Carnegie Museum of Natural History

One of the Four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

RW Moriarty Science Seminars

by

Moriarty Science Seminar: 10 Things I Hate About ‘Nature,’ or a Political Ecology of Conservation

R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar Presents: “10 Things I Hate About ‘Nature,’ or a Political Ecology of Conservation“

Speakers: Dr. Noah Theriault, Carnegie Mellon University

This event will take place Monday, May 8 at Noon in person in Earth Theater and online via Zoom.

Abstract: “Nature” and “natural” are part of our everyday vocabulary, but we rarely pause to ask what exactly these words mean. How we define them reveals as much about our own worldviews as about anything else. Our beliefs, social identities, occupations, and idiosyncrasies are all implicated in how we differentiate what is natural from what is anthropogenic, artificial, unnatural, supernatural, deviant, or mutant. This distinction—between nature and its antonyms—pervades our social structures and political debates even as it evades our critical reflection. Using the principles of political ecology to examine biodiversity conservation in the Philippines, this seminar will push us to consider how conceptions of nature shape our relations with ourselves, with one another, and with the world around us, often in ways that unintentionally reproduce social and ecological harm. In order to love and respect nature, we must confront some of the troubling things done in its name.
.

Register Now

by

Moriarty Science Seminar: Sleuthing on Cryptic Mammals at Powdermill Nature Reserve: Bobcats & Coyotes & Bears, Oh My!

R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar Presents: “Sleuthing on Cryptic Mammals at Powdermill Nature Reserve: Bobcats & Coyotes & Bears, Oh My!“

Speakers: Dr. Jan Janecka, Duquesne University

This event will take place Monday, April 24 at Noon online via Zoom.

Abstract: Pennsylvania experienced removal of forest habitat and alterations associated with open pit mining. Starting in the 1960s, pressure on forests was alleviated leading to regeneration across much of Pennsylvania. This contributed to the recovery of many mammals in the Laurel Highlands, such as the bobcat, as well as influx of species that historically did not occur here, such as the coyote. The legacy of mining continues to affect diversity. Powdermill Nature Reserve is an excellent study site to address these dynamics as it encompasses the remains of an abandoned open pit mine. There are plans for mine reclamation to take place. How has this pit mine effected mammal diversity and movement? How will the changes associated with the reclamation affect mammals? These are important questions to address not only for Laurel Highlands, but more broadly for the ecosystems of the mid-Atlantic region and beyond. Mammals including bobcats, coyotes, and black bears, as well as prey species, were surveyed in open pit mine and control plots at Powdermill using camera traps. Comparisons provide insight on how abandoned open pit mines affect mammal diversity and habitat use. The data collected also provides an opportunity to understand changes that will occur after the reclamation.
.

Register Now

by

Moriarty Science Seminar: Nonhuman artists? Multidisciplinary and Multispecies Accounts of the Origin of Art

R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar Presents: “Nonhuman Artists? Multidisciplinary and Multispecies Accounts of the Origin of Art“

Speakers: Dr. Deirdre Smith, Carnegie Museum of Natural History

This event will take place Monday, April 10 at Noon online via Zoom.

Abstract: Do animals other than humans make what some humans call “art”? What might other animals’ behaviors reveal about art’s “origins”? These are questions that scholars in the sciences and humanities have been actively approaching for at least a century, and that resonate with longer, global histories of philosophy and religion. This presentation will introduce and invite discussion of the tendencies, ironies and implications of this scholarship, focusing on two primary case studies: nonhuman primate painting and drawing studies; and writing on bowerbirds that claims bowermaking as an artform.
.

Register Now

by

Moriarty Science Seminar: Sailing Through Eternity: Caring for the Dahshur Funerary Boat

R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar Presents: “Sailing Through Eternity: Caring for the Dahshur Funerary Boat“

Speakers: Gretchen Anderson and Dr. Lisa Haney, Carnegie Museum of Natural History

This event will take place Monday, March 13 at Noon online via Zoom.

Abstract: Four ancient Egyptian boats were excavated at Dahshur, Egypt in the 1890s. The Carnegie Museum of Natural History cares for one of them. Two others remain in Egypt and the fourth is at the Field Museum in Chicago. The Dahshur boat has been a favorite exhibit since it was first displayed in 1907. Have you ever wondered how the boat got to Pittsburgh? Or, how to care for a 4,000-year-old, 30-foot long boat?

This talk will unravel the boat’s fascinating history – how it came to be here, how it was exhibited, the conservation challenges, and the current research that helps us to better understand both the boat and the culture that made it. We will also discuss the importance of archival and technical research to long term care and understanding of this unique object. This includes a brief look at how technical analysis has changed over time, creating a need for collaboration between colleagues from different backgrounds and specialties.

.

Register Now

by

Moriarty Science Seminar: Effects of Urbanization on Plant Phenology

R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar Presents: “Effects of Urbanization on Plant Phenology“


Speaker: Daijiang Li, Louisiana State University.

This event will take place Monday, March 27 at Noon online via Zoom.

Abstract:With 57% of the human population now living in urban areas, urbanization is one of the most important drivers of global environmental change. Urbanization and its associated environmental consequences such as habitat fragmentation, urban heat island effects, pollution, and altered biogeochemical and hydrologic cycling are affecting all living individuals in urban areas, forming novel ecosystems. However, we know little about how and why urbanization affects species, limiting our ability to have better urban planning and management. Plant phenology – the timing of plant life-cycle events, such as leaf-out and flowering – can serve as a “canary in the coal mine” for impending system shifts because phenology shifts are often the most immediate and visible ecological response to environmental change. In this seminar, Dr. Daijiang Li will talk about the effects of urbanization on plant phenology across the United States and most of the Europe using both in situ observatory and remote sensing data. Dr. Li will also briefly talk about a current project to build a global plant phenology database — phenobase.

.

Register Now

by

Moriarty Science Seminar: “Using the Past to Predict the Future: What Museum Specimens Can Tell Us About Ecological Responses to Anthropogenic Change”

R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar Presents: “Using the Past to Predict the Future: What Museum Specimens Can Tell Us About Ecological Responses to Anthropogenic Change“

Speaker: Jennifer Sheridan, Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

This event will take place Monday, February 27 at Noon both online and at Earth Theater.

Abstract: Animal body size dictates a host of life history features, including survival, competitive success, and reproductive output. As such, it can serve as a proxy for how these variables have changed over time, in response to factors such as climate and land use. Despite numerous examples of size declines related to increasing temperatures, patterns of size change are not universal, suggesting that one or more primary mechanisms impacting size change are unknown. In this talk, Dr. Sheridan will discuss the theoretical basis for how body size is expected to change under future climate warming, and share recent evidence for a crossover effect between temperature and precipitation. This recent work suggests a shift from amphibian size being driven by resource availability at cooler temperatures to desiccation resistance at warmer temperatures. Sheridan will also share current related research in the section, including work which incorporates land use change into body size models.

.

Register Now