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Book
Hamilton Palace: The Dukes of Hamilton and their collections
This is the story of Scotland’s lost treasure trove. The destruction of Hamilton Palace, the grandest stately home in Britain, was one of the greatest losses to national heritage ever to happen in this country. In 1882, Hamilton Palace stood grandly to the south-east of Glasgow. Home to the Dukes...Evans, Godfrey
Hamilton Palace collection, architecture , galleries, Dukes of Hamilton, museums, collection dispersal, applied art, and fine art
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Book chapter
Mathematical examiners at Trinity House: teaching and examining mathematics for navigation in London during the long eighteenth century
The early years of the Royal Mathematical School (f. 1673), and its relationship with Trinity House, have been explored in relation to the teaching and examining of mathematics for navigation. However, there has been confusion over who carried out the examinations and little or no consideration of the role of...Higgitt, Rebekah
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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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Reflections on Rising Tide
In August 2023 Rising Tide: Art and Environment in Oceania opened at the National Museum of Scotland. Here, members of the exhibition team consider how the design and build of the exhibition reflect its core themes, the Museum’s commitment to sustainability and how working with communities in the construction of...Clark , Ali ; Dawson, Jan ; Duffy, Declan ; Miller, Jane
community engagement, Learning, Collections, environmental issues, sustainability , and Exhibitions
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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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Lecture
The Galloway Hoard: Why are there textiles in a Viking Age Hoard
Dr Susanna Harris will be speaking about her work on the Textiles of the Galloway Hoard. Susanna will be talking about her analysis and research of the textile components of this spectacular discovery, drawing on her AHRC funded project – in collaboration with the National Museum of Scotland – Unwrapping...Harris, Susanna
analytical discoveries, textiles, Galloway Hoard, wool, plant fibre and silk textiles, and research project
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Blog post
North Sea oil and a medieval saint: what's the-connection?
National Museums Scotland’s contemporary collections reflect key social, cultural, political, artistic and environmental shifts in the world around us. Whilst researching the material culture of North Sea oil, Assistant Curator, Modern & Contemporary History, Dr Georgia Vullinghs explores the connection between a modern Scottish industry and a 12th century Saint.Vullinghs, Georgia
Contemporary Collecting , sustainability, and Scottish history
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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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Book
Decoding the jewels: Renaissance jewellery in Scotland
For the first time, National Museums Scotland’s important collection of Renaissance jewellery from Scotland is considered together alongside significant jewels from the Royal Collection and elsewhere. The book was inspired by the acquisition by NMS of the extraordinary Fettercairn Jewel: the fine iconography of this exquisitely enamelled locket held coded...Groundwater, Anna
Scottish history, Mary Queen of Scots, objects, jewellery history, Stuarts, Renaissance, material culture, and art history
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Book chapter
Introduction: decoding jewels in Renaissance Scotland
The classic Roman god Mercury strides purposefully from left to right across a gold locket, but his specific intention is not immediately clear (fig.1). However, to the sixteenth-century maker, buyer and recipient of this locket, now known as the Fettercairn jewel, the significance of Mercury's journey will have been understood....Groundwater, Anna
Renaissance , Mary Queen of Scots, material culture , Scottish history , jewellery history , Stuarts, art history, and objects
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Book chapter
Foreword
At National Museums Scotland we have a small but stellar collection of Renaissance jewellery associated with Scotland in the sixteenth century. Highlights of this collection include the pearl- encrusted gold locket and fillgree bead necklace of the Penicuk Jewels, associated with Mary, Queen of Scots, and the finely enamelled Fettercairn...Alberti, S J M M
Scottish history, jewellery history, Stuarts, and Renaissance
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Book chapter
The Mystery of the Fettercairn Jewel
When the Fettercairn Jewel was discovered wrapped in paper at the back of a drawer at Fettercairn House, Aberdeenshire, in 2017. It was quickly recognised as an astounding piece of late sixteenth-century jewellery. But with little recorded provenance, and no obvious clues to its early history, it posed many questions.Wyld, Helen
Renaissance, material culture, Scottish history, art history, and jewellery history
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Book chapter
Tracing royal Stewart jewels in the archives
Imagine the impact of Mary Queen of Scots walking into the room. At nearly six feet tall, and dressed into the finest jewels, fashion and fabrics available, she will have impressed. That, after all, was the intended effect: Mary used the way she appeared to command respect, denote her regal...Groundwater, Anna
Renaissance , material culture , Scottish history , jewellery history , Mary Queen of Scots , art history, objects, and Stuarts
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Presentation
Hosted, chaired and delivered the 'TARTAN: Exploding the Grid’ conference with V&A Dundee
Tartan: Exploring the Grid was an international conference expanding the thinking from our now closed exhibition, Tartan. This event was kindly supported by the University of Southampton. Recognising tartan as an inspiration for design as well as a powerful cultural symbol, the conference provided an opportunity for international researchers, artists,...Maxwell, Mhairi
cultural symbol, knowledge exchange, design inspiration , and tartan
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Conference paper (unpublished)
More than a spring clean: painting the house to welcome a king
Embedded in the roof of the Renaissance gallery at National Museum of Scotland are the painted rafters from a ceiling at Rossend Castle, Burntisland, Fife. These were probably commissioned by Sir Robert Melville of Murdochcairnie, first Lord Melville, and are thought to have been decorated in anticipation of a visit... -
Conference paper (unpublished)
Crafting Colour Worlds in Scottish Stones
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Scottish jewellers used colourful stones – including agates and Cairngorm quartz – to craft luxury goods. This talk explores how the colours of these materials played a key role in shaping the design and making of jewellery objects, and in fostering new ways of...Laurenson, Sarah
jewellers, rocks, lapidaries, Scottish jewellers , Cairngorm quartz , mountain, geology, and colourful stones
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Book chapter
'The worked shale and related materials' In: Strachan, David, Cook, Martin and McLaren, Dawn 'Three Forts on the Tay: Excavations at Moncreiffe, Moredun and Abernethy, Perth and Kinross 2014–17'
Two items in black organic-rich stone were recovered from Moncreiffe, while a larger assemblage of 21 items was recovered from Moredun (Chapter 4.7). Both assemblages include a range of unfinished objects, indicating elements of craft production at both sites. A more detailed discussion of the sources of the raw material,...Hunter, Fraser
craft production, archaeological excavations, Montcrieffe fort, worked shale, bangle fragment, and bead
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Book chapter
'The worked shale and related materials' In: Strachan, David, Cook, Martin and McLaren, Dawn 'Three Forts on the Tay: Excavations at Moncreiffe, Moredun and Abernethy, Perth and Kinross 2014–17'
Excavations recovered a comprehensive assemblage of 21 items from Moredun, including a range of unfinished material, indicating elements of craft production, while in addition, an unfinished bangle fragment was previously recovered from the hilltop as a stray find.Hunter, Fraser
craft production, archaeological excavations , assemblage, Moredun excavations, and bangle fragment
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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
Tealliocarididae , Eumalacostraca , Tealliocaris, Crustacea , Scotland , and Mississippian
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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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Book chapter
Measurement Standards and Double Standards Reassessing Charles Piazzi Smyth’s Egyptological Reputation
In 1864–5, the Astronomer Royal for Scotland, Charles Piazzi Smyth (1819–1900),3 his wife Jessie (1812–1896),4 and a small team of Egyptian archaeological workers conducted an extensive survey of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Smyth had become interested in the structure as he read John Taylor’s The Great Pyramid: Why Was... -
Book chapter
Figures in museum display: the creation and use of a little person mannequin at National Museums Scotland
In 2019, National Museums Scotland (NMS) presented the temporary exhibition Body Beautiful: Diversity on the Cat walk. It addressed broad issues of diversity and inclusivity in the fashion industry, organized around five categories: ‘Age’, ‘Disability’, ‘LGBTQIA+’, ‘Race’ and ‘Size’. Integral to the mannequin brief was challenging perceptions of the body...McLeod, Miriam ; Ripley, Georgina
mannequin, representation, Body Beautiful: Diversity on the Catwalk, inclusivity, fashion industry, exhibition, and diversity
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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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Interactive resource
List of Extinct Birds in the Holocene
This is a unique list of bird species that have died out during the last 11,700 years of the Holocene, including English and Swedish names as well as references to the formal descriptions of the taxa. The taxonomy and sequence largely follows IOC when applicable, with priority given to the...Asplund, G ; Stervander, Martin
extinction, taxonomy, Holocene, genera, bird species, and bird families
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Book chapter
‘Found in store’: Working with source communities and difficult objects at Durham University’s Oriental Museum
Rachel Barclay Lauren Barnes Gillian Ramsay Craig Barclay Helen Armstrong Durham University’s Oriental Museum is often described as a ‘hidden gem’. Opened in 1960, today it is home to world-class collections of more than 35,000 objects from across North Africa and Asia. Originally envisioned as a teaching and research resource...Barclay, Rachel ; Barnes, Lauren ; Ramsay, Gillian ; Barclay, Craig ; Armstrong, Helen
Colonialism, Asia, Durham University , Africa , Oriental Museum, and collections
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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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Book chapter
Stone tools
The excavations at Lower Callerton revealed a multiphase Iron Age settlement consisting of 53 structures, multiple enclosures and linear boundaries which extended beyond the excavated area (Fig. 4.1). The activity was concentrated within Area 2, which measured c. 4.6 ha, with the removal of the topsoil revealing a settlement extending...Hunter, Fraser
Lower Callerton, excavations, settlement, Iron Age , and Stone tools
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Blog post
Collecting a New Past
Museums have long been interested in collecting material culture of the present. Objects that demonstrate the design, technological, natural, and social stories and changes of today. More recently, ‘contemporary collecting’ has been given renewed attention as a specific approach to building museum collections. Georgia Vullinghs, Curator of Modern and Contemporary...Vullinghs, Georgia
Collections , Community Engagement, Contemporary Collecting, and Conservation
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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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Interview (radio, television)
Moby the sperm whale interview
In Edinburgh, Iolo Williams and Gillian Burke remain on the coast for a cetacean celebration before saying goodbye to the wild badger sett they’ve been following all series.Kitchener, Andrew C
contemporary collecting, cetacean collections, skull, Physeter catodon (sperm whale), and whale stranding
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Interview (radio, television)
Value of urban green spaces for overwintering insects
Iolo Williams and Gillian Burke meet some urban mammals in Edinburgh, indulging in a look at some of the macro marvels that call the cemetery home.Whiffin, Ashleigh
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Interview (radio, television)
Research on urban and rural red foxes
In Edinburgh, Gillian Burke and Iolo Williams head into a cemetery to see the wildlife that uses these city habitats as a haven.Cooper, David
archeological record , feeding animals, urban foxes, messaging, climate change, sustainability, and human/animal interaction
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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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Research report
Scottish Wildcat Action: Final Summary Report
The wildcat, Felis silvestris, is one of our most iconic species. Elusive and rarely seen, it is threatened by a combination of extremely challenging factors, in particular hybridisation with domestic cats. Its secretive nature has made it a difficult animal to study in the wild, making it harder to design...Kitchener, Andrew C
Felis silvestris, ecology , population, and wildcat
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Book chapter
A landscape of deposition
The Mount's Bay area has long been associated in the archaeological literature with the exchange of copper and tin. St Michael's Mount, in particular, has often been suggested to be the site of Ictis recorded by Pytheas the Greek in the 4th century BC (Hencken 1932, 158-188; Herring 2000, 116-118;...Knight, Matthew G
metalwork deposition, Bronze Age hoards, Archaeology, and exchange
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Other
Library Special Collections: Papers of Margaret Swain
Margaret Helen Swain (1909-2002) was a historian of embroidery and textiles. The author of several books and numerous articles, she also lectured widely, and her papers reflect these activities. Her early publications were on Ayrshire needlework but she became an expert on embroidery in general and Scottish work in particular....National Museums Scotland
tapestries, Palace of Holyroodhouse, Margaret Helen Swain, 1909-2002, National Trust for Scotland, Archives, and embroidery and textiles
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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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Research report
Exchange: Community-led Collections Research Recommendations for more equitable participation
The Exchange project funded museum partners around the UK to undertake community-led collections-based research and creative outputs. All Exchange projects used participatory research methodologies, working with African, Caribbean, and South Asian diaspora heritage community members to explore experiences of empire, migration, and life in Britain. The first stage of Exchange... -
Presentation
People and Plants: an introduction
This workshop will be run in partnership with the Department of Cultures and Languages, Birkbeck, University of London and Museu Goeldi, Brazil. Discussions will be centred around the ecological value of ethnobotanical collections, including a focus on the interaction of western botanical nomenclature and traditional knowledge which forms the basis...Clark, Alison
research network, ethnographic artefacts, display, museum collections, ethnobotany, people and plants, and decolonization
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Book
Little black dress: a radical fashion
The book of the exhibition, Beyond the Little Black Dress, 2 July-30 October 2022 at the National Museum of Scotland. At its inception, the ‘Little Black Dress’ was radically modern: a masculine-inspired, anti-traditionalist female attire. Yet it has remained a wardrobe staple for almost a century, each new silhouette redressing...Ripley, Georgina
radical fashion, exhibition, textiles, catalogue, and sustainability
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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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Blog post
Orientations: Queer imaginings and the Caithness doublet
In our Orientations series, members of the LGBTQIA+ community explore an object that resonates with their identity. We know our collections are filled with queer stories but often they can be hard to find (and even harder to prove). In looking for representation in museums, Joe Setch explores how the...Setch, Joe
Collections , Scottish History, Orientations , and LGBTQIA+
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Blog post
A little cup of happiness in search of a coco chocolatero
There’s nothing quite like a cup of hot chocolate. But have you ever had one from a coconut cup? Assistant Curator Dr Emily Taylor and Professor Kathleen Kennedy explore the origins and cultural background behind a ‘little cup of happiness’ in our collections – a coconut shell made into a...Taylor, Emily ; Kennedy, Kathleen
Collections, silver, Colonial Histories And Legacies , and coconut cup
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Other
Robert Riddell manuscripts: A Collection of Scottish Antiquities Selected by R.R. Vol 11 1791
Ballads, with notes: Jock o’ Milk (p.1); Archie of Capeld (p.14); Lord Maxwell’s Goodnight (p.18); Sir Andrew Barton (p.20); Fair Helen of Kirkconnel (pp.29, 46); Lads of Wamphray (p.34); Lochmaben Harper (pp.39, 42); Fray of Soupart (p.55); Border Lament of the Union (p.59); Outlaw Murray (p.61); Laidley Worm (p.71); McNaughton...National Museums Scotland
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Other
Library Special Collections: Robert Riddell Manuscript Collection Volume 8 (SAS 586). A journal of a tour in Scotland in 1789, made by Captain Grose and Captain Riddell.
Transcription of Robert Riddell Manuscript Collection Volume 8 (SAS 586). A journal of a tour in Scotland in 1789, made by Captain Grose and Captain Riddell.National Museums Scotland
Special Collections, journal transcription , exploration, and Archives
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Other
Robert Riddell manuscripts A Collection of Scottish Antiquities, selected by R.R. Vol 2 1786
‘A collection of Scottish antiquities, selected by R.R. Vol.2d., 1786’: accounts of Border and other Scottish families (pp.1, 22, 25). ‘Scottish antiquities, historical and genealogical, collected by Capt. Robert Riddell....1786’ (p.69): genealogies and antiquities of various parts of Scotland; copies of early documents; account of raids on the Western Border...National Museums Scotland
journal transcription , exploration, Archives, and Special Collections
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Interactive resource
Chalcolithic and Bronze Age
The British Chalcolithic period is now widely recognised as beginning during the 25th century BC. It is marked by the appearance of the first metal artefacts, produced from copper and gold and the introduction of new material culture and other practices from the European Continent (Allen et al 2012; Parker...Sheridan, J A ; Knight, Matthew G
Chalcolithic, archaeological period, Early Bronze Age, Prehistoric Scotland, Late Bronze Age, Middle Bronze Age, and Research Framework
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Interactive resource
Early Medieval
This early medieval chapter deals with the period around AD 350–1058 and will follow a new structure which aligns with those used for the medieval and post-medieval chapters. In the past the period was often viewed as ‘the Dark Ages’ at the end of ‘prehistory’. The emphasis was on the...Strachan, David ; Maldonado, Adrián ; Hall, Mark ; Mitchell , Juliette
Research Framework, early medieval , archaeological period, and Scotland
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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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Book
Donald Ross and the Highland Clearances 'Yet still the Blood is Strong'
The Highland Clearances was a dark episode in Scottish history when many thousands of people were forced off lands that they and their kin had lived on for generations. Some boarded ships destined for the colonies of America and Australia, others ended up on small barren plots by the coast...Ross, Andrew J
evictions, emigration , venerable societies , highland clearances, biography , and Donald Ross (1813-1882)
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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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Blog post
Tartan trendsetting in our library catalogue
Tartan’s bold and sometimes scandalous history is retold in 19th century pattern books and trade catalogues at the National Museums Scotland Library that form part of our Special Collections. Assistant Librarian Jennifer Higgins puts the spotlight on several of these books to better understand how the mass adoption of Highland...Higgins, Jennifer
Tartan, Research Library , National Museum Of Scotland , National War Museum , Scottish Fashion , and Books
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Abstract
A moment in time: Cloth culture of an early medieval hoard buried in Galloway, Scotland, 900 CE
Cloth culture provides the framework to recognise the cultural significance of an assemblage of textiles and leather in a particular time and place. This paper examines the cloth culture of the textiles, skin products and braids that wrap and connect an assemblage of metal and precious objects that form the...Makin, Alexandra ; Harris, Susanna
Galloway Hoard, Cloth Culture, textile and leather assemblages, Early Medieval Scotland, and braids
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Abstract
Connecting organic and inorganic materials in the Viking-Age Galloway Hoard
Research into hoards has often focused on metal objects and while the Galloway Hoard contains over 5kg of silver, and more gold objects than any extant hoard surviving from Viking-Age Britain and Ireland, it is the other materials that make it outstanding. Wood, leather, and textile (silk, linen and wool)...Goldberg, Martin
Early Medieval Scotland, Wood, Galloway Hoard, glass, rock crystal and mineral elements , wrapping, leather, textiles, and bundling
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Abstract
Twisted reflections of life: creating communities of death through Iron Age Italic funerary dress
The early Iron Age communities of Italy are known mainly through their funerary records. This paper is a reflection on my PhD research analysing Iron Age Italic communities through their funerary dress, applying material and sensory analyses to the evidence for published funerary dress assemblages from the cemeteries of Bazzano,...Prew, George
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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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Website
Whit's in a name: Scottish connections to mineral names
In mineralogy, as in other natural sciences, there are strict rules on the naming of mineral species. The vast majority of minerals are named after a person or a place. Many of these names have strong Scottish connections, while others are a little less obvious. The naming of minerals. In...Davidson, Peter
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Presentation
Marine invertebrate collection
Next, the curator of the invertebrates at National Museums Scotland, Sankurie Pye, will talk about the fascinating diversity of specimens they have in their collections and why collecting these specimens is crucial for science and conservation. The National Museum Scotland are renowned worldwide for their collections, so get ready to...Pye, Sankuri
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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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Doctoral thesis
“A Co-operation of Observers”: Crafting knowledge infrastructures for microscopy
In 1887, the President of the British Postal Microscopical Society, J. W. Measures, declared that "the beginner is unable to learn from the books on the microscope all the minutiae of so fine an art as mounting (microscope specimens). "1 The preparation of microscope slides, the observation of specimens, as...Beiermann, Lea
scientific instruments, craft knowledge, citizen science, and microscopes
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Lecture
Sacrifice, scrap or something else? Practices of metalwork deposition in Late Bronze Age Britain and Ireland
Throughout the Bronze Age, large quantities of metal artefacts were deposited across Europe. Interpretations often centre around whether these deposits may have been sacrificial offerings to deities or else discarded scrap metal intended for recycling. These grand ideas mask the individual decisions local communities made when depositing their objects, such...Knight, Matthew
recycle, archaeology, Bronze Age Europe, metal depositpion, worship, and sacrificial objects
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Lecture
Feasting with Latinus: the earliest Christians of Whithorn
The excavations led by the late Peter Hill at Whithorn, Dumfries and Galloway are widely understood as revealing one of the earliest monasteries in Britain. New analysis and dating evidence by the Cold Case Whithorn project is forcing a rethink of the earliest phases of the sequence. A poorly-understood late... -
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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Other
Library Special Collections: National Museums Scotland Archives
National Museums Scotland Archives Incorporating: • Industrial Museum of Scotland • Edinburgh University Natural History Museum • Edinburgh Museum of Science and Art • National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland • Royal Scottish Museum • National Museums ScotlandNational Museums Scotland