| In the Rotunda Lobby |
The Invisible World of Mites
Through June 25, 2012
Does dust make you sneeze? You might not realize it, but dust allergies are caused by dust mites. Mites are tiny insects that live all around us. There is plenty we don’t know about mites because a microscope is usually needed to see them. Through April, you can learn more about mites at the Museum of Natural History in “The Invisible World of Mites.” The exhibit features a large panel display and a video kiosk highlighting the research of U-M biologist Barry OConnor. Professor OConnor is Curator of Insects and Arachnids in the Insect Division of the U-M Museum of Zoology and Professor in the U-M Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. He has been studying the evolution and lifestyles of mites for several decades, and is particularly interested in how mites co-evolve with other organisms. Find out exactly how dust mites cause allergies in humans. Discover the whole sickening (and interesting) story!
| Fourth Floor Gallery |
Evolution & Health
Through January 13, 2013
Ever wonder why so many people have knee problems and backaches? Or why we crave sweet and fatty foods?
Evolution & Health explores how the ways in which we humans evolved promoted our survival, but not always our health. Featuring interactive components and videos, the exhibition explores how evolutionary factors contribute to contemporary health issues including low back pain, skin cancer, lactose intolerance, and obesity.
The U-M Museum of Natural History is the first venue for the exhibition, which will travel nationally. Audience research will help the exhibition developers refine the exhibition. Additional exhibit components will be added in Fall 2012.
Evolution & Health was developed by the New York Hall of Science and was made possible by a Science Education Partnership (SEPA) grant from the National Center for Research Resources, a component of the National Institutes of Health.
| Fourth Floor Temporary Gallery |
Archaeology! Current Research in the U-M Museum of Anthropology
Ongoing
Archaeological research by curators, research scientists, and affiliated students of the U-M Museum of Anthropology encompasses the full scope of human cultural evolution from our earliest tool-making hominid ancestors to the more recent emergence of ancient states and historic empires. Today’s archaeologist makes use of a wide variety of scientific methods and techniques to recover and study material remains in order to ask questions about how human societies developed, lived, and changed over the last 2.5 million years. This exhibition features ongoing research by U-M archaeologists to examine the kinds of questions that contemporary archaeologists ask about the past and the techniques that they use to answer them. Among the many topics featured in this exhibition are: studies of the remains of a 19th century Ann Arbor house, excavations of ancient village communities in northern Arizona, the analysis of ancient ceramics from Asia and Mesopotamia, and how archaeologists study the diets of ancient peoples by examining the bones of animals they have left behind.
| At the U-M Shapiro Library |
Water and You
Through April 30, 2012
Water is in the news as increasing numbers of people around the globe face water scarcity, water-borne diseases, and political conflicts over water. Here in the Great Lakes basin, water is abundant but threatened by pollution, invasive species, and more. Learn some water basics, and find out what you can do to help protect our most precious resource, water. Co-sponsored by the Winter 2011 LSA Theme Semester on Water and Michigan Sea Grant.
