Museums and Collections Content

Victoria Juharyan on the Destruction of Ukrainian Cultural Heritage

Soterios J Johnson — March 31, 2022 - 5:00pm

Victoria Juharyan discusses the destruction and threat of destruction of Ukraine’s cultural heritage during the Russian invasion.

Population Decline of Franklin’s Bumble Bee Wasn’t Due to Pathogens, Museum Genomic Research Shows

Andy Fell — October 20, 2025 - 3:38pm

Franklin’s bumble bee (Bombus franklini) once inhabited a remote area spanning northern California and southern Oregon. But the bee’s numbers declined sharply after 1998 and it hasn’t been seen at all since 2006. A new study of the DNA of museum specimens, published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests this decline was most likely due to population bottlenecks and environmental issues such as fire and drought rather than infectious diseases.

‘The Backdrop’ Podcast Features Scholar on the Destruction of Ukrainian Cultural Heritage

Soterios J Johnson — April 06, 2022 - 2:42pm

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is causing untold suffering and devastation, with thousands of civilians killed and injured and millions of Ukrainians now refugees fleeing for their lives.

On top of the human toll extracted from Ukraine is the destruction and threat of destruction of Ukraine’s cultural heritage.

Massive Spider Wasp Collection Donated to Bohart Museum

Andy Fell — June 04, 2021 - 9:59am

The Bohart Museum of Entomology at 51�ԹϺ�� Davis recently received an unusual gift: 50,000 dead wasps.

The collection of more than 50,000 aculeate (stinging) wasp specimens, primarily spider wasps, came from the estate of renowned wasp expert Marius Wasbauer of Brookings, Ore., who died earlier this year. Wasbauer was a retired senior scientist at the California Department of Food and Agriculture and a global expert on wasps, especially spider wasps.

Traveling (Virtually) with the Arts Blog: London

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — July 21, 2020 - 4:13pm

As a consolation for not being able to travel the world (or pretty much anywhere) this summer, the Arts Blog will take you beyond our regional museum virtual tours and visit across the globe. In this first installment, we go to London, England. Don't miss the Natural History Museum's particularly realistic tours. And, you can get to the royal dinner party a bit early and see a set table in the tour of royal homes below.