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Journal article
Multiple skeletons of Rhynchaeites from the London Clay reveal the osteology of early Eocene ibises (Aves, Threskiornithidae)
We describe a new species of from the early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK), which is represented by a partial skeleton comprising a skull and most major postcranial bones. Multiple further partial skeletons are assigned to sp. and include skeletal elements that are rarely preserved in Paleogene birds....Mayr, Gerald ; Kitchener, Andrew C
Walton-on-the-Naze, Rhynchaeites , Fossil birds , Aves , and Character evolution
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Abstract
Crystal maze: a twisty-turny journey through the history of an unusual early medieval jar
The Galloway Hoard, dating to c. AD 900, was found by metal detectorists in 2014 in Southwest Scotland. It is made up of a large number of Viking age arm rings and ingots, as well as many Anglo-Saxon objects. The majority of the Anglo-Saxon artefacts were contained within a lidded...Davis, Mary ; Goldberg, Martin
Galloway Hoard, Early Medieval Scotland, Anglo-Saxon artefacts , carved rock crystal jar, and gold sheet, wire and filigree decoration
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Journal article
Textiles in a Viking Age hoard: Identifying ephemeral traces of textiles in metal corrosion products
This paper presents a novel method and terminology to identify and describe textiles from ephemeral traces in metal corrosion products. Since the 1980s, mineralised textiles (positive and negative casts in Janaway’s terminology) have been an important source of archaeological evidence. A major issue now is the identification of textiles in...Davis, Mary ; Harris, Susanna
Textile , Mineralisation, Silver, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Microscopy, Copper corrosion, Viking age, and Anglo-Saxon
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Magazine article
Art Meets Palaeontology on Skye
In the last few years I’ve been working with artists on projects that integrate palaeontological themes with visual arts. This work came about for two reasons: firstly, because I am, like many other scientists, someone who straddles the borders that traditionally delimit the arts from the sciences. I originally pursued...Panciroli, Elsa
visual arts, art-science collaborations, palaeontological themes, Isle of Skye fielwork, and Skye Fossils Art/Science Residency
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Journal article
From Field to Museum: The Treasure Trove process and the Peebles Hoard
Have you ever wondered how archaeological finds end up in Scottish Museums? The Treasure Trove Unit (TTU) is the front-facing team dealing with archaeological finds in Scotland. -
Podcast
The Viking-Age Galloway Hoard
The Galloway Hoard is one of the most spectacular Viking-Age hoards ever discovered, its multiple packages and layers containing not only a huge volume of remarkable silver and gold jewellery and a stunning lidded silver vessel, but also an astonishingly rare collection of the organic materials - in this case,...Maldonado, Adrián
scandinavia , ireland , vikingage, britain, vikings, archaeology, viking , and history
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Book chapter
Social control in Middle Kingdom Egypt: Embodied experience and symbolic violence
Pharaonic Egypt’s highly unequal social organisation was maintained not only through the use of physical coercion, but also through embodied daily practice and symbolic violence (Bourdieu). The control of space and physical interactions influenced how ancient Egyptians saw themselves in relation to the rest of society. This paper explores Middle...Maitland, Margaret
Submission, Deviance, Middle Kingdom art and texts, Social distancing, and Punishment
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Book
El traje: Forma, función y estilo
El traje desvela la historia de esta prenda desde su aparición en Europa occidental a finales del siglo XVII hasta nuestros días. Figuras como el caballero de Savile Row y el hombre de negocios de Wall Street han encarnado durante mucho tiempo ideas de tradición, masculinidad, poder y respetabilidad, pero...Breward, Christopher
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Abstract
Interrogating Influence: Researching Korean collections at National Museums Scotland
There are almost 1000 Korean objects in the collections of National Museums Scotland (NMS), yet research into this varied collection has previously focused on the early stages of collections development and on the materiality of the objects within the collection. Current collections research at NMS is instead led by the...Barnes, Lauren
museum objects, donors, provenance, collections data analysis, Korean collections research, Korean material culture, and sellers
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Abstract
Bernat Klein: Beneath the Surface
Bernat Klein (1922-2014) was a leading force in 20th century design who had a profound influence on the interrelated spheres of fashion, interior design, and architecture during a career spanning six decades. Drawing upon the vast archive of his work held by National Museums Scotland, this presentation will chart the...Mason, Lisa
museum collection, Bernat Klein archive, architecture, interior design, museum exhibition, and fashion
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Book chapter
The Longevity Legacy: The Challenges of Old Animals in Zoos
As knowledge of husbandry has improved with the keeping of wild animals in zoos over the last 200 years, so longevity has also improved, bringing with it challenges owing to the development of pathologies associated with ageing. In this chapter, the principal skeletal and dental pathologies of aged zoo mammals...Kitchener, Andrew C
Pathology , Euthanasia, Enrichment, Teeth, Skeleton , Ageing, and Behaviour
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Journal article
Case 3860 – Stygnidae Handlirsch, 1906 (Arthropoda, Insecta, order incertae sedis): proposed emendation of spelling to Stygneidae to remove homonymy with Stygnidae Simon, 1879 (Arthropoda, Arachnida, Opiliones)
The purpose of this application, under Article 55.3.1 of the Code, is to remove the homonymy between the family-group name Stygnidae Handlirsch, 1906 (Arthropoda: Insecta: order incertae sedis) and the family-group name Stygnidae Simon, 1879 (Arthropoda: Arachnida: Opiliones). It is proposed that the stem of the generic name Stygne Handlirsch,... -
Journal article
A New Genus of Ricaniidae (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha) from the Late Eocene Bembridge Marls, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom
A new monospecific fossil genus of ricaniid planthoppers (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Ricaniidae), Worako gen. nov., is described with Worako yulei sp. nov. The fossil is reported from the Late Eocene Insect Bed of the Bembridge Marls, Isle of Wight, UK. It is the second record of Ricaniidae from these strata and...Stroiński, Adam ; Ross, Andrew J ; Szwedo, Jacek
Fulgoroidea , Europe, morphology, fossil material , and taxonomy
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Journal article
A key to European species of Hyposoter Förster, 1869(Ichneumonidae: Campopleginae) with descriptions of 18 new species, and notes on all included species
An identification key is presented to European species of Hyposoter falling morphologically within the definition of Townes (1970). Eighteen new species are described: Hyposoter aglyphus Galsworthy & Shaw sp. nov., H. albosignatus Galsworthy & Shaw sp. nov., H. castaneus Galsworthy & Shaw sp. nov., H. flavicoxa Galsworthy & Shaw sp....Galsworthy, Anthony ; Shaw, Mark R ; Haraldseide, Håkon
TAXONOMY , DISTRIBUTION , HOST , LEPIDOPTERA, NEW SPECIES, HYMENOPTERA , and PARASITOID
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Journal article
Deletion of the genus Aspicolpus Wesmael, 1838 from the British list, and a near-certain host for Vadumasonium vardyorum van Achterberg & Broad, 2013 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Brachistinae, Diospilini)
Errors of various kinds, including records of country occurrence and biological properties, that creep into the published entomological literature always cause problems because they are very difficult to expunge, even when it becomes clear from later experience that they really muse be errors. For species of parasitoid wasps these problems...Shaw, Mark R
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Journal article
Obtaining, recording and using host data for reared parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera)
To redress the failings of the past, strong advice and protocols are given for appropriately recording the data of reared parasitoids, with particular emphasis on blithey overlooking the actual host. A concept of audited rearings (with exact recovery of host remains and parasitoid cocoons for each parasitoid reared) as opposed...Shaw, Mark R
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Journal article
Somerset ichthyosaurs and Quaker philanthropy: Alfred Gillett, William Stephens Clark and the geological museum in the Crispin Hall, Street.
In 1885, William Stephens Clark (1839-1925) built and opened the Crispin Hall in the village of Street, Somerset, to house its Working Men's Club & Institute. The new complex provided a room for a geological museum set up by Clark's cousin Alfred Gillett (1814-1904), and formally opened in 1887 with...Taylor, Michael A
Crispin Hall, Street, William Stephens Clark , Geological Museum, Quaker philanthropy, museology, ichthyosaurs , social improvement, C. & J. Clark Ltd, and Alfred Gillett
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Journal article
Reared specimens of western Palaearctic Ophion Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Ophioninae) in the National Museums of Scotland
Following recent changes to the taxonomy of north-western European Fabricius, 1798, species, host records are updated and new records presented for these nocturnal, koinobiont endoparasitoids of Lepidoptera larvae. Rearing data are presented for 22 species with two species re-described. Five species are recorded as new to Britain and Ireland.Shaw, Mark R ; Broad, Gavin R
NEW SPECIES, EUROPE, ICHNEUMONOIDEA, BRITAIN, MUSEUM COLLECTION, IRELAND, LEPIDOPTERA, and PARASITOID
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Journal article
Shackleton and Bruce: disentangling Antarctic geological collections at National Museums Scotland
Amongst the Antarctic geological specimens held by National Museums Scotland are those from collections made during early 20th Century expeditions led by William Speirs Bruce and Ernest Shackleton. Historical circumstances and ambiguous labelling led to the Shack- leton material, from his 1907–1909 Nimrod expedition, being incorporated into the Bruce collection...Stone, Philip ; Walcott, Rachel ; Aspen, Peder
Ernest Shackleton, William Speirs Bruce , Nimrod Expedition, Antarctic geological specimens, and museum collections
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Journal article
2. SCOTLAND
NORTH OF THE ANTONINE WALL: Tap o'Noth and Longforgan THE ANTONINE WALL: Seabegs Wood, Milnquarter, Bonnyside East, Rough Castle, Mumrills and Bo'ness SOUTH OF THE ANTONINE WALL: Castle GregHunter, Fraser
Roman Scotland, industrial activity, Military Way, hillforts, Antonine Wall, fortlet, archaeological excavations , and camps
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Book chapter
Material worlds
This chapter considers material culture themes beyond any single region or country in order to look at recurring problems and possibilities across the European Iron Age. Often these are analogies (such as problems of taphonomic bias) rather than direct linkages, but large-scale issues in European prehistory are also considered, such...Hunter, Fraser
technological innovation, material culture, taphonomic bias, decoration, and Mediterranean links
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Book chapter
Selective fragmentation. Exploring the treatment of metalwork across time and space in Bronze Age Britain
During the Bronze Age (BA), thousands of metal tools, weapons and ornaments were buried across Europe in graves, settlements, single finds and hoards in the natural landscape. Many show evidence of deliberate treatment and structured and selective deposition. The concept of selective deposition (i.e. the decision to deposit objects in...Knight, Matthew G
Bronze Age, metal deposition, selective fragmentation practice, and Britain
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Book
Curious devices and mighty machines: Exploring Science Museums: (Chinese translation)
本书以策展人和科学器物作为线索,通过介绍西欧和北美的众多科学博物馆,系统地阐释了科学博物馆从创建、收集藏品到布展、宣传的各个方面。书中内含94张图片,以文字与图片生动结合的方式,让读者直观地领略到世界著名科学博物馆及其藏品的魅力。Alberti, S J M M
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Still image
Field work images - 28 Group Observed Dundee May 2022
Photographs(s) from fieldwork undertaken at museums and other Cold War heritage sites in Scotland and beyond as part of the ‘Materialising the Cold War’ research project.Gledhill, Jim
building restoration project, UKWMO Caledonian Sector HQ bunker, Royal Observer Corps’ 28 (Dundee) Group, photographs, and fieldwork
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Book chapter
“A Crown of Everlasting Glory”: The Afterlife of Maria Clementina Sobieska in Material and Visual Culture
Maria Clementina Sobieska was the last widely recognised Stuart queen, albeit in exile, and mother to the final generation of the Stuart dynasty. Examining the material and visual culture surrounding her funeral and afterlife, this chapter reinstates Clementina in Jacobite and Stuart history. It also considers the papal role in...Vullinghs, Georgia
Jacobites, visual culture, material culture, Royal funerals, Queenship, and Stuarts
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Book chapter
Global History in the History of Fashion
Over the twentieth century, multi-disciplinary academic studies addressed dress practice and bodily adornment from a variety of perspectives, assessing the question of fashion, though few communities outside the West were awarded this term until the past generation. Anthropologists took an ethnographic stance, with works that from the late 1980s became...Breward, Christopher ; Lemire, Beverly ; Riello, Giorgio
dress practice , ethnographic approach, fashion history, bodily adornment , global, and clothing
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Journal article
A system for designating taxonomic certainty in mammals and other taxa
Taxonomy and systematics are fundamental to the success of conservation actions. A robust and accurate classification of living organisms is vital for understanding biodiversity, using limited resources wisely, prioritising conservation action, and for legal protection and regulation of trade. However, all too often current taxonomies are not based on the...Kitchener, Andrew C ; Hoffmann, Michael ; Yamaguchi, Nobuyuki ; Breitenmoser-Würsten, Christine ; Wilting, Andreas
Taxonomy, Systematics , Conservation , Classification , and Species concepts
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Journal article
Tremadocian and Floian (Ordovician) linguliformean brachiopods from the Stavelot–Venn Massif (Avalonia; Belgium and Germany)
Lower Ordovician linguliformean brachiopods from the Stavelot–Venn Massif (Belgium and Germany) are described systematically for the first time. The material comprises specimens from the Jalhay (Solwaster Member) and Ottré (Les Plattes Member) formations of Tremadocian and Floian ages, respectively. The Solwaster Member yielded a relatively diverse assemblage of nine species...Candela, Yves ; Mottequin, Bernard
Germany, Lingulida, Siphonotretida, Ordovician, Belgium, Acrotretida, and brachiopods
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Journal article
Jewellery and Covid-19
Over the last 18 months the pandemic has affected many areas of life, with society witnessing huge changes globally, and museums acquiring artefacts and works of art, design and crat that reflected and responded to the impact of covid-19. In my own organisation, the approach has focused on a range...Rothwell, Sarah
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Journal article
Collecting Covid
Rothwell, Sarah
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Journal article
‘Where is the Ship Which From the Ceiling Hung?’ Ghost Ships: The ship models missing from Scotland’s churches
A recent survey of the surviving ship models in Scottish churches has identified an interesting chronological gap, an absence which has created the impression that ship models in Scotland’s churches are a nineteenth-century phenomenon. Existing older models from the seventeenth century have been dismissed as anomalies harking back to pre-Reformation...Greiling, Meredith
Shipmaster , Seafarer societies, ship models, Scottish churches, votive ships, and model-makers
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Lecture
“Piece Offerings”: the Destruction and Deposition of Metalwork in Bronze Age Britain?
The destruction and deposition of Bronze Age metalwork took many forms. Weapons were decommissioned and thrown into rivers; axes were fragmented and piled in hoards; and ornaments were crushed, contorted and placed in certain landscapes. There are many such examples from south-west Britain. But what did these practices mean to...Knight, Matthew G
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Lecture
Nevil Maskelyne and the projects of 18th century astronomy
Focusing on the career and connections of the Fifth Astronomer Royal, Nevil Maskelyne, this talk will look at what astronomy was for in the 18th century. From his early voyage to St Helena to his long years at Greenwich, Maskelyne was an internationally significant figure who was involved with all...Higgitt, Rebekah
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Exhibition-related event
Spotlight On: Audubon’s Birds of America
Discover how Birds of America, one of the world’s rarest and most coveted books, was made, and learn about the ongoing conservation work to preserve these life-size, hand-coloured prints for future generations. Exhibition Curator Mark Glancy will discuss the journey of bringing the stories behind the Birds of America publication...Glancy, Mark ; Cumming, Lisa
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Blog post
Cups saucers and women's right to vote
How might our design choices inform our values? A recent addition to our collections allows us to explore a group of radical ceramics for Women’s History Month. Claire Blakey, Curator Modern Decorative Arts, talks us through a tea set made to champion women’s suffrage.Blakey, Claire
Suffragette , Women , Ceramics, and WSPU
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Blog post
A badge of honour
The symbolic nature of jewellery has allowed wearers to signal their beliefs, alliances and values for thousands of years. For Women’s History Month, our Senior Curator Modern & Contemporary Design Sarah Rothwell explores the recent acquisition of a brooch that tells the defiant story of women’s suffrage.Rothwell, Sarah
Suffragette , Women , Women Designers, and WSPU
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Book chapter
The goldworking of Riqqa, Egypt: Analysis and comparison between the 12th and 18th dynasties, in Quiles
The first Science for Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technologies conference was held under the auspices of His Excellency Pr. Khaled el-Enany at the Manial Palace Museum in Cairo, from 4 to 6 November 2017. Its aim was to provide a venue at which specialists in the application of physical and...Troalen, Lore ; Guerra, Maria Filomena ; Maitland, Margaret ; Ponting, Matthew ; Price, Campbell
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Book chapter
From colour to nanolayers: corrosion in Egyptian goldwork
The first Science for Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technologies conference was held under the auspices of His Excellency Pr. Khaled el-Enany at the Manial Palace Museum in Cairo, from 4 to 6 November 2017. Its aim was to provide a venue at which specialists in the application of physical and...Tissot, Isabel ; Troalen, Lore ; Guerra, Maria Filomena
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Book chapter
The burial of the “Qurna Queen”
The personal adornments and objects from the burial of Queen Ahhotep belong to one of the most spectacular finds from Ancient Egypt. The history of their discovery is still a mystery. Even the identity of the queen is not fully solved. The twelve essays in this volume tackle different problems...Maitland, Margaret ; Potter, Daniel M ; Troalen, Lore
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Journal article
A Note on Modern (Fake) Shabtis as Tourist Art
This brief communication is a discussion of several styles of shabti figures identified during the National Museums Scotland review of Egyptian material in Scottish collections. The shabtis’ combination of historical styles, nonsensical inscriptions and material composition clearly characterize them as modern productions, despite several recent publications identifying them as Roman...Potter, Daniel M
modern, tourist art, pseudo-shabti, and Shabti
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Journal article
Science in a Somerset Quaker community: Alfred Gillett (1814-1904) fossil collecting and kinship networks in and around Street
Alfred Gillett (1814-1904) was a son of John Gillett, a Langport shopkeeper, and his wife Martha, part of a complex network of families which formed the core of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in eastern and south-eastern Somerset. He went into trade as an ironmonger. In 1841 he became...Taylor, Michael A ; Berry , Charlotte
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Blog post
The value of broken things: fragments from the Bronze Age
The value of an object is often framed in terms of its completeness. As individuals and as a museum, we like pristine things and try to keep them that way. If something breaks, we repair it. If it is broken beyond repair, we may replace it. And yet, sometimes it...Knight, Matthew
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Journal article
Scottish Birds Records Committee report on rare birds in Scotland, 2020
This is the 13th annual report of the Scottish Birds Records Committee (SBRC) describing rare birds recorded in Scotland during 2020. Details of previous annual reports that cover the period 2005 to 2019 can be found listed in McInerny & McGowan (2021), some of which are cited in this reportMcInerny, C ; McGowan, R Y
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Journal article
‘Ear stones’ in crocodylians: a cross-species comparative and ontogenetic survey of otolith structures
The vestibular system of the inner ear is a crucial sensory organ, involved in the sensation of balance and equilibrium. It consists of three semicircular canals that sense angular rotations of the head and the vestibule that detects linear acceleration and gravity. The vestibule often contains structures, known as the...crocodylia, ontogeny, otolith, inner ear, and vestibular system
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Book
The earth: a biography of life: the story of life on our planet through 47 incredible organisms
It is difficult to conceive of the vast scale of the history of life on Earth, from the very first living organisms sparking into life in hydrothermal deep-sea vents to the dizzying diversity of life today. The evolution of life is a sweeping epic of a tale, with twists and...Pancorili, Elsa
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Journal article
Defining role
Geraldine Kendall Adams talks to Christopher Breward about the shift in priorities for National Museums Scotland. Photography by Philip SayerKendall Adams, Geraldine
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Journal article
“Balure Dun”
The site at Balure, until relatively recently, was unrecognised as a dun structure, although it had been noted by Forestry Commission operatives as an enclosure and/or cairn and recorded as such on the Forestry Commission’s Heritage database for North Knapdale Forest.Regan, Roddy ; Campbell, Ewan ; Ballin, Torben ; Sheridan, J A ; Cressey, Michael
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Blog post
QR codes in museums – worth the effort?
If you’ve visited the National Museum of Scotland in the last year, you probably saw a QR code in one of our exhibitions. There’s a good chance you even used one! Did you get your phone out and scan it? Or walk on by? Adam Coulson looks into changes in...Coulson, Adam
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Book chapter
Introduction
The period c.1745-1845 was a revolutionary chapter in the history of Highland dress. With the advent of the European Romantic movement, this once regional costume was revived and reinvented to reflect the changing times and preoccupations of its wearers. Associated with the warrior culture of Gaelic society, by the close...Waine, Rosie
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Book
Highland Style: Fashioning Highland dress c.1745-1845
For many people across the world, Highland dress, bagpipes and Highland landscapes are the images of Scotland that first spring to mind. Ideas about the Scottish Highlands which took hold around the turn of the 19th century remain to the present day. National Museums Scotland holds a significant collection of...Waine, Rosie
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Journal article
Middle Jurassic fossils document an early stage in salamander evolution
Salamanders are an important group of living amphibians and model organisms for understanding locomotion, development, regeneration, feeding, and toxicity in tetrapods. However, their origin and early radiation remain poorly understood, with early fossil stem-salamanders so far represented by larval or incompletely known taxa. This poor record also limits understanding of...Jones, Marc E H ; Benson, Roger B J ; Skutschas, Pavel ; Hill, Lucy ; Panciroli, Elsa …
AMPHIBIANS , PHYLOGENY , JURASSIC , SALAMANDER, and EVOLUTION
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Blog post
Unwrapping stories revisiting the costume at Paxton House
Nestled on the bank of the River Tweed in the Scottish Borders, Paxton House is an eighteenth-century home and museum with exceptional collections. The Chippendale and Trotter furniture is recognised as being of international importance, and the building itself is Grade A listed. But what else lies hidden in storage?Tayor, Emily ; Murrell, Fiona Salvesen
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Journal article
Evolution: The origin of insect wings revisited
The evolution of wings and flight was key for the rise of insects. A new study finds that lateral extensions on the abdominal segments of primitive insect nymphs are the serial homologues of wings and probably helped control gliding.Ross, Andrew J
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Journal article
Monumental Record
In 2013 archaeologists uncovered what has since been called ‘the greatest discovery in Egypt in the 21st century’: hundreds of papyrus fragments dating to the last years of King Khufu’s reign (c.2500 BC) at the oldest harbour in Egypt, a site on the Red Sea coast called Wadi al-Jarf.Potter, Daniel M
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Journal article
Reintroducing the Vikings into Scotland’s story
Dr Adrián Maldonado takes another look at the formation of Scotland, to ask whether we should recalibrate our image of the 'Vikings' to include more than just people of Norse decentMaldonado, Adrián
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Journal article
Cranial volume and palate length of cats, Felis spp., under domestication, hybridization and in wild populations
Reduced brain size, compared with wild individuals, is argued to be a key characteristic of domesticated mammal species, and often cited as a key component of a putative ‘domestication syndrome’. However, brain size comparisons are often based on old, inaccessible literature and in some cases drew comparisons between domestic animals...Lesch, Raffaela ; Kitchener, Andrew C ; Hantke, Georg ; Kotrschal, Kurt ; Fitch, W Tecumseh
skull, conservation, brain size, wildlife, hybridization, and cranial capacity
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Journal article
Sympiesis notata (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eulophidae), a gregarious parasitoid of Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera), and some records of other Chalcidoidea associated with skipper butterflies in the Western Palaearctic
Sympiesis notata is a gregarious ectoparasitoid of skipper butterfly caterpillars. Other Lepidoptera larvae in leaf mines and leaf folds are attacked by the same morphospecies, but on these smaller hosts S. notata is usually a solitary parasitoid. Other Chalcidoidea recorded as reared from hesperiid hosts are mostly species of Brachymeria...Askew, Richard ; Shaw, Mark R
primary parasitism, multiparisitism, Chalcididae, Pteromalidae, Hesperiidae, Microgastrinae, Eulophidae, secondary parasitism, and Ichneumonidae
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Journal article
Genetic examination of historical North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) bone specimens from the eastern North Atlantic: Insights into species history, transoceanic population structure, and genetic diversity
Species monitoring and conservation is increasingly challenging under current climate change scenarios. For the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) this challenge is heightened by the added effects of complicated and uncertain past species demography. Right whales once had a much wider distribution across the North Atlantic Ocean, although the...Frasier, Brenna A ; Springate, Leah ; Frasier, Timothy R ; Brewington, Seth ; Carruthers, Martin …
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Journal article
Abnormal (Hydroxy)proline Deuterium Content Redefines Hydrogen Chemical Mass
Analyzing the δ2H values in individual amino acids of proteins extracted from vertebrates, we unexpectedly found in some samples, notably bone collagen from seals, more than twice as much deuterium in proline and hydroxyproline residues than in seawater. This corresponds to at least 4 times higher δ2H than in any...Gharibi, Hassan ; Chernobrovkin, Alexey L ; Eriksson, Gunilla ; Saei, Amir Ata ; Timmons, Zena …
Biopolymers, Ions, Hydrogen , Peptides , Anatomy, proteins, and isotopes
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Journal article
A new genus and species of gall midges the tribe Winnertziini (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae, Porricondylinae) from lower Eocene Fushun amber from China
The new taxon, Fushuniola mai Fedotova & Perkovsky, gen. et sp. nov., is described from a single female from the lower Eocene (Ypresian) Fushun amber from China. This is the second record of Cecidomyiidae known from Fushun amber. The first record is Cecidomyia bujunensis Naora. The new species is characterized... -
Journal article
An annotated list of Lonchaeidae (Diptera) from China, Cambodia and Vietnam with description of a new species
A preliminary list of 14 species of the family Lonchaeidae recorded from Cambodia, China and Vietnam is given. Silba filamenta sp. n. is described from North-East China. New country records are provided for three species of Lonchaea Fallén, 1820 and two species of Silba Macquart, 1851.MacGowan, Iain ; Barták, M ; Honorary Research Associate, National Museums of Scotland, Collection Centre, 242 West Granton Road, Edinburgh EH5 1JA, United Kingdom
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Journal article
Supplement to the Burmese (Myanmar) amber checklist and bibliography, 2021
This is a supplement to the Burmese (Myanmar) amber checklist and bibliography covering taxa described or recorded during 2021, plus a few earlier records that were missed previously. Up to the end of 2021, 2,198 species were recorded from Kachin amber of which 337 were named in 2021. Five species...Ross, Andrew J
Amber , Burmese , Invertebrates , Myanmar , Plants, Cretaceous, Vertebrates , Arachnids , and Insects
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Journal article
Review of: Elizabeth and Mary: Royal Cousins, Rival Queens (London, The British Library, 8 October 2021–20 February 2022). Catalogue: Elizabeth and Mary: Royal Cousins, Rival Queens, ed. Susan Doran. London: The British Library, 2021
Despite the wishful attempts of playwrights and film directors, Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots never met. Nonetheless, theirs was a close relationship, and it lies at the heart of the exhibition Elizabeth and Mary: Royal Cousins, Rival Queens, and the excellent accompanying book.Groundwater, Anna
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Lecture
The Gold Cups of Eternal Stability and the Celebration of the Chinese New Year
The Gold Cups of Eternal Stability are among the most extraordinary objects in the Wallace Collection. The Qianlong Emperor ordered them especially for the First Stroke Ceremony, performed on the New Year’s Day in the Forbidden City in Beijing. Their surface is covered with kingfisher feathers, a technique also used...Cao, Qin ; de Wit, Ada
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Blog post
Snow hunter collecting Scotland's vanishing ice
What can patches of snow across Scotland tell us about the global environmental challenge? We recently acquired objects from Scotland’s ‘Snow hunter’ Iain Cameron relating to his vital work recording these patches. In this blog, Curator Sarah Laurenson introduces us to those objects before Iain offers an evocative insight into...Laurenson, Sarah ; Cameron, Iain
Scottish History, Contemporary Collecting, and Climate Change
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Blog post
Joan Faithfull’s Mull pottery
What does it mean for an object to be ‘of’ a place? Joan Fathfull’s pottery in Tormore, Mull, became a fixture for visitors to the Inner Hebrides in the mid-20th century. Ailsa Hutton, Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary History, discusses the recent gifting of Joan’s works by her sons,...Hutton, Ailsa
Scottish History, Contemporary Collecting , Mull , and Pottery
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Blog post
Take to the Skye: New pterosaur discovery
A recent spectacular find on the Isle of Skye shines new light on pterosaurs of the Jurassic period. Our Keeper of Natural Sciences Nick Fraser tells us more about this discovery, Skye’s fossil riches and the people bringing them to light, both in the past and today.Fraser, Nicholas C
Fossils , Palaeontology , Skye, and Dinosaurs
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Blog post
The Iqbalnama: celebrating the life of Sardar Iqbal Singh
The Iqbalnama is a series of six paintings depicting the life of Sardar Iqbal Singh, a Sikh man from Lahore, India, who moved to Scotland and fostered cross-cultural connections. We mark one year since he passed away with a reflection on his achievements by Elizabeth Guest, as well as a...Guest, Elizabeth
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Blog post
Trade, taste and tea bowls: uncovering Chinese ceramics in our collections
Ceramic objects are useful in day-to-day life and may also be put on display, for example in people’s homes, yet they are more than just functional or decorative. They can also tell stories of manufacturing, taste and international trade. National Museums Scotland has a large and important but little-known Chinese...Cao, Qin
World Cultures, Ceramics , and China
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Blog post
Connecting collections through the congruence engine
Like all museums, what we have on display at any one time barely scratches the surface of the 12 million objects in our collection. We try to make these collections more accessible to as many people as possible. So we’re excited to be part of a newly launched partnership of...Taubman, Alison
Digital , Technology , Congruence Engine , Energy , Textiles, Science And Technology , and Communications
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Journal article
Genetic integrity of European wildcats: Variation across biomes mandates geographically tailored conservation strategies
Hybridisation between domestic and wild taxa can pose severe threats to wildlife conservation, and human-induced hybridisation, often linked to species' introductions and habitat degradation, may promote reproductive opportunities between species for which natural interbreeding would be highly unlikely. Using a biome-specific approach, we examine the effects of a suite of...Protected area management, Biomes, Felis silvestris, Conservation, and Hybridisation
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Blog post
Conserving the Galloway Hoard: a silver brooch goes under the microscope
The Galloway Hoard was in the ground for nearly 1,000 years. That brings all kinds of conservation challenges, as Galloway Hoard Project Artefact Conservator Mary Davis explains. Learn what it takes to preserve Viking-Age treasures, and what the conservation process tells us about the objects and people who used and...Davis, Mary
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Journal article
Reintroducing the Vikings into Scotland's story
Dr Adrián Maldonado takes anothe rlook at the formation of Scotland, to ask whether we should recalibrate our images of the 'Vikings' to include more than just people of Norse descent.Maldonado, Adrián
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Exhibition audio-visual guide
The Silver Casket
The Mary, Queen of Scots Casket is one of Scotland’s most cherished treasures, thanks to its long-standing association with the controversial queen. Take a closer look at this extremely rare work of early French silver and its associations with Mary, Queen of Scots presented by Dr Anna Groundwater, Principal Curator...Groundwater, Anna
Gold and Silver , Story , Kings and Queens, and Scottish History and Archaeology
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Journal article
Noninvasive characterization and quantification of anthraquinones in dyed woolen threads by visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy
The anthraquinone components of the roots of various species of madder (like Rubia tinctorum L. and Rubia peregrina L.) have been used for millennia as red colorants in textiles, carpets, tapestries, and other objects. To understand the selection and preparation of dyestuffs in various cultures and historical periods, these dyes...Chavanne, Clarisse ; Troalen, Lore G ; Fronty, Isabelle Bardies ; Buléon, Pascal ; Walter, Philippe
Dyes and pigments, Optical properties, Extraction, Color, and Liquid chromatography
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Blog post
Jurassic World Dominion: Bringing dinosaurs to life
Jurassic Park‘s impact is undeniable. And not just on pop culture: the ‘Jurassic Park effect’ inspired an increase in public interest in palaeontology, funding for research and the development of new technology. With Jurassic World Dominion arriving in cinemas, the long run of the iconic film series comes to an...Dornan, Russell ; Brusatte, Stephen
Prehistory, Palaeontology , Natural Sciences , Dinosaurs , Fossils , and Geology
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Lecture
Textiles of the Galloway Hoard
Join Dr Susanna Harris and Dr Alexandra Makin, as they call in to Kirkcudbright Galleries to tell us all about the new, fascinating discoveries from the Galloway Hoard. Buried at the beginning of the 10th century in Dumfries and Galloway, the Hoard lay undisturbed for a thousand years before being...Harris, Susanna ; Makin, Alexandra
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Lecture
Unnwrapping the Galloway Hoard: first research update
Join Dr Martin Goldberg, Principal Curator of Medieval Archaeology & History at the National Museum of Scotland, as he calls in to Kirkcudbright Galleries to tell you all about the new, fascinating discoveries from the Galloway Hoard. Buried at the beginning of the 10th century in Dumfries and Galloway, the...Goldberg, Martin
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Book chapter
A re-discovered early Roman-era mummy shroud from the Rhind tomb at Thebes
The first Science for Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technologies conference was held under the auspices of His Excellency Pr. Khaled el-Enany at the Manial Palace Museum in Cairo, from 4 to 6 November 2017. Its aim was to provide a venue at which specialists in the application of physical and...Maitland, Margaret ; Ross, Jennifer ; Troalen, Lore
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Blog post
Park Life
Carys Wilkins, assistant curator in Modern & Contemporary Design at the National Museums Scotland, explores how the pandemic has influenced furniture design, in particular the park bench & in turn the museum’s acquisitions programme.Wilkins, Carys
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Lecture
A trip to Edinburgh: transfer-printed ceramics in the collection of National Museums Scotland
This lecture will explore the collections of British transfer-printed ceramics in the collection of National Museums Scotland which include wares made for export across the globe, as well as pieces which can be used to illustrate the technical processes of transfer printing on pottery.Blakey, Claire
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Blog post
Breaking the Ice: When Hugh MacDiarmid met Yevgeny Yevtushenko
In October 1962, the world stood on the edge of an abyss as the United States and the Soviet Union prepared for nuclear war over the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba. Five months earlier, the charismatic Soviet poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko broke the political pack ice of the Cold War...Gledhill, Jim
Russia , Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Hugh MacDiarmid , Poets , Poetry , Cold War , and USSR
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Lecture
A passion for glass
In 2009 National Museums Scotland was generously donated over 300 pieces of art and studio glass by the passionate collector, supporter, and promoter of contemporary glass Dan Klein (1938 – 2009), which he had amassed both separately, and alongside his partner Alan J. Poole. Klein notably championed the work of...Rothwell, Sarah
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Video
Museum Screen Time: expert reacts to the Viking Age in Pop Culture
Watch Galloway Hoard Researcher and Early Medieval archaeologist Dr Adrián Maldonado as he reacts to depictions of the Viking Age in movies, TV and video games. Did vikings really burn their dead in boats on the water? How stark was the divide between vikings, Picts and Britons? And what's up...Maldonado, Adrián
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Lecture
Waking the Dead: promoting and recording Carrion beetles
A talk from the 2022 NFBR Conference at Oxford University Museum of Natural HistoryWhiffin, Ashleigh
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Lecture
Museums and Medical Knowledge: past, present, and future
Although populated by the dead, medical museums are for the living. From their roots in the Enlightenment, medical practitioners have gathered pathological and anatomical material for clinical and educational benefit. This practice reached its zenith around 1900, when Maude Abbott led a generation of medical curators who gathered, arranged and...Alberti, S J M M
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Blog post
GeoCASe 2.0 and the evolution of data from physical specimen to the digital
As Principal Curator of the National Museums Scotland’s (NMS) 200 year old ‘Earth System collection, a collection of 70000 minerals, rocks and meteorites, one of my responsibilities is to ensure the collection puts its best foot forward into the Digital Era. So for the past few years, I have lead...Walcott, Rachel
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Blog post
Embroidered crucifixion
Thanks to a generous donation from benefactor Leslie Durst, we have acquired an exquisite seventeenth-century embroidery with a surprising history of secret Catholic devotion. This small panel embodies entwined stories of religious faith, skilled workmanship, and the mythology of a doomed Queen. Senior Curator of Historic Textiles Helen Wyld reveals...Wyld, Helen
Embroidery , Global Arts Cultures And Design , New Acquisitions , and Textiles
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Blog post
Collecting Collections: Brooches
Museums aren’t alone when it comes to collecting objects. Personal collecting, usually more rooted in identity or passion, can offer a glimpse into who people are and what makes them tick. Digital Media Content Manager Russell Dornan reflects on his brooch collection, what it says about his identity and shares...Dornan, Duncan
Collecting , LGBTQIA+, Collections , Jewellery , Brooch , LGBT History Month , and Global Arts Cultures And Design
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Book chapter
The King and I: Commemorating the privilege of royal statue dedication in Ramesside Deir El-Medina
It is generally understood that in ancient Egyptian statuary, “a private person is never sculpted together with the king”. However, an unusual small limestone statue in the collections of National Museums Scotland contradicts this understanding, depicting a man kneeling to offer a statue of a king (NMS A.1956.139). Clearly Ramesside...Maitland, Margaret
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Book
Fragments of the Bronze Age: the destruction and deposition of metalwork in South-West Britain and its wider context
The destruction and deposition of metalwork is a widely recognised phenomenon across Bronze Age Europe. Weapons were decommissioned and thrown into rivers; axes were fragmented and piled in hoards; and ornaments were crushed, contorted and placed in certain landscapes. Interpretation of this material is often considered in terms of whether...Knight, Matthew G