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IMAGE: Spotted bat (Euderma maculatum) specimens archived at the Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico view more
Credit: Jonathan L. Dunnum
LAWRENCE When you imagine a visit to a natural history museum, the first thing that springs to mind could be dinosaur bones or taxidermized animals.
Behind the visitor displays, however, advanced research on specimens collected from around the world is taking place. What s more, this work forms an essential front line of defense in pandemic preparedness.
According to Jocelyn Colella, research affiliate with the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute and incoming assistant curator of mammals with the KU Natural History Museum, museums act as a kind of decentralized pathogen surveillance network. In a recent piece published in