Science and Global Change Excursion:

November 11, 2023 American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY:

For my excursion, I decided to go to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The museum features an extensive paleontology collection which is on display for the public. I participated in two tours, one guided by Professor Holtz, and the other by Professor Merck. I learned a lot regarding prehistoric species, and the relationships between them on both tours.

For our dinosaur tour, Dr.Holtz demonstrated many concepts in the field of paleontology. Paleontology being the study of historical objects, and in this specific case, dinosaur fossils. Dr. Holtz described the close relationship with raptors to birds. This led to the discovery that birds are the descendants of dinosaurs. Though bird- like traits can be seen in many dinosaurs, such as the bird-like hips of a stegosaurus, these traits evolved independently. Dr. Merck talked about the evolution of limbs from the first tetrapods. Though they grew limbs, it took over 20 million years for the tetrapods to use them on land. This is one of the most monumental points in our biological history. I previously thought that the tetrapods went on land before developing their limbs, so I was surprised to find out that they developed while the organisms were still in the water. It showed just how tedious the process of evolution is and how lots of it happens through chance.

The Museum didn't have many interactive components which I feel is justified considering lots of these preserved items are priceless, but as technology progresses, I feel that it is possible to integrate more interactive aspects to the exhibit. Maybe using touch screens that allow users to select more information about specific things in the exhibit could be used. That way, more information could be given rather than trying to fit it on physical items.I think that the museum itself aims to educate the average person on very complicated matters. Most of the information is simplified for people, which I discovered as Dr. Holtz and Dr. Merck gave much more in depth information surrounding the featured organisms. The information was simple enough for the average person to understand, but a child would not be able to understand much of the information beyond the creatures shown. Also, some information in the museum was out of date. However, it was pointed out when these types of discrepancies were present. For example, Dr.Holtz acknowledged that a display was made under the assumption that Allosaurus were closely related to the Tyrannosaurus. Under this assumption, the Tyrannosaurus leg construction was actually based on that of the Allosaurus. However, the Tyrannosaurus is actually more closely related to birds than an Allosaurus, and the display has still not been updated. In order to update this display, there would essentially have to be a full reconstruction of the dinosaur which would take lots of time and resources. Another issue which was pointed out was that many dinosaurs were confused for completely separate species, but were simply the same species in different developmental phases. One such exhibit that I found which addressed this issue was one of the triceratops. It demonstrated the discrepancy between the same species of dinosaurs in their different growth stages through the display of the triceratops skulls in their different stages of maturity. The display featured reconstructions of the skull from the infant to full adult stage with many stages in between. Another display that I found interesting was the planetarium show. Although it was not interactive, I considered it to be very immersive, and I think a younger audience could also appreciate it. Overall, I believe there is something for everyone at the Natural History Museum and that, while interactivity might be limited, it still remains an effective means of educating the general public.