In the news...

A good article in the Ithaca Times today about our campaign to raise funds to send out our new Teacher's Friendly Guide to Climate Change to every school in the US! http://www.ithaca.com/news/the-new-climate-infowar/article_236354e4-5b79-11e7-b603-331fc24a47c0.html

💀 "You Are Here" is being installed right now! Beth Stricker, PRI Director of Exhibits, Sally Grubb, @tcplny Director of Exhibits, and assisting interns are currently filling display cases with items such as this Homo heidelbergensis skull cast from Cornell University's Department of Anthropology. The exhibition will open this Friday (January 6th) for Gallery Night, 5-8pm. Learn more at www.tcpl.org. #humanorigins #humanevolution #humanskull #hominid #neanderthal #homosapiens #skulls #evolution #humanity #ithacaexploreshumanorigins #tcplny #prinstitution #PRI #museumoftheearth #ithaca #ithacany #twithaca

Brace yourselves...Winter (Free Days) are coming.Tag all your friends and family!  Visit the Museum of the Earth on the second Sunday of January, February, and March for #FREE! Accessible by TCAT Route 14, Stop G (Cayuga Medical Center). #freeday #museumday #familyday #familyfun #accessibility #naturalhistory #naturalhistorymuseum #museum #sciencefun #ithaca #ithacany #ithacasdiscoverytrail

💀Our small display "Evolution of the Human Skull" discusses the evolutionary forces that shaped the human skull baby examining key skull characteristics in apes, hominids, and modern humans. The display features multiple realistic skull casts, including this replica of a Australopithecus afarensis skull, the species the famous hominid "Lucy" is believed to be. #hominid #hominin #humans #apes #evolution #humanevolution #humanorigins #humanity #skulls #evolutionarybiology #evolutionary #human #ithacaexploreshumanorigins #ithacany #museumoftheearth #museum (at Museum of the Earth)

🌊 Sea stars come in many shapes and sizes, but the basket star may arguably have the most intricate beauty of them all. This specimen, on display as part of "Into The Depths," exemplifies the complexities and intricate natural artistry of marine life. #seastar #basketstar #brittlestar #marinelife #ocean #marine #seastar #specimen #collections #museumoftheearth #marinescience #art #nature #ithacany

❄️🌐 Happy #wintersolstice. Enjoy the change of season before the sun sets, as today will be the day with the least amount of sunlight in 2016. #winterisgreat #winter #winterishere #snow #seasons #cnc #cayuganaturecenter #naturegram #stream #snowyday #coldweather #cold #winterisgorgous #ithacaisgorges

Another #dunkelosteus #ammonoid duo spotted! This time, they're cuddling up at @amnh! (Photo Credit: @kitceratops) #amnh #paleozoicpals #museum #naturalistorymuseum #paleozoicpals #paleontology #paleozoic #pri #museumoftheearth #PRInstitution #paleontologicalresearchinstitution (at American Museum of Natural History)

The rise and fall of the (plastic) dinosaurs is a good sign to see in our Dino Zone children's book. Someone clearly had fun causing this mass extinction! #funnymonday #extinction #dinosaur #dinosaurs #jurassic #triassic #poordinos #dino #ithaca #ithacany #museumodtheearth #naturalhistorymuseum #children #playspace #dinozone (at Museum of the Earth)

Another #PaleozoicPal duo has made their way home...all the way to Brisbane, Australia! ( Regram from @luargonian ) #dunkleosteus #ammonoid #ammonite #paleoplush #paleozoicpals #museumoftheearth #ithacany #australia (at Brisbane, Australia)

Many amazing animal ambassadors call the Nature Center home, including Gui, our Chinese Box #turtle; she is the oldest animal in our collection and is estimated to be between 60-70 years old! (Regram: @liana.sicroff) #animals #animalambassador #turtles #animalgram #boxturtle #animalsofinstagram #nature #flx #cayuganaturecenter #cnc #naturegram #ithacany

Mastodons + dinosaur costumes = three happy faces from these visiting students from @sunyoswego! (Photo Credit: SUNY Oswego Paleo, @paleoswego on Twitter) #suny #sunyoswego #paleontology #geology #earthscience #college #study #museum #museumvisit #museumoftheearth #ithaca #ithacany #visitithaca #mastodon #fossil #collegestudents

PRI offers holiday break programs and winter events

As winter and the holidays approach, many of us often find ourselves overwhelmed by the change in season. From shuffling through stores in search of the perfect holiday present, to bundling up and preparing for frigid days devoid of sunlight, winter is often presumed to be a stressful time of year.

At the Paleontological Research Institution, we’re welcoming winter with wide-open arms! It’s the beginning of a new season and the start of a series of fantastic events at the Museum of the Earth and Cayuga Nature Center. Here are our favorites that will entertain the entire family:

•Holiday Break Programs, Dec. 26-30: Are you looking for an adventure for your family over the December holiday break? Jump “Into the Depths” at the Museum of the Earth for a week of activities coordinated with the museum’s temporary exhibition, “Into the Depths: Marine Paintings by Stanley Meltzoff.” Create your own marine food chain, paint coral reefs and fish, and join us on a journey through geologic time with an extended tour of the Museum. All ages are welcome, and all activities are included with regular admission.

•Winter Free Day, Jan. 6: Once the post-holiday dust settles, you can always come back to visit the museum and get a break from the cold, free of charge. On the second Sunday of January, February and March, visitors can enjoy complimentary admission to the museum as part of our Winter Free Days. Touch glacial ice, examine ice cores like a professional scientist, and discover the science behind winter and climate.

•Animal Encounters, every Saturday at noon: Starting in December, the Nature Center will host “Animal Encounters,” a new, restructured public animal feeding series. Each week of the month will focus on a specific group of animals that call the Nature Center home, ranging from turtles and tortoises, lizards and snakes, to our outdoor and indoor mammals and birds. Don’t forget to explore our trails afterward, which are open all-year long.

•School’s Out! Winter Camps, Jan. 16 and Feb. 20-24: There’s no need to wait until the summer to take a break from school. After all, play should not be restricted to warm weather. If the snow piles high, campers at the Cayuga Nature Center will make their own hibernaculum homes beneath the snow and search for animal tracks before warming up in front of the lodge fireplace. Suitable for children ages 5-12, learn more or sign up at www.priweb.org/naturecenter.

Don’t let the winter blues get to you — join us for a winter full of fun! Stay tuned for addition upcoming events this winter, including our well-known Darwin Days celebration and Maple Fest 2017. For more information, visit www.priweb.org or call 607-273-6623. The Museum of the Earth and Cayuga Nature Center are educational venues of the Paleontological Research Institution, affiliated with Cornell University.

Today is #fossilidday! Don't have a fossil to bring to be identified? Search for your own fossil in our Fossil Lab and learn how to identify Central NY fossils like a professional paleontologist. #fossils #fossil #paleontology #brachiopod #bivalve #cnyfossil #newyorkfossils #geology #museumoftheearth #pri #ithaca #ithacany (at Museum of the Earth)

❄️Good (snowy) morning! TreeTops treehouse looks beautiful and lightly dusted with flurries today. #snow #snowy #winter #flurries #goodmorning #cayuganaturecenter #cnc #pri #ithaca #ithacany #iloveny #cny #flx #fingerlakes #treehouse #wintergram #nature (at Cayuga Nature Center)

Did you read about yesterday's 6.5 magnitude earthquake off the coast of California? Our seismograph captured all of the action as visitors and staff discussed the science behind seismometer readings. #earthquake #seismograph #earthquakes #tectonics #seismometer #earthscience #aftershock #science #planetearth #earth #geology #museumoftheearth #ithacany

Matt Sacco pictured with Belle Sherman Elementary School students dissecting fox scat to find bones and squirrel fur as part of programming on local wildlife. (Photo Credit: Randi Beckmann) #education #outdooreducation #wildernesseducation #stem #science #outdoors #icsd @ithacanyschools #bellesherman #animals #cayuganaturecenter #ithacany #ithaca

Regram from @johnsoncornell: There's no better way to celebrate the last few weeks of the semester than a winter formal full of dancing at the Museum: Photo credit: Peter Su #winterformal #formaldance #johnsonschool #cornell #cornelluniversity #danceathemuseum #dance #celebrate #dancewithus #wedoweddingstoo #ithacany