4B - The Michigan Daily Weeken Magazine -Thursday, December 5, 1996
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The Michigan Daily Weekeni
SCommunity Feature
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Nat Sd Museum offers
Jurassic PakatteU
By Juno Wenzel
For the Daily
Time travel is at our fingertips. Neither
Mr. Wizard nor a galactic phone booth are
required, however. Indiana Jones attire is
optional, though durable walking shoes and
perhaps a crunchy peanut butter and jelly
sandwich may complement this expedition, a
journey into the vast natural history of the
earth.
The renowned black pumas are the gate-
keepers to this Narnia-like nook on campus,
which is officially known as the University
of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural
History, or the Alexander G. Ruthven
Museum Building.
The structure was erected in 1928 and is
actually a collaboration of the zoology, pale-
ontology, anthropology,
and exhibit museums. The Nfurl
museum, also known sim-
ply as "the Ruthven," was Mui
named for the director and ~ Where: 110
curator of the University
museums between 1913 eours: Mont
and 1936 and also served m p.m.; S
as president of the
University from 1929 . Phone: 764
through 1951. The build-
ing is comprised of
exhibits, offices, laboratories, libraries,
classrooms and millions of specimens.
Journey to the second floor and gape at the
Sakstrup Mastodon tooth that is larger than
an adult fist. Count the rings on a 200-mil-
lion-year-old petrified tree trunk. Quiver
beneath a towering Allosaurus and imagine
cracking open the egg of an elephant bird.
Pay homage to the encased Wolverine and
blink at the walnut-size birds, the stinkpot
turtle and the four-toed salamander on the
third floor. This floor has recently been reno-
vated and is now open to explorers.
Onward and upward to the fourth floor,
don't neglect the endangered species exhibit
that unfurls elephant-skin boots, a lizard-skin
purse and a sea turtle wallet. Once there,
behold an Ottawa burial ceremony scene and
a Potawatomi fall harvest model. Regard the
Asian porcelain vase with the ox-blood
glaze, Inuit wooden snow goggles, Plains
Indian rawhide rattles, Northwest Coast
Indian carved ivory charms, East Woodland
Indian bone drills and Southwest Indian
Navajo weaving. Electron microscopes
enlarge a hairy spider and the larval ant lion
thousands of times. Press buttons and watch
the pancreas, the small intestine and the lar-
ynx light up in the human body model.
The fourth floor is also home to the plane-
tarium. The dark entrance is intriguingly
adorned with images of glowing planets,
solar systems and comets. There are current-
ly two shows, "Tle'ehoonaa'ei: The One
Who Governs the Night" and "The Four
Seasons," playing through Dec. 15.
Administrative associate Daniel Madaj
said creating a display takes a "surprisingly
long time." "Detective work," Madaj says,
reveals how compressed bone should be
remolded or restructured in the construction
of a dinosaur, for example. Hundreds of
hours are put into painting
the backdrop of a display,
such as the
ium Edmontosaurus display on
Geddes>Av>. the second floor.
Paleobotanists aid in the
y-$aturday, 9 painting and inspecting of
day 1-5 pm. the vegetation and foliage
to ensure that the plants
47S existed during the
dinosaur's lifetime.
Displays are always
being updated as new information is gained.
Current studies indicate that dinosaurs and
birds are linked in evolutionary lineage, both
sharing traits such as an elevated claw.
Further investigations may reveal that
dinosaurs had feathers, which would result in
the transformations of the reptile dino into a
more bird-like dino, jokingly termed a "big
chicken" by Madaj.
The museum holds a significant amount
of regional Michigan artifacts and fossils
from past "digs in the backyard," explained
Madaj. Focusing on the area, the newest
exhibit, titled the "Mastodon Trackway," is
the result of a farmer in Saline, Mich.
unearthing large bones and discovering a
series of imprints in the soil. Since Nov. 22,
visitors have been able to view the 40-foot.
long cast of Mastodon footprints.
"By looking at the footprints, you could
see that its hind legs followed its front legs in
an identical step. It looks as if the Mastodon
had only two feet," said Brook McGiness, a
See MASTODON, Page 15B
DOMINO'S
Continued from Page 16B
beauty. When strolling through the
Celebration of Trees corridor, one
notices twinkling bulb ornaments hang-
ing from festive red and green strings in
the ceiling. Adding to these delightful
decorations are
enormous cosm
matching red Upc Im i
and green vel- Domino
vet bows with V Tomorrow: 25 hot
gold trim that up by 20-foot-tall fla
have been These balloons will
placed on hall- in the night.
way doors -
making them V March, April andf
look like large, dinosaur exhibit, on
w r a p p e d will collect moneyfo
Christmas pre-
sents. Also lin- V Summer: The Pet
ing the hallway - also a nonprofite
are nearly life-
sized moving reindeer, moving
Eskimos that are attached to their sled
dogs, and a mechanical Mr. and Mrs.
Santa Claus. And if this isn't enough to
keep one amused, nativity scenes from
all over the world are enclosed in light-
ed glass cases.
g Events at
's Farms:
t-air balloons will be lit:
ames, from 6 to 7 p.m.
appear to be glowing
May: An indoor
tour for three years,
or charity.
ting Farm will be open
entity for charity.
Ann Arbor resident Barbara Behling
regrets not having visited Domino's
Farms' Celebration of Trees earlier. "It's
great. I have been trying to get out here
for years, actually. I've lived in Ann
Arbor for years and this is the first time
I have actually had a chance to come
here. It's really cool. Plus, I didn't know
it was for char-
ity, which I
think makes it
that much
more worth it. I
should have
come out here
much earlier
and with a lot
more people,"
she said.
So with final
exams and
term papers
looming as the
end of the term
draws near, many students desperately
seek a way to taste a bit of contagious
holiday spirit. Don't fall into the jaws of
the Scrooge syndrome without visiting
Domino's Farms' charitable holiday
light display. It helps make Ann Arbor a
genuine city of lights this Christmas.
A giant goodwill message Illuminates the sky over the Domino's F
'Mars Attacks' the Natural Science
Get your free passes at the
This past week marked the opening of Tim Burton's latest science-fiction comedy "Mars Attack
Bening, Danny DeVito and stud-man Michael J. Fox. So ... now you will have the chance to celel
screening at the Natural Science Building at 7:30 tonight. By the way, did we mention that It's
at 7:29 p.m. outside the Natural Science Building, just stop by the Daily Arts office. We're loca
Building (420 Maynard St.). After 1 p.m. today you can pick up your very own FREE pass. Now,
tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis, and supplies are limited. So get her
. . . . . . .. .
rcat Pe~fonnaceFeaturin~g
cio
,Kith Spec
guest
c ssor of Music, U-M)
December 11th
7:00 P.M.
> N 663-3381
n Blvd Ann Arbor, MI 48104
JULLY PARK/Daily
Three-year-old Zachary Meyer shows his mother where the teeth are and where the eyes are on the fossil.
m U
Grade A NoteTakers are Seniors and Grad Students. They attend class and take accurate
complete lecture notes. These notes can make great supplemental study guides.
Anthrg.Bio 364 Geo Set 101 Pal Scd 140
Anthro Cult 385 Geo SI 111 Pol Sci 395
Biostat 503 German___ Psych 330 _
Chem 210 Hst 21 Psych 350
Ecoh 101 Phys 125 Psych_400/
Econ 102 Phys126 Slav 395
Engllsh 313 Phys 140 Women's td.220_
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