Natural Puzzles – British Museum of Natural History
Author: Luo Xi
On Kensington Fair Road, next to Hyde Park in the southwest of central London, sits a magnificent Victorian Gothic Revival building with a total construction area of more than 40,000 square meters, which is the British Natural History Museum (nhm), which is known as the "Nature Cathedral". It is the largest natural history museum in Europe and the second largest collection of insect specimens in the world, attracting more than 5 million visitors every year.
The three-storey, three-storey medieval church features 20 exhibition halls dedicated to the history of natural development in six major themes: botany, entomology, mineralogy, paleontology, zoology and anthropology. The museum has a total of about 80 million biological and mineral science specimens, including more than 7 million paleontological fossil specimens, 28 million insect specimens, and more than 9 million butterfly specimens. In particular, the abundance of Captain Cook's expedition specimens and Darwin's collection of flora and fauna specimens, dinosaur fossils and research manuscripts makes the museum particularly famous and shiny like a temple of natural history.
A giant specimen of the skeleton of a real blue whale was placed in the central hall last year, replacing the dinosaur Dippi as the treasure of the town hall.
The predecessor of the British Natural History Museum was the British Museum, which is now part of the British Museum. It was separated from the main building in 1881 and became independent in 1963. Since the creation of the British Museum in 1753, the Natural History Museum has a history of more than 250 years. In the continuous improvement spanning two and a half centuries, it is inseparable from the behind-the-scenes impetus of Sloan, Owen and Darwin, three heavyweights in natural history.
The statue of Darwin is placed in the middle of the staircase in the central hall
The story begins with the last wishes of Sir Hans Sloane in the 18th century. Hans was a physician, naturalist and collector with a lifetime collection of more than 70,000 pieces, worth a total of £80,000. He hoped that the collections would remain intact after his death and that they would be seen by more people. The will eventually led to The Approval of The British Museum by King George II. As the museum's natural collection continues to grow, especially as the botanist Sir Joseph Banks, a member of the Royal Society and a botanist, donates a large number of plant specimens after sailing with Captain Cook, the already prominent problem of space tension becomes even more intractable. Faced with a dilemma, the famous paleontologist Richard Owen, then head of the museum's natural history department, proposed and successfully persuaded the British government to build a new museum to house these large and valuable collections.
Owen and Darwin were colleagues and close friends in their youth. As an advocate and first director of the Natural History Museum, his friendship and rupture with Darwin writes about the museum's interesting past. At that time, the paleontological community generally regarded dinosaurs as giant lizards in ancient times, and in 1842 Owen creatively proposed the "dinosaur" taxon (meaning "terrible lizards"), which was known as "dinosaur grandfather" by posterity. Darwin's collection on evolution occupies a pivotal place in museums. However, the two creators of museum history, in the ensuing controversy over Archaeopteryx, represented anti-evolutionists and evolutionists respectively, and engaged in a protracted and fierce debate. They turned friends into enemies in academic disagreements, and eventually broke up and parted ways.
Irving, the museum's first director, is known as "Grandpa Dinosaur"
History is long gone, and now it is interesting that the statue of Darwin in the museum is placed at the landing of the central hall, sitting on his legs, looking at each visitor as if to accept their worship. The statue of Owen holding the leg bone of the dinosaur stands quietly among the dinosaurs he loved all his life, accompanying each other through countless museum years of bustling day and silent night.
To enter this bizarre and dreamy tunnel of time and space to explore the origin and evolution of life, you can choose between two entrances to the museum: the main entrance, the old entrance, exudes the mysterious solemnity of history, and the new entrance is full of futuristic sci-fi. The huge interior space may seem endless, but the layout is so reasonable that you don't have to worry about not being able to start or missing out on anything. As can be seen from the guide map, the entire museum exhibition area is divided into four color areas from left to right, presenting different themes.
The dinosaur Dippi is a household animal star in the UK and is loved by children.
The buildings and gardens on the museum's periphery make up the wild Orange District, including the newly built Darwin Centre, the Wildlife Botanical Gardens and the Wildlife Selection Area, an area where scientists can be observed. Exhibits in the Blue Zone include dinosaurs, marine invertebrates, fish and amphibians and reptiles, mammals, etc., with many shocking dinosaur specimens, skeleton specimens and imitations of other extinct creatures, as well as well-known blue whale models and squid specimens. The Green Zone has hintze hall (formerly the central hall) with numerous themed exhibitions such as marine reptile fossils, British fossils, reptiles, minerals, treasures, treasures, ecology, birds, "Our Place in Evolutionary History", where you can learn about different flora and fauna and the actual environment in which they live. The Red Zone sits in the Earth Pavilion, which presents the beginning of Vientiane, the ever-changing surface, the immortal impression, volcanoes and earthquakes, the present and future of the earth, the treasures of the earth, the earth laboratory and many other experiential thematic exhibitions, through a variety of sound and photoelectric simulation props, let you touch the earth, from theory to the senses to understand the structure and geological landform of the earth.
The central hall hangs a cross-section of the trunk of a giant fir tree
Entering the museum from the main entrance, you can see a giant blue whale skeleton specimen hanging under the dome of the central hall, with a large mouth, full of shock. It was made 127 years ago by a mother whale stranded off the coast of Ireland, 25.2 metres long and weighing 10 tonnes, and was just inaugurated as the "Treasure of the Town Pavilion" last year. Hanging from the staircase wall is a cross-section of the trunk of a giant fir tree, which was cut down in 1891 and is more than 1,300 years old. Scientists have marked the historical events of the tree growth period on the annual rings, becoming a very spectacular work of art.
Pacing slowly, through the cycle of life for hundreds of millions of years. In 1822, the British doctor Mantel and his wife found the fossil iguanodon's teeth "iguana's teeth" in a small village in Sussex, taking the first step in human scientific research and understanding of dinosaurs. On the Otterhouse Promenade, which connects the Biology Hall to the Geology Hall, you can find the skeleton of the Upper Dragon named after "Grandpa Dinosaur" Owen. This ancient marine creature is fierce and brutal, and has occupied a dominant position in the evolutionary river of natural history. The flint "blades" found in the Gough Cave in The Cheda Gorge, Somerset, are still sharp enough to separate the flesh and bones of animals in simulation tests. This is perhaps the earliest remains of paleoanthropology excavated in mainland Britain, dating back to the Ice Age 15,000 years ago. The skeleton of a dodo is 1 metre high and comes from Mauritius, its only habitat. In 1861, with the last dodo being killed, it was forced out of nature's stage and became extinct in only 200 years after it was discovered, less than 70 years after Europeans first recorded the dodo to its extinction.
Fossil iguanodon teeth from the museum's collection
The model of the Beagle is exquisite and realistic. In 1831, the Royal Navy sailboat carried Darwin, then 22, to South America and the South Pacific as the captain's assistant to conduct in-depth scientific research on the local biology, geology and anthropology. Darwin then published the Beagle's Voyage Diary in 1839, which became an important basis for evolutionary theory. The first edition of Darwin's Theory of Evolution and all the hard-earned achievements of the early stages are displayed in the museum. Florena mockingbirds, Darwin finches, green iguanas, giant tortoises, colorful blue-footed... these indispensable specimens in Darwin's biodiversity discourse, with their unparalleled biological charm, carry important historical significance for the entire human civilization across the ages.
Staff are dusting Dhipi
Each exhibit in the museum is carefully classified, well preserved and annotated in detail. Reassembled and spliced after being brushed and brushed, removed from the needle, and cleaned with acetone solution to stay lifelike. They silently witness the magic of natural forces and the wonder of the evolution of life, impact the vision and thinking of every visitor with the only remaining traces of the world, and stimulate the most primitive awe and exploration of life, the universe, time and space in the depths of human beings.
Located on the right wing of the first floor, the Dinosaur Hall has always been one of the museum's most popular exhibition halls, and long queues can be seen from afar, and everyone, regardless of gender age, is excitedly looking forward to entering the real-life version of "Jurassic Park". There are dinosaur specimens and simulation models that you can or can't name in the hall, and the huge number of dinosaur skeleton fossils from Darwin and Owen's collection is enough to make the Natural History Museum famous among many excellent museums. Plesiosaurs in the Triassic Period, Stegosaurus in the Late Jurassic Period, Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops who fought each other at the end of the Mesozoic Era, Pterodactylosaurus with a wingspan of 17 meters, and Neognates with a slightly agile body (the smallest dinosaur that has been discovered, a type of Oviraptorosaurus)... You can stand on the viewing bridge and look up at the hanging dinosaur skeleton, or you can stand under the transparent tray supporting the skeleton fossils, this unique viewing perspective will surely bring you a new sensory experience of being oppressed by behemoths.
The Dinosaur Hall is "super-level" for museums. What is displayed here is not only static skeleton fossils, but also the use of modern high-tech means to restore the whole process of dinosaur survival and evolution. The various dinosaur images that dominated the earth in the Mesozoic Era will run and jump in front of your eyes. T-rex, a mechanical Tyrannosaurus Rex, caught the target with both eyes and let out a terrifying roar as he leaned over and opened his blood basin mouth. After the horror, the intimate exhibition hall designer also set up a comforting "Easter egg" at the exit - a mechanical parrot-billed dragon that wakes up from sleep every 25 minutes. The ingenious and humanistic and superb exhibition arrangement method successfully creates a realistic and delicate display effect under the concept of scientific rigor and true restoration, attracting more than 12,000 people to experience it every day.
It is worth mentioning that the museum's predecessor, the treasure of the town hall, the well-known animal star dippy in the United Kingdom, is a skeleton model of a 356-piece lianglong skeleton about 23 meters long. Deepi is the world's first publicly displayed sauropod complete mount, made using a resin release process. Originally donated to the British Museum by industrialist Andrew Carnegie, it has been in the middle of the hall since the natural history museum was separated and has been "in service" for 110 years. Living in the late Jurassic Period, 130 million years ago, Lianglong was one of the longest animals on land, living mainly in present-day Colorado, USA. Deepi's real body is also from the Collection of american museums. The appearance of Deepi has brought shock to the hearts of countless people, triggering people's admiration for the epic of life and their interest in the exploration of nature. Although it is only a copy of the original proportions, it does not affect everyone's love for it in the slightest. Last year's decision to "retire" Pidy and replace it with a real blue whale specimen as the treasure of the town hall also triggered a defense campaign by people. But the museum's well-intentioned substitution of genuine objects for imitations in the hope that the public's focus will shift from extinct species to endangered species is more worth pondering.
The British Museum of Natural History is the world's second largest collection of insect specimens after the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., where you can find almost all the physical specimens of insects in the documentary "Discover discovery". The newly built Darwin Centre houses 17 million insect specimens and 3 million plant specimens. From dead-leaved stick insects, orchid praying mantises, and South American silk clams (beanwomen) to giant beetles, Anubis unicorns and variable spade worms, it's all-encompassing. The museum's collection of more than 9 million butterfly specimens ranks among the top in the world museum, you can not only see the transparent transfiguration butterfly, the blue light goddess butterfly, the blue blue as the sea of light butterfly and other colorful world famous butterflies, but also can carefully understand the butterfly from the fertilized egg, larvae, pupa to adult four stages of the complete life course, see the butterfly spirit-like body contained in the two powerful power heart that gives it the ability to dance and fly.
Break the cocoon into a butterfly
In the left-wing heavyweight Blue Zone, you can find the museum's famous blue whale and archie, which many visitors come to. The blue whale is the largest living animal on Earth, with a body length of more than 33 meters and a weight of more than 200 tons. With an 8.62 m long body, a pair of giant eyes about 0.25 m long, 8 stout wrist arms, plus two extra-long predatory tentacles, it is the largest squid in the world when it was caught in the Malvinas Islands (Falkland Islands) in 2004.
On the shelf of more than 20 meters long, rows of glass bottles full of classical beauty are neatly arranged, and smaller animal specimens are stored. Large specimens are housed in tank chambers, including various aquarium "booty" collected by the famous Captain Cook, such as the endangered Amazon arapaima (walrus fish). It is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world, with adults up to 6 meters long. Its huge teeth appear to jump out of the formalin tank at any moment and bite into its delicious prey. Countless moments of life are frozen in the moment when life or species disappear, and they are also frozen in the vast smoke cloud of natural evolution.
The two walls of the Otterhouse Promenade display fossils of various marine life
The people's enduring love for the Natural History Museum benefits from the museum's business philosophy of taking nature as its authenticity and embodying humanistic care since its inception. The spirit of daring to explore and move forward, never sticking to the rules, and being open and inclusive to accept new things has prompted the museum to keep up with the pace of the trend of the times.
Since 1990, the Museum of Natural History has gradually promoted various traveling exhibition exchange activities and taken steps towards the world. The International Year of Wildlife Photography competition is an important public welfare event of the museum, which has been held for 53 times. Since the tour, the exhibition has gradually expanded to 35 countries such as the United States, Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy and so on (first exhibited in China in 2009), accumulating a very good international reputation and social reputation. The current curator, Sir Mike Dixon, has listed internationalisation as a very important part of the museum's strategic plan to 2020. On the one hand, "online", the museum will create a network virtual natural history museum that can be queried by the world, open source, and share a database containing nearly 2 million species data and a data volume of up to 1 billion; on the other hand, in the "offline", let more public feel the power of "real" - "tactile" objects, "temperature" exhibitions and "talking" pictures.
The museum has hundreds of scientists serving major research departments in zoology, entomology, paleontology, mineralogy, botany and more. They have long identified and named animals, plants and minerals, deeply studied the kinship between different species and the theory of biological evolution, and committed to solving practical problems closely related to natural sciences in the fields of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, mining, medicine and petroleum exploration. "Tall" research and thematic activities are in full swing, and all kinds of daily experiences of "grounded gas" are also innovating in the fun of embodying nature. The museum not only has a special education department and a lecture hall open to the public, which imparts natural history and natural science knowledge at zero distance, but also goes deep into the front line of teaching in colleges and universities such as Cambridge University, teaching courses and cultivating professional research talents. "A place for both scientific research and public education" is the orientation concept proposed by the first director, Owen, and the museum has always adhered to this original intention and has excellently assumed its inherent social responsibility.
In order to create a dream journey for visitors, the museum launches a night experience activity.
Tickets are free, there are many events, new exhibitions are constantly being held, and the expenses for maintaining the healthy operation of the Natural History Museum are mainly due to the generosity of supporters. Since its establishment, the museum has established a good relationship with the British royal family, and several members of the royal family have become patrons of the museum for more than 100 years. Isalyn Elizabeth Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge — more people are accustomed to calling her "Princess Kate" — is an active part of that. The University of St Andrews, where she graduated, is itself one of the sponsors of the Museum of Natural History. After marrying into the royal family, the Duke, Duchess and Prince Harry Charity Forum in Cambridge became an important source of sponsorship for the museum.
In July 2017, the Duchess of Cambridge launched the "Hope" themed exhibition for the grand launch of the real blue whale skeleton, in which she expressed the love of her two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, for the Natural History Museum in a speech in The Singe Hall. Come to think of it, this is perhaps the most pertinent tribute to this ancient and youthful museum.
【Excerpt from the April 2018 issue】