As curators begin the grim work of sorting through what’s left of Brazil’s fire-ravaged National Museum, a new paper quantifies the staggering number of fossils and other scientifically significant finds going unstudied — and vulnerable to loss — in museum collections. It’s a call to action, say the authors.
The cause of the fire that broke out Sunday evening, local time in Rio de Janeiro, at the Museu Nacional is still under investigation, the extent of the losses still being assessed. But no one who sees images of the event can be in doubt: It was devastating, and not just for the nation of Brazil.
“Although I don’t know the exact extent of what was lost — I don’t think anyone does, yet — I think it’s safe to say that a very significant part of the world’s natural and cultural heritage was obliterated in that fire. And there’s nothing we can do to get it back,” says Matthew Lamanna, assistant curator of vertebrate paleontology at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
Fire raged for hours at Brazil’s Museu Nacional in Rio de Janeiro, September 2-3, 2018. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Felipe Milanez)
