Up-to-the minute news (or at least the last couple of weeks) of collections, research, science action, and learning efforts at The Field Museum.

1. Natural/S&E News, 08/04/2016, page 1 of 6
GANTZ FAMILY COLLECTIONS CENTER
Field’s unparalleled Hopewell collection featured on new
web site. The Field Museum houses one of the largest
archaeological collections of Hopewell Culture artifacts in the
world. This collection—primarily from Warren K. Moorehead’s
1891–1892 excavation at the Hopewell Mound Group near
Chillicothe, Ohio—dates to the origins of the Museum itself.
Moorehead’s excavations were undertaken for the 1893 World
Columbian Exposition, whose collections formed the basis for
The Field (Columbian) Museum. With the support of the
Humanities without Walls program, a team of researchers led
by Carrie Heitman, Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln, developed a
website that makes the Hopewell collection publicly accessible.
The website, launched Thursday, July 21 at hopewell.unl.edu, is
a collaboration between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
the University of Illinois at Chicago, Northwestern University
and the Field. Work began in January of 2015, and over the ensuing year the team digitized and
aggregated hundreds of digital assets to make this phenomenal Hopewell archaeological collection
available through this web portal. The site covers
Archival Documents related to original field excavations;
a Catalog Report of Hopewell objects; Finding Aids for
the relevant archival collections; Catalog Cards
describing some individual objects; Warren K.
Moorehead’s photographic Excavation Albums; and a
collection of artifact Images. (While the photo gallery—
above—is full of stunning images of this unique
material, the correspondence between Moorehead and
Museum executives concerning his conflicts with
Frederic Ward Putnam, head of the Fair’s anthropology
dept.—example at left—make for fascinating reading.
The hope is that these resources will foster interest in
the Hopewell Culture, facilitate research both within the
Museum and with outside scholars, and serve as a
catalyst for development of a larger, more
comprehensive, repository. Besides Carrie, team
members include Associate Curator William Parkinson
(co-director of the project), Collections Manager Jamie
Kelly, Krystal Britt (UIC, FMNH Graduate Research
Assistant), and James Brown (Professor Emeritus,
Northwestern University, and FMNH Adjunct Curator).
The Natural News
August 4, 2016
Up-to-the minute news (or at least the last couple of weeks) of collections,
research, science action, and learning efforts at The Field Museum.
Warren Moorehead to FM President H.
Higinbotham, April 23, 1895:
“I had somewhat of a stormy interview with
Professor Putnam [. . .] He said a great many
harsh things about your institution. He had two
of his assistants in the room to witness our
conversation, but I said nothing of importance in
their presence, and will take out a good lawyer
tomorrow morning to witness our arguments.
This will only cost $10 and may save us a great
deal of trouble.”

2. Natural/S&E News, 08/04/2016, page 2 of 6
Viva as aves do Brasil! In honor of the first Olympics to take place in
Brazil, the Biodiversity Heritage Library(BHL) is highlighting a book
from the Mary W. Runnells Rare Book Room featuring birds of South
America, Le Vaillant’s Histoire naturelle d’une partie d’oiseaux nouveaux
et rares de l’Amerique et des Indes (1801) is one of several titles digitized
from the Edward E. Ayer Ornithological Library (Ayer was the Museum’s
first president, and the guy who talked Marshall Field into ponying up
that first million simoleons in 1893). The entry for the Le Vaillant
volume in the Ayer catalogue characterizes it as “a work intended to
supplement his Hist. Nat. des Oiseaux d’Afrique (q.v.) by describing and
figuring birds not properly included in that work.” You can read the
entire blog on this book, written by Reference & Interlibrary Loan
Librarian Gretchen Rings, and see more beautiful illustrations, here:
http://blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2016/07/celebrating-birds-of-south-america.html.
Park Service grant supports testing of Hopi ceremonial objects.
Repatriation Director Helen Robbins has just received word of a grant of
$89,023 from the National Park Service’s NAGPRA (Native American Graves
Protection and Repatriation Act) Program to support consultation and X-
Ray Fluorescence (XRF) testing of 100 Hopi ceremonial items. This grant is
the third in a series of projects with the Hopi Tribe of Arizona to identify
contaminants such as arsenic and mercury. Due to early preservation
processes used by museums and the use of mineral pigments, many of the
objects have a high probability of containing heavy metal toxins. Elemental
analysis for the detection of heavy metals can be determined using a hand
held XRF analyzer. The XRF test results from previous NAGPRA grants
confirm that approximately 40% of the Hopi items have applied
contaminants such as arsenic, bromine, and lead. The items to be tested in
this grant include marau bahos (women’s society prayer sticks), mongkoho
(chiefs’ staffs), ngoloshoya (crooks), and wikya (ceremonial hoes). This grant will fund the testing
and analysis of these items and a consultation visit to the Museum by traditional Hopi leaders.
Helen sends out a big thank you to Deborah Bekken (Sponsored Programs Director), Pamela
Clayburn (Grants Compliance Director), Kelsey Keaton (Grants Specialist), and Kandy Christensen
(S&E Finance Manager) for all of their help and support both pre-award and post-award.
Mushrooming with the interns. On July 13, summer interns from
the Gantz Family Collections Center took a break from working on
bryophytes and beetles in the hidden chambers of the Museum to get
out into the field and collect mushrooms! The breezy, humid day
kicking off with an early morning rain was perfect weather for the
task at hand. Adjunct Curator Patrick Leacock led the group to
McHenry County’s Marengo Ridge Conservation Area to observe and
collect above-ground macrofungi. With the help of Museum volunteer
and mycologist extraordinaire Rocky Houghtby,
the interns identified key species and collected
particularly charismatic individuals (as in the
photo at left by Clare Darnall). Next, along with
McHenry County Conservation District seasonal
interns, the group used quadrat sampling to
record the fungal diversity of the site.
First row (L-R): Ben Rohr (DePaul
U), Alexandra Lopez
(Northeastern Illinois U), Clare
Darnall (U of Illinois).
Back row, L-R: Marilyn Alam and
Sergio Barajas (Northeastern),
Taylor Walker (Hollins Univ.),
Patrick Leacock (Field Museum),
and Caitlin Vaughn (DePaul).
Hopi representatives
examine objects in the
collections during a
2012 visit.

3. Natural/S&E News, 08/04/2016, page 3 of 6
Scanning the skulls of sundry saurians. Ryan Felice and Carla Bardua,
Research Associate and Graduate Student, respectively, at the University
College London, visited the Birds, Herps and Fossil Reptiles Collections for
several days in late July as part of a large-scale study looking at shape
evolution across the tree of life. In particular, they are looking at large-
scale patterns of modularity and integration in the cranium of modern and
extinct archosaurs (e.g., dinosaurs, birds, crocodiles). While at the Field
they used a portable laser scanner to create 3D digital models of the
skulls, mandibles, and limbs of modern and fossil birds and reptiles. These
will be used in geometric morphometric analyses comparing modularity
patterns in birds, crocodilians, and non-avian dinosaurs. The ultimate goal
of the project is to understand how the interactions among traits influence
evolutionary trends such as the rate of evolution
and the potential for speciation. Fun facts: Ryan
was an intern with Associate Curator Ken
Angielczyk in 2008, while an undergrad at Tulane.
Their faculty supervisor at University College, Anjali Goswami, was a
Resident Graduate Student (working with John Flynn) about a dozen years
ago. A Brain Scoop video of Ryan in action will air in September.
INTEGRATIVE RESEARCH CENTER
Ritual and Archaic States, by the book. Gary Feinman (MacArthur
Curator of Anthropology) as well as Ryan Williams (Associate Curator
of Anthropology) and Donna Nash (Adjunct Curator of Anthropology)
have chapters in a new volume, Ritual and Archaic States, edited by
Joanne Murphy (UNC-Greensboro) and published by the University
Press of Florida. Drawing on literature from several disciplines, Gary’s
chapter, “Variation and Change in Archaic States: Ritual as a Mechanism
of Sociopolitical Integration,” provides a theoretical introduction to the
volume, while offering a framing focus on differences in ritual
behaviors between distinct ancient states as well as certain states as
they changed over time. The chapter by Ryan and Donna, “Religious
Ritual and Wari State Expansion,” draws on their archaeological field
studies at the site of Cerro Baúl and its multiethnic hinterlands. Their
essay presents a detailed picture of how diverse Andean ritual
activities coexisted in this region, where the cooperation of different
populations was important for the durability of these settlements. The book, which encompasses
nine chapters, and cases from both the Americas and the Aegean, also has contributions from
Research Associate Richard Blanton (Purdue) and a coauthored chapter by UIC graduate and
Research Associate Matthew Piscitelli (National Geographic). Hear what leading archaeologists
have to say about the book: Peter Peregrine (Lawrence University) calls it “an important addition to
our understanding of early states,” and declares that “the contributors amply demonstrate through
their fresh insights how crucial ritual is to statecraft in the Old and New Worlds.” Evangelos
Kyriakidis (University of Kent) hails the volume as “Essential and fascinating,” noting that “this
book more than any other before brings the subject of ritual and polity of archaic states together.”
Ryan
Carla

4. Natural/S&E News, 08/04/2016, page 4 of 6
Chewers vs. gnawers: who has the stronger bite? Brazilian graduate
student Renan Maestri spent six months at The Field Museum in 2014–
2015 collecting data from our superb Neotropical mammal collections,
working with MacArthur Curator of Mammals Bruce Patterson. The duo
recently published another article growing out of Renan’s dissertation,
co-authored with his advisors at Univ. Federal Rio Grande do Sul: “Diet,
bite force, and skull morphology in the generalist rodent morphotype,” in
the Journal of Evolutionary Biology. For many vertebrate species, bite
force plays an important functional role, and is often associated with the
ecological characteristics of a species’ niche, such as diet. Previous
evidence suggests a biomechanical trade-off between rodents specialized
for gnawing, which feed mainly on seeds, and those specialized for
chewing, which mainly eat green vegetation. here, the team tested the
hypothesis that gnawers are stronger biters than chewers. They
estimated bite force and measured skull and mandible shape and size in
63 genera of a major rodent radiation (the Sigmodontinae), and analyzed the influence of diet on
bite force and morphology in a comparative framework, then used phylogenetic path analysis to
uncover the most probable causal relationships linking diet and bite force. The results indicated
that both granivores (gnawers) and herbivores (chewers) have a similar high bite force, leading the
team to reject their initial hypothesis. Path analysis reveals that bite force is more likely influenced
by diet than the reverse causality. The absence of a trade-off between herbivores and granivores
may be associated with the generalist nature of the myomorph condition—a specific arrangement
of muscles on the skull in rats and mice that enables them to both gnaw and chew effectively,
without apparent shortcomings in performance—which appears to have been a key factor in their
enormous evolutionary success. Both gnawing and chewing sigmodontine
rodents exhibit similar intermediate jaw structures, as compared to extreme
gnawers (squirrels) and chewers (chinchillas). Only insectivorous rodents appear
to be moving towards a different direction in the shape space, through some
notable changes in morphology. In terms of diet, natural selection alters bite
force through changes in size and shape, indicating that organisms adjust their
bite force in tandem with changes in food items. The study drew on more than
2800 individual specimens from six museum collections, more than 1300 from
The Field Museum. A pdf of the article can be found here:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwM2ZZ93oOqHZ1hQaTBKelJnbVE: and
supplemental files here:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwM2ZZ93oOqHZExJbU4yY2IwYmM.
Get the Scoop on a living Field Museum legend. Curator
Emeritus Robert Inger started at the Museum as a volunteer in
the early 1940s, became an Assistant Curator in Fishes in 1949,
and jumped to Herps in 1954. He has mounted more than a
dozen field trips to Borneo, plus trips to Malaysia, Thailand,
India, China, Brunei, and the Dem. Rep. of Congo (aka Zaire),
described more than 75 species of herps, and published six
books and around 150 papers. He “retired” in 1994—and like
so many of our retired scientists, continues his research. Check out Emily Graslie’s great interview
with Bob here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhwQKDZ2ze0. You’ll learn how to keep
leeches off your legs while collecting frogs in Borneo, and what keeps him coming into the lab
several days a week: “Well, there’s still things I don’t know. And there’s still interesting questions to
ask.” Bob turns 96 next month. Not that anyone’s counting.
New World
mouse (order
Sigmodontinae)
demonstrating
bite force.
The dots and squares are
skull “landmarks” used in
the analysis.

5. Natural/S&E News, 08/04/2016, page 5 of 6
KELLER SCIENCE ACTION CENTER
Actioners confer with Peruvian officials on quality of
life plans. On June 28, scientists from the Keller Science
Action Center helped to organize a high-level meeting with
key government officials in Lima, Peru. Led by the Ministry
of Culture, the meeting took advantage of the energy and
momentum that has been built around quality of life plans
for local communities—an approach that Field Museum
scientists have pioneered over the last decade—and chart
a course for the future that ensures that these approaches
continue to empower communities to benefit from conservation and achieve their goals. The
meeting involved representatives from Peru’s Ministry of Culture, the National Forest Conservation
Program (PNCB), the National Protected Areas Service (SERNANP), the National Forest Service
(SERFOR), the National Strategic Planning Center (CEPLAN), and the indigenous organization the
Confederation of Amazonian Nationalities of Peru (CONAP). The meeting revealed widespread
agreement that indigenous and local communities need spaces to reflect critically on their desires
and aspirations, and to consider what well-being means to them in the context of their cultural
norms, social relationships, natural resources, economic needs, and political organization.
Moreover, all organizations agreed that substantive collaboration among themselves and with
other indigenous organizations and NGOs around quality of life planning will be critical in the
future. The group will continue to meet, and plans to develop a database of quality of life work
around the country for Field Museum partners and the broader public. It will also target specific
geographies in which to identify landscape-level priorities that can be shared with the government
and ultimately serve local people in stewarding their natural resources.
Guitarists gather in the Burnham Wildlife
Corridor. Dedicated community members came
together in the Burnham Wildlife Corridor on
July 24 for a guitar workshop, “La Guitarreada”
(gathering of guitarists), where they learned folk
songs and ballads from Mexico. This was the first
program by Roots & Routes Initiative community
partner Casa Michoácan (from the Pilsen
neighborhood), and it was held at their
Gathering Space, “La Ronda Parakata.” “La
Ronda” refers to the circular structure of the
space and “Parakata” means butterfly in the language of the Purépecha (an indigenous people from
the northwestern region of Mexico, primarily the state of Michoácan). The monarch butterfly is an
important symbol in Purépecha culture, representing the souls of past warriors, who return to
Mexico around the Day of the Dead in November. Hector Duarte, one of the lead artists of this space,
specifically chose the word Parakata to educate community members of the cultural connection to
butterflies. For more information on upcoming programs in the Gathering Spaces, follow the Roots
& Routes Initiative on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/rootsroutesbwc).

6. Natural/S&E News, 08/04/2016, page 6 of 6
Viva las aves de la Reserva Biologica Los Cedros!
Established 22 years ago in megadiverse northwestern
Ecuador, the Los Cedros Biological Reserve protects 17,000
acres of tropical forest and cloud forest harboring more than
240 species of birds. The reserve is considered an “Important
Bird Area” by Birdlife International. Since its creation, Los
Cedros has served as an effective buffer zone for the Cotacachi-
Cayapas Ecological Reserve and a hotspot for field work and
research. The reserve has faced
many threats over the years,
including squatters, illegal
loggers, and landless farmers
who have attempted to remove
its protected status. Recently, the
Ecuadorian government titled
80% of the reserve to an
investment fund that promotes
mining, posing the most serious threat yet to Los Cedros. The field
guide to the birds of Los Cedros was produced as an emergency
measure by a group of ornithologists who work in the reserve to
advocate for its continued preservation. For more information visit
www.reservaloscedros.org. The field guide can be downloaded at:
http://fieldguides.fieldmuseum.org/guides/guide/775.
LEARNING CENTER
Youth science films take flight at the Field. This July,
high school teens “flew in” to the Museum to join the
Digital Learning team for Design Studio: Raptors in the
Sky, a three-week long summer experience where
youth worked with educators, scientists, and video
professionals to produce short films inspired by
Peregrine Falcons and the conservation work of The
Field Museum. These past three weeks of programming
was an e(gg)cellent experience* for both the
participants and members of the Digital Learning team.
Throughout the program, teens engaged in conversation with researchers and conservationists,
met a live Peregrine, spent an afternoon bird watching, and saw behind-the-scenes at The Field
Museum. On the final day of activities, visitors, family, friends, students, and Museum staff sat
elbow-to-elbow in the Bird Hall listening, watching, and laughing along to the teens’ final video
showcase. This special group of teens left the space on an uplifting note, leaving everyone in awe of
both their creativity and their hard work. The films are available on https://teenstakethefield.com/.
This program was made possible by support from the Julian Grace Foundation.
_____________________________________________________
* Pun included in original submission from Summer Educator Erin McHugh and is not the
responsibility of the editor
Detail from page 1 of the guide.