon informal aspects of the networks, such as correspondences and exchanges between those scientists who played important parts in the global ecological networks and feature in many of the following chapters. It also refers to the institutional infrastructures which shaped the networks and are examined in the individual chapters, such as acclimatization societies, forest administrations, botanical and zoological gardens, natural history museums, agricultural colleges and colonial research stations. Following the results of actor-network-theory, the introduction defines three categories of agents of ecological change: firstly, European scientists and colonists, secondly, non-European actors, and thirdly, non-human agents of transfer, such as animals and plants. Furthermore, the introduction addresses the temporal dimensions of the networks. It problematizes their chronological organization and the role of different forms of temporality.

scholarly journals Museums of natural history: performance indicators and evaluation criteria

2020 ◽  
pp. 15-20
Author(s):  
Nataliia Dziubenko ◽  
Andriy Andriyovych Bokotey ◽  
Oleksandr Semenovych Klymyshyn
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Quality Of Services ◽  
Natural History Museums ◽  
History Museums ◽  
State Of Affairs ◽  
Quantitative Indicators ◽  
Real State

The existing system of performance indicators of natural history museums in Ukraine, based on the analysis of the Ukrainian legislate framework and the study of foreign experience are considered in the work. It is proved that the criteria for evaluating of natural history museums performance of various profiles and subordination today are ineffective and do not reflect the real state of affairs. The efficiency of natural history museums performance is assessed in accordance with quantitative indicators (visitors number, units in the collection, etc.), but the quality of services is not mention. The emphasizes to develop and apply a standardized evaluation of museums performance as one of the most important steps towards reforming the entire museum industry in Ukraine was done.

Semi-automated methods for 3-D reconstruction of macromolecular complexes

1995 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
pp. 42-43
Author(s):  
B. Carragher ◽  
M. Whittaker
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Time Saving ◽  
Macromolecular Complexes ◽  
Symmetry Properties ◽  
Dimensional Reconstruction ◽  
Experienced Operator ◽  
Projection Images ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Natural Symmetry

Techniques for three-dimensional reconstruction of macromolecular complexes from electron micrographs have been successfully used for many years. These include methods which take advantage of the natural symmetry properties of the structure (for example helical or icosahedral) as well as those that use single axis or other tilting geometries to reconstruct from a set of projection images. These techniques have traditionally relied on a very experienced operator to manually perform the often numerous and time consuming steps required to obtain the final reconstruction. While the guidance and oversight of an experienced and critical operator will always be an essential component of these techniques, recent advances in computer technology, microprocessor controlled microscopes and the availability of high quality CCD cameras have provided the means to automate many of the individual steps.During the acquisition of data automation provides benefits not only in terms of convenience and time saving but also in circumstances where manual procedures limit the quality of the final reconstruction.

Manageable Self in the Early Hellenistic Era

2010 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-36
Author(s):  
Vaia Touna
Keyword(s):  
Social Economic ◽  
Ancient Greece ◽  
The Self ◽  
Hellenistic Period ◽  
Political Conditions ◽  
The Individual

This paper argues that the rise of what is commonly termed "personal religion" during the Classic-Hellenistic period is not the result of an inner need or even quality of the self, as often argued by those who see in ancient Greece foreshadowing of Christianity, but rather was the result of social, economic, and political conditions that made it possible for Hellenistic Greeks to redefine the perception of the individual and its relationship to others.

Reflecting the Sky in Water

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilaria Cristofaro
Keyword(s):  
The Unconscious ◽  
Related Case ◽  
Quality Of Water ◽  
Fluid Properties ◽  
Phenomenological Perspective ◽  
Auto Ethnography ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Artificial Water ◽  
Land Water

From a phenomenological perspective, the reflective quality of water has a visually dramatic impact, especially when combined with the light of celestial phenomena. However, the possible presence of water as a means for reflecting the sky is often undervalued when interpreting archaeoastronomical sites. From artificial water spaces, such as ditches, huacas and wells to natural ones such as rivers, lakes and puddles, water spaces add a layer of interacting reflections to landscapes. In the cosmological understanding of skyscapes and waterscapes, a cross-cultural metaphorical association between water spaces and the underworld is often revealed. In this research, water-skyscapes are explored through the practice of auto-ethnography and reflexive phenomenology. The mirroring of the sky in water opens up themes such as the continuity, delimitation and manipulation of sky phenomena on land: water spaces act as a continuation of the sky on earth; depending on water spaces’ spatial extension, selected celestial phenomena can be periodically reflected within architectures, so as to make the heavenly dimension easily accessible and a possible object of manipulation. Water-skyscapes appear as specular worlds, where water spaces are assumed to be doorways to the inner reality of the unconscious. The fluid properties of water have the visual effect of dissipating borders, of merging shapes, and, therefore, of dissolving identities; in the inner landscape, this process may represent symbolic death experiences and rituals of initiation, where the annihilation of the individual allows the creative process of a new life cycle. These contextually generalisable results aim to inspire new perspectives on sky-and-water related case studies and give value to the practice of reflexive phenomenology as crucial method of research.

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