Wanted: Museum to save fossils from extinction - Times of India

KOLKATA: Around 200 scientists are pressing for a national museum of natural history in India on the lines of the Smithsonian National History Museum in Washington DC to preserve 'orphan collections' or fossils and other geological objects excavated by researchers of various institutes who have since retired that risk becoming extinct again. They fear these collections would not be preserved properly once they retire. Paleontologists from India and abroad have already held a series of meetings on this issue, revealed Devapriya Chattopadhyay from the earth sciences department at IISER-Kolkata. "Though the national museum is still an idea, it might not be a reality soon as many scientists, who had built fabulous colle ctions, will retire in four-five years. But, the collections should be preserved," said geologist Nigel C Hughes from California University, who has been researching on 500 million-year-old Cambrian rocks found in the Himalayas for over two decades. Fossils from the Deccan plateau and Kutch date back to 3,500 million years and are crucial to understand the patterns of evolution and extinction. Subhendu Bardhan of Jadavpur University, who is set to retire in three years, is worried about the fate of his fossil collection. "If my collection of over 40 years is lost, it's like the fossil of the 158 million-year-old dinosaur bone becoming extinct a second time," he rued. Priceless collections of Hem Chandra Dasgupta of Presidency and Kanhailal Chakraborty of JU have similarly been frittered away. "I believe some specimens were lost when they were shifted during renovation. Some were stolen," said Kalyan Haldar of Presidency, who made a futile search for Dasgupta's collection. Devapriya Chattopadhyay, who did most of her post-graduate work in the US and Europe before joining IISER, knows what the loss means. She openly admitted that it was only due to her stint abroad that she could complete the research, as fossils are not easily accessible in India for lack of museums. "Museums are extremely valuable repositories. The absence of museums in India is hampering research and affecting scientific progress. I have therefore, been at the forefront of the demand for a natural history museum," she said. Incidentally, the Indian Statistical Institute has one of the best specimens of a complete dinosaur skeleton in the country. But, only a few know about it and fewer have access to it. The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has a well-catalogued collection but has neither the mandate, nor the resource to accommodate private collections. Hence, the doubt over the fate of pioneering research like that of Sunil Bajpai on evolution of whales from aquatic artiodactyls currently preserved at IIT Roorkee remains. "If Bajpai's collection is lost, it will be a terrible shame," said Hughes. There are a few dozen institutes across the country that possess thousands of specimens highlighting on the millions of hours scientists had spent on these discoveries. GSI director Sabyasachi Som, a student of Bardhan, says that policy makers need to act on the matter as too many fossils and specimens are getting lost in history. "When foss ils of dinosaurs are excavated, there's a lot of excitement. But smaller specimens that are as important rarely get attention though they are more likely to get lost and need better preservation. As a student of paleontology, I am saddened by the plight of these 'orphan collections'," said Som. via Science - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNG3L18YnaaW8CSdqjhS98IL7vzCbQ&url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Wanted-Museum-to-save-fossils-from-extinction/articleshow/22150659.cms

Put the internet to work for you. via Personal Recipe 2954071