Morrill Hall

Last year 72 students interned/volunteered/worked with the museum. Hear from them about their experiences. Please consider a Glow Big Red gift to help our museum continue supporting student learning opportunities. go.unl.edu/unsmglowbigred

#TuskerPower #Museum #NaturalHistory #Students #science

It's almost Glow Big Red Power Hour!💪❤️
The champion with the most gifts in the next hour (5-6pm) could help raise an additional $500 for the museum.🦣 Will you help Archie be the champ?🏆 Even a $5 gift counts!

Glow All In for Archie! go.unl.edu/unsmglowbigred
#GlowBigRed #GlowAllIn #MorrillHall

Glow Big Red starts today. Will you help Morrill Hall keep sharing science in our community? Even $5 will help. Plus, gifts are being matched dollar for dollar thanks to our Friends. And we'll donate 2 passes to area non-profits for every $20 given.
go.unl.edu/unsmglowbigred

#tuskerpower #thanks

This #FossilFriday, we're excited to share about research UNSM curator Ash Poust contributed to proving the “Nanotyrannus,” a teacup variation of the “T. rex,” did exist!🦖 Poust and a team led by Christopher Griffin of Princeton University had their findings published in Science yesterday!🔬

Happy #FossilFriday! In October, UNSM doubled our holdings of an unusual extinct species, Dasypus bellus, which literally translates to “beautiful armadillo.”✨ It was about twice the size of the modern nine-banded armadillo. These specimens are from 12-25 thousand years ago.🦴
#fossils #paleontology

This summer, we got to add new species to our weevil collection. The first step for finding weevils is finding their host plant.🌱 The fantastic-smelling, gray sagebrush is common in the Great Plains. From that, we got these two tiny gray weevil species, which were well hidden. #entomology

Happy #FossilFriday! This tooth plate is from a giant fossil lungfish called Ceratodus. This specimen is thought to be from the Mesozoic Era and is estimated to be up to 13 feet long! Lungfish have been around for nearly 400 million years, and are one of the closest living relatives to tetrapods!🦎

This pale poison ivy leaf beetle feeds on many people’s least favorite plant.🌱 At under 2 mm, its damage is minimal, but every little bit helps. This summer was the first time this little beetle was collected in Nebraska.☀️ We’re happy to have them on board! #entomology #Nebraska

Tonight is Morrill Hall-oween, so stop by Morrill Hall before your evening festivities!🦇 Wear a costume and come ready with a bag to trick-or-treat around the museum.🍭 Planetarium shows are FREE for this event only!🪐 No tricks, just treats, fossils, and fun. 🦣
Event: 4:30-8:30 pm

A large black beetle, with some ribbing texture on wings. The label at bottoms titles it as Asiopus minimus and includes the museum's catalog number for the beetle of UNSMe0403.

This (no common name for this beetle) = 1 of 20,000 species of darkling beetles who = beneficial decomposers of plant matter. The larvae = mealworms used as pet food/fishing bait. The species hadn't been found in Neb. until this specimen was collected from leaf litter this summer. #EntoTuesday

Happy #AnthroThursday! This ceramic pig bank is from around 1960, was collected in Sta Cruz de las Huertas, the Canary Islands, Spain. The Canaries have a unique connection to pigs, especially the Canarian black pig, the only native pig breed in the islands. They served as a vital source of income.

Happy #AnthroThursday! Geta (下駄) are traditional Japanese wooden sandals, believed to have originated in Southern China and been brought to Japan in the late Heian period. Once rice farming tools, they became popular in Japan's Edo period and are now valued for their craftsmanship and style.

This miniature painting from modern-day Iran depicts hunters in traditional Persian attire hunting a lion. The image of the lion played a significant role in ancient Persian culture, revered as a symbol of strength and nobility.
#anthropology #naturalhistory #museum #UNSM

A tiny glass tube holds the micro fragments of fossilized bones.

Highway Salvage Preparator Jeremy works on removing sediment from around the fossil dog skull.

Happy #MuseumMonday. Recently, our Highway Salvage Preparator Jeremy was working on a 14 million year old dog skull/skeleton found in Boyd County, Nebr. While sifting through the sediment he found some tiny bones. Any guesses on what they could be? Stop by the Visible Lab this week to see. #fossils

Happy #FossilFriday! Pictured is a jaw fragment from a mosasaur, a large marine reptile. It was found in 85-million-year-old Cretaceous limestone along the Missouri River bluffs, which formed at the bottom of a shallow inland sea during that time.🏞️
#fossil #museum #UNSM #geology #naturalhistory

Happy #AnthroThursday! This Japanese parasol, or higasa (日傘), was donated to the museum in 1978. Early parasols were large and non-collapsible, used by aristocrats and religious authorities to signify prestige and ward off evil spirits.
#anthropology #Japan #japanese #parasol #history #museum #UNSM

Happy #MuseumMonday! 🦏 Ashfall Fossil Beds Summer 2025 interns Cannon Dunker (left) & Jacob Wilson (right) carefully excavate 12-million-year-old ash at Ashfall Fossil Beds, revealing dog tracks, mud cracks, & signs of ancient water movement. 🐘 #Paleontology #fossils #intern #Summer #excavation

Happy #FossilFriday! This summer, Curator Ashley Poust and colleague Dr. Robert Boessenecker collected fossils along the coast of California. These rocks, called the Purisima Formation, record an important time in the history of marine life, before the beginning of the Ice Age.
#fossils #history

Happy #AnthroThursday! This paper cutter, or letter opener, was collected in Japan before 1944. It features a bronze cast handle adorned with sea life motifs. Sea animals hold considerable significance in Japanese culture, owing to Japan's island geography and its intimate connection with the sea.

UNM Honors College professor leads 2025 expedition to Paraguay to study fossilization in real time Jason Moore, associate professor and chair of the Honors College at The University of New Mexico, is set to lead a team of researchers and students back to the Paraguayan Chaco in 2025 as part of the ...

UNSM curator @ashpoust.bsky.social is joining scientists from New Mexico, Michigan, Argentina & Paraguay on a collaborative research trip to Paraguay. They'll be researching the conditions under which bones might become #fossils. Follow along this summer to learn more!

news.unm.edu/news/unm-hon...

"Archie" 14ft Colombian mammoth on display at UNL's Morrill Hall. Lincoln, Nebraska

This is Archie. He's too shy to tell you so himself, but he's the tallest mammoth on exhibit in the world. He doesn't like to brag. 13/10 Would snuggle him to the bone. #WeRateBones
🦣⚒️🧪#FossilFriday
#LNK

Welcome to the Curious Curator Café! ☕️ This newest addition to the Discovery Gift Shop is opening for Archie’s party on June 14th! 🎊 The café will be the perfect stop for a coffee before exploring or a treat after an eventful day at Morrill Hall.✨ #UNSM #cafe #grandopening #coffee #party #yum

Happy #AnthroThursday! We are 10 DAYS away from the new weapons exhibit opening. Arms, Armor, and Anthropology is coming along, and we have an interesting fact for you:
The oldest object in the exhibit is a spearhead from Ancient Egypt that dates to about 1550-1070 BCE❗
We can't wait to see you!✨

Archie the Mammoth statue in background, with Lincoln Literacy logo and caption box detailing UNSM will donate 2 free Morrill Hall passes to Lincoln Literacy for every membership purchased or renewed from June 1 to July 15. Memberships could be purchased at the front desk or online. Additional tickets can be donated by contacting the museum at 4024722637.

Excited to share Lincoln Literacy is our summer CAP partner! Their mission is to strengthen the community by teaching English and a variety of literacy skills to people of all cultures. museum.unl.edu/membership

#Museum #Naturalhistory #science #learning #literacy #community #fossils #Nebraska

Discovery day camps have begun!☀️ The kids are having lots of fun with Astronomical Adventures and Elephants, Dinos, and Rhinos.🐘 There are still open spots for some of our upcoming camps.🌷
Learn more and register online today: museum.unl.edu/programs-eve...
#summercamp #UNSM #Nebraska #space

Yes, this was the same specimen. Due to the light exposure on it and its interaction with the materials used to preserve it previously, some discoloration had occurred. Carrie's current efforts are removing that discoloration and stabilizing specimen according to current best practices.

Last week, our Chief Preparator Carrie worked on a crane skeleton found in 1979 at Ashfall Fossil Beds. Carrie is working to stabilize the specimen by using modern archival materials. Want to see more amazingly preserved fossils like this? Visit Ashfall Fossil Beds this summer! Happy #FossilFriday.

Excited to share this #AnthroThursday the new weapons exhibit Arms, Armor & Anthropology opens June 14th!

It's also Give to Lincoln Day. Gifts to the Friends of the State Museum help fund exciting exhibits like this one & other #science #learning opportunities.

givetolincoln.com/nonprofits/f...

Two men on a lift hose off one of Archie the bronze mammoth statue's legs.

Two men prepare wax and rags on a special lift up in the air near the tip of Archie the bronze mammoth statue's tusks and trunk.

Two men carefully wax Archie the bronze mammoth statue's trunk.

Talk about a mammoth spring cleaning task....Archie has been washed and waxed and is ready for another year of greeting guests at Morrill Hall! Shoutout to our friends at Clearview Scanlon Cleaning for their help.

#SpringCleaning #Mammoth #naturalhistory #museum #nebraska

It's a #TerrificTuesday, and we want to celebrate our Friends of the State Museum (FOSM) who have supported UNSM for 40 years!
🌷May 29 is Give to Lincoln Day, and your gift can support FOSM, Morrill Hall, and science education for people of all ages!🌎
Donate today: givetolincoln.com/nonprofits/f...