Royal Ontario Museum Blog
Monthly Archive: December
Our Darling Dermestids - A Visit to the ROM's Bug Room
![Hell or haven? To a Dermestid beetle, the ROM's bug room is an ongoing feast in paradise. Photo by Robert Elliot A photo of the sign posted outside the door of the ROM's dermestid beetle colony quotes Dante's Inferno, "Abandon all hope ye who enter here"](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/robertelliotblog1-2.jpg?itok=uLMpNKD3)
Guest blog written by 2015 Environmental Visual Communication student Robert Elliot
How does the Royal Ontario Museum get their Skeletons so clean without compromising their integrity? A well-kept colony of hide beetles cleans every crevice of the various cadavers in the ROM’s bug room with incredible efficiency. A steel walled, dark humid room filled with corpses; a veritable beetle heaven is home to these hard working bugs. Follow EVC student ROM into their domain to get a unique perspective on the ROM.
Join our first #EmptyROM tour!
![Photo by @priscilla_mendes Picture of the ROM looking southwest. Photo by @priscilla_mendes](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/rom-instagram.jpg?itok=uS1UfPga)
Tour the museum BEFORE we open!
T. rex vs. Pan Am Athletes: Who Would Win a Race?
![The opening ceremonies of the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto. Photo courtesy of the Pan Am Games A stage performance with images of Toronto in the background for the opening ceremonies of the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/2015_pan_am_games_opening-ceremony-06-3.jpg?itok=j9fRwSk5)
Guest blog post by Environmental Visual Communication Student Lisa Milavic
Do you think you could out-run a Tyrannosaurus rex? What about the athletes in the 2015 Pan Am Games?
Weapon Wednesday: Pesh Kabz
Pesh Kabz, means ‘fore grip’ in Persian, a language from Iran where this style of dagger finds its origins. Written by Aruna Panday
Bug Hunting with Bed Sheets
![Searching for insects at night. Image: Fatima Ali 3 people in silhouette look for insects attracted to a light](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/fatima_ali_silhouette.jpg?itok=kF2mp4KQ)
The restudy of the iconic Hallucigenia animal from Burgess Shale
New research published today in the journal Nature describes a newly-discovered 'ring of teeth' in an otherworldly creature from half a billion years ago.
ROM Style: Asian Inspired
![Stylist: Rose Pereira. Large and small brass seated Buddha statues.](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/rom2015_14570_1_carpet_retouch_web_crop.jpg?itok=SJ5vmYiW)
Visit the ROM Boutique and bring home the treasures of a well-travelled collector.
Fashion Follows Winning Form
![Entrance view of the exhibition Fashion Follows Form](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/fff-entrance.jpg?itok=y89Lg4I3)
The ROM’s Fashion Follows Form exhibition, which was featured in ROM magazine in the Summer 2014 issue, has won The Richard Martin Exhibition Award, an annual award given by the Costume Society of America.
'Globes Celestial and Terrestrial': the Science of Star-gazing
![](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/small_title_tutor_to_astronomy_and_geography_1674_copy.jpeg?itok=dEFbz3lO)
The study of celestial bodies is one of the oldest sciences. Meticulous observations of the night sky were made by many early civilizations who used the information for various purposes, including determining the right time for planting, harvesting, ceremonial events and tides.
Artist Annu Palakunnathu Matthew takes Family Photos at ROM
On May 23, 2015, in conjunction with the exhibition “Generations: Annu Palakunnathu Matthew,” artist Annu Palakunnathu Matthew set up studio in the ROM galleries to take coplimentary family photographs of ROM visitors.