Blog Posts

Collections & Research Committee member Terry Boudreaux donated a very unusual meteorite specimen to The Field Museum’s Robert A. Pritzker Center for Meteoritics and Polar Studies.  The meteorite is named NWA 5492 after northwest Africa where it was found.  Its petrology and chemical composition are very different compared to other meteorites and it cannot be classified with the existing scheme.

Water is life and humankind’s best friend and, sometimes, one of worst foes.  Water’s presence or absence, abundance or scarcity has shaped and continues to determine daily life, ecological, and geopolitical landscapes.  From hunter-gatherers to pastoralists, farmers and city dwellers, water is a key component of daily life.  The rights to water are fundamental to life as we know it.  Managing and gaining access to water is the centerpiece of social organization and a major component of unrest.  Not surprisingly, water management is often regarded a major precursor to the origins of civilization.  My research in Eastern Africa is concerend with the origins of the state and governance.  In this expedition, we will study how both rural and urban communities in Kenya and Madagascar manage, use, store, and distribute water.  The principle goal is to enable us to understand the social, political, and conservational implications of water management systems.  Data and knoweledge will be gained through participatory learning.   These expedition will also enable us to understand and, at least think about, the consequences of water scarcity from a variety of perspectives.

How do I get rid of the pest ants in my home?

Natural History collections are about science and more