Delirium of the Endless, from the Sandman series. She is smiling happily.ρ ([personal profile] rho) wrote,
@ 2009-11-21 09:18:00
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This is probably my most significant contribution to science to date

Before I forget, I want to keep you all up to date with the ongoing story of me and the natural history museum. On the 11th (which was the same day I was at Smith for the open house), I received this email from them:

Dear Ms Walmsley

Thank you for your recent email to the Museum and for taking the time to
point out the error in the cladogram in Our Place in Evolution. I'm glad
you enjoyed your visit to the Museum, and wanted to let you know the
outcome of your query.

I have spoken with our anthropology experts and you are quite right that
the latest research shows chimps to be more closely related to humans
than they are to gorillas. The cladogram panel was produced before this
find was made, which is why it shows chimps and gorillas on the same
evolutionary branch. Unfortunately, we are not always able to keep all
our panels immediately up to date with changes to taxonomy, but I will
put this amend on our list of gallery updates to be made, to avoid
confusion for visitors in the future.

Thank you once again for raising this issue with us and we hope to
welcome you back to the Museum soon.

Best wishes

[name]
Copy Editor
Natural History Museum


I'm feeling quite ridiculously proud of myself for this.


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picture of Faith's face

[personal profile] yvi
2009-11-21 09:33 am UTC (link)
Unfortunately, we are not always able to keep all
our panels immediately up to date with changes to taxonomy


...

Yeah, I mean that has only been the case since 1990...

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Drinking tea

[personal profile] auntysarah
2009-11-21 09:35 am UTC (link)
Their centrepiece exhibit is Jurassic...

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picture of Faith's face

[personal profile] yvi
2009-11-21 09:36 am UTC (link)
?

I don't get it...

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Drinking tea

[personal profile] auntysarah
2009-11-21 09:41 am UTC (link)
I'm perhaps thinking they work on ... different timescales to the rest of us.

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DNA double helix

[personal profile] yvi
2009-11-21 09:43 am UTC (link)
Dinosaur phylogeny is changing a lot more than ape phylogeny, though

*stops being in Serious Science Mode for a second*

:D

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Delirium of the Endless, from the Sandman series. She is smiling happily.

[personal profile] rho
2009-11-21 09:38 am UTC (link)
*cackles*

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Delirium of the Endless, from the Sandman series. She is smiling happily.

[personal profile] rho
2009-11-21 09:37 am UTC (link)
I did wonder about that. I know it's been the case for as long as I could remember it, but I also know that I Am Not A Biologist, so was well aware I could have been misremembering.

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picture of Faith's face

[personal profile] yvi
2009-11-21 09:39 am UTC (link)
The paper on which this phylogeny was first based (which was the first really comparing molecular data) is from 1990. Of course it took a few years to reach everyone, but it's such a recent change we didn't yet include it is a bad excuse for something every Biologist has been taught for over 15 years now. Sorry, we forgot to update would probably have been much more honest.

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Drinking tea

[personal profile] auntysarah
2009-11-21 09:35 am UTC (link)
Well done you!

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Icon reads "YAY. OHMYGOD." Kermit is screaming his little green head off in front of a red stage curtain.

[personal profile] lacey
2009-11-21 10:45 am UTC (link)
Well played!

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[identity profile] mortaine.myopenid.com
2009-11-21 04:42 pm UTC (link)
Rho, you totally rock my chimp-lovin' DNA. Also, congrats on the interview with Smith and things moving forward. You deserve to be proud of all your achievements.

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Me, Christmas 2008

[personal profile] elmyra
2009-11-22 09:53 pm UTC (link)
Awesome! You win!

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An old-fashioned quill and ink with the word "Cesy"

[personal profile] cesy
2009-11-28 08:43 pm UTC (link)
That's so cool. I'm impressed that they actually replied properly.

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