In the field : the bulletin of the Field Museum of Natural History

DIANE ALEXANDER WHITE

It's hard to believe that we're already in a new year!
That means more exciting new exhibitions at the Museum.
Please be sure to save the date for our annual Members’

Nights on April 12 and 18. (See back cover for more.)

Also on the horizon are many exciting new exhibitions.
Genghis Khan, an in-depth look at the 13th century

ruler of the vast Mongol empire, opens on February 24.
With beautifully recreated scenes, engaging videos, and
the largest collection of Mongolian artifacts ever assembled
outside Asia, this exhibition will engage you in the story

of a legendary warrior. Read more on pages 4 and 5.

In addition to Genghis Khan, the Museum is mounting
many other special exhibitions this year. We spoke with
Gretchen Baker, Exhibitions Planning and Operations
Director, to learn all about them. See page 3 for the

exciting details.

One of the biggest draws to The Field Museum is Inside
Ancient Egypt. Adults and children alike love to explore

the mastaba, view our many mummies, and learn what life
was like for everyday ancient Egyptians. For the Egyptophiles
among us, we have two interesting articles in this issue
that you will love. On pages 14 and 15, learn how scanning
and imaging technology helped researchers reveal

secrets about the Museum’s mummies.

As always, we thank you for your continued support and

hope to see you soon.

MICHELLE CLAYTON
Director of Membership

KAREN BEA

Opening at the Field Museum in 2012

A preview of upcoming exhibitions

BLOOD/STONES: BURMESE RUBIES

January 13 through May 13, 2012

Among the most lucrative of Myanmar’s natural resources
are its legendary gemstones. This temporary exhibition
provides a glimpse into the world of ruby extraction and
examines how such a beautiful and coveted product comes
at a great human cost. On display are photographs by
Christian Holst who has traveled extensively in Myanmar

capturing images of the gem trade.

OPENING THE VAULTS: MUMMIES

February 17 through April 22, 2012

Field Museum researchers recently established new
information about the Museum’s mummy collection using
CT scanning technology. This non-
invasive process provided a wealth of
data on individual mummies including
age, sex, and apparent diseases. See
some of the real artifacts alongside
spectacular CT imagery for a view inside
the sarcophagus. (See pages 14 and

15 for more.)

GENGHIS KHAN

February 24 through September 3, 2012

Discover the history, technological innovation, and culture
of one of the world’s greatest conquerors. View more than
200 artifacts from the reign of Genghis Khan including
gold jewelry, weaponry, silk robes, and religious relics.
(See pages 4 and 5 for the complete story.)

© OK PHOTOGRAPHY (ABOVE, LEFT)

SCIENCE ON THE HALF SHELL

March 23 through August 19, 2012

Did you know that there are over 20,000 different species
of clams, scallops, oysters, and mussels living today?
Discover the world of bivalves through touchable models,

real specimens, and hands-on activities. (See page 16.)

NATURE’S TOOLBOX:

BIODIVERSITY, ART, AND INVENTION
May 7 through December 4, 2012

Biodiversity is fundamental for human existence —

it provides us with food, medicine, oxygen, and energy.
This exhibition features contemporary works of art that
interpret how biodiversity contributes to the quality of
our lives. Displayed alongside the artwork will be content
reflecting the biological and evolutionary systems that

inspired the featured artists.

EXTREME MAMMALS

May 25, 2012 through January 6, 2013

Explore the surprising and often extraordinary world of
extinct and living mammals. Featuring spectacular fossils
and vivid reconstructions, the show examines the ancestry
and evolution of numerous species, ranging from huge

to tiny, from speedy to sloth-like. Come see the biggest,

smallest, most amazing mammals of all time.

© AMNH / D, FINNIN

MAHARAJA: THE SPLENDOR OF

INDIA’S ROYAL COURTS

October 17, 2012 through February 3, 2013

The word maharaja or “great king” conjures up a vision

of splendor and magnificence. This temporary exhibition
re-examines the world of the maharajas and their extraordi-
narily rich culture. On display will be over 250 magnificent
objects, many on loan from India’s royal collections for

the first time. rrF

WINTER/SPRING 2012

3

IN THE FIELD

AN UNRIVALED CONQUEROR WHO CHANGED
THE COURSE OF WORLD CULTURE IS THE SUBJECT OF ANEW
EXHIBITION AT THE FIELD MUSEUM.

Genghis Khan (opening February 24) showcases
the largest single collection of 13th century
Mongolian artifacts ever assembled and takes
visitors on an unforgettable journey into Khan’s
legendary empire. The exhibition features more
than 200 stunning objects including gold jewelry,
weaponry, silk robes, religious relics, and the
newly-discovered mummy and tomb treasures

of a Mongolian noble-
woman —all capturing

the essence of Genghis
Khan's empire, his military
prowess, cultural influence,

and lasting legacy.

A traditional Mongolian nomad dwelling—
called a ger—made of a wood frame and covered
in heavy felt.

invades

the Museum!

By Nancy O’Shea, Public Relations Director

© OK PHOTOGRAPHY

Through compelling artifacts, engaging videos, and
immersive installations, the exhibition tells the story of
Genghis Khan’s life: an epic tale filled with brutality, cunning,
and intrigue. Born in 1162, and called TemUjin, he endured
early hardships including his father’s untimely death, his
own imprisonment and torture at the hands of a warring tribe,
the kidnapping of his young wife, and a deadly rivalry with

a sworn blood brother. In 1206, he successfully united the
many Mongol clans and earned the title of Genghis Khan,
meaning “Oceanic Ruler.” He established a code of law

and a written language that brought order to the Mongolian
steppes and prepared the tribes he united to wage war

with civilizations beyond Mongolian borders.

Genghis Khan's place in history is fraught with paradox. His warriors
reduced cities to ash, eliminated entire populations, and incited fear
throughout medieval Europe and Asia. Yet, he was an innovative leader
who brought stability and unity to a vast and varied empire, encouraged

education and a meritocracy, and opened trade between Europe and Asia.

Visitors to the exhibition can explore how nomads lived on the grasslands

of 13th century Central Asia and learn about Genghis Khan's early influences.

They can view a life-size ger (traditional Mongolian dwelling), learn about
the role of a shaman, and view elaborate robes and ritual objects used by

spiritual leaders.

The rapid expansion of the Mongol Empire was due to the military genius
and charisma of its leader. An animated floor map illustrates the vast reach
of the empire, which at its peak, stretched from the Pacific Ocean to the
gates of Vienna. Murals and video projections place visitors in battlefields
to experience the sight and sound of warriors on galloping horses. Visitors
will find magnificent weapons, equestrian objects, leather armor and
chain mail, and other battle gear including a full-scale replica of a traction

trebuchet (used for throwing large stones) and a giant siege crossbow.

Above: Reconstruction of Kublai Khan’s summer retreat at Shangdu, also known
as Xanadu (left); and examples of armor and weapons used by Genghis Khan’s
Mongolian warriors (right).

GENGHIS KHAN’S LEGACY

Genghis Khan’s empire changed the world. The great
conqueror Is credited with creating a passport and postal
system, establishing diplomatic immunity, and wilderness

preservation parks.

He died in 1227 but is still revered as the founding spirit

of the Mongolian nation.

Genghis Khan’s burial place is one of the greatest archeo-
logical mysteries of our time. One imaginative account
states that 800 horsemen trampled repeatedly over the
burial site to obscure its location. Other soldiers then killed

the horsemen so they could not disclose the grave site.

Genghis Khan’s third son and successor, Ogédei, established
the city of Karakorum, on the Mongolian steppes, as the
empire’s cosmopolitan capital. Visitors get a glimpse of life
in this city through a recreated setting and collection of
new archaeological discoveries including jewelry, ceramics,

coins, seals, instruments, and textiles.

In the final section of the exhibition, visitors can trace the
events that led to the fall of the Mongol Empire and learn
about Kublai Khan, the most famous of Genghis Khan's
grandsons, whose own life as a warrior and statesman laid

the foundation of modern China. ttTF

Genghis Khan is produced by Imagine Exhibitions Inc,

Lead Sponsor: Allstate

WINTER/SPRING 2012 5

Extracting Benefits
from Venomous Fish

Red Lionfish

(Pterois volitans)

6

By Leo Smith, Assistant Curator of Zoology and Head of Fishes

THERE ARE MORE SPECIES OF VENOMOUS FISHES (OVER 3,000) THAN
VENOMOUS SNAKES AND SCORPIONS COMBINED. THE STUDY OF VENOMOUS
FISHES PROMISES TO YIELD NEW SOURCES OF PHARMACEUTICALS.

Most people conjure up snakes or scorpions when they think
of venomous creatures, but my recent work, has demonstrated
that there are at least 15 times as many species of venomous

fishes than previously estimated.

Venomous fishes are captivating. They range from the

Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans) and Reef Stonefish (Synanceia
verrucosa) to the Poison Fang Blenny (Meiacanthus grammistes)
and the Palette Surgeonfish (Paracanthurus hepatus), made
famous by Ellen DeGeneres as Dory in Finding Nemo.
Venomous fishes can provoke fear, but their toxins may

contain pharmaceutical benefits for humans.

Using the predictive evolutionary framework that resulted
from my studies, I’m now beginning to explore fish

genomes to identify and characterize the genes associated
with the fish venom system. The Museum is hopeful that

this exploratory research will discover numerous biochemical
leads resulting in new pharmaceuticals. Identifying and
characterizing venom and venom-related compounds has
been successful in every other venomous group that has
been studied. These compounds have led to scores of drugs

in various levels of FDA approval or commercial production.

Nature’s defense system:

On the left, a tooth from the Poison Fang Benny (Meiacanthus grammistes)

On the right, a spine from the Reef Stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa)

ALL IMAGES: © 2006 W. LEO SM|TH

IONE Mla pler (PitiesC 10)

Palette Surgeonfish

(Paracanthurus hepatus)

Even though our knowledge of venomous
fishes is in its infancy, it is clear that fish
venoms represent a possible new source
of pharmaceuticals because of their
incredible diversity and moderate levels

of toxicity. My collaborators and | have
demonstrated that venom has evolved
more than ten separate times in fishes.

This suggests that each evolution of

venom in fishes contains unique properties.
And each provides an independent starting
point from the venoms of snakes and
scorpions which have only evolved one
time in each lineage. This diversity presents
researchers with a wealth of possible
pharmaceutical or cosmetic sources that

may be highly effective in humans. rTF

This research has been supported by The National Science
Foundation, The Grainger Foundation, The Negaunee
Foundation, and several generous donors through

The Field Museum’s Women’s Board.

Navigating ;
The Field Museum’s New Website

By Jessica Abra Sandy, Web and Digital Media Projects Manager

THE FIELD MUSEUM IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE the relaunch of fieldmusem.org, the first complete
redesign of our web presence since its initial unveiling. The relaunch allows our scientists and professional staff

to directly engage with the public. Below is a quick look at some of the new features.

Field Museum |,

feldmuseum.org

ABBOTT HALL
§ CONSERVATION

WELCOME

Hours
‘Open ovary day oxcent
Chriatrnaa. 0am = Spm

Location
4400S Lako Shor Drive

Become a

Member

‘Show your

Support

Explore our
Collections

Plan your

Special Event

Browse our
Store

Copyright information | Contact ue

8: Giants of the Deop
Discover the complete story rae yoursell in he vibrant
behind the tasty treat that wa underwater world of whales.
‘crave in Choco.

@ploresctence

t Video: Fossils, Rocks & Akiko
Visit the Field Musuem's Paleontology lab and
check out he lossis Akiko is worklng on

Vidoo: Kiki's Gems

Join olficerKik! Witherspoon in 8 enor! tour of

the Grainger Hail of Gems and get a pimose of

har favorite stones, Have you picked yours?
a
Expedition to Mexico 2011
BES Tisvel to Oaxaca, Mexico, with Dr. Gary

Feinman and Linda Nicholas as they explore the
» GR itis Fonrass, an outpost of tha ancient Zapotec

elvilzation

Unknown mountains In Peru

Follow our team as they blog from deep within &

remote mountain range in northam Pend. This

‘area has never been surveyed belore by

scientists,

news

Tyrannosaurus rex grew twice aa fast as previously thought; Rapid
[Growth came at a cost of slower locomotion later In life

‘Chocolate Around the World Featured on Chicago's ABC7
Go Behind tne Scenes at the Field Museum

Abbott Hall of Conservation
Restoring Earth

Discover how The Field Museum
In leading the way in conservation

View ALL >

facebook

The Field
| BEBE Museum on
A cebock

Sue

| 32.756 people the The Field

okt Trp Proge Follow Our Haan ‘Hosory of tia Ms,

Exucator Progra
Estes Resource

Digit Mec

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Traveing Exons

Gare Opprortarties
dora Repose

Copyrynt internation

Rotating Banner
The main banner on the Museum's new
home page now features a rotating selection

of exhibitions, research projects, and events.

Exhibitions
See which exciting new exhibitions

are “Happening Now” and “Coming Soon.”

Scientist Blogs
Sign-up for Museum scientists’ blogs
and get updates on fascinating research

and fieldwork.

Social Media
Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
Share photos of your favorite Museum

exhibitions on Flickr.

News
Catch up with the latest news stories and
television spots covering newsworthy events

at the Museum.

Multimedia
Only a click away from the Museum's home
page is an array of multimedia content including

videos, photo galleries, and podcasts.

Keep checking fieldmuseum.org as we
unveil more new and intriguing Field Museum

stories and features on the site. rrF

WINTER/SPRING 2012

8

=.
Ro,
mes,
R: is
—————

eggy Macnamara:

Museum Artist-in-Residence

By Franck Mercurio, Associate Editor, In The Field

AS THE MUSEUM’S OFFICIAL ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE, PEGGY MACNAMARA
OFTEN HAUNTS THE MUSEUM’S EXHIBITION HALLS, DRAWING AND PAINTING

THE MANY OBJECTS ON DISPLAY.

It is an exercise that has a long tradition in the history

of art; from the time that museums first came into existence,
artists have visited art collections and natural history
collections to copy the masters and draw from nature.
Drawing is a way of recording, and as such, has parallels
with the first steps in the process of scientific inquiry:
observation and measurement. It is a lesson that Peggy
imparts to her students at the School of the Art Institute,
many of whom can be seen intently observing and drawing

the wide variety of objects exhibited at The Field.

Peggy began drawing and painting at the Museum 30

years ago. At the time, she was fascinated by the Museum's
neoclassical interiors and traditional displays. She was
especially intrigued by the Malvina Hoffman sculptures,

a series of life-size bronze figures that were originally
displayed in the Museum’s Hall of Man (1931-1971), but are
now located throughout the Museum. Eventually, Peggy
became more interested in painting the “frozen wildlife”

on display in the animal halls, especially the bird specimens.

21€ / CATHRYN C, SCOTT

GN90455

IN THE FIELD

Peggy describes herself as a non-illustrator meaning she

doesn't create scientific illustrations in the traditional sense.
Instead, her approach is more immediate, more intuitive,
and less belabored. Peggy has eighteen of her works on
permanent display in the museum and has published other
illustrations in books including Painting Wildlife in Watercolor
(2003) published by Watson-Guptill. Her latest book,

The Art of Migration will be released later this year by the
University of Chicago Press. It is a look at the migratory
birds and insects of the Mississippi Flyway. Several Museum
zoologists are serving as consultants including John Bates
(Bird Division), James Boone (Insect Division), and David

Willard (Collections). 2TF

Peggy Macanamara is guest curating the temporary exhibition,
Nature’s Toolbox: Biodiversity, Art, and Invention, opening on May 7.

Same SUE,
New Discoveries

By Nancy O’Shea, Public Relations Director
|

© JULIA MOLNAR

A NEW STUDY—LED IN PART BY FIELD MUSEUM SCIENTIST, PETER MAKOVICKY—USED HIGHLY
ACCURATE 3-D LASER SCANS OF FOSSIL SKELETONS TO REVEAL THAT TYRANNOSAURUS REX
GREW MORE QUICKLY AND BECAME MUCH HEAVIER THAN PREVIOUSLY ESTIMATED.

Earlier estimates of the weight of an adult T. rex were Thus T. rex wasn’t the fastest of land animals. The study

} developed by building scale models or using equations supports the relative consensus among scientists that big
related to body weights of other animals. The new study tyrannosaurs could run at peak speeds of about 10 to 25
used accurate 3-D laser scans of T. rex fossil skeletons miles per hour.

as a template for constructing digital models with
| The study used a forensic laser scan of SUE performed
flesh wrapped around the bones based on anatomical

by the Chicago Police Department, supplemented with CT
information from the living relatives of dinosaurs.

scans provided by Loyola University Medical Center.

By comparing different T. rex specimens, including

The study is titled “A computational analysis of limb and
our famous SUE—the world’s largest and most complete

body dimensions in Tyrannosaurus rex with implications for
T. rex —an international research team concluded that

locomotion, ontogeny, and growth.” It was published in
the “king tyrant reptile” must have grown about twice

the online journal PLoS One in October 2011. ire

as fast as previously estimated.

According to the study, SUE weighed over 9 tons
when fully grown —30 percent heavier than scientists
previously estimated. “We knew she was big, but

the 30 percent increase in her weight was unexpected,”
Adding flesh to SUE’s bones:
Starting with SUE’s skeleton,
scientists modeled SUE’s

says Makovicky. The study also showed that T. rex grew
as fast as 3,950 pounds per year during the teenage

growth period. body volume using different
levels of “fleshiness.”

The study also concluded that the locomotion of T. rex

| slowed as the animal grew. This is because its torso
became longer and

heavier while its limbs
grew relatively shorter The skinniest version

F ae is modeled in green and
and lighter, shifting its Pre fattest teed,

center of balance forward. © JULIA MOLNAR

THE FIELD MUSEUM

WINTER/SPRING 2012

93

Scientists o
Seven Continen

Compiled by Franck Mercurio, Associate Editor, In The Field

GN91558_06D

THE FIELD MUSEUM IS AN INSTITUTION WITH GLOBAL REACH.
During any given year, more than 60 Museum scientists travel around the world to conduct

research and fieldwork. Here is a sampling of seven curators who are making scientific disco

on seven continents.

NORTH AMERICA
JANET VOIGHT
Associate Curator,

Department of Zoology

Along with my colleague,
Leo Smith, | recently chartered a research
vessel for 72 hours of trawling in the
Pacific Ocean off San Diego, California.
This area, called the Southern Californian
Bight, contains diverse marine life that
thrives in these nutrient-rich waters.

Our crew of nine, including colleagues
from Scripps Institute of Oceanography
and The Ohio State University, worked
onboard 24 hours a day, dragging our net
through the water or across the bottom
to a 5,000-foot depth. The specimens
recovered — including benthic octopuses,
mid-water cephalopods, and fishes —
enhance our Invertebrate and

Fishes collections.

IN THE FIELD

GN91559_06D

SOUTH AMERICA
MATT VON KONRAT
Adjunct Curator and Collections Manager,

Department of Botany

| am participating in a field program in the Cape Horn
Archipelago region of southern Chile. The Field Museum collaborated
with the New York Botanical Gardens and several Chilean institutions on
this project. The 2011 expedition was the first in a four-year effort to
document the diversity and distribution of an enigmatic group of plants
called bryophytes — including mosses, liverworts, and hornworts—found
throughout the southern tip of South America. Increased understanding
of bryophytes will greatly add to the conservation of this critical

biodiversity hotspot.

ANTARCTICA
PETER MAKOVICKY
Associate Curator and Chair, Department of Geology

Last winter, | led a fossil dig with Museum geologist
Nathan Smith at the highest latitude and altitude dinosaur
quarry on the planet: Mt. Kirkpatrick in the Central Transantarctic
Mountains. During the Early Jurassic (200 to 175 million years ago),

this area of the Antarctic was temperate and forested —and inhabited by
dinosaurs. Over five weeks, the team extracted bones of the 25-foot
carnivore Cryolophosaurus, and the herbivore Glacialisaurus. Bone-bearing
rock was quarried into blocks weighing 200 to 700 pounds which were
slung from a helicopter for transport back to camp. Two other dinosaurs,

including one new to science, were also discovered.

GN91557_09D

EUROPE

WILLIAM A. PARKINSON
Associate Curator of Eurasian
Anthropology, Department

of Anthropology

| conduct archaeological field work

aimed at understanding how Neolithic and
Bronze Age villages evolved in southeastern
Europe between 7000 and 1000 BC.

| directed two archaeological projects

in 2011 that investigated how these early
agricultural villages grew into politically
and economically complex chiefdoms and
states. My research on the Great Hungarian
Plain in the Carpathian Basin and on the
Mani Peninsula of southern Greece involves
researchers from the US, Greece, Hungary,
and Canada, each of whom bring their own
specialty to the projects. We are discovering
that several factors—including trade and
safety — encouraged early villagers to

settle in specific spots.

ALL PORTRAITS; JOHN WEINSTEIN © THE FIELD MUSEUM

GN91555_08D

GN91553_14D

GN91554_08D

AFRICA

CHAP KUSIMBA

Curator of African Anthropology,
Department of Anthropology

Guided by a philosophy that trade makes us human, | have
spent the last 25 years studying how ancient transoceanic interactions
between Africa, Asia, and Europe have shaped global history. The cultivated
landscape —including the diverse foods we grow and eat everyday—provides
testimony to the predominantly peaceful interactions between people

over time. My recent archaeological research has been in Mtwapa, Kenya.
Multiple grants are enabling my colleague Sloan Williams (U.I.C.) and me

to do more fieldwork in Manda, Kenya, where we will explore the full

impact and meaning of trade, migrations, and other ancient interactions

in shaping the East African cultural mosaic.

ASIA

OLIVIER RIEPPEL

Rowe Family Curator of Evolutionary Biology,
Department of Geology

Since 1999, | have collaborated in fieldwork and research

on Triassic marine reptiles that lived between 247 and 230 million years ago
in southern China. | conducted excavations in Guizhou, Yunnan, and Anhui
provinces. Fieldwork in China typically relies on recruiting local farmers and
requires permission from state, county, and township officials. As a result
of our efforts, a geological park has been constructed near Guanling;
another is planned for Luoping. Most notable amongst the great variety of
our discoveries is the ancestral turtle, Odontochelys, and the long-necked

protorosaur, Dinocephalosaurus.

AUSTRALIA
CORRIE MOREAU
Assistant Curator, Division of Insects,

Department of Zoology

One of the places where | conduct fieldwork is Queensland,
Australia. While there, | collaborate with local scientists and collect ants
from all parts of the Australian Wet Tropics to determine how these diverse
animals have responded to past climatic events, especially fluctuations

in their rainforest habitat. Back at the Museum, | conduct DNA-based
research to unlock the information stored within each ant’s genome to tell
the story of the past. | try to spend about one month a year in Australia

and will be heading back for more fieldwork in June 2012. rrF

WINTER/SPRING 2012 11

OF CHICAGO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY

12

In the Spotlight:

Su-Lin,

America’s First Panda

By Bruce Patterson, MacArthur Curator of Mammals, Department of Zoology

COURTESY OF CHICAGO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY

INSIDE THE HALL OF MAMMALS, IN “CARNIVORE CORNER,” a young giant panda sits

in half recline. Like every specimen in the Museum's encyclopedic collections, it has fantastic stories to tell. This one
hailed from Sichuan, the first live panda ever to be seen outside China; it arrived at Brookfield Zoo on February 8, 1937.
Named Su-Lin (“A little bit of something precious”), the baby panda attracted huge crowds from around the world—

her antics chronicled in countless articles, radio shows, and news reels.

When Su-Lin died of pneumonia 15 months later, her remains came

to The Field Museum. In July 1938, Museum taxidermist C.J. Albrecht
unveiled the mount that still greets visitors today. For months, the panda
was on display in Stanley Field Hall, before moving to the Mammals

of the World hall.

But the rest of Su-Lin came upstairs, incorporated into the scientific
collections. Here, Chicago's celebrated zoo animal was found to be

a male! Zoology curator D. Dwight Davis analyzed our 13 giant pandas

in a 1964 monograph entitled The Giant Panda: A Morphological Study

of Evolutionary Mechanisms. Systematic comparisons of pandas to related
carnivores showed how adapting to a low-calorie diet of bamboo had
transformed the panda’s teeth and skull, paws, and even its reproductive
and digestive systems. Davis correctly identified the panda as an
aberrant bear, a contentious proposition confirmed by DNA evidence
decades later. His remarkable inferences about evolutionary mechanisms
from the study of Museum specimens inspired Stephen J. Gould,

the Harvard evolutionist, to entitle one of his books The Panda’s Thumb,

a lasting tribute to Davis’ discovery of the elongated wrist-bone that
Satine enables a panda to hold bamboo shoots while it chews.

Brookfield Zoo,

Su-Lin and his kin continue to inspire and instruct Museum visitors and
about 1937 or 1938

(above); and with evolutionists alike. About 25 populations of giant pandas persist in China
uniformed zoo keeper

(top of page).

today, most with fewer than 20 individuals, totaling about 1,600 pandas
(2004 census). Although pandas are sometimes poached, the greatest

threat to their survival is continued loss and degradation of habitat. rrr

Su-lin today at
The Field Museum.

294575_020D / KAREN BEAN

IN THE FIELD

Museum Youth Design Team:

Teens Take The Field!

By Johanna Thompson, Digital Learning Specialist, Education Department

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN TEENS INVADE THE MUSEUM FOR A SUMMER?

CAN YOU IMAGINE GUMBY AS A RECENTLY EXCAVATED DINOSAUR FROM ANTARCTICA?
OR WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN MUSICALLY IF LADY GAGA MARRIED A PALEONTOLOGIST?
THEN YOU HAVE AN INKLING OF THE YOUTH DESIGN TEAM.

Youth Design Team (or YDT) is the newest
program offering from the Education
Department for high school youth. These
intensive summer teen internships and
school-year course options are based on
the teaching concept of a design studio.
The program gives youth a design
challenge and provides the content and
tools necessary to solve the problem
creatively. It allows teens to tinker, play,
mock-up, imagine, and learn. It also lets
them teach that same content in ways
that are surprisingly innovative —and
builds their self-confidence, critical

thinking, and technical skills.

YDT is anything but traditional, so don’t
expect lectures, boring discussions,

or assigned homework—unless it is the

teens assigning themselves homework.
Last summer, YDT participants built
computer games on environmental issues and ancient cultures; produced
and recorded original music based on their interactions with Museum
scientists and collections; recorded humorous and scientifically accurate
podcasts; interviewed staff to tell the behind-the-scenes story of how
the Museum works; created choose-your-own-adventure, live-action,
and claymation movies; and wrote graphic novels. They even developed
an online persona, TakeTheField. You can like them on Facebook and

follow them on Twitter!

YDT summer participants also saw their
work displayed in the public space of the
Museum. You can view their work here:
fieldmuseum.org/schools/takethefield.
Or head up to the 3-D Theater and watch
teen-produced videos on the screen while

you wait for the show to begin.

YDT academic courses take place one
afternoon a week during the school year,
offering course credit to qualifying

10th—-12th graders from participating schools.

Academic year 2012-2013 applications will

be available in Spring 2012. 1TF

THE FIELD MUSEUM / EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

ALL PHOTOS.

Want to get in on the YDT 2012 Summer action?

Apply NOW by going to fieldmuseum.org/happening/youth-design-team

to download an application!

WINTER/SPRING 2012 13

Revealing
Secrets

Pioneering X-Ray
Technology of the Past...

By Franck Mercurio, Associate Editor, In The Field

FOR MORE THAN 85 YEARS, THE FIELD MUSEUM HAS USED
IMAGING TECHNOLOGY, LIKE X-RAYS AND CT SCANS, TO LOOK
INSIDE OBJECTS SUCH AS EGYPTIAN SARCOPHAGI AND
MUMMY WRAPPINGS.

In 1926 the Museum established its first Division of Reontgenology (or radiology)
headed by Anna Reginald Bolan, an assistant professor at the University of Chicago.
Stanley Field, then president of the institution, donated the first X-ray equipment to
the Museum. This novel way of seeing inside artifacts was immediately popular with

the public and scientists alike.

In 1931 Museum curator Berthold Laufer collaborated with British medical doctor,

CSA74981

Roy L. Moodie, to publish some of the Museum's first X-ray images of human mummies
in Fieldiana, the Museum’s scientific journal. Included were images of Egyptian
animal mummies such as the mummified cat pictured here. Many animal mummies

are currently on display in the Museum’s permanent exhibition, Inside Ancient Egypt.

This cat mummy (right) was
photographed and X-rayed at
The Field Museum in 1931.
Mummifed cats, birds, and

other animals were often given

Today, human and animal mummies in the Museum's collection are yielding even

more secrets, thanks to modern CT (computed tomography) X-ray technology.

Traditional X-ray equipment creates two-dimensional images providing limited
astemple offeringssby the information when used on complex specimens such as mummies. Modern CT machines,

ancient Egyptians. however, create three-dimensional digital images that can be manipulated to show

information in great detail and high resolution.

“What's great about CT is that it gives us the opportunity to look inside without having
to be destructive, without having to be disrespectful, without having to unwrap the
mummy or make any cuts or incisions,” said JP Brown, leader of the Museum’s latest
mummy scanning project. Read JP’s article on the next page to discover what new

secrets modern CT scanning is revealing about the Museum’s collections. 1TF

CSA74980.

14 IN THE FIELD

...and Modern CT Technology of Today

By JP Brown, Collections Manager, Anthropology Department

JP BROWN

PHOTO: KAREN BEAN / CT SCANS

THIS PAST SUMMER, A MEDICAL CT SCANNER MOUNTED IN A SPECIALLY ADAPTED

TRUCK WAS BROUGHT TO THE MUSEUM, set up in the West Parking Lot, and used to generate scans of

large specimens, including Egyptian and Peruvian mummies and Pacific Island effigy figures. Under normal circumstances,

these objects would have been transported to a hospital for what scientists call “non-destructive examination in three

dimensions with computed tomography” or CT scanning. This process works well for smaller, more robust objects.

But the cost and difficulty of transporting large, fragile

objects can be prohibitive. So, instead of bringing the

artifacts to the scanner, this time the scanner was brought

to the artifacts.

In all, seven Egyptian mummies, three

Above: CT scan of a Ptolemaic
era mummy (circa 200 BC)
revealing the skull of awoman

about 40 years old.

Below: Museum interns and
staff members move a
Marquesan temple drum from
storage to the portable

CT scanner.

BROWN

JP

major Pacific Island pieces (including a
seven-foot, 220-pound temple drum from
the Marquesas Islands), and three Peruvian
mummies were scanned. In addition, nine
smaller, but nonetheless important, pieces
from the Pacific Islands, the Middle East,

and Asia were scanned. Most of the large

pieces required multiple
scans to reveal all the
details: a total of 61

CT examinations were
performed over six
working days creating

a total of 21 GB of data.

The CT scans were analyzed and rendered on the
Anthropology Department's workstations in the
Regenstein Laboratory. My research team— including
interns Sophie Hammond Hagman and Hannah Koch,
and volunteer Ellis Caspary—established reliable
information about the individual mummy remains:
age, sex, dental condition, diet, disease, and trauma.
For example, CT scans indicate that one mummy

was a 40-year-old female with an arthritic back.

Images of the CT scans are available for viewing

on the Museum's web site. Several will be on display
in anew temporary exhibition, Opening the Vaults:
Mummies, from February 17 to April 22. 17F

The CT scanner was provided through the generosity of Robert Dakessian,

President and CEO of Genesis Medical Imaging. The project was also

made possible by several anonymous donors.

WINTER/SPRING 2012

15

Science on the Half Shell

Above: Lion’s paw (Nodipecten fragosus)

Below: Mossy Ark clam (Arca imbricata)

IMAGES © RUDIGER BIELER, FIELD MUSEUM
FM302048 (ABOVE) / FM166532 (BELOW)

Tropical corals witha
giant clam nestled among
the colorful branches.

to.com/ RHONDA SUKA

16 IN THE FIELD

at The Field Museum

By Riidiger Bieler, Curator of Zoology

BIVALVES INCLUDE MANY FAMILIAR MEMBERS suchas oysters,
mussels, and clams. But they also include odd groups such as freshwater mussels —
some of the most endangered group of invertebrates on this planet—shipworms,
and galeommateoidea (clams that have moved the shells inside their bodies
and glide around like slugs). Roughly 20,000 species of bivalves live today,
but despite their enormous economic and ecologic importance, we still
know little about their interrelationships and how they connect to
the animal Tree of Life. How and when did they evolve? What were the
key innovations along the way that allowed them to become so incredibly

abundant and successful in the world’s fresh and salt waters?

To address these questions, | have teamed up with colleagues from other
research institutions including Harvard University, the Smithsonian Institution,
and laboratories in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia, under the auspices

of the National Science Foundation’s “Assembling the Tree of Life” project. Together,
we are collecting bivalve specimens from around the world, studying their anatomy
and DNA, and analyzing this data to infer relationships and reconstruct a family

tree of bivalves. At the same time, the project team is encountering and answering
numerous research questions, training a new generation of specialists, and developing

educational tools for students and teachers.

From the beginning, we wanted to make our work accessible to the general public.

But how do we explain the steps that scientists take to understand the evolution of this
group? With the help of the Paleontological Research Institution in Ithaca, New York,
the project team developed a traveling exhibition to do just that: present museum
visitors with a series of modules that explain our work and allow them to learn the key
analytical steps. The exhibition, Science on the Half Shell, will feature an amazing
diversity of bivalves, present video travelogues of

our collecting sites, and include hands-on interactives
so visitors can share in the excitement of scientific

discovery themselves. TF

Science on the Half Shell is organized by the Paleontological
Research Institution and made possible by a grant from the National
Science Foundation.

SCIENCE ON THE HALF SHELL OPENS
AT THE FIELD MUSEUM ON MARCH 23
AND CLOSES AUGUST 19, 2012.

Connect with The Field Museum
on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+!

by Jane Hanna, Social Media Strategist, Museum Enterprises

Our online community enjoys exclusive daily content and fun features like Mammal Mondays and
Insect of the Week. Discover astounding photos, watch behind-the-scenes videos, answer trivia questions,
and voice your opinions. Ask questions, share your own photos and memories, and meet your fellow

citizen scientists. We're your up-to-the-minute source for Museum news and information,

r=
L x and we want you to join the conversation!
ge
re
:

Scan this code with your smartphone or visit:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/fieldmuseum

Twitter (@fieldmuseum): twitter.com/fieldmuseum
Google+: http://bit.ly/rpD3bO :
a Field Museum
a ee,

Memberships

Time to renew your membership?

Corporate Relations Program Seer eee

Visit fieldmuseum.org/membership

The Corporate Relations Program at The Field Museum offers

Field memberships also make great gifts!

member companies FREE employee general admission, discounted
rates to limited-time special exhibitions, and a customized
Corporate Family Day for every employee and their family. Member
companies also receive a rental fee waiver for corporate meetings
or events, invitations to private exhibition opening receptions,

and much more. For further information, contact Julia Kittle,

GN91314_02AD / JOHN WEINSTEIN

Corporate Relations Program Officer, at 312.665.7668 or email

at jkittle@fieldmuseum.org.

| Mets campu gneighbors

SHEDD AQUARIUM ADLER PLANETARIUM

No bones (or blood, or brains) about it, sea jellies might Take off on a Deep Space Adventure at the Adler

be 95 percent water, but theyre 100 percent amazing. Planetarium! A new immersive space experience inside

See diverse species at Shedd Aquarium’s special exhibit, Deep Space Adventure is the Grainger Sky Theater, which
Jellies, through May 2012. During Shedd’s Community offers audiences the most technologically advanced theater
Discount Days in January and February, Illinois residents experience ever developed. Encounter the Universe at a level
can enjoy free general admission. For discount information, of realism that can only be surpassed by actual space travel.
visit www.sheddaquarium.org. Visit adlerplanetarium.org for more information.

WINTER/SPRING 2012 17

progra

january

Artists and Authors* family program

1.21, 11am-2pm > Join local artist Malwina Bardoni in the
Crown Family PlayLab to learn about winter animals and the homes
that they live in, and then create your own bears’ den.

february

Artists and Authors* family program

2.18, 11lam-2pm > Meet author Jen Cullerton Johnson as she reads
from her award-winning book, Seeds of Change, and shares Wangari
Maathai's story. An environmentalist, scientist, and women’s rights
activist, Wangari Maathai inspired her native Kenya to plant 30 million
trees and became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Johnson will lead children in a seed planting activity echoing Wangari’s
message of harabee, which means “let’s work together.”

march

Artists and Authors* family program
3.17, 1lam-2pm > Come celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the Crown Family
PlayLab! Hear your favorite tales from Ireland during our Story Time

program and listen to traditional Irish music. Stop in the Art Studio
to create a unique piece of artwork centered on the country and culture
of Ireland.

Leakey Lecture: Dr. Ofer Bar-Yosef* adult program

3.24, 1pm > Join Dr. Bar-Yosef, world-renowned expert in paleolithic
archaeology, as he discusses the dispersal routes and origins of modern
humans. Learn about the current genetics and archaeological evidence
that has been uncovered in Eurasia and Australia. Discover what this
evidence tells us about past inter-breeding and colonization patterns

in the entire vast terrestrial continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific
coasts and the islands.

april

Banff Mountain Film Festival adult program

4.11, 7pm > Join us when the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour
brings the spirit of outdoor adventure to Chicago. Traveling to exotic
landscapes and remote cultures, while bringing audiences up-close

and personal with adrenaline-packed action sports, the 2012 World Tour
is an exhilarating and provocative exploration of the mountain world.
These award-winning and audience favorite films that are chosen to
travel the globe can be seen in Chicago at The Field Museum.

$10, $8 for Museum members.

Artists and Authors* family program

4.21, 1lam-2pm > Come get wrapped up with us in the Crown Family
PlayLab! Hear a story about mummies and create your own wrapped
treasure to take home with you.

*FREE with Museum Admission
ue) in the Crown Family PlayLab

Program Tickets + Info 312.665.7400
General Museum Info 312.922.9410

endar

DOZIN:
vase" ‘DINOS

the museum

SUE the T. Rex is having a
sleepover! Join us for a night

of family workshops, self-guided
tours and hands-on activities.
Explore ancient Egypt by
flashlight, prowl an African

ELD MUSEUM

savannah with man-eating lions,
and take a stroll through the
Royal Palace in Bamum, Africa.
Then spread your sleeping bag amidst some of our most popular
exhibitions. The event includes an evening snack and breakfast
in the morning.

Overnights begin Fridays at 5:45pm and end Saturdays at 9am
and are only available for families and groups with children
ages 6-12. Space is limited so reserve your sleeping spots now!
For ticket options, see below. For information about the event,
including a sample schedule and frequently asked questions,
please visit our website, fieldmuseum.org/overnights.

Standard Overnight Tickets: $63, $51 for Museum members
and groups.

Premium Package 1: $75, $65 for Museum members.

Premium Package 1 tickets allow guests to sleep upstairs in
the Evolving Planet exhibit—with the dinosaurs!

Premium Package 2: $87, $77 for Museum members. Premium
Package 2 guests sleep upstairs in the Evolving Planet exhibit and
go on a behind-the-scenes tour with a Field Museum scientist.

January 20* © February 3,* 10,* & 17 * March 9 & 16
April 20 * May 4 * June 15

*sold out!

GN91119_030D

Pia Crown, Lab.

Sign up ie the Crown Family PlayLab E-News!

This e-newsletter is an early science literacy resource geared towards

families with young children ages two through six. To start receiving emails,

please contact playlab@fieldmuseum.org.

event details are available online!

GN91064 0590

attn:
teens!

Digital Planet
Summer 2012 > Are you ready to

STEIN

177D / JOHN WEIN

GN91384_

uncover the real story of science?
In this week-long digital video camp,
you'll explore the current research of

Youth Design Team Summer Internship

The Field Museum's fearless scientists! Summer 2012 > Part digital design studio,

Equipped with digital media, you'll part summer Museum internship, and part
interpret science for the silver screen behind-the-scenes Museum Studies program,
like never before! Registration begins this program is designed for high school
in winter 2012. For more information students who want to get museum experience

please visit bit.ly/DP2012 or email and develop mobile media for youth visitors

jthompsone@fieldmuseum.org.

to the Museum. Teens with digital skills are
encouraged to apply; however, these skills are
not required for participation. To learn more,
see page 13, visit bit.ly/YDT2012 or email
jthompson@fieldmuseum.org.

v4 programs
= egister now!

Summer World’s Tour > ages 5-10

Summer World's Tour offers a week of adventures in Chicago’s premier

museums for children ages 5 to 10 years old. Campers will explore exciting new

worlds at the Adler Planetarium, discover some of nature’s most extreme mammals

at The Field Museum, and become explorers of the aquatic realm at the Shedd Aquarium.
Activities include investigating exhibits, creating original art projects, playing

learning games and having lunch along the shore of Lake Michigan.

Register for one of the following four week-long sessions:
1: July9-13 2:July 16-20 3:July23-27 4: July 30—August 3

Registration is held through the Adler Planetarium and will occur in late January.

Dino Camp > ages 3-4

| spy a dinosaur, do you? Join us for two days of dino discovery where we
will learn how to spot a dinosaur, see SUE's skull, and dig for dinosaur bones!
This is an early childhood camp, designed expressly for young explorers
ages 3—4 with their caregivers.

Program takes place from 9am—Noon in the Crown Family PlayLab.
Choose from the following two-day sessions:

1: Mondays, June 4 & 11

2: Tuesdays, June 5 & 12

3: Wednesdays, June 6 & 13
4: Thursdays, June 7 & 14

5: Mondays, June 18 & 25

6: Tuesdays, June 19 & 26

7: Wednesdays, June 20 & 27
8: Thursdays, June 21 & 28

$75 general, $65 for Museum members (one adult included in the price
per camper). Registration begins February 1, 2012 online
at fieldmuseum.org or by phone, 312.665.7400.

Don't miss these
exhibitions before
they close!

Whales: Giants of the Deep
Through January 16, 2012

Immerse yourself in the vibrant underwater
world of whales and discover the many ways
in which these magnificent creatures continue
to intrigue, astound, and inspire us.

Developed and presented by the Museum of New Zealand
Te Papa Tongarewa. This exhibition was made possible through
the support of the New Zealand Government.

Proud Major Sponsor: Wells Fargo.

Travelogues and Technologies —from
Small Sketches to the Biggest Book

Extended through April1s, 2012

Discover how technological advancements
have changed how we document explorations
of the world as you follow Field Museum
expeditions from the 1890s to present day.
Uncover extraordinary stories of travel,
scientific discovery, and rare encounters.

Travelogues and Technologies — from Small Sketches to
the Biggest Book is organized by The Field Museum.

Natural Wonders:
A Roman Mosaic from Load, Israel

Through April 22, 2012

With its depictions of exotic animals,
fantastical fishes, and ancient Mediterranean
ships, the Lod Mosaic is one of the world’s best
preserved and most unique Roman mosaics.
Study the mosaic’s intricate detail and uncover
the stories hidden in its imagery.

Lod Mosaic is organized by the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Getting to The Field Museum

Many buses and rail lines provide access to The Field
Museum. For more information, call 888. YOURCTA or
visit www.transitchicago.com. Visit www.rtachicago.com

for regional transit information.

What do you think about In The Field?

For questions about the magazine, call 312.665.7107,
email ewaldren@fieldmuseum.org or write Emily Waldren,
Editor. For general membership inquiries, including

address changes, call 866.312.2781.

always be discovering.

Museum

Fie nian

Chicago, IL 60605-2496

Members’ Nights

You are invited to the most exclusive and engaging event at The Field
Museum: Members’ Nights! At Members’ Nights explore our vast collections,
interact with our curators and staff, and witness behind-the-scenes work that _
defines The Field Museum as a cultural and scientific institution. Members’
Nights are scheduled for Thursday, April 12 and Friday, April 13. The event

will be Museum-wide and held from 5-10pm.

Reservations are required for this event. Please contact Membership
Services at 312.665.7705 M-F 8:30am—4:30pm or make your reservation

online at fieldmuseum.org/support/reserve-membership-tickets.

GN91119_084D

Shop for Treasures from Eurasia

Visit the Genghis Khan Store to continue your exploration of treasures from the vast Mongolian Empire.
Learn more about this fascinating and complex realm as you discover riches from the central Asian

steppes to the Sea of Japan, and from Mongolia itself south into the Indian subcontinent.

We've shopped far and wide to bring you stunning pieces like this contemporary
necklace featuring a hand-carved pendant from Afghanistan created by local
Chicago jeweler, Kass Sigel. As always, you'll find gifts and toys to excite your

little ones, an array of books for the whole family, and much more.
Shop the Museum Stores 24 hours a day at fieldmuseum.org.

Remember that all proceeds from the Stores directly support

the Museum’s public and scientific programs, and that all
. L : ‘ — ; i a Field Museum members receive 10 percent off their purchases
oI 1 ll i a | a in the Museum Stores.

LINDSAY KREMENAK