A vestigial structure is a body part or organ that was useful in an ancestor, but is diminished in size, complexity, or utility in their descendant. Many animals have vestigial structures, like the small spurs on pythons that once were legs. Humans have vestigial structures too, and they give us a tantalizing glimpse into our evolutionary history.
Read MoreOn display in the science galleries of the Bruce Museum we have arrays of glittering gems and minerals, a forest of taxidermy animals, cases of archaeological artifacts, and all sorts of other objects, great and small. What many visitors don't realize is that these items on display only represent a small fraction of our natural history collections. Recently, we had an opportunity to show off a few more of our objects at Greenwich Town Hall.
Read MoreLife gives us a lot to get stressed about. I won’t tell you not to worry, but if you are, consider some of these scientific methods to ease your stress.
Read MoreThe body plan and lifestyle of crocodilians has changed so little in the last 83.5 million years that they are often called "living fossils." There is something about being a crocodile that is very evolutionary advantageous. It’s so advantageous in fact, that animals that look and act like crocodiles have evolved time and time again throughout the evolutionary history of the earth. In this curious case, evolution appears to have repeated itself over and over throughout the history of life on Earth.
Read MoreWhy is color a useless identifier of minerals? As it turns out, there are a lot of minerals that can be found in a variety of different colors that are not the minerals’ natural color. Why do some minerals come in different colors? The answer to that question is a bit more complicated.
Read MoreIn modern societies, cannibalism is considered one of the most terrible of crimes. When a skeleton of the dinosaur Coelophysis was discovered with small bones within its rib cage it was dubbed a cannibal, one that might even eat its own young. Are these allegations true, or do we have a prehistoric mistrial on our hands?
Read MoreIf you visit our newest science exhibit, Last Days of Pangea: In the Footsteps of Dinosaurs, you’ll see an amazing array of fossilized footprints displayed. These footprints come in all sizes: Some as small as a fingernail, some longer than the length of my forearm. Some are hazy and indistinct, clearly having weathered the forces of time and erosion. Others look like they could have been made yesterday. It’s much easier to imagine a tough and solid bone surviving millions of years than a single delicate footprint laid down in soft mud. How is it that these footprints made it from the Triassic to now? It takes just the right set of conditions.
Read MoreTis the season… to teach kids coding! For the third year in a row, the Bruce Museum is bringing free Hour of Code programs to schools throughout Greenwich and beyond during the month of December. Last year we reached exactly 550 students with our Hour of Code programming. We're proud to announce that our numbers have more than doubled this year! It's never been a better time to learn how to code.
Read MoreStories about animals and artifacts by scientists at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT
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