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RW Moriarty Science Seminars

August 14, 2024 by Noelle Swart

Moriarty Science Seminar: Michigan Land Snail Distribution Influenced by Past Glaciers

Rolling in the Isles: Michigan Land Snail Distribution Influenced by Past Glaciers

Featuring Tim Pearce, Carnegie Museum of Natural History

When: Monday, May 12, 2025, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Where: Earth Theater and online via Zoom

Tickets: This lecture is free. Museum admission is not required.

Learn about scientific discoveries directly from the experts in the field. Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s scientific research staff and invited speakers discuss their latest findings on numerous scientific topics at the R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar series.

Click here to register to attend virtually via Zoom. Registration is not necessary to attend in person. Museum admission is not included with the lecture. Visitor Services staff can direct you to Earth Theater on arrival.

Abstract

Does past glacial history influence modern species distributions?

During field work on islands in northern Lake Michigan, Dr. Tim Pearce found that snails were more similar to those in the Upper Peninsula than they were to the nearby adjacent Lower Peninsula. He initially wondered if this pattern could be explained by currently operating ecological principles such as predation or microhabitat.  Applying my training in paleontology, he then wondered if past events could have influenced modern distributions.

To study the glacier hypotheses, he compared occurrences of the four largest and best studied land snail species in three areas: the (1) Upper and (2) Lower Peninsulas and (3) the 13 islands adjacent to the Lower Peninsula. This comparison showed that all four species occur only on the Lower Peninsula but two of them occur in all three areas, with minor exceptions.

The two species that occur in all three areas appear to be more cold-adapted. In contrast, the two species restricted to just the Lower Peninsula are consistent with warm-adaptation.

This talk examines whether smaller snails show the same distribution patterns as these larger snails. Are smaller cold-adapted species more ubiquitous while smaller warm-adapted species are more confined to the Lower Peninsula?

The current distributions of land snails are consistent with a glacial history scenario where 11,500 years ago, a glacier covered the area and eliminated the land snails. Then 9,500 years ago, the glacial retreat exposed a land bridge from the mainland to the proto-islands. Then with more climate warming, cold-adapted snails dispersed northwards on the heels of the glacier and crawled to the proto-islands. Subsequent lake level rise isolated the islands from the mainland, so when the warm-adapted snails migrated into the Lower Peninsula, their island vacations were stymied.

About Dr. Pearce

Timothy Pearce is Assistant Curator of Mollusks at Carnegie Museum of Natural History, where he conducts research on land snails and cares for and promotes use of the huge research collection of snails and clams (1.4 million specimens). His MS in snail paleontology and his PhD in snail ecology give him a valuable perspective on how time has affected the makeup of modern snail communities.

Pearce received his PhD (1994) and MS (1991) in biology from the University of Michigan. His post-doctoral work at SUNY–Stony Brook from 1995–1996 focused on Madagascar’s land snails. He received his MA in paleontology from the University of California–Berkeley in 1988 and his BS in marine biology from Evergreen State College in 1979.

Prior to his appointment at Carnegie Museum of Natural History in 2002, he was Assistant Curator of Mollusks at the Delaware Museum of Natural History from 1997–2001.

Pearce’s research focuses on ecology and systematics of mollusks, especially terrestrial snails and slugs in the northeastern United States. He also pursues the biogeography of land snails on islands in the Great Lakes, distribution and ecology of land snails on California islands, and systematics of North American land snails.

Pearce has published more than 55 peer-reviewed scientific papers on mollusks. He has been known to tell snail jokes.

Tagged With: RW Moriarty Science Seminars

August 14, 2024 by Noelle Swart

Dismantling the Diorama: A Model for Tracing the Origins of Unidentified Human Remains

Dismantling the Diorama: A Model for Tracing the Origins of Unidentified Human Remains

Monday, April 14, 2025, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Earth Theater and online via Zoom

Featuring Dr. Aja Lans, Johns Hopkins University

This lecture is free. Museum admission is not required.

Learn about scientific discoveries directly from the experts in the field. Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s scientific research staff and invited speakers discuss their latest findings on numerous scientific topics at the R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar series.

Click here to register to attend virtually via Zoom. Registration is not necessary to attend in person. Museum admission is not included with the lecture. Visitor Services staff can direct you to Earth Theater on arrival.

Abstract

Lion Attacking a Dromedary has at different places and times varied in name, appearance, and meaning, and has arguably been many different things. Is this diorama a work of art, a historical representation, an artifact, or something in between? The (re)discovery of a human skull contained within its inaccurate depiction of a North African person raises concerns about the ongoing objectification of people of African origin and/or descent, as well as the spectacularization of violence against members of the African diaspora. This talk explores the creation of Lion Attacking a Dromedary and the itinerary of the skull contained within, emphasizing ties to ongoing racial injustices throughout the colonized world. The history of the diorama demonstrates why human remains contained within museum collections need to be re-evaluated and considered for repatriation efforts. In conclusion, archival research combined with stable isotope analyses of teeth provide clues to the skull’s origin.

Biography

Aja Lans is an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology and Center for Africana Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Her research integrates Black feminism and critical race theory into bioarchaeological investigations. A major area of focus is the objectification of human remains contained within universities and museum collections. She argues for the repatriation of Black Ancestors who are “owned” by such institutions. Outside of the academy, she consults on cultural resource management projects in New York City.

Tagged With: RW Moriarty Science Seminars

August 14, 2024 by Noelle Swart

Moriarty Science Seminar: Using Bird Banding Datasets to Track Trends in Bird Populations

Sixty Years and Counting: Using Bird Banding Datasets to Track Trends in Bird Populations

Monday, March 17, 2025, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Earth Theater and online via Zoom

Featuring Annie Lindsay, Powdermill Avian Research Center (Carnegie Museum of Natural History)

This lecture is free. Museum admission is not required.

Learn about scientific discoveries directly from the experts in the field. Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s scientific research staff and invited speakers discuss their latest findings on numerous scientific topics at the R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar series.

Click here to register to attend virtually via Zoom. Registration is not necessary to attend in person. Museum admission is not included with the lecture. Visitor Services staff can direct you to Earth Theater on arrival.

Abstract

The potential for long-term bird banding datasets to contribute to scientific literature is immense, and researchers are using these datasets to
study trends over time (e.g., populations, phenology, behavior, migration, distributions, morphology). Many studies rely on data collected at a single location or over a short period, and while it is valuable to analyze a single large dataset, the conclusions may not be broadly applicable to different geographic and temporal ranges, or to different species or even different populations of the focal species. Comparing multiple long-term datasets comprised of many species from multiple locations is proving to be valuable in identifying and describing patterns in space and time, and among populations and species. Several multi-station analyses have been published that show trends and patterns single-datasets may overlook.

Powdermill Avian Research Center has operated the longest continuously-run, year-round bird banding program in the country, gathering over 830,000 banding records and facilitating countless avian research projects since its inception in 1961. Similarly, Black Swamp Bird Observatory in northwest Ohio has been operating a banding station during the spring and fall migration periods since 1992, amassing over 350,000 records. In this presentation, she compares long-term trends in refueling rate and arrival condition, and changes in wing morphology at both stations, and discusses the importance of collaborations among bird banding operations in strengthening analyses to recognize patterns spatially and temporally.

About Annie Lindsay

Annie Lindsay, PhD, is the Bird Banding Program Manager at Powdermill Nature Reserve, environmental field station of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, where she runs the long-term bird banding station, conducts avian research, and teaches bird banding classes and workshops. Her research interests lie primarily in songbird migratory behavior and ecology, seasonal interactions and carry-over effects, and molt strategies and timing. She is particularly interested in how human activities affect bird populations and how those populations have changed over time in response to environmental changes. Annie earned a BS in Biology, an MS in Environment and Natural Resources from the Ohio State University, and a PhD in Biology from the University of Toledo. She has traveled around the country and internationally to band birds and study avian ecology and behavior. She is a North American Banding Council certified Bander and Trainer and serves in leadership roles for the Eastern Bird Banding Association, North American Banding Council, Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology, and Black Swamp Bird Observatory.

Tagged With: RW Moriarty Science Seminars

August 14, 2024 by Noelle Swart

Founding an Independent Research Lab to Change our Planetary Future

Founding an Independent Research Lab to Change our Planetary Future

Monday, March 3, 2025, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Earth Theater and online via Zoom

Featuring Suzanne Pierre, Critical Ecology Lab

This lecture is free. Museum admission is not required.

Learn about scientific discoveries directly from the experts in the field. Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s scientific research staff and invited speakers discuss their latest findings on numerous scientific topics at the R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar series.

Click here to register to attend virtually via Zoom. Registration is not necessary to attend in person. Museum admission is not included with the lecture. Visitor Services staff can direct you to Earth Theater on arrival.

Abstract

While it is now largely accepted that the threat climate change poses to humanity is not equally distributed across populations, the relationships between social power dynamics and inequality and the origins of global climate and ecological change are poorly, if at all, understood by the scientific community. Developing a scientific foundation for understanding changing Earth systems processes as they relate to persistent, unequal social systems is the objective of the Critical Ecology Lab. By conducting this type of scientific research in an effort to change basic scientific understanding and practice, public narratives about the Anthropocene, and contribute to a body of evidence to support political action, the Critical Ecology Lab aims to transform who and what global change science is for, and how it is done. Here, Dr. Pierre describes the founding and development of this unique independent research institution and presents examples of the Lab’s approach to socially critical Earth systems research and our vision for liberation work within science.

About Suzanne Pierre

Dr. Suzanne Pierre, a Haitian and Indian ecosystems ecologist and biogeochemist, is a writer and advocate for transformative social change. As founder and executive director of the Critical Ecology Lab, she leads groundbreaking research and community-driven efforts to challenge oppressive systems and address escalating ecological and social crises. Dr. Pierre earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies from New York University, a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University, and was a University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellow at Berkeley. Her scientific expertise lies in using molecular and stable isotope techniques to study nutrient and carbon cycling in plant and microbial communities under climate change.

As the pioneer of critical ecology, Dr. Pierre combines scientific methodologies with decolonial and liberation theories to explore the links between global ecological change and the legacies of colonialism and capitalism. She speaks and writes passionately about the intersections of identity, liberation, and ecology, collaborating with artists to amplify these themes through exhibitions worldwide.

A recipient of the National Geographic Wayfinder Award, Dr. Pierre’s work continues to inspire innovative approaches to environmental and social justice.

Tagged With: RW Moriarty Science Seminars

August 14, 2024 by Noelle Swart

Moriarty Science Seminar: Long-distance migration in Nightingale-thrushes

Functional Morphology and the Origin of Long-distance migration in nightingale-thrushes (Turdidae: Catharus)

Monday, February 10, 2025, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Earth Theater and online via Zoom

Matt Halley, Delaware Museum of Nature & Science

This lecture is free. Museum admission is not required.

Learn about scientific discoveries directly from the experts in the field. Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s scientific research staff and invited speakers discuss their latest findings on numerous scientific topics at the R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar series.

Click here to register to attend virtually via Zoom. Registration is not necessary to attend in person. Museum admission is not included with the lecture. Visitor Services staff can direct you to Earth Theater on arrival.

Abstract for “Long-Distance Migration in Nightingale-thrushes (Turdidae: Catharus)”

The nightingale-thrushes (genus Catharus) are a clade of (mostly) American songbirds with diverse migratory strategies. With large datasets of molecular and morphometric characters, Halley and colleagues have resolved phylogenetic relationships, described new species and subspecies, identified and modeled migration-related morphological characters, and estimated ancestral states of those characters to infer evolutionary transitions in the migratory phenotype. The results indicate that (1) migratory behavior and its functional morphology are fundamentally linked and can be accurately modeled along a linear axis; (2) short distance and elevational migration were precursors to long distance migration; and (3) the homoplasy of the migratory phenotype, as noted by previous authors, may not have been caused by evolutionary convergence following independent origins of migration, as previously suggested, but successive “budding” of daughter lineages from a “persistent ancestor” in evolutionary stasis.

About the Speaker

Dr. Matthew R. Halley is an ornithologist and historian from south-east Pennsylvania, who has authored dozens of research papers about bird evolution and the history of American science. He is the Assistant Curator of Birds at the Delaware Museum of Nature & Science (Wilmington, DE) and a Research Associate at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA), where he earned his Ph.D. in 2021. Halley’s research is wide-ranging and interdisciplinary, combining a variety of methods including phylogenetic analysis, population genetics, morphometric analysis, video cameras, audio recorders, tracking devices, and taxonomic study of preserved specimens. He has also uncovered a litany of unpublished primary sources, during the last decade, which have reshaped our understanding of historical figures like Alexander Wilson and John James Audubon, and the development of scientific ornithology in the United States.

Tagged With: RW Moriarty Science Seminars

August 14, 2024 by Noelle Swart

Moriarty Science Seminar: Gender in Mineral Names

Gender in Mineral Names: A Record of Past and Ongoing Diversity Challenges in the Earth Sciences

Speaker: Chris Emproto, Carnegie Museum of Natural History

When: Monday, January 13, 2025, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Where: Earth Theater at Carnegie Museum of Natural History and online via Zoom

Tickets: This lecture is free. Museum admission is not required.

Learn about scientific discoveries directly from the experts in the field. Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s scientific research staff and invited speakers discuss their latest findings on numerous scientific topics at the R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar series.

Click here to register to attend virtually via Zoom. Registration is not necessary to attend in person. Museum admission is not included with the lecture. Visitor Services staff can direct you to Earth Theater on arrival.

Talk Abstract

There are currently more than 6,000 unique mineral species recognized by the global mineralogical community. Proposals describing potentially new minerals are submitted to the International Mineralogical Association Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature, and Classification for review and approval. The Commission also votes on the name suggested by the authors. Common ways to name minerals include references to distinct chemical or physical properties, the location where the mineral was found, or after a person involved in the discovery or who is prominent in the field of mineralogy. For this reason, mineral names encode aspects of scientific and cultural history. But can mineral names also tell us about the future? By tracking the demographics of mineral eponyms over time, Chris Emproto and colleagues were able to see changes in who is represented among mineral names and how eponym demographics have evolved, with an emphasis on gender. Contrary to expectation, their results indicated that women’s representation among eponyms has not increased significantly in the last two decades but remains stalled at around 11%. This trend contrasts with educational data that instead show improvements in women’s representation. The results emphasize the ongoing need for more intentional recruitment of underrepresented groups in the Earth sciences.

Tagged With: RW Moriarty Science Seminars

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