Dino-stars of the silver screen

Here at Queensland Museum, we love to see the fascination visitors of all generations have with dinosaurs. The prehistoric creatures that roamed Earth millions of years ago have captured our imaginations and ignited our curiosities, spurring countless adaptations on the silver screen and beyond. From ferocious carnivores that dominated the food chain, to the gentle giants that grazed the plains and the lighting-quick raptors that … Continue reading Dino-stars of the silver screen

Know your dinosaur bones

Thousands of visitors to Queensland Museum have now discovered the sixteen full-scale dinosaur skeletons on display in Dinosaurs of Patagonia, however it can come as a surprise to some of our guests that these displays are not the actual fossils assembled into standing structures. The process of discovering, preparing and assembling dinosaur bones is not as simple as it may seem. Here, we will dig … Continue reading Know your dinosaur bones

Careers in Coral Reef Science

Written by Dr Peter Cowman, Principal Scientist and Curator, Biosystematics “I always wanted to be a marine biologist!” is the refrain I get when I tell people I am one. But like most career paths, there is more to it than people think. ‘Marine biologist’ sounds like a career that involves visiting exotic places, scuba-diving every day and seeing amazing underwater animals. But marine biology … Continue reading Careers in Coral Reef Science

Collecting the pandemic: Connecting past and present

Since early 2020, Queensland Museum’s social history team has been collecting objects and stories from the SARS-Cov2 pandemic. As we enter the fourth year since the outbreak, it’s timely to look back on some of the items we’ve collected so far as we continue our mission to document this important time in our world’s history. Continue reading Collecting the pandemic: Connecting past and present

Where you’ll find SparkLab science in the real world

There are real-world links to almost all the exhibits in SparkLab! Here are some of our favourites. Alligator water dance When a male alligator is ready to find a companion, he produces a sound from his lungs too low to be heard by the human ear. This infrasound creates vibrations through his body which cause the water above him to ‘dance’ in a liquid splash. … Continue reading Where you’ll find SparkLab science in the real world

From showcase to online gallery

How we can use virtual displays to learn about our collections Written by Sophie Price, Assistant Curator, Anthropology Townsville Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Centre (TATSICC)   For many years, if you strolled past Museum of Tropical Queensland to the end of Flinders Street in Gurrambilbarra (Townsville), you’d reach the cultural hub that was the Townsville Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Centre. The centre … Continue reading From showcase to online gallery

Understanding the diversity of some of Queensland’s oddest lizards

By Paul Oliver At first sight a Spiny Knob-tailed Gecko looks more like a Pokemon character than a lizard! Not only do they have perhaps the smallest tail of any lizard, but they also have strange enlarged knob of unknown purpose at their tail tip. Furthermore, their tail is so attenuated that they are one of the few geckos that have also lost the ability … Continue reading Understanding the diversity of some of Queensland’s oddest lizards

Music to my ears!

Celebrating International Music Day – 1st October Photos and text by Karen Kindt, Collection Manager, First Nations Cultures I start my day off listening to classical music on the radio. As the day progresses my music choices transition to 70s, 80s and 90s pop culture. In the evenings, I love exploring and listening to different music genres and musicians. What do you listen to?  A recent … Continue reading Music to my ears!

Throwaway living – decades of marine damage

Written by Patrick Couper, Senior Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians, Queensland Museum The beginning of the Plastic Age Large-scale plastic production began in the 1940s. Over the following decade, production was stepped-up to supply items for the mass consumer market. Plastic quickly became an integral part of our daily lives. It was hailed as a wonder product, versatile, light weight and cheap, manufactured from hydrocarbons … Continue reading Throwaway living – decades of marine damage

The dive helmet: A revolution in underwater coral reef science

Dr Sarah Hamylton, President of the Australian Coral Reef Society explains why the dive helmet used on the 1928-29 Great Barrier Reef Expedition brought the coral reef underwater environment within reach for scientists to take measurements for the first time. The exhibition Making Waves: A Century of Australian Coral Reef Science opened at Queensland Museum in August 2022. Over the last nine months Queensland Museum … Continue reading The dive helmet: A revolution in underwater coral reef science