History

Cover

In the British expedition’s shadow

The Sobral eclipse was also observed by scientific expeditions from Brazil and the US

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Retrospect

The lost flies of genetics

On the centenary of the birth of Crodowaldo Pavan, who was central to the development of Brazilian genetics, insects continue to spur research

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Archival science

Memories Revealed

The unpublished collections of Celso Furtado and Joaquim Nabuco recently donated to research institutions promise new revelations

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Evolution

3.8-million-year-old skull

A nearly complete hominid skull dated at 3.8 million years old has led to new conclusions about the origins of the genus

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Retrospect

An ecologist in the New World

Naturalist Alexander von Humboldt explored the Americas in the early nineteenth century and alerted the world to human impact on the environment

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Archaeology

Incans charged agricultural tax

A specific type of quipu may be the first evidence that taxes were collected by the ancient Incan empire

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Reconstruction

Notre-Dame Cathedral in 3D

A digital image created by art historian Andrew Tallon almost a decade ago could help in the reconstruction of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral

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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

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History

Ancient societies and rare diseases

In several ancient societies, people with deformities and rare diseases appear to have been given social support and special care

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Interview

Francisco de Assis Costa: The multiple faces of the Amazon

Economist points out the diversity of productive structures and the role of peasants dating back to the eighteenth century

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History

Roughly 1.5 million Jews killed in just three months

Between August and October of 1942, at the height of Operation Reinhard, 500,000 Jews per month were taken to concentration camps and killed in occupied Poland

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Humanities

A tapestry of cordels

Historically marginalized, Brazilian leaflet literature has reached a new level of recognition and institutionalization

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Interview

Nei Lopes: The unorthodox lexicographer

The samba historian, composer of popular music, and specialist in African languages and cultures has written over 30,000 dictionary entries

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History

Guaraní still influenced by missionaries

People living in areas closer to the mission sites earn about 10% more than residents of neighboring regions where the Jesuit missions were abandoned

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Archaeology

National Museum rescues 1,500 pieces

They include exhibit pieces and others that were stored in the museum's archives, as well as equipment, personal objects, and architectural fragments

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History

France must return African objects

Tens of thousands of African artifacts kept in French museums should be permanently returned if requested by the country of origin

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History

Solar radiation set off sea mines during the Vietnam War

A strong solar storm in 1972 is now believed the most likely cause of the sudden detonation of dozens of naval mines during the Vietnam War

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SOCIOLOGY OF FOOD 

From cassava to corn, from indigenous to caipira

Studies revisit the history of one of Brazil’s most important culinary traditions

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HISTORY

Secrets of the forest

Using a multidisciplinary approach, book recovers legends and records of naturalists to reveal little known aspects of the Amazon

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Genetics

Bones of “disappeared” politician identified

The bones belonged to Aluísio Palhano Pedreira Ferreira, a trade union leader from Rio de Janeiro and a member of the Popular Revolutionary Vanguard

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Archaeogenetics

When indigenous people occupied Lagoa Santa

Ancient DNA reveals rapid human colonization of South America 14,000 years ago

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MUSEOLOGY

The hidden lives of museum collections

Preservation of museum collections involves complex work and multidisciplinary teams

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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

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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

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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

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SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Rebuilding heritage

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

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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

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HERITAGE

The pain of loss

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

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History

405-year-old letter suggests Galileo toned down his beliefs

A letter found at the Royal Society in London suggests that Galileo Galilei softened his stance against the ecclesiastical doctrine that the Sun orbited Earth to avoid arrest by the Roman Inquisition

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Video

The eclipse which revolutionized physics

This Wednesday, May 29th, celebrates 100 years of the eclipse which was the first experimental proof of the Theory of General Relativity | 2'36"

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