A remarkable fossil discovery by a team of researchers, including @jgsaulsbury.bsky.social, postdoctoral researcher at the @universityofkansas.bsky.social Biodiversity Institute | Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, is reshaping what we know about flowering plants. 🌸

Dinosaurs probably dined upon a variety of fruits and seeds

Click for more on research appearing in the journal Science

news.ku.edu

Celebrate the Fourth of July with a little discovery! 🇺🇸 The KU Natural History Museum will be open Saturday, July 4, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Stop by and spend part of your holiday exploring the wonders of the natural world. 🦖🦋🦬 Plus, try one of our Discovery Guides or our new Panorama Puzzle!

Author and Kansas native Melanie Bonner Thomas recently visited the museum, where she once worked as a KU student. Her family has deep ties to KU paleontology, so the best part was seeing her books on the shelves of our gift shop. ❤️📚🦖

🌿🪨 #PaleoBotanyWeek Expanded character sampling inspired by a new Cretaceous conifer seed cone from California: importance of morphology in resolving relationships among the Cupressaceae by @kpfeiler.bsky.social et al. 👉 doi.org/q76b @kunhm.bsky.social @ku-eeb.bsky.social #PlantEvolution

It’s official ✨ Panorama Puzzle: Amazing Adaptations ✨ is now available! Solve the mystery by searching for mustelids (members of the Weasel family) in this free museum activity. To check out the puzzle stop by the front desk during your next visit to the museum!

Congratulations to Dr. Fernando Machado-Stredel for winning the AOS 2026 Florence Merriam Bailey Award recognizing an outstanding article published in an AOS journal by an early-career AOS member. americanornithology.org/aos-announce... Paper: doi.org/10.1093/orni... #AOSAwards

We're only ONE WEEK away from KU's biggest annual day of giving, One Day One KU. This year, we're focusing on two important causes: 1. Supporting our Visitor Experience student hourly positions 2. Ensuring the care and maintenance of our live exhibits Donate or learn more here » rockcha.lk/sn5

Student Spotlight! 🌟 Check out the latest article featuing KU Ichthyology graduate student @anoplogaster.bsky.social's research on the evolution of anglerfishes' lures. His study, in collaboration with Matthew Davis revealed that these lures serve a dual purpose: attracting both food and mates.

Research traces evolution of anglerfishes’ famed fishing-rod lures

Variously horrific- or alien-looking, many female anglerfishes sport long, protruding lures used for enticing prey or signaling during mating. Now, research from the University of Kansas is giving new...

news.ku.edu

‼️NEW ANGLERFISH PAPER! 🐟🎣 So excited to share the final part of my Master’s research! We explore the bizarre tacklebox of anglerfish lures and show how these fishes evolved different ways to attract prey and maybe even mates in the deep sea. 🧪🦑🌊🦇🦀 Open access paper link: doi.org/10.1643/i202...

❄️ Closure Notice ❄️ Due to inclement weather, the Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum will be closed on Saturday, January 24, and Sunday, January 25. Please check our website or social media channels for updates regarding reopening. Stay safe and warm!

Hey, KU students — we’re hiring! 😎 We’re looking for a Visitor Experience Assistant to help create positive, memorable, and engaging experiences for visitors at the KU Natural History Museum. Ready to apply or learn more? ➡️ rockcha.lk/dy3a

Welcome back, Jayhawks! Our team at the Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum is wishing you a fantastic start to the spring semester! #KUNHM #rockchalk ❤️💙

Hey KU students — we’re hiring! 🐍 Join us as a Herpetology Curatorial Assistant and help organize, prepare, and catalog specimens in the KU Herpetology Collection. Must be able to work 4 hrs/week & be comfortable handling fluid-preserved amphibians and reptiles. Learn more & apply ➡️ rockcha.lk/nzq

It’s time for ✨Prepapalooza✨! Mammalogy vs. Ornithology (plus Entomology 🪲) in a 3-day race to prep specimens. These collections are our global record of life on Earth & are essential for discovery and understanding change over time. Vote your fave: 🐦 🐭 🪲

New fossils of Acrochordus (Serpentes, Caenophidia) from the Middle Miocene of Kutch, western India: quantitative taxonomic evaluation & palaeoclimatic insights onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... #PapersinPalaeontology

Lock in our 2025 membership rates today! 🔒 Prices increase January 1, 2026—join now to save and enjoy: 🔹 Free admission to the KU Natural History Museum 🔹 Access to exclusive members-only events 🔹 ASTC Travel Passport 🔹 10% off at the museum gift shop 🔹 …and more! Join today! ➡️ rockcha.lk/1d1353

Hey undergrads—want to go on a research adventure? Join KU Entomology’s @vhgonza.bsky.social on a NSF-funded project studying plant–pollinator interactions in Colombia! 🇨🇴🌿 🗓️ June 1–July 25, 2026 @kubiology.bsky.social Apply now ➡️ rockcha.lk/kwv

In the Panorama, fall foliage never goes out of season. 🍂 Missing our iconic exhibit? We are too. But its temporary closure will be worth the wait! In just a few more months, the gallery will reopen with a new climate-control system, upgraded lighting, and new glass panes.

Once thought extinct, the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) made an incredible comeback after being rediscovered in 1981. KU Mammalogy holds hundreds of specimens—some from the 1800s—that still drive conservation research. See their story on our 5th floor!

🐝 Love insects? Join our team! We're hiring 4 Student Research Assistants to work with the Snow Entomological Collection. ✅ Min. 10 hrs/week ✅ Detail-oriented ✅ Bio interest & Excel skills a plus! Apply now ⬇️ rockcha.lk/yiy

Only a few spots left for our members-only tour at the McGregor Herbarium! 🌿 Explore how KU Botany staff and volunteers prepare plant, lichen & fungus specimens and learn about grassland biodiversity. Not a member yet? Click the link to join & get the event details ➡️ rockcha.lk/i11

Rate your hometown dinosaur! 📝 Join the Lawrence Reviewed project on #NationalFossilDay and tell us what you think about Silvisaurus condrayi, Kansas’s official state land fossil! @kulibraries.bsky.social 📍Dyche Hall, 3rd Floor 🗓️ Oct 15 | ⏰ 10AM–12PM ➡️ rockcha.lk/pjs

Thanks to the KU Office of Research for the spotlight! Happy to be part of the @kunhm.bsky.social and continue contributing to preserving and digitizing the collections 🩵. #KUEntomology #PostdocAppreciationWeek #KUSEMC ➡️ research.ku.edu/news/article...

Staff Spotlight 🌟 Learn how Samanta Orellana, a Postdoctoral Researcher at the BI/NHM is expanding global access to insect biodiversity! Learn More ⬇️ research.ku.edu/news/article...

KU postdoc preserves history of the natural world before it disappears

research.ku.edu

We had the best time celebrating Kansas biodiversity this past weekend at the Kansas State Fair! 🌻🐸🐝🦅#KUForKansas

🎉 Join our team! 🎉 We are seeking applications for a Student Public Education Assistant. This student hourly position will help assist in education programs for school groups visiting the museum and provide support for program development. To apply or learn more, click the link ⬇️ rockcha.lk/avx

Join us in welcoming our new cohort of grad students & BioGEM scholars to the KU Biodiversity Institute! 🎉 They’ll be diving into collection-based research across several of our divisions while exploring biodiversity science and gaining hands-on research experience. Welcome all!

We’re so honored to place in 3 of 6 categories at this year’s Best of Lawrence! 🏆 Huge thanks to everyone who voted—your support means everything! ❤️ 🥇 Community Landmark 🥈 Place to Take an Out-of-Towner 🥉 Best Gift Shop

Our new study on cellophane bees and their cold tolerance news.ku.edu/news/article...

Research shows cellophane bee is built for the chill

Click for a new study from University of Kansas researchers in the journal Ecology and Evolution

news.ku.edu

Exciting news from KU Ichthyology! 📣🐟 Research Affiliate Gloria Arratia, a global catfish expert, edited & contributed to the recently published volume "Catfishes: A Highly Diversified Group". 📸: Hypancistrus zebra by Leandro Sousa @kunewsservice.bsky.social ➡️ 🔗 tr.ee/hdBog8tMGc