This article explores how cardinals perceive their environment, and how they explore their place in it, especially with respect to color.
Do Cardinals Know They Are Red? A Closer Look at a Christmas Icon
The Bird in Music: Chasing Ghosts in a Fading Meadow
In honor of the Linda Hall Library opening its latest exhibition, "Chained to the Sky: The Science of Birds, Past and Future," this post is a celebration of birds' place in music through the ages. While the celebration is muted by birds' precipitous decline, it also serves as a crucial reminder that there is still... Continue Reading →
All Hail the Pumpkin King: The Spellbinding Saga of the World’s Favorite Squash
The pumpkin, cultivated since ancient times, has become a cultural icon, symbolizing fall, Halloween, culinary tradition and modern commerce.
Wild Love: A Valentine’s Day Natural History
Valentine’s Day is almost upon us. But we’ve had warning - the decorations started going up in stores the day after Christmas. As a holiday, though, it almost keeps pace with Christmas. The first incarnation of the celebration may go back to Ancient Roman times, with the fertility festival of Lupercalia. St. Valentine himself could... Continue Reading →
Two Immersive Experiences. Two Authors. Two Takeaways.
I’ve just returned from visiting two immersive experiences that provide a lot inspiration for how we frame - or could frame - our stories in natural history museums. The first of these is the City Museum in Saint Louis and the second, Meow Wolf in Santa Fe. Neither of these are natural history museums -... Continue Reading →
A Christmas Herbarium: The Nature and Culture of our Favorite Holiday Plants
The Festive season is upon us. Many of us are busy hanging wreathes, decorating trees, and putting up mistletoe in doorways for that holiday smooch. If it's Christmas you celebrate, most of our traditions go far further back than inflatable characters out of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on the front lawn. And one thing that... Continue Reading →
The Painting
The other day, on a whim, we went to a thrift shop and something happened that you fantasize about but never expect. We found a masterpiece. The painting was sitting in a corner behind a lot of faded prints from the 1980s, with "$12.99". scrawled on the back. We thought it was probably a clever... Continue Reading →
On Becoming Human
I'm enjoying a rare opportunity to indulge in a little bit of curation. At Carnegie Museum of Natural History, we are putting up a new display on human evolution called Becoming Human and I'm working with our wonderful exhibitions team to work through the various stages of its development. It's going to be installed next... Continue Reading →
A harmless necessary cat
It's a little daunting contemplating finding something novel to write about cats, the unofficial mascot of the internet. But we're thinking of getting one (or two), to add some fun - and a few hair balls - to our household. There's a lot to think about. What to get and how to get it? We're... Continue Reading →
Killing wildlife – one selfie at a time
A friend just emailed me a series of articles which surprised me considerably. Each describes an event in which an animal has died at the hands of somebody - and in some cases many people - grabbing it to take selfies. Here are some examples within the last couple of weeks - warning this isn't... Continue Reading →
ERIC DORFMAN 