Prehistoric desert snails
Did you know snails can live in the desert? Natural history researcher Rodrigo Salvador tells us a little about a curious set of fossils discovered in Algeria.Read more
2018-12-13
The Mordor squid: Comparing fossils found in Middle-earth and New Zealand
Science Researcher Rodrigo Salvador compares the squid fossils of a fictional Middle-earth and those found in the ‘real’ one, New Zealand. Middle-earth: Shadow of War is the latest Lord of the Rings game, released late last year for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. In it, you continue the adventure of GondorianRead more
2018-09-17
Goggle-eyed dogū: Pre-historic Japan at Te Papa
Science Researcher Rodrigo Salvador spends most of his working hours studying snails, but his interest spans much further afield. Here, he discusses one of his favourite ‘weird’ objects in our history collection – a goggle-eyed figurine from pre-historic Japan.Read more
2018-06-28
Egyptomania: Egypt in New Zealand
Last week, a new Assassin’s Creed game mode was released which vividly brings ancient Egypt to our living rooms. Science researcher Rodrigo Salvador explains how this game can educate as well as entertain, and dives into our own Ancient Egyptian collections.Read more
2018-02-28
New Zealand’s Pokémon: a real monster from the deep
Did you know New Zealand has its own Pokémon? It’s called Relicanth and our science researcher Rodrigo Salvador has been speculating on why this creature was chosen to represent Aotearoa.Read more
2018-02-23