Hey there! Today, we’re taking a tour of some fascinating items we have on our set. These objects are not only interesting but also tell us a lot about history and science.
First up is our desk, which we found in storage. It’s quite special because it has holes for mounting a typewriter, kind of like an old-school version of a desktop computer. Speaking of typewriters, we have a Remington standard typewriter that was used to type specimen labels. It’s amazing to see how technology has evolved from typewriters to computers!
Our librarian, Christine Giannoni, lent us some books while they’re being reorganized. One of these is a 1738 edition of Don Quixote, the first edition for English speakers, with beautiful gold leaf decorations. It’s like holding a piece of history in your hands!
One of my favorite items is a model of a Gorgosaurus having a meal—a Hadrosaur. This model was made by Maidi Wiebe, a talented artist in geology. Although it’s not scientifically accurate anymore, it shows how our understanding of dinosaurs has changed over time.
We also have trilobites from the 1893 World’s Fair. These creatures are hundreds of millions of years old and are a part of our museum’s history. Plus, we have Mold-A-Rama figures, which are colorful plastic souvenirs.
Check out this little T. rex! It was sold in the Field Museum gift shop about sixty-five years ago. A visitor who bought it as a child returned it to the museum, thinking it belonged here.
Meet Mr. Soon Racoon, a fun character who has been with us on the set. He’s here to remind us of the many stories and experiences we’ve shared.
We have five plaster models showing the evolution of the horse, illustrating how these animals have changed over millions of years. There’s also an ammonite fossil and other specimens from the 1893 World’s Fair, along with a set of rare birdwing butterflies.
Here’s a handmade model of a chlorophyll molecule, which is part of our botanical collections. Chlorophyll is what makes plants green and helps them make food through photosynthesis.
Now, let’s head over to our John Green salon, where we display images of different biological collections. We also have a green screen for creating fun segments.
Lighting is crucial for our set, so we borrowed some old but effective studio lights from our staff photographer. We also use sound-dampening foam because there’s a kids’ exhibit next door, and they love playing musical instruments.
That’s our tour of The Natural News set! If you have any questions or want to know more, feel free to ask in the comments. I’ll be there to chat with you. Bye!
Imagine you are a historian from the future. Design and create a model of an artifact that represents today’s technology, similar to how the typewriter represents past technology. Use materials like clay, cardboard, or recycled items. Share your creation with the class and explain its significance.
Choose a classic book, like Don Quixote, and design a modern book cover for it. Think about what elements would attract readers today and how you can incorporate historical aspects of the book. Present your design and explain your choices.
Research the latest scientific findings about a dinosaur of your choice. Create a model or drawing that reflects the current understanding of its appearance and behavior. Compare it to older models and discuss how scientific knowledge has evolved.
Create a timeline that shows the evolution of a specific animal, such as the horse. Use images, drawings, or digital tools to illustrate the changes over millions of years. Present your timeline to the class and explain the evolutionary process.
Conduct a simple experiment to observe photosynthesis in action. Use a plant, water, and sunlight to see how chlorophyll helps plants make food. Record your observations and share your findings with the class, explaining the role of chlorophyll in photosynthesis.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the YouTube transcript:
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Hi! Welcome to the Natural News set. We’re going to give you a little tour of some of the items we have here today because they’re really interesting.
So, the first thing I want to show you is this desk that we found in storage. We didn’t purchase anything for this set except for this lovely green banker’s lamp, which one of our cameramen bought at a thrift store. Everything else came from around the museum. My favorite part is this desk, which has all these holes where you would mount a typewriter. It’s like an older version of a desktop setup.
We also have the Remington standard typewriter, which we found in the Paleo invertebrate collection. The type setting margins were set to type up specimen labels, which is quite interesting since we now use computers.
Additionally, we have a collection of books from our librarian, Christine Giannoni. She let us borrow some while they’re being reorganized. One of the books is a copy of Don Quixote published in 1738 in England. It’s a first edition for English speakers, and it has beautiful gold leaf.
One of my favorite items on our set is a model of a Gorgosaurus with its lunchtime snack, a Hadrosaur. This model was created by Maidi Wiebe, a staff artist in geology, and it was previously displayed next to the life-size skeletons of these specimens. Although it’s no longer considered scientifically accurate, it represents the progress of science over the years.
On our desk, we also have trilobites that were displayed at the 1893 World’s Fair, which is significant because they are both hundreds of millions of years old and part of the museum’s history. We also have Mold-A-Rama figures, which are fun souvenirs made from colored plastic.
This little T. rex used to be sold in the Field Museum gift shop about sixty-five years ago. A visitor, who bought a set of these as a child, recently returned it to the museum, thinking it belonged here.
We also have Mr. Soon Racoon, who has been a fixture on our set. He’s going to stay here for a while to reflect on his experiences.
We have five plaster models depicting the evolution of the horse, showing how they changed over millions of years.
In this section, we have an ammonite in matrix and other fossil specimens from the 1893 World’s Fair. We also have a set of birdwing butterflies, which are protected by law due to their beauty and rarity.
Here’s a handmade model of a chlorophyll molecule, which was found in the back of a room and is a nice representation of our botanical collections.
Now, let’s walk over to our other set! This is our John Green salon, where we display images representing different biological collections at the museum.
And here’s our green screen! We plan to do some fun segments in front of it.
When creating a set, lighting is essential. We borrowed some original studio lights from our staff photographer, which are quite old but still effective.
We also have sound-dampening foam because there’s an exhibit for kids on the other side of the wall, and they often play musical instruments.
This is the set for The Natural News. If there’s anything we missed that you want to know more about, let us know in the comments! I’ll be there waiting to respond.
Bye!
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This version removes any informal language, unnecessary sounds, and personal anecdotes while retaining the informative content.
Science – The study of the natural world through observation and experiments. – Science helps us understand how the world around us works, from the smallest atoms to the vast universe.
Biology – The branch of science that deals with living organisms and life processes. – In biology class, we learned about the different parts of a cell and how they function.
Fossils – The preserved remains or traces of organisms that lived in the past. – Fossils can tell us a lot about the animals and plants that existed millions of years ago.
Evolution – The process by which different kinds of living organisms develop and diversify from earlier forms over time. – Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution explains how species adapt to their environments over generations.
Chlorophyll – A green pigment found in plants that is essential for photosynthesis. – Chlorophyll allows plants to absorb sunlight and convert it into energy.
Dinosaurs – A group of reptiles that lived millions of years ago and are now extinct. – Scientists study dinosaur bones to learn more about how these ancient creatures lived.
Specimens – Samples or examples of something, especially when used for scientific study. – The biologist collected specimens of different plants to analyze their growth patterns.
Photosynthesis – The process by which green plants use sunlight to make food from carbon dioxide and water. – Photosynthesis is crucial for life on Earth as it produces oxygen and organic compounds used by other organisms.
Geology – The science that deals with the Earth’s physical structure and substance, its history, and the processes that act on it. – Geology helps us understand how mountains are formed and why earthquakes occur.
Butterflies – Insects with large, often brightly colored wings, known for their metamorphosis from caterpillars. – Butterflies are important pollinators, helping plants reproduce by spreading pollen.
