Jack Horner tickets going fast!

Update (2/23): Tickets to this lecture are sold out! If you missed your opportunity to reserve a seat, try coming to Kane Hall early on the night of the lecture to join a waiting list. Entry is not guaranteed, but there's a good chance of getting in if you come around 6 pm to get in line for a ticket.

The Burke Museum is bringing famous paleontologist Jack Horner to speak on the UW campus next Friday, March 5, and tickets to his free lecture at Kane Hall are going fast. RSVP very soon so you don't miss the chance to hear Dr. Horner address questions such as: Can dinosaurs be brought back to life? Is there a velociraptor lurking in the cells of every chicken? Does extinction have to be forever?

Only a few seats are left, so don't waste time and sign up now!

The Case of the Double-Edged Swords

In this behind-the-scenes video, Burke Museum exhibit specialist Arn Slettebak discusses some of his favorite objects in the ethnology collection: a set of pattern-welded steel swords. Arn describes the features of the swords that make them high-quality pieces and talks briefly about each of their histories. Take a look:

Bringing Back Bobo

Over the weekend, the Seattle Times' Pacific Northwest Magazine published an article examining the long-standing mystery and controversy surrounding Bobo the beloved gorilla, who lived at the Woodland Park Zoo from 1951 to 1968. The Burke has an ongoing arrangement with the Woodland Park Zoo to provide a home for zoo animals that have died, so following Bobo’s death in 1968, his skeletal remains were donated to the UW and became part of the mammal collection at the Burke.


For many years, Bobo’s skull was inexplicably missing from the rest of his skeleton. In 2007, Bobo’s skull was finally returned to the Burke Museum after being gone for decades. Read Fred Moody’s thoroughly-researched and well-crafted report about what happened here and then come pay your respects to Bobo the beloved gorilla, whose skull is on display at the Burke Museum now through April 25.

Bobo's skeletal remains are of value to the Burke, as a natural history museum, for many reasons. Bobo's bones hold a valuable record of the genetic signature of wild gorillas in 1951. His DNA could be compared with gorillas of today to answer questions about changes in gorilla populations or genetics. Also, UW students have used Bobo's skeleton for decades while studying human fossils, evolution, and paleontology.

Bobo's taxidermied skin is also currently on display at the Museum of History and Industry.

For all the fossil lovers

This Valentine's Day weekend, dedicate your love of fossils to Ray Troll and the Burke Museum and visit the exhibit Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway!

Hamburgers and Fossils... Hold the Mayo

What are hamburgers doing in a museum gallery? Do the "Kidd Valley Hamburger Hunt" at the Burke Museum and find out the connection between hamburgers and paleontology.*

Now through March 20, 2010, all intrepid hamburger scavengers able to locate the correct number of hamburgers in the current exhibit Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway, will receive a gift from Kidd Valley and the Burke Museum. So stop in and satisfy your hamburger curiosity!

Photo of hamburger cast on display in the Cruisin' exhibit. Approximately 14-15 years old, Ray collected it in Ketchikan, Alaska.

*Yes, there is a connection: artist Ray Troll, has a love of hamburgers and has imbedded an abundance of burgers throughout his artwork in the Cruisin the Fossil Freeway exhibit for a little irreverent fun.

Posted By: MaryAnn Barron Wagner, Communications

Studying paleobotany in Patagonia

Grass is something we all take for granted; it covers 1/3 of the Earth’s land surface, and provides many different sources of food for humans and other animals as well. But when did grasses first appear on the planet? How do they respond to varying climates? And, who/what ate them? These are just a few of the questions that Caroline Strömberg, Curator of Paleobotany at the Burke, seeks to answer when she travels to Patagonia, Argentina this month.

Why Patagonia? Paleontologists believe open grasslands first appeared in South America 30-million years ago, long before they emerged on other continents, based on evidence of large, herbivorous mammals called “meridiungulates” that appear in the fossil record at that time. These mammals had long legs and high-crowned teeth that seem specialized for grass-eating.

The research conducted by Caroline and her colleagues Matt Kohn (Boise State University), Rick Madden (Duke University), and Alfredo Carlini (Museo de La Plata, Argentina) can help answer other important questions that are currently affecting the world today. By analyzing the relationship between meridiungulates and vegetation, the gaps filled in the fossil record through the Patagonia research can help us better understand why, and how, both vegetation and animals respond to climate change.

So good luck, Caroline! We look forward to your return and learning more from your findings!

Posted By: Andrea Barber, Communications