MUSEUM RESEARCH
Scientists at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science are pioneers and world-renowned experts in their fields. The Museum employs paleontologists, space scientists, zoologists, geologists, anthropologists and archaeologists whose passion for the Museum’s collections, research and science education is helping advance the public’s knowledge about the natural world. Research questions light up the phone lines at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science each day. Questions about dinosaurs, mammoths, meteorites, Mars, Colorado wildlife, prehistoric people and modern cultures top the list.
The Museum’s scientists regularly present popular talks and demonstrations on scientific issues and topics. They support students who are considering or pursuing science careers by providing intern and mentoring opportunities. Each month, the scientific staff also identifies objects of natural history—human artifacts, fossils, rocks, and zoological specimens—that are brought to the Museum by members of the general public.
Some ongoing Museum research projects include:
The Denver Basin Project—With funding from the National Science Foundation, Museum scientists are exploring the geological and paleontological history of the Denver Basin. This project uses information from many sources including fieldwork, excavations for fossils in active construction sites, and analyses of oil and gas well logs. Part of this research has been focused on learning more about the geological framework of the groundwater resources of the Denver Basin, a topic that has broad impact in understanding future land development. Contact: Dr. Kirk R. Johnson, chief curator and vice president of research and collections.
Early Humans in North America—In 1927, a discovery by the then Denver Museum of Natural History documented the earliest humans in North America. Research on the peopling of the New World continues to be a focus of Museum scientists. The Museum is participating in excavations at several sites in the Great Plains that are believed to be some of the earliest camps of the first Americans. Contact: Dr. Steven Holen, curator of archaeology.
Exploration of Mars—One of the Museum’s curators is on the science team for the Mars Color Imager (MARCI), an instrument onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. MARCI is the first “true color” camera to orbit Mars. The camera will acquire a full-color map of the planet each day once it enters the proper orbit around Mars in Fall 2006, providing a tremendous amount of information at great resolution. This research is funded by NASA. Contact: Dr. Steven Lee, curator of planetary science.
Dinosaur paleontology—Cedar Mountain Formation of eastern Utah preserves one of the few areas where early Cretaceous dinosaurs can be found in North America. The team of scientists working on this project have found a number of new sites and have discovered several new species of dinosaurs, adding significantly to our knowledge of these ancient beasts. Contact: Dr. Kenneth Carpenter, curator of vertebrate paleontology.
Spider biology—Very little has been known about the spiders of Colorado and a strange group of them called the solifugids. Comprehensive study of spiders through the Colorado Spider Survey provides good insight into spider biodiversity and the environmental health of many of the state’s ecosystems. This research is supported by the National Science Foundation. Contact: Dr. Paula Cushing, chair, Zoology Department.
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