CSBR: Natural History: Upgrading Infrastructure to Protect an Irreplaceable and Heavily Used Primate Collection

美国自然历史博物馆(AMNH)因改进存储、管理和获取全国重要的非人类灵长类(猴子和类人猿)标本的收藏而获奖。AMNH拥有世界上最大的灵长类收藏品之一，包括在南美、非洲和亚洲的数十次博物馆探险中收集的超过10,000件标本。AMNH收藏保存了对具有重要科学意义的微生物和寄生虫进行的大规模实地调查的宿主标本，是许多以前原始景观中生物多样性的档案，后来因人类活动而改变。这是一个国家资源，培训本科生，研究生和博士后研究人员从美国和国外。人类学家还研究灵长类动物，以寻找人类进化的线索，灵长类动物的研究对于了解人类疾病(如艾滋病和疟疾)的起源也很重要，这些疾病是由猴子和类人猿体内进化的微生物引起的。此外，这些收藏经常被用作公众使用的野外指南中插图的基础。每年有数以百万计的博物馆参观者观看公开展览的标本。该奖项将有助于AMNH灵长类动物收藏的长期研究和社会价值，方法是在新的防尘和防虫橱柜中保护档案基质上的脆弱标本，清洁和修复标本，解压和重新组织收藏，地理参考，并提高数据质量。目前，这些藏品大部分储存在旧橱柜中，那里的皮肤会因灰尘和城市煤烟而变色，并面临虫害的风险。AMNH收藏了世界上最大、使用最频繁的哺乳动物收藏之一。平均每年有200多名非附属研究人员访问AMNH哺乳动物收藏，AMNH哺乳动物学部每年向其他机构的研究人员借出约1800件标本，在线收藏数据库提供对标本数据的访问。灵长类动物是哺乳动物物种中非常重要的一部分。灵长类研究人员占哺乳动物学系总访问者活动的40%以上，在以AMNH哺乳动物为基础的出版物中占相当大的比例。在过去的100年里，博物馆对这种材料的传统研究已经产生了数百种科学出版物，而新技术(如CT扫描和3D激光成像)允许现代研究人员将AMNH灵长类标本用于广泛的非传统研究目的。在AMNH主网站及其YouTube频道(YouTube频道拥有超过41,000名订户和数百万年访问者)上张贴的专业制作的视频将有助于教育观众了解这些重要功能和博物馆标本保护的挑战。

An award has been made to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) for improving storage, curation, and access to a nationally significant collection of nonhuman primate (monkey and ape) specimens. The AMNH has one of the largest primate collections in the world, including over 10,000 specimens collected on dozens of museum expeditions to South America, Africa, and Asia. The AMNH collection preserves host specimens from large field surveys of scientifically important microbes and parasites and is an archive of biological diversity in many formerly pristine landscapes subsequently altered by human activities. This collection is a national resource for training undergraduate, graduate-student, and postdoctoral researchers from the United States and abroad. Primates are also studied by anthropologists for clues about human evolution, and primate research is also important for understanding the origins of human diseases (like AIDS and malaria), which are caused by microbes that evolved in monkeys and apes. Additionally, the collection is often used as a basis for illustrations in field guides used by the public. Specimens for public exhibits are viewed by millions of museum-goers every year. This award will contribute to the long-term research and societal value of the AMNH primate collection by protecting vulnerable specimens on archival substrates in new dust- and insect-proof cabinetry, cleaning and repairing specimens, decompressing and reorganizing the collection, georeferencing, and improving data quality. Currently, much of this collection is stored in old cabinets, where skins are discolored by dust and urban soot and at risk from insect pests. AMNH houses one of the largest and most heavily used mammal collections in the world. On average, more than 200 unaffiliated researchers visit the AMNH mammal collection every year, the AMNH Department of Mammalogy loans about 1800 specimens annually to researchers at other institutions, and an online collection database provides access to specimen data. Primates comprise a uniquely important part of the mammal collection. Primate researchers account for more than 40 percent of total visitor activity in the Department of Mammalogy and account for a substantial fraction of publications based on AMNH mammals. Traditional museum research with this material has produced hundreds of scientific publications over the last 100 years, and new technologies (such as CT scanning and 3D laser-imaging) allow modern researchers to use AMNH primate specimens for a wide range of non-traditional research purposes. A professionally produced video posted on the AMNH main website and its YouTube channel (the latter with more than 41,000 subscribers and millions of annual visitors) will serve to educate viewers about these important functions and about the challenges of museum specimen conservation.