Coquerel's Sifakas by David Haring

New paper predicts COVID-19 risk in lemurs and lorises

April 20, 2021

Coquerel’s sifaka (Propithecus coquereli) is the lemur made famous by the kids’ show Zoboomafoo. A new study predicts that members of the genus Propithecus may be at high risk of contracting COVID-19. Note that these are representative photos of animals at increased risk of COVID-19. The Duke Lemur Center has not had any known cases… Read More >


A ring of hands shaped to form a heart surround a sapling.

Celebrate Earth Day with the Museum on April 22

April 19, 2021

Get ready for Earth Day with Museum DIY activities and special programs on Thursday, April 22, 2021! Earth Day DIY Activities Make Your Own Rain Barrel Make your own rain barrel to water your garden with instead of using well water or your city water supply.* Learn how to make your own rain barrel *This… Read More >


Illustration of the Karoo Basin during the mass extinction at the end of the Permian, some 252 million years ago. The protomammal ‘disaster taxon’ Lystrosaurus shown in the foreground. Illustration: Gina Viglietti.

Earth’s biggest mass extinction lasted much longer on land than in the sea

Illustration of the Karoo Basin during the mass extinction at the end of the Permian, some 252 million years ago. The protomammal Lystrosaurus shown in the foreground. Lystrosaurus is what paleontologists call a “disaster taxon” — a group that thrived during a time when most other life was struggling. Illustration: Gina Viglietti. Our planet’s worst… Read More >


Marianne at the Illumina MiSeq DNA Sequencer.

Becoming a scientist: My journey to the Museum

April 15, 2021

By Marianne Barrier, PhD; Lab Manager, Genomics & Microbiology Research Lab I’m amazed when I hear stories of individuals who knew at a young age exactly what they wanted to do and followed their passion straight into their chosen career. My path has been more of a winding road with lots of interesting side trips… Read More >


Native freshwater mussels (Unionidae) from Spring River in northern Arkansas. Photo: Chris Barnhart.

Bogan’s BioScience paper reaches 1,000 citations

The loss and decline of many charismatic vertebrate species such as mammals and birds, and even of perhaps less-charming creatures such as amphibians and reptiles, has been documented and prominently featured in the popular media. However, many invertebrate species, which comprise nearly 99 percent of all animal diversity and occupy an important trophic level in the… Read More >