London Month of the Dead - The Afterlife of Animals

THE AFTERLIFE OF ANIMALS Exploring the Museum's Hidden Collections with Richard Sabin At Highgate Cemetery Chapel On Thursday 17th October 2024 from 7:00 pm Join us for a unique opportunity to explore how the huge Natural History Museum archive of fluid-preserved, skeletal and taxidermy animals reveal secrets about the past that help us understand the future. Showing images of specimens from the research collections rarely seen in public, Richard Sabin, the Principal Curator of Mammals, will discuss the fascinating ways in which museum collections can provide crucial insights into evolutionary history and biological variation over time. Specifically Richard will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the museum's cetacean collection, which includes 6,000 specimens of whales, dolphins, and porpoises. These, due to their enormous size and irreplaceable nature, are housed in a vast, climate-controlled storeroom. As the custodian of this globally unique collection, Richard will share his expertise on how these specimens are preserved and studied, providing valuable insights into the natural history and evolutionary changes of these remarkable marine mammals. Tickets £12 including an evening walk through the Egyptian Avenue and a Victorian punch. Please click here to buy. RICHARD SABIN Richard Sabin is Principal Curator of Marine Mammals at the Natural History Museum (NHM), and a specialist advisor to the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (England). With expertise in cetacean taxonomy and ecological reconstruction using museum collections, he has contributed significantly to developing the NHM’s National Collection of Cetacea through extensive fieldwork and research. As the science lead for the Hintze Hall blue whale ‘Hope’ project and the "Whales: Beneath the Surface" exhibition, Richard has also spearheaded various public outreach and art/science collaborations. His research interests include reconstruction of diet, migration and health of marine mammals, exploring the scientific utility of research collections and utilizing novel technologies for enhancing virtual access to specimens.

THE AFTERLIFE OF ANIMALS
Exploring the Museum's Hidden Collections
with Richard Sabin At Highgate Cemetery Chapel
On Thursday 17th October 2024 from 7:00 pm

Join us for a unique opportunity to explore how the huge Natural History Museum archive of fluid-preserved, skeletal and taxidermy animals reveal secrets about the past that help us understand the future.

Showing images of specimens from the research collections rarely seen in public, Richard Sabin, the Principal Curator of Mammals, will discuss the fascinating ways in which museum collections can provide crucial insights into evolutionary history and biological variation over time.

Specifically Richard will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the museum's cetacean collection, which includes 6,000 specimens of whales, dolphins, and porpoises. These, due to their enormous size and irreplaceable nature, are housed in a vast, climate-controlled storeroom. As the custodian of this globally unique collection, Richard will share his expertise on how these specimens are preserved and studied, providing valuable insights into the natural history and evolutionary changes of these remarkable marine mammals.

Tickets £12 including an evening walk through the Egyptian Avenue and a Victorian punch. Please click here to buy.

RICHARD SABIN
Richard Sabin is Principal Curator of Marine Mammals at the Natural History Museum (NHM), and a specialist advisor to the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (England). With expertise in cetacean taxonomy and ecological reconstruction using museum collections, he has contributed significantly to developing the NHM’s National Collection of Cetacea through extensive fieldwork and research. As the science lead for the Hintze Hall blue whale ‘Hope’ project and the "Whales: Beneath the Surface" exhibition, Richard has also spearheaded various public outreach and art/science collaborations. His research interests include reconstruction of diet, migration and health of marine mammals, exploring the scientific utility of research collections and utilizing novel technologies for enhancing virtual access to specimens.