Duke University plans to shut down its herbarium, home to more than 825,000 plant, fungi, and algae specimens, due to financial constraints.
The scientific community, including Erika Edwards from Yale Herbarium, has expressed shock and concern over the potential loss of this vital resource.
Despite efforts to relocate the collection, no suitable home has been found, raising fears of the collection being forgotten or lost.
Key quote:
“This is such a devastating blow for biodiversity science.”
— Erika Edwards, curator of the Yale Herbarium
Why this matters:
The closure of Duke's herbarium not only impacts scientific research but also poses a significant threat to our understanding of environmental changes and biodiversity. This decision reflects broader challenges in funding and prioritizing scientific resources, crucial for informed health and environmental policies.
Around the United States, middle school science standards have minimal references to climate change and teachers on average spend just a few hours a year teaching it.
A British ecologist, he captured imaginations with his hypothesis and was essential to today’s understanding of man-made pollutants and their effect on the climate.
He thought the conversation around global warming was alarmist, and his scientific credentials made him a go-to expert for those who played down the threat.
He thought the conversation around global warming was alarmist, and his scientific credentials made him a go-to expert for those who played down the threat.
