September 23, 2016

Invasion of the (Insect) Cyborgs!

September 23, 2016/ Bruce Science

Though our technology grows more and more advanced, it still has a hard time measuring up to evolution. Not even the most skilled robots can respond to dynamic situations with the ease that the simplest of lifeforms can. Miniaturization provides even more complications for robotics. That’s why, if you want a small and adaptive robot, it may be easier to stand on the shoulders of nature. Scientists have been doing just that: Transforming insects into remote-controlled cyborgs.

September 14, 2016

Your Friendly Neighborhood Dinosaurs: Pachyrhinosaurus

September 14, 2016/ Bruce Science

It’d be hard to miss the Bruce Museum’s resident dinosaurs. They stand overlooking our main entrance and have welcomed visitors for the last fifteen years. Today, I’m going to tell you a little about the history of these majestic beasts, both at the museum and 70 million years ago when they still roamed the floodplains of North America.

September 09, 2016

Getting Positive about Glass Negatives

September 09, 2016/ Bruce Science

Interns are a very important part of the Bruce Museum and we've been lucky to have some great interns working with us in the science department. Today we'd like to introduce you to Kaitlyn Standfest, who took us on a journey back through Bruce Museum history with her restoration of antique glass negatives.

September 07, 2016

Dolphins, Cats, and Orange Peels: A Tiger Shark's Lunch

September 07, 2016/ Bruce Science

Tiger sharks are one of the most famous- or perhaps infamous- shark species. Aside from their ferocity, what most people know about tiger sharks is that they are "garbage cans of the sea" and will eat anything. While this is a bit of an exaggeration, there is some truth to this nickname!

August 25, 2016

Bruce Interns Rock!

August 25, 2016/ Bruce Science

We've been lucky enough to have some great intern talent here at the Bruce this summer. Come meet one of our science interns, and take a look at what she was working on!

August 23, 2016

An Ancient Reptile is Reborn

August 23, 2016/ Bruce Science

In the Triassic Period, Connecticut was home to all sorts of giant reptiles. Now, one of those reptiles is making the Bruce Museum its home. It will be the star of our upcoming exhibit: Last Days of Pangaea. But first? We have to put it together!

August 05, 2016

Summer of the Corpse Flower

August 05, 2016/ Bruce Science

Corpse flower blooms are very rare. Since its discovery in 1889, there have only been 157 documented blooms around the world! That makes this month, with its four simultaneous corpse flower blooms across the United States, a real rarity. Forget Planet X, could these flowers be a sign of the impending apocalypse? Hint: No, probably not.

August 03, 2016

Vanishing Icons of Climate Change

August 03, 2016/ Bruce Science

The days of the most iconic tree in the American Southwest may be numbered.

Joshua trees are found almost exclusively in the Mojave Desert between 1,300 – 5,900 feet in elevation. They can only thrive under certain conditions, and those conditions are being threatened by climate change. Nowhere can this be seen more clearly than in Joshua Tree National Park, a 1234 square mile patch of protected desert in California where their namesake is being threatened.