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Magazine article
Cold War Scotland: new exhibition coming to National Museum of Scotland
A new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland, running from 13 July 2024, will explore Scotland’s critical position on the frontline of the Cold War.National Museums Scotland
legacies of war, Cold War Scotland exhibition, strategic position, and research output
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Journal article
Making places: Scotland's jewellery craft in the age of industry
Sarah Laurenson shares examples of beautiful jewellery created during the 'age of industry' and invites us to imagine the lives of the craftspeople behinf these exquisite pieces, using their skills and ingenuity in the age of growing mechanisation and standardisationLaurenson, Sarah
geology, Scotland, crafts, jewellery , natural environment , mineralogy, precious metals , material culture , lapidaries, and contemporary collecting
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Journal article
The genome of the black-footed cat: Revealing a rich natural history and urgent conservation priorities for small felids
Habitat degradation and loss of genetic diversity are common threats faced by almost all of today’s wild cats. Big cats, such as tigers and lions, are of great concern and have received considerable conservation attention through policies and international actions. However, knowledge of and conservation actions for small wild cats...Yuan, Jiaqing ; Kitchener, Andrew C ; Lackey, Laurie Bingaman ; Sun, Ting ; Jiangzuo, Qigao …
INTROGRESSION , CONSERVATION , BLACK-FOOTED CAT, and INBREEDING
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Journal article
A Computed Tomographic Study of the Premolar Teeth of Babyrousa spp.
A photographic and computed tomography (CT) scanning study was carried out on the premolar teeth of 18 adult male Babyrousa babyrussa skulls, 10 skulls of Babyrousa celebensis, including 6 adult males, 1 adult female, 1 subadult male, 1 subadult female, and 1 juvenile male. The occlusal morphology of the permanent...Macdonald, Alastair A ; Ziehmer, Bianca ; Kitchener, Andrew C ; Gelang, Magnus ; Åblad, Björn …
anatomy, Babyrousa spp., wild pig , tooth , root, babirusa , and root canal
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Journal article
Identification of constrained sequence elements across 239 primate genomes
Noncoding DNA is central to our understanding of human gene regulation and complex diseases , and measuring the evolutionary sequence constraint can establish the functional relevance of putative regulatory elements in the human genome . Identifying the genomic elements that have become constrained specifically in primates has been hampered by... -
Journal article
Mitochondrial genetic variation in long-eared hedgehogs, Hemiechinus auritus, from the Anatolian Peninsula and Cyprus
Mitochondrial genetic variation was examined in long-eared hedgehogs, , from the Anatolian Peninsula, the adjacent island of Cyprus and from Azerbaijan. These data were compared with those available from other parts of the species’ range in North Africa and Asia. Two distinct cytochrome- lineages are present in Anatolia, one of...Özmen, Medine ; Demirtaş, Sadık ; Herman, Jeremy S ; Gündüz, İslam
Anatolia , cytochrome-b, Hemiechinus, Cyprus, and Hemiechinus auritus calligoni
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Journal article
Dinocephalosaurus orientalis Li, 2003: a remarkable marine archosauromorph from the Middle Triassic of southwestern China
The non-archosauriform archosauromorph Dinocephalosaurus orientalis was first described from the Upper Member of the Guanling Formation (late Anisian, Middle Triassic) of Guizhou Province by Li in 2003 on the basis of a complete articulated skull and the first three cervical vertebrae exposed in dorsal to right lateral view. Since then,...Spiekman, Stephan N F ; Wang, Wei ; Zhao , Lijun ; Rieppel , Olivier ; Fraser, Nicholas C …
non-archosauriform , marine reptile , southern China, and late Anisian
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Newspaper article
Following the map to a time and place
A staggering 34.2 million maps were made by the British Armed Forces during the Second World War. A new display at the National War Museum in Edinburgh Castle traces their vital role in the war effort, the evolving technology used to produce them and their post war place as mementos...Gibb, Julie
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Journal article
Evolutionary novelties underlie sound production in baleen whales
Baleen whales (mysticetes) use vocalizations to mediate their complex social and reproductive behaviours in vast, opaque marine environments1. Adapting to an obligate aquatic lifestyle demanded fundamental physiological changes to efficiently produce sound, including laryngeal specializations2,3,4. Whereas toothed whales (odontocetes) evolved a nasal vocal organ5, mysticetes have been thought to use...Elemans, Coen P H ; Jiang, Weili ; Jensen, Mikkel H ; Pichler, Helena ; Mussman, Bo R …
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Journal article
Insular evolution from an archaeological perspective: a case study of Orkney house mouse
Archaeological material adds a temporal dimension to evolutionary studies that is valuable for elucidating long-term population stability and evolutionary shifts for species closely associated with humans. Here, a two-dimensional geometric morphometrics approach on first upper molars was applied to modern and archaeological samples to assess the evolution of house mice... -
Journal article
A review of early historical records of Collared Pratincoles in Britain, and new British first records of Collared, Black-winged and Oriental Pratincoles
This paper reviews 25 nineteenth- and one early twentieth-century British records of Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola. It follows the recent acceptance of a British first record by the British Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee (BOURC) from North Meols, Lancashire & North Merseyside, in 1805. Subsequent records were reviewed using the published...McGowan, Robert Y
bird sighting records, Collared Pratincole , Glareola pratincola, and British
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Journal article
Supplement to the Burmese (Myanmar) amber checklist and bibliography, 2023
This is a supplement to the Burmese (Myanmar) amber checklist and bibliography covering taxa described or recorded during 2023, plus a couple of earlier records that were missed previously. Up to the end of 2023, 2,781 species have been recorded from Kachin amber, of which 244 were named in 2023;...Ross, Andrew J
Invertebrates , Cretaceous, Plants, Myanmar , Arachnids, Burmese Amber , and Insects
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Journal article
Diversification history and morphological evolution of larks
Larks (Alaudidae) constitute one of the avian families best adapted to xeric environments, having colonized a wide suite of open habitats including deserts. Although their highest diversity is in Africa, larks occur on all nonpolar continents. We tested whether larks exhibit exceptional and/or correlated shifts in the tempos of speciation...García-Navas, Vicente ; Stervander, Martin ; Alström, Per
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Newspaper article
How contemporary collecting will show future generations who we are
A big part of the National Museum of Scotland’s mandate is to acquire new artefacts, not least in the area of sustainability and climate change to help inspire and engage those who visit, writes Dr Ellie SwinbankSwinbank, Ellie
Sustainability strategy , climate change , biodiversity loss, cutting-edge developments, National Museums Scotland, contemporary collecting , and museum collections
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Journal article
Rising Tide: Art and Environment in Oceania
In August 2023, Rising Tide: Art and Environment in Oceania opened at the National Museum of Scotland. The exhibition considers how life depends on the ocean and presents various ways in which individuals within Oceania are working to protect it through the medium of artistic practice. From the start, we...Clark, Alison ; Dawson, Jan ; Duffy, Declan
Oceania, artistic practice, re-use, Rising Tide: Art and Environment in Oceania , exhibition, recycle, and sustainability
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Journal article
Caridoid crustaceans from the Ballagan Formation (Tournaisian, Lower Carboniferous) of Willie's Hole, Chirnside, Scottish Borders, UK
The descriptions of two co-occurring cardioid crustaceans from the Ballagan Formation (Tournaisian, Lower Carboniferous) of Chirnside, Scottish Borders, help to resolve the taxonomy of the genus Tealliocaris. Tealliocaris robusta Peach, 1908 is assigned to Schramocaris to form S. robusta (Peach, 1908) comb. nov. on the basis of morphological characters such...Clark, Neil D L ; Ross, Andrew J
Scotland , Tealliocarididae , Crustacea , Mississippian , Eumalacostraca , and Tealliocaris
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Journal article
A Potters' Collection - How Scotland became home to a collection of Portuguese Folk Ceramics
In 2022, Ian and Elizabeth Hird of the Kelso Pottery approached National Museums Scotland (NMS) with an offer to donate a collection of Portuguese pottery figures, acquired during visits to a pottery in the ceramic centre of Caldas da Rainha between the 1960s and 1980s. Half of the group of... -
Journal article
The Life of Mary Anning, Fossil Collector of Lyme Regis: a Contemporary Biographical Memoir by George Roberts
Despite the modern celebrity of the fossil collector Mary Anning (1799–1847) of Lyme Regis and her frequent use as an icon in scientific education and popularization, there are few accounts of her life by her contemporaries. We report here a previously unpublished anonymous manuscript memoir of Anning's life, in the...Taylor, Michael A ; Benton, Michael J
George Roberts, Lyme Regis, Athenæum, and Mary Anning obituary
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Journal article
Range-wide whole-genome resequencing of the brown bear reveals drivers of intraspecies divergence
Population-genomic studies can shed new light on the effect of past demographic processes on contemporary population structure. We reassessed phylogeographical patterns of a classic model species of postglacial recolonisation, the brown bear ( ), using a range-wide resequencing dataset of 128 nuclear genomes. In sharp contrast to the erratic geographical...de Jong, Menno J ; Niamir, Aidin ; Wolf, Magnus ; Kitchener, Andrew C ; Lecomte, Nicolas …
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Journal article
Two new species of European Microgaster Latreille, 1804 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Microgastrinae), with host data on some further species
Two new European species of are described from reared material. parasitizes species (Depressariidae) on and in Britain, and a key is provided to separate it from two other British species that parasitize other , with host information. ., a parasitoid of (Noctuidae), is described from Austrian specimens. The host repertoires... -
Journal article
Supplement to the Burmese (Myanmar) amber checklist and bibliography, 2022
This is a supplement to the Burmese (Myanmar) amber checklist and bibliography covering taxa described or recorded during 2022, plus a couple of earlier records that were missed previously. Up to the end of 2022, 2,524 species have been recorded from Kachin amber, of which 350 were named in 2022;...Ross, Andrew J
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Journal article
Notes on the three species of Cotesia Cameron, 1891 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Microgastrinae) parasitizing Gonepteryx [Leach, 1815] species (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) in Europe, with description of a new species from the Balearic Islands
Shaw & Colom sp. nov. is described as a solitary endemic parasitoid of in the Balearic Islands. A key is given to the three known parasitoids of in Europe, and biological notes are given for each species. Some new country records are given.Shaw, Mark R ; Colom, Pau
GONEPTERYX, GONEPTERYX RHAMNI, COTESIA GONOPTERYGIS, FRANCE, PHENOLOGY, REARING RECORDS, COTESIA RISILIS, SWEDEN, SPAIN, CLEOPATRA, and COTESIA BALEARICA
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Journal article
The organics revolution: new narratives and how we can achieve them
Organic remains from excavated sites include a wide range of materials, from distinct organisms (‘ecofacts’) to biomolecules. Biomolecules provide a variety of new research avenues, while ecofacts with longer histories of study are now being re-harnessed in unexpected ways. These resources are unlocking research potential, transcending what was previously imagined...Johnston, P ; Booth, T ; Carlin, N ; Cramp, L ; Edwards, B …
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Journal article
Nostalgia in the prehistoric archaeological record
Evidence from the prehistoric archaeological record clearly shows that ancient societies had a sense of and engaged with their own histories, be it by reusing, re-appropriating or recreating past material culture. The affective qualities of materials, places and even human remains would have enabled people to remember and connect with...Knight, Matthew G
material culture, human remains, reuse, materials, prehistoric archaeological record, recreation, and re-appropriation
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Journal article
QR codes can enrich a visit to a museum
Some museums want to ban them, while others see them as a low-cost way to connect visitors with contentCoulson, Adam
museums, QR code readers, quick response codes, exhibitions, and digital access
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Journal article
Newly-discovered pilgrim souvenirs fit for a saintly queen
Lydia Prosser and Robert Webley take a look at the implications of the exciting discovery of a pair of medieval Scottish pilgrim badges. How did these items find their way to Cambridgeshire and what can this tell us about the use of such badges in the Middle Ages?Prosser, Lydia ; Webley, Robert
cult, metal detecting, Medieval Scotland, Fordham, Cambridgeshire, pilgrim badges, Portable Antiquities Scheme, and Saint Margaret of Scotland
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Journal article
Historical Textile Dye Analysis Using DESI-MS
Desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) is an ambient mass spectrometry technique that shows great potential for the analysis of fragile heritage objects in situ. This article focuses on the application of a recently built DESI source to characterize natural dyestuffs in historical textiles and a presentation of initial imaging...Sandström, Edith ; Vettorazzo, Chiara ; Mackay, C Logan ; Troalen, Lore G ; Hulme, Alison N
mass spectrometry, mass spectrometry imaging, natural dyes, non-invasive analysis, and textile
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Journal article
Evolutionary trends in trimerellid brachiopods
Non-articulated trimerellides, one minor group among the largest brachiopods, are commonly found in massive monospecific accumulations in Ordovician and Silurian rocks. In this paper, all species of the family Trimerellidae are listed for the first time, and some of them are discussed. They appeared in the Sandbian and became extinct...Chen, Di ; Huang, Bing ; Candela, Yves
morphospace and phylogenetic analyses, evolution, brachiopods, and trimerellides
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Journal article
A new fossil from the London Clay documents the convergent origin of a “mousebird-like” tarsometatarsus in an early Eocene near-passerine bird
We describe a partial skeleton of a small bird from the lower Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK), which shows close affinities to two phylogenetically controversial early Paleogene taxa, Morsoravis sedilis (lower Eocene of Denmark) and Pumiliornis tessellatus (lower/middle Eocene of Germany). Our phylogenetic analysis supports a clade including...Mayr, Gerald ; Kitchener, Andrew C
Aves, Walton-on-the-Naze, Sororavis solitarius, Eocene, UK, and evolution
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Journal article
New postcranial remains from the Lealt Shale Formation of the Isle of Skye, Scotland, showcase hidden pterosaur diversity in the Middle Jurassic
The Early to Middle Jurassic transition was significant in pterosaur evolution, during which these volant reptiles exploded in diversity alongside dinosaurs and other animals. It has long been thought, however, that pterosaurs did not develop large wingspans until after the Jurassic, a notion challenged by the recent discovery of in...Jagielska, Natalia ; Challands, Thomas J ; O'Sullivan, Michael ; Ross, Dugald A ; Fraser, Nicholas C …
Palaeontology and Geobiology, Palaeoenvironments, and Palaeogeography
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Journal article
Continued survival of the elusive Seram orange melomys (Melomys fulgens)
Many poorly-known small mammals have remained undetected for decades, including , a distinctive orange murid from Seram, Indonesia, that has been unrecorded since 1920. We report previously undocumented specimens of collected in 1993 and 1994, and local ecological knowledge from 2017 including descriptions and recent sightings, providing strong indirect evidence...Turvey, Samuel T ; Jeffree, Timothy E ; Macdonald, Alastair A ; Leus, Kristin ; Kennerley, Rosalind J …
species rediscovery, local ecological knowledge, lost species, extinction, and Indonesia
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Journal article
Historical Mitogenomic Diversity and Population Structuring of Southern Hemisphere Fin Whales
Fin whales Balaenoptera physalus were hunted unsustainably across the globe in the 19th and 20th centuries, leading to vast reductions in population size. Whaling catch records indicate the importance of the Southern Ocean for this species; approximately 730,000 fin whales were harvested during the 20th century in the Southern Hemisphere... -
Journal article
An apparent nineteenth-century record of Scopoli’s Shearwater in Hampshire
A putative specimen of a Great Shearwater Ardenna gravis from Hampshire, dated 1878, was located at Leicester Museums & Galleries. On examination, it was found to be a male Scopoli’s Shearwater Calonectris diomedea. If shown to have a wild origin, the specimen would potentially represent the first British record of...McInerny, Christopher J ; McGowan, Robert Y ; Clark, John M ; Moody, Marc P ; Senfeld, Tereza …
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Journal article
Managing Aspen stands in the Scottish Highlands for dead-wood insects
This article details the management strategies and actions employed in aspen stands in northern Scotland to ensure the continuity of the associated specialised saproxylic insect fauna. This fauna depends on the correct "under-bark" conditions and management focuses on ensuring continuity of this transient microhabitat. Although the strategies have been developed...MacGowan, Iain
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Journal article
The aspen hoverfly Hammerschmidtia ferruginea (Fallén)(Diptera, Syrphidae) in Deeside
After a gap of some 30 years the presence of the aspen hoverfly Hammerschmidtia ferruginea (Fallén, 1817), is confirmed in Deeside, Aberdeenshire. The methods used to re-establish the population are discussed.MacGowan, Iain
Hammerschmidtia ferruginea , population, aspen hoverfly , Diptera, cambium, and Syrphidae
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Magazine article
Captain Waring and the Great House on Broad Street
Taylor, Michael A
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Journal article
We need to encourage a plurality of voices in collections-based research
Stories have too narrow a perspective, says John Giblin and Phoenix ArcherGiblin, John ; Archer, Phoenix
Exchange, African, Caribbean and South Asian diaspora heritage communities, Museology, Colonial Histories and Legacies, and Collections Research
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Magazine article
Donald Ross and the highland Clearances
Andrew J. Ross provides the background to his new book on the life of his relative Donald Ross, a critic of the highland clearances who raised money and provided supplies for sufferers of the potato famine, but ultimately became a victim of his own success and emigrated to Canada following...Ross, Andrew J
venerable societies, emigration, highland clearances, biography, and Donald Ross (1813-1882)
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Journal article
A Thomas Rathbone & Joseph Machin letter
I purchased a letter on a postal history website as it was from Thomas Rathbone, and which had been sent from his pottery at Portobello on the 17th June 1817 and addressed to the important Staffordshire potter Joseph Machin.Haggarty, George R
Joseph Machin, Thomas Rathbone, pottery history, Jack Dunlop, letter correspondence, and Messer's Leggat stoneware merchant
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Journal article
Narrow-beaked trogons from the early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK)
We describe multiple partial skeletons of a new trogon species from the early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK), which are among the oldest fossils of the Trogoniformes. , gen. et sp. nov. has a much narrower and more gracile beak than extant trogons, which denotes different ecological attributes...Mayr, Gerald ; De Pietri, Vanesa L ; Kitchener, Andrew C
Eotrogon stenorhynchus, gen. et sp. nov. , Phylogeny, Fossil birds , Paratrogon gallicus , Aves , and Evolution
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Journal article
The prevalence of vestigial teeth in two beaked whale species from the North Atlantic
Beaked whales, Family Ziphiidae, occur in deep offshore and oceanic seas, where they are very difficult to study, so that much of our knowledge about them is derived from stranded animals. Most beaked whales (e.g., genera and ) have only one pair of mandibular teeth. A reduced dentition is widely...Kitchener, Andrew C ; Herman, Jeremy S ; Doeschate, Mariel ten ; Davison, Nicholas J ; Brownlow, Andrew …
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Journal article
Molecular fingerprints resolve affinities of Rhynie chert organic fossils
The affinities of extinct organisms are often difficult to resolve using morphological data alone. Chemical analysis of carbonaceous specimens can complement traditional approaches, but the search for taxon-specific signals in ancient, thermally altered organic matter is challenging and controversial, partly because suitable positive controls are lacking. Here, we show that...Loron , C C ; Rodriguez Dzul, E ; Orr, P J ; Gromov, A V ; Fraser, Nicholas C …
Eukaryote , Biogeochemistry, Palaeontology , and Prokaryote
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Journal article
Pests or prey? Micromammal species within an ancient anthropic environment at the Norse settlement site of Tuquoy (Westray, Orkney)
Micromammals, like rodents and shrews, adapt rapidly to take advantage of new food sources, habitats and ecological niches, frequently thriving in anthropogenic environments. Their remains, often retrieved during archaeological investigations, can be a valuable source of information about the past environmental conditions as well as interspecies interactions and human activity....Romaniuk, Andrzej A ; Troalen, Lore G ; Bendrey, Robin ; Herman, Jeremy S ; Owen, Olwyn …
commensalism, introductions, Orkney, micromammal, archaeology, and predation
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Journal article
Provocation: Are museums relevant for social and environmental justice today?
JG: I work at National Museums Scotland. Our vision is 'inspiring people: addressing the challenges of our age'. Arguably, two of the most important of these challenges are social and environmental inequality. I've worked in or with museums for over twenty years. One of the reasons that I have done...Asante, Sheila ; Cummins, Nelson ; Giblin, John ; Loovers, Jan Peter Laurens
contemporary collecting, climate change, museology, colonial collections, museum, and curation
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Journal article
‘South Kensington is practically as far away as Paris or Munich’: the making of industrial collections in Edinburgh, Newcastle and Birmingham
The provocation within the heart of the Congruence Engine leads us to consider not only the connections between our industrial collections, but the differences which shine a light on the gaps that exist nationally as well as institutionally due to the unique ways in which those collections were built. Emerging... -
Journal article
Development and Application of Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry for Historical Dye Analysis
A desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) source was built and attached to a Bruker 7T SolariX FT-ICR-MS for the in situ analysis of 14 early synthetic dyestuffs. Optimization using silk and wool cloths dyed with rhodamine B concluded that when using a commercial electrospray emitter (part number: 0601815, Bruker Daltonik), a...Sandström, Edith ; Vettorazzo, Chiara ; Mackay, C Logan ; Troalen, Lore G ; Hulme, Alison N
Solvents, Dyes and pigments, Biomimetic materials, Ions, and Fibers
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Journal article
A new long‐necked archosauromorph from the Guanling Formation (Anisian, Middle Triassic) of southwestern China and its implications for neck evolution in tanystropheids
A long neck is an evolutionary innovation convergently appearing in multiple tetrapod lineages, including groups of plesiosaurs, non-archosauriform archosauromorphs, turtles, sauropodomorphs, birds, and mammals. Among all tetrapods both extant and extinct, two Triassic archosauromorphs, Tanystropheus and Dinocephalosaurus, have necks that are particularly elongated relative to the lengths of their trunks....Wang, Wei ; Spiekman, Stephan N F ; Zhao, Lijun ; Rieppel, Olivier ; Scheyer, Torsten M …
Triassic archosauromorphs, Dinocephalosaurus, tetrapods, evolution, and Tanystropheus
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Journal article
New machaeridian data from the Upper Ordovician of Scotland: palaeoecological and global palaeobiogeographical implications
New machaeridian material housed in the National Museum of Scotland alongside the type material held in the Natural History Museum London and the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, Cambridge, is documented here from the Ordovician of Girvan. The specimens are included in four taxa, three of these in open nomenclature.... -
Journal article
The landscape of tolerated genetic variation in humans and primates
Personalized genome sequencing has revealed millions of genetic differences between individuals, but our understanding of their clinical relevance remains largely incomplete. To systematically decipher the effects of human genetic variants, we obtained whole-genome sequencing data for 809 individuals from 233 primate species and identified 4.3 million common protein-altering variants with...Gao, Hong ; Hamp, Tobias ; Ede, Jeffrey ; Schraiber, Joshua G ; McRae, Jeremy …
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Journal article
A global catalog of whole-genome diversity from 233 primate species
The rich diversity of morphology and behavior displayed across primate species provides an informative context in which to study the impact of genomic diversity on fundamental biological processes. Analysis of that diversity provides insight into long-standing questions in evolutionary and conservation biology and is urgent given severe threats these species...Kuderna, Lukas F K ; Gao, Hong ; Janiak, Mareike C ; Kuhlwilm, Martin ; Orkin, Joseph D …
evolutionary and conservation biology, primates, and genomic diversity study
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Journal article
Artefacts of Arran pitchstones from Slewcairn Early Neolithic funerary monument, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
Between 1973 and 1980, the late Lionel Masters excavated an Early Neolithic long cairn at Slewcairn, close to the Solway Firth in south-west Scotland (NGR NX 9239 6142; Canmore ID 65491). The monumement is situated on the slope of Meikle Hard Hill, 6 km from the coast and 15 km...Ballin, Torben ; Sheridan, J A
pitchstone, assemblage report, long cairn, and Early Neolithic Scotland
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Book review
Review of: The Circular Archetype in Microcosm: the carved stone balls of late Neolithic Scotland. Chris L Stewart-Moffitt
Carved stone balls are on of Scotland's most intriguing Neolithic artefacts.Anderson-Whymark, Hugo
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Journal article
The geological and historical milieu of an ornamental cephalopod limestone (‘orthoceratite limestone’, Ordovician, Sweden) used in the Clerk Mausoleum (1684), St Mungo's Kirkyard, Penicuik, Scotland
A slab of cephalopod limestone bears a dedicatory Latin inscription on the mausoleum built around 1684 by Sir John Clerk of Penicuik (1649–1722) for his wife Elizabeth Henderson (1658–83) at St Mungo's Church, Penicuik, near Edinburgh, Scotland. The stone is identified on sedimentological and palaeontological evidence and historical context as... -
Journal article
Collecting stories
Dr John Giblin introduces a brand new gallery at National Museum of Scotland, which delves into how the items collected by the museum have come together over the past two centuries.Giblin, John
Arctic life, The Tytler collection, Lady John Scott, Imperial war art, museum, scientific instruments, Collecting stories, Treasure Trove, and Scotland
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Magazine article
'Alice Balfour' In: Herstory - women who changed the world
To mark Women's History Month, female curators at National Museums Scotland have each selected an inspiration woman represented in the collection. From entomologist to artist to queen, their legacy lives on.Whiffin, Ashleigh
Alice Blanche Balfour (1850-1936), Whittingehame, Entomology, and Women's History Month
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Magazine article
'The 'Qurna Queen' In: Herstory - women who changed the world
To mark Women's History Month, female curators at National Museums Scotland have each selected an inspiration woman represented in the collection. From entomologist to artist to queen, their legacy lives on.Maitland, Margaret
Archaeology, Women's History Month, Nubia, gold jewellery, gilded coffin, Excavations in Egypt, and Qurna Queen
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Magazine article
'Phoebe Anna Traquair' In: Herstory - women who changed the world
To mark Women's History Month, female curators at National Museums Scotland have each selected an inspiration woman represented in the collection. From entomologist to artist to queen, their legacy lives on.Blakey, Claire
Scottish Arts and Crafts movement, Women's History Month, and Phoebe Anna Traquair (1852-1936)
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Magazine article
'Mary, Queen of Scots' In: Herstory - women who changed the world
To mark Women's History Month, female curators at National Museums Scotland have each selected an inspiration woman represented in the collection. From entomologist to artist to queen, their legacy lives on.Groundwater, Anna
Women's History Month, The Mary, Queen of Scots Casket, tomb, Monarchy, and Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587)
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Journal article
Two Enlightenment collections of scientific instruments in Hanoverian Britain
This lecture looks at the long-dispersed eighteenth-century collections of scientific instruments formed by two wealthy Scots noblemen, who turn out to be related to one another. They were Archibald Campbell, Earl of Ilay, later third Duke of Argyll, and his nephew, John Stuart, third Earl of Bute.Morrison-Low, Alison
scientific instrument collection, George Adams the Elder, John Stuart, Richard Glynne, and Archibald Campbell
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Magazine article
'Mrs Lovi's beads' In: Herstory - women who changed the world
To mark Women's History Month, female curators at National Museums Scotland have each selected an inspiration woman represented in the collection. From entomologist to artist to queen, their legacy lives on.Higgitt, Rebekah
Women's History Month, relative density of liquids, specific gravity, scientific instruments, Isabella Lovi, and aerometrical beads
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Journal article
Revision of the Llandovery (lower Silurian) trimerellide brachiopod Yidurella in South China
Although a minor group of brachiopods in the Ordovician and Silurian, the trimerellides include some of the largest known brachiopods in the Early Paleozoic. Yidurella Zeng, a monospecific genus of moderate size from the Shamao Formation of Tizikou, Yidu City, Hubei Province, was originally described as having a solid platform....Chen, Di ; Huang, Bing ; Candela, Yves
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Journal article
Seasonal Adaptation: Geographic Photoperiod–Temperature Patterns Explain Genetic Variation in the Common Vole Tsh Receptor
The vertebrate photoperiodic neuroendocrine system uses the photoperiod as a proxy to time the annual rhythms in reproduction. The thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) is a key protein in the mammalian seasonal reproduction pathway. Its abundance and function can tune sensitivity to the photoperiod. To investigate seasonal adaptation in mammals, the hinge... -
Journal article
Evolutionary trends in trimerellid brachiopods
Non-articulated trimerellides, one minor group among the largest brachiopods, are commonly found in massive monospecific accumulations in Ordovician and Silurian rocks. In this paper, all species of the family Trimerellidae are listed for the first time, and some of them are discussed. They appeared in the Sandbian and became extinct...Chen, Di ; Huang, Bing ; Candela, Yves
Morphospace, Trimerellids, Platform, Vault, and Cladistics
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Book review
Findlater, The Armorial of Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount with a photographic facsimile
In a SHR review of 2008, heraldry in Scotland was said to be in the midst of a revival, with interest greater than at any time since the resurgence in the 1970s that had witnessed the founding of the Heraldry Society of Scotland.1 The present volume is produced by that...Blackwell, Alice
Medieval Scotland, heraldry, charters, and seals
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Journal article
Collecting the nation in the museum of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 1832–91
The sixty-year period from 1832 to 1891 was key to the development of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and its museum, during which time its collection was transferred to national ownership and greater emphasis began to be placed on social and cultural history. This article analyses acquisition data to... -
Journal article
Rethinking practice, reimagining the future: climate, colonial collections and contemporary collecting
Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua (Māori proverb) (English Translation: I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past.) The Museum Ethnographers Group (MEG) 2022 conference, Rethinking Practice, Reimagining the Future: Climate, Colonial Collections, and Contemporary Collecting, held at National Museums Scotland (NMS), was for many of...Giblin, John
climate change, museum, curation, colonial collections , contemporary collecting, and museology
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Journal article
Silver stories: new insights from the Traprain Treasure
The late Roam silver hoard from Traprain Law (East Lothian) was found over 100 years ago but is still revealing fresh secrets. A recently-published research project (see 'Book Reviews') involved an international team of specialists analysing all aspects of this silver, from its manufacture and use to is later treatment,...Hunter, Fraser
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Journal article
Understanding gold in Prehistoric Scotland
Gold, along with copper was the first metal to be used in Scotland, with the earliest dated example of its use here being the tiny, conical sheet gold rivet caps on the superb Langdale tuff 'wrist-guard' - a piece of fancy archery kit - from Culduthel, Inverness. The man's skeleton...Sheridan, J A
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Journal article
History in the balance: a newly-discovered Anglo-Saxon runic inscription from Croy, Highland
A recent reassessment of the National Museums Scotland’s Viking-age collections revealed a new runic inscription from a previously overlooked scrap of copper alloy. The Croy Hoard is a mixed collection of objects deposited in the late 9th century AD, not far from what is now Inverness Airport. The Hoard was...Maldonado, Adrián
Old English rune, Viking-age collections, Anglo-Saxon runes, Early Medieval Scotland, Runic inscription, The Croy Hoard, and Bronze balance beam
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Journal article
Slag: an introduction
Slag, also variously referred to as 'vitrified material' or 'industrial residue', is a waste product which can form during a range of pyrotechnic activities, including domestic hearths and metalworking, particularly ironworking - or focus here.Cruickshanks, Gemma
archaeology, ironworking, vitrified material, and iron slag assemblages
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Journal article
Conservation of the elaborate Anglo-Saxon cross from the Galloway Hoard
The Galloway Hoard is a set of rare and precious artefacts, some of them centuries old when deposited around AD 900. One of the most spectacular objects is an Anglo-Saxon pectoral cross, made to be worn on the chest of a high-ranking member of the clergy. Its true glory has...Davis, Mary
research, conservation, Trewhiddle style art, Galloway Hoard, and pectoral cross
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Journal article
Der Galloway-Hort
Goldberg, Martin
Viking-age hoards, Anglo-Saxon, research project, conservation, and Galloway Hoard
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Journal article
Evolutionary trends in trimerellid brachiopods
Non-articulated trimerellides, one minor group among the largest brachiopods, are commonly found in massive monospecific accumulations in Ordovician and Silurian rocks. In this paper, all species of the family Trimerellidae are listed for the first time, and some of them are discussed. They appeared in the Sandbian and became extinct...Chen, Di ; Huang, Bing ; Candela, Yves
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Journal article
World Catalogue of the family Lonchaeidae (Diptera, Cyclorrhapha, Acalyptratae)
A catalogue of world species of Lonchaeidae is provided. Ten valid genera and 611 valid species in two subfamilies are listed. For each valid species the list includes author, year of publication, full publication name, page number of original description and, where known, type locality and type depository. All validly...MacGowan, Iain
ACALYPTRATAE , BIOGEOGRAPHIC REALM, NOMENCLATURE , TYPE LOCALITY , NEW COMBINATION DISTRIBUTION , NEW SYNONYM , CYCLORRHAPHA , DIPTERA , and TYPE DEPOSITION
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Book review
Exhibition Review: A new power: photography in Britain 1800-1850 Weston Library, Oxford, 1 February - 7 May 2023
The two overlapping exhibitions running in adjacent galleries in the Weston Library, Oxford (put on by the Bodleian Library) illustrated the twin inventions announced in 1839 that subsequently became known as 'photography'Morrison-Low, Alison
photographic incunabula, Bodleian Library, library exhibition , exhibition review, and early photography
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Journal article
New specimen and redescription of Anisodontosaurus greeri (Moenkopi Formation: Middle Triassic) and the spatiotemporal origins of Trilophosauridae
Anisodontosaurus greeri is an enigmatic small-bodied tetrapod with a heterodont dentition from the Holbrook Member of the Moenkopi Formation (Middle Triassic) of Arizona (U.S.A.). The evolutionary relationships of this taxon have long been debated and remain uncertain. Using micro-computed tomography (µCT) scans we redescribe the holotype of Anisodontosaurus greeri (UCMP...Foffa, Davide ; Nesbitt, Sterling J ; Kligman, Ben T ; Butler, Richard J ; Stocker, Michelle R
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Journal article
Describing whisker morphology of the Carnivora
One of the largest ecological transitions in carnivoran evolution was the shift from terrestrial to aquatic lifestyles, which has driven morphological diversity in skulls and other skeletal structures. In this paper, we investigate the association between those lifestyles and whisker morphology. However, comparing whisker morphology over a range of species...Dougill, Gary ; Brassey, Charlotte A ; Starostin, Eugene L ; Andrews, Hayley ; Kitchener, Andrew C …
mechanoreception , curvature , touch , aquatic , and vibrissae
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Journal article
New species from the early Eocene London Clay suggest an undetected early Eocene diversity of the Leptosomiformes, an avian clade that includes a living fossil from Madagascar
We report the first records of the leptosomiform taxon from the early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK). Two species could be distinguished, one of which is described as , sp. nov. (the other is classified as sp.). We furthermore describe two small leptosomiform-like birds from Walton-on-the-Naze, , gen....Mayr, Gerald ; Kitchener, Andrew C
Waltonavis, gen. nov. , Ypresian , Walton-on-the-Naze, Lutavis, gen. nov. , fossil birds , Aves , and Plesiocathartes insolitipes, sp. nov.
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Journal article
Give ancient Egyptians the respect they deserve
‘Mummies’ should stay in the realms of fiction, says Margaret MaitlandMaitland, Margaret
terminology, Colonial histories of Egyptology, "noble ones", mummifield people, and comment
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Journal article
Towards a functional understanding of the cyclorrhaphan larval head (Diptera, Cyclorrhapha)
The larval stage is thought to play a significant role in radiations of Diptera (Insecta), but for the Cyclorrhapha (Diptera), a well-supported and diversified clade, evaluating larval roles is hindered by low taxon sampling, unresolved morphology and presumed similarity. This paper reviews investigations of the cyclorrhaphan larval head based on...Rotheray, Graham E
Mandible , Pseudocephalon, Biomechanics , Feeding , and Head skeleton
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Journal article
Return of the space hoppers: more measures on dH Comet G-BDIX
De Havilland Comet 4C “G-BDIX” arrived at the National Museum of Flight (NMoF) in Scotland in September 1981 and has been displayed outdoors and fully exposed to the environmental conditions ever since. In 2018, National Museums Scotland (NMS) set a development in motion at its NMoF site with the aim...Bürgel, Thilo ; National Museum of Flight, East Fortune Airfield, Haddington, East Lothian EH39 5LF, United Kingdom
Industrial heritage, Aeroplane, In situ, Aviation, and Outdoors
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Journal article
Black gold in Roscommon
Exploring the significance of a terminal plate of an Early Bronze Age jet spacer-plate necklace from Gortnacrannagh.Ó Maoldúin, Ros ; Sheridan, J A ; Campbell, Eve ; Troalen, Lore G
networks, jet spacer-plate necklace, vocabulary of esteem, and Early Bronze Age Ireland
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Journal article
Objects of Power: Australian Aboriginal Breastplates and Scottish Pastoralists
Aboriginal breastplates also known as brass plates, king plates, queen plates and Aboriginal gorgets were given by European colonisers to Aboriginal people in Australia from c.1815. As a tool of colonisation they were frequently given out by Scottish pastoralists in Queensland and New South Wales in the mid to late...Clark, Alison
First AustraliansAboriginal HistoryColonial Histories and LegaciesScotland and Empire
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Newspaper article
Maths Week Scotland means there's plenty of educational fun to be had during school strikes
Maths is involved in a range of areas from navigation and forensic science to ceilidh dancing and football.Brien, Ailsa
Maths Week Scotland, National Museum of Scotland, and educational activities
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Journal article
Emergence and ecological transition of the Mesozoic marine reptiles: Evidence from the Early Triassic Chaohu and the Middle Triassic Xingyi Faunas
Two major evolutionary events in the early history of Mesozoic marine reptiles have been recorded in the Triassic of China. The first event evidenced by the Early Triassic Chaohu Fauna was the emergence of new marine communities and their subsequent radiation in the Spathian Subage of the late Olenekian (Early...Jiang, Da-yong ; Zhou, Min ; Motani, Ryosuke ; Tintori, Andrea ; Fraser, Nicholas C …
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Journal article
Middle and Upper Ordovician linguliformean and craniiformean brachiopods from the Brabant Massif, Belgium: Infaunal giants, encrusting forms and durophagy
Linguliformean and craniiformean brachiopods from the Middle and Upper Ordovician of the Brabant Massif (Belgium) are described for the first time and their palaeoecological and palaeobiogeographical implications are discussed. The restricted and generally poorly preserved material was collected from the Abbaye de Villers (Dapingian–Darriwilian) Formation and from the Katian Huet...Candela, Yves ; Mottequin, Bernard
Linguliformean and craniiformean brachiopods , palaeobiogeographical , Middle and Upper Ordovician, Brabant Massif , and palaeoecological
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Journal article
Stable isotope ecology and interspecific dietary overlap among dolphins in the Northeast Atlantic
Dolphins are mobile apex marine predators. Over the past three decades, warm-water adapted dolphin species (short-beaked common and striped) have expanded their ranges northward and become increasingly abundant in British waters. Meanwhile, cold-water adapted dolphins (white-beaked and Atlantic white-sided) abundance trends are decreasing, with evidence of the distribution of white-beaked...Plint, Tessa ; ten Doeschate, Mariel T I ; Brownlow, Andrew C ; Davison, Nicholas J ; Hantke, Georg …
stable isotope, Northeast Atlantic, Scotland, dolphin, dietary overlap, and niche
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Journal article
Assessing the identity of rare historical museum specimens of the extinct blue antelope (Hippotragus leucophaeus) using an ancient DNA approach
The blue antelope or bluebuck ( ) is an extinct species of antelope that lived in South Africa until ca. 1799–1800. Disappearing only 34 years after it was described, it was the first large African mammal species to have become extinct in recent times. Therefore, current scientific knowledge of the... -
Journal article
On the “screamer-like” birds from the British London Clay: An archaic anseriform-galliform mosaic and a non-galloanserine “barb-necked” species of Perplexicervix
We revisit recently described putative anseriform birds from the early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK). Phylogenetically relevant skeletal elements of Danielsavis nazensis Houde et al., 2023 are reported that were omitted from the original description, including the pterygoids and palatines. We detail that anseriform affinities of D. nazensis...Mayr, Gerald ; Carrió, Vicen ; Kitchener, Andrew C
Aves, new family, Walton-on-the-Naze, new species, and fossil birds
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Journal article
Can modern technology uncover the secrets of evolution?
A mysterious group of fossils called the Elgin Reptiles has been puzzling scientists for centuries. Existing only as cavities hidden within rocks, these fossils could help scientists unravel the mysteries of evolution. Thanks to modern technologies, Dr Davide Foffa, a research associate at National Museums Scotland, and his colleagues have...Foffa, Davide
Palaeoecology, lagerpetids, Vertebrate Palaeontology, μCT scanning , Elgin Reptiles, Scleromochlus , and Palaeobiology
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Journal article
Early Eocene fossils elucidate the evolutionary history of the Charadriiformes (shorebirds and allies)
We report charadriiform and charadriiform-like birds from the early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK). A partial skeleton of a small modern-type charadriiform is described as a new species, n. gen. n. sp., and most closely resembles taxa of the Charadrii (plovers, stilts, oystercatchers, and other “wader-like” shorebirds). Affinities...Mayr, Gerald ; Kitchener, Andrew C
charadriiform bird, Walton-on-the-Naze, fossil record, early Paleogene , and Eocene London Clay
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Journal article
The Scottish transport and industry collections knowledge network (STICK)
The Scottish Transport and Industry Collections Knowledge Network (STICK) brings together a range of organisations and individuals who share a common interest in transport and industrial collections and promoting their care and enjoyment. While a multi-disciplinary steering group drives it forward, STICK is its members and their passion and knowledge....Swinbank, Ellie ; National Museums Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF, United Kingdom
Industry, Transport, Training, Network, and Collections
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Journal article
Dr Allen David Cumming Simpson, 13 December 1947-3 December 2022
Allen Simpson was born in Edinburgh, went to school there, attended the University of Edinburgh, worked there, married and raised a family, and finally died there. He worked at what eventually became National Museums Scotland between 1970 to 1998, as an Assistant Keeper, and subsequently, Curator and Principal Curator in...Morrison-Low, Alison
curatorial research, Scottish weights and measures, Science & Technology, obituary, National Museums Scotland, Department of Technology, and Royal Museum of Scotland
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Journal article
Not so hidden messages
The written word is a powerful and persuasive tool that can inspire and revolt in equal measure. Equally, jewellery has the power to spread messages and has been used for generations to declare an individual’s position of allegiance or defiance. By incorporating a message, slogan or symbol, a jewel becomes...Rothwell, Sarah
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Journal article
Palaeogenomic Evidence for the Long-Term Reproductive Isolation Between Wild and Domestic Cats
Domestic cats were derived from the Near Eastern wildcat (Felis lybica), after which they dispersed with people into Europe. As they did so, it is possible that they interbred with the indigenous population of European wildcats (Felis silvestris). Gene flow between incoming domestic animals and closely related indigenous wild species...Jamieson, Alexandra ; Carmagnini, Alberto ; Howard-McCombe, Jo ; Doherty, Sean ; Hirons, Alexandra …
domestication, palaeogenomics, and cats
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Journal article
Revealing observatory networks through object stories: Observatory audiences
Like the contributions to the other papers in this collection (‘Object itineraries’ and ‘Instrumental networks’), those in this final section explore instrumental networks and object itineraries in order to tell new histories of observatory sites and their associated networks. (For a discussion of the genesis and thinking behind the collection... -
Journal article
Revealing observatory networks through object stories: Introduction
This paper introduces a group of three articles that bring together object stories relating to observatory history and networks. The three articles (‘Instrumental networks’, ‘Object itineraries’ and ‘Observatory audiences’) each bring together three object stories by different authors that contribute to the article theme. Here the genesis of the collection...Higgitt, Rebekah
object stories, observatory sites, astronomy, networks, collections, object biography, scientific instruments, object itineraries, Time, observatory sciences, and observatories