Amid an extinction crisis, dried plant collections capture how the world is changing. But Duke University is planning to shut down its world-renowned herbarium.
T his wildflower bloomed in the low pine woods along North Carolina’s Tar River. The blossom, called a pink lady’s slipper, was plucked nearly nine decades ago — on May 16, 1936 — and stored away.of pink lady’s slippers, picked roughly three decades later, in 1962, were in full bloom a few days earlier, on May 12.
up to a million species of plants and animals, herbaria captured the plant world before the onslaught of climate change, habitat loss and other human activity was fully apparent. Understanding how plant species’ ranges and physical characteristicsThe Duke Herbarium is one of the biggest in the country, stretching back more than a century and covering the southeastern United States, a biodiversity hot spot where many species are disappearing.
Some prominent U.S. universities, such as Stanford and Princeton, have ditched natural history collections as scientists were increasingly studying the inner workings of cells under microscopes rather than focusing on the whole organism. In 2017, the University of Louisiana at MonroeToday, plant curators say technological advances mean herbaria are going through a renaissance of their own.
Some of the most powerful work done at herbaria involves uncovering so-called “dark extinctions” — that is, the loss of species scientists didn’t even know existed. Decades can pass between when botanists bring a plant to a herbarium and when it is determined to be a new species. The only way researchers know some extinct plants once existed is through the careful detective work of herbarium curators.
It would take a $25 million endowment for Duke to keep the herbarium, she added. Alberts said she did not know yet what Duke will do with the 9,500 square feet of office space on campus it now occupies. She thinks these sort of plant collections are better kept by museums rather than academic departments.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
![Prepare for The End of the World in 'Last Night on Earth' Trailer [Exclusive]](https://i.headtopics.com/images/2024/5/28/collider/prepare-for-the-end-of-the-world-in-last-night-on--prepare-for-the-end-of-the-world-in-last-night-on--BA28DA1EB6B74796116D1FC37E97027D.webp?w=640)
Prepare for The End of the World in 'Last Night on Earth' Trailer [Exclusive]Shane West and Levin Ramblin under a bright light in Last Night on Earth
Read more »
Network of Robotic Telescopes Finds New Earth-Sized World Orbiting an Ultra-Cool StarScience, Space and Technology News 2024
Read more »
TESS finds intriguing world sized between Earth and VenusUsing observations by NASA's TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) and many other facilities, two international teams of astronomers have discovered a planet between the sizes of Earth and Venus only 40 light-years away. Multiple factors make it a candidate well-suited for further study using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.
Read more »
Intriguing nearby world sized between Earth, VenusAstronomers have discovered a planet between the sizes of Earth and Venus only 40 light-years away.
Read more »
NASA's TESS exoplanet-hunter finds tantalizingly close Earth-size world with moderate temperatureRobert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.
Read more »
Potentially Habitable Earth-Sized World Discovered Just 40 Light-Years AwayThe Best in Science News and Amazing Breakthroughs
Read more »