Issue # 272 _ October 2018

Browse the magazine

 

HERITAGE

The pain of loss

Six hours of fire destroyed 200 years of heritage at the largest natural-history museum in Latin America

ORGANIZATION

Dashed hopes

The National Museum was preparing for a revitalization project when it was obliterated by fire

MANAGEMENT

Strategies to keep museums healthy

Financial sustainability and flexible management are challenges facing museum managers

UNIVERSITY MUSEUMS

Centers for generating knowledge

University museums organize exhibitions, administer graduate programs, and do research

HISTORY

Memories indelible by fire

For 200 years, the National Museum contributed knowledge in the natural sciences and inspired the creation of several other science museums

GRADUATE STUDIES

Studies in jeopardy

Fire affects six of the institution’s graduate programs, of which two are world-class

SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Rebuilding heritage

Partnerships with indigenous peoples and community associations will be decisive to the restoration of ethnographic and linguistic collections

Archaeology

Prehistory in pieces

The skull of Luzia and a 2,800-year-old Egyptian mummy were among the more than 100,000 items in the archaeology and biological anthropology collections

NATURAL HISTORY

A new window on the sertão

The foundation created by archaeologist Niède Guidon is set to inaugurate its Museum of Nature in December at Serra da Capivara National Park in Piauí

INTERVIEW

Niède Guidon: “I’m going to open the Museum of Nature and then I will rest”

After four decades in the Serra da Capivara, the archaeologist confirms that she will leave Piauí after the opening of the new exhibition space

GEOSCIENCES

The ruins of rare stones

The geology and paleontology collection at the National Museum contained 70,000 pieces, such as meteorites, unique pterosaurs, and mineral specimens from the Portuguese royal family

ZOOLOGY

Saved fauna

The National Museum and USP Zoology Museum hold vast animal collections that can be difficult to preserve

BOTANY

The roots of knowledge

Installed a decade ago in its own building at Quinta da Boa Vista, the herbarium survived intact

Amazonia

Brother in the North

Emílio Goeldi Museum of Pará reaches 152nd anniversary with 4.5 million items preserved, but few protected

MUSEOLOGY

The hidden lives of museum collections

Preservation of museum collections involves complex work and multidisciplinary teams

ARCHIVAL SCIENCE

In memoriam

The National Museum's Historical Archives, which were consumed by the fire, will be reconstituted based on records made over the years on a variety of media

ARCHITECTURE

Paths of reconstruction

UNESCO specialists will help Brazil rebuild the São Cristóvão Palace using modern security techniques