2 days Designs for some of B.C.’s most iconic museum exhibitions donated to BC Archives Vancouver Island design firm Andre and Associates was founded by Jean-Jacques Andre and was responsible for designing some of the most memorable museum exhibits around the province. A large portion of past designs from the family-run firm are now publicly available at the B.C. Archives.
1 week Carnivorous Clams: animals adapt to eat meat in order to survive the deep sea Researchers at the Royal BC Museum are studying animals which have adapted to eat meat in order to survive the deepest waters of British Columbia. Typically filter feeders at shallower depths, clams and sponges have evolved to suck in or stab passing prey.
2 weeks Glass plate negatives give us a glimpse at Victorians in the 1800’s A collection of portrait prints from the 1800’s is being sorted at the B.C. Archives in preparation for a move to a new facility in Colwood. Before film, negatives were created on glass plates. The photos and glass plate negatives are being stored with care, using some unique solutions
3 weeks Researchers test if they can identify a B.C. dinosaur with a single tooth When it comes to dinosaur fossils, teeth often outlast bones and can be the only fossils in an area. A grad student at the Royal BC Museum hopes her research will be able to identify and differentiate dinosaurs using just their teeth.
1 month How volunteers have been essential to the Royal B.C. Museum for over a century Volunteers have been a vital part of the Royal BC Museum since its inception in the late 1800s.
1 month A Canadian soldier’s surprising contribution to botany while serving on a remote Alaskan Island A battle for U.S. soil was expected, but it ended with a contribution to the Royal B.C. Museum’s botanical collection. Kiska Island, between Russia and Alaska, was occupied by Japanese troops during the Second World War. When Canadian and American troops arrived, the Japanese soldiers had left, so some soldiers took the opportunity to study the flora of the remote Aleutian Island.
1 month Hidden paintings found while dismantling old museum display cases Five historic paintings were discovered hidden behind wood panelling at the Royal B.C. Museum. While dismantling old display cabinets, museum staff discovered century-old landscape paintings on the back walls. Staff realized they were part of the museum’s original exhibitions, from over a century ago.
2 months An unlikely ecosystem emerges in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch Plastic garbage swirling in the Pacific Ocean has become home to hitch-hiking ocean life. Researchers around the world, including one from the Royal B.C. Museum, are identifying the organisms which now live in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The sea life can be carried all over the Pacific Ocean, creating concerns over invasive species.
2 months Royal BC Museum working on century-old dress A shiny dress, nearly 125 years old, is being restored by the Royal BC Museum. The unique shimmer is created by sequins made of beetle wings.
2 months Millions of mysterious eggs discovered atop an underwater volcano near Haida Gwaii A team of scientists have discovered a unique underwater nursery in B.C., nearly a kilometre deep, with unusually warm temperatures.
3 months History of film censorship: The censor’s sensitivity to snakes leads to multiyear ban in B.C. Starting in 1913, one man determined which movies made it to theatres across British Columbia. The Censor of Moving Pictures decided what was a ‘decent’ film, and what was not.
3 months Prehistoric surprise: Researchers discover camel-like mammal which roamed southern B.C. A University of Victoria student may have identified a rare, to Canada, Merycoidodon. Andrea Valcourt is studying at the Royal BC Museum and believes the 35-million-year-old skull fossil she’s been analyzing is that of a sheep-sized, grazing mammal.