Royal Ontario Museum Blog
Monthly Archive: December
Blue Whale Update: A Whole Lotta Heart
![Jacqueline Miller, Robert Henry and Paul Nader putting plugs in the major vessels of the blue whale heart. Photo by Sam Rose Phillips Jacqueline Miller, Robert Henry and Paul Nader putting plugs in the major vessels of the blue whale heart. Photo by Sam Rose Phillips](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/blue_whale_heart_1-smantha_phillips.jpg?itok=6avOTSLm)
Guest Blog written by 2015 Environmental Visual Communication student Sam Rose Phillips
Artist Interview: Art and Culture in the Gulf
![Sheikha Hoor Al-Qasimi in her Sharjah office. Sheikha Hoor Al-Qasimi](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/hoor.jpg?itok=adibZgg-)
ROM in the Field: Bats, Barcoding, and a Baby
![A tube-nosed bat (Murina cyclotis) in flight. Photo by Vincent Luk A tube-nosed bat (Murina cyclotis) in flight. Photo by Vincent Luk](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/2015-08-31_srilanka_tubenosedbat_murinacyclotis04_vl-2.jpg?itok=-YG8Qwti)
ROM Biodiversity (@ROMBiodiversity) is in the fields and forests of Sri Lanka for an intense four weeks doing the first comprehensive survey of bats and other small mammals in close to 80 years. Follow the South Asian adventure on social media with #ROMSriLanka, and join Burton Lim and the Team LIVE from the field on September 10 at noon: https://www.rom.on.ca/en/activities-programs/events-calendar/hangout-with-our-rom-biodiversity-team-in-sri-lanka
Erasing History: Ancient Artifacts Destroyed
![Morning sun illuminating the archway into the Great Colonnade, which transects the ancient city of Palmyra. Built around 175 AD it is one of the most recognized buildings in Syria. Brown ruins against a blue sky](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/colonnade.jpg?itok=JiZMhLOW)
By Clemens Reichel, Sascha Priewe, and Sheeza Sarfraz
It has become a cliché to say that “history is written by the victors,” but rarely does one note that it is not only written, but edited as well. Just as governments massage facts for the evening news and tightly control who speaks with whom when releasing information to the media, the lessons of history are changed and omitted at the pleasure of those holding the reins.
#emptyROM - Jamaal Merrick
Photos by Jamaal Merrick from our first #emptyROM tour
#ROMSriLanka Kicks off Month-long Expedition
![Scenic view of Yala National Park in Southern Sri Lanka, one of the destinations for Burton's team. Photo courtesy of Balou46 via Wikimedia Commons photo of a an elephant standing in a wetland in Yala National Park in Sri Lanka with jungle and a mountain in the background](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/lk-yala-elefantenfels_by_balou46_cc_wikimedia-2.jpg?itok=rWIy5P3_)
Guest blog written by #ROMSriLanka Communication team member Deirdre Leowinata
The ROM’s own Assistant Curator of Mammalogy, Burton Lim, along with his ROM Biodiversity team, are traversing the planet’s surface to reach the small and mysterious country of Sri Lanka between August and September for one purpose and one purpose only… to study the island's small mammals.
Weeks 2 & 3 of #ROMmeme
![](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/cmxo8omwgaae0ve.jpg?itok=BxekF3Ll)
We are absolutely LOVING all the memes you guys are sending in for #ROMmeme. It's a beautiful mixture of pop culture references, natural history and ancient world cultures. The perfect trifecta, really.
Here's a selection from the last two weeks featuring many a reference to Mean Girls and, of course, cats.
#ROMmeme Week 1: Prairie Dogs
![Prairie dogs get meme'd. ROMmeme prairie dogs. Caption: Alan! Alan! Alan! Steve!](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/clveafgw8aercje.jpg?itok=ciwvG_St)
Thank you for submitting your hilarious takes on the prairie dogs meme. We essentially spent the entire week laughing at the entries below.
We'll share next week's image on Monday, so stay tuned!
"Pseudo-Nature" and Photographic Integrity
![A gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor) sits on a tree branch at night. Photo by Sean de Francia A gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor) sits on a tree branch at night. Photo by Sean de Francia](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/2015_06_13_sean_de_francia_19-2.jpg?itok=9kggB3PD)
Guest blog written by 2015 Environmental Visual Communication student Sean de Francia
A look into the ever-changing world of wildlife photography - would you stage a photo to get that perfect shot? What are the consequences of manipulating a scene with wild photo subjects?
Meme the ROM!
![Two Actors. Terracotta. Heights 117 cm and 122 cm. MANN 22248; 22429 Photo: two Pompeian sculptures making silly faces. Caption: Wat.](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/wat-meme_0.jpg?itok=737HiIzB)
We love seeing the ROM through your eyes. Luckily we get to do this by speaking with you on social media and hearing about your visits to the Museum. We also get to marvel at the awesome photos you take and share with us. And now, we’re going to take it one step further: we want to see the collection through your eyes.
Every Monday in August we’ll share an object from the collection with you. You have the week to turn it into a fun meme/gif and then we’ll share the best ones on Friday.