Today I returned to the AMNH to see the Sharks exhibit, and I wandered around again longingly looking at the dioramas wishing I was an employee at this museum. Sharks have been around for 400 million years and their skeleton is made up of cartilage which is less dense than bone. The only true bony part is their teeth, that is why you always see teeth instead of a skeleton in those display cabinets-the teeth can survive longer. The cartilaginous skeleton is very fragile and decomposes quicker than bone. At 11:30 am, I went to see the Worlds Beyond Earth space show at the Planetarium. It was about our solar system, what makes Earth habitable, and different space probe missions such as the Voyager 1 and 2 flying by Jupiter and Saturn. The photos below are from the Youtube video which you can watch here. Coming back from the Sharks exhibit and Worlds Beyond Earth show, I went down the Hall of Reptiles and Amphibians. Reptiles scare the crap out of me-lizards, crocs, snakes, Komodo dragons, so I didn't take photos of them. But turtles are cool! I also downloaded their new, efficient app that tells you where you are and gives directions in real time on where to go to see an exhibit, find the closest bathroom and much more! The app was so useful on finding where to eat and find my favorite exhibits which you can store on the app. I really appreciated it so much, recommend downloading it, and it saved me so much time from getting lost. Next up was Margaret Meed Hall of Pacific Peoples where they had my favorite-shadow puppets and masks! Next up was the new Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation. It connects all 4 floors to the museum and is shaped to me, like a cave or an organic structure. The atrium was made with shotcrete, a concrete technique where it is sprayed onto the rebar. This technique was invented by my favorite taxidermist, Carl Akeley. It also features collection displays along the walls. These collections along the walls were so nice to look at. I wish I had space and also taxidermy/specimens like this! I couldn't wait to see the amazing dioramas again. To me they are the epitome of art and science, a moment of time frozen where we can peek inside a magical world. The Akeley Hall of African Mammals is historic. My pictures don't do them justice-I can not capture the brilliance, detail or size of the dioramas. The Hall of North American Mammals is probably the closest I am ever going to see what these animals look like in real life. I am definitely a city girl and afraid of heights! My pictures don't do them justice-I can not capture the brilliance, detail or size of the dioramas. I mean look at those hand painted backgrounds! Gorgeous! Hall of Ocean Life is one of my favorites because we never get to see these creatures unless we go under water, which I never do. I am beginning to like lakes more than beaches and oceans. I know, pretty lame! My pictures don't do them justice-I can not capture the brilliance, detail or size of the dioramas. I mean look at that 94 foot long, 21,000 pound model of a blue whale! Fossil Halls! Of course my favorite is the Narwhal! I couldn't take a lot of photos since the fossils are too big and I couldn't get them all in my frame, like the 122 foot long Titanosaur found in Patagonia. My pictures don't do them justice-I can not capture the brilliance or size of the fossils. Differences between mammoths and mastodons: Mastodons had flatter heads, while mammoths had a distinctive knob on top of their skulls. Mastodons had more linear tusks, while mammoths grew curve tusks sometimes crossing each other. Lastly, the molars of mastodons featured cone-shaped cusps while the mammoth's teeth are rigid. Lastly, I arrived at the newly designed, 11,000 square-foot-space Hall of Gems and Minerals, and OMG I couldn't believe the number of minerals that were displayed. It was a bit overwhelming and outstanding at the same time. The collection hosts more than 5,000 specimens across 98 countries.
Minerals occur naturally within the earth's surface and are solid formations. They are defined by their shape and their crystalline makeup. They are formed when magma, which is molten rock, cools. They can also be formed by water in caverns under the sea. Minerals are usually found between sediments or in areas that contain lava flows. A gemstone is usually a mineral, but it is one that has formed crystals and then been cut and polished professionally to be made into a piece of jewelry. What a spectacular showcase to end my time at my favorite museum.
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This month we returned with our art/bio class at Focal Point Beer Co. I presented a brief slideshow about Octopuses and Monica showed how to watercolor them! It was so much fun as usual. I wanted to try to get better at watercolor since it is easy to start but hard to master. This is what I came up with-some are better than others!
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My short blog topics include: photography, music, science, crafts, vacation photos, movies, events in NYC, and of course stop motion animation.
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