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Duke Herbarium

@bluedevilherbarium.bsky.social

102 followers 58 following 8 posts

Official account for the Duke University Herbarium, where we preserve plant diversity & botanical history! 🌿

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Duke Herbarium @bluedevilherbarium.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

Read this new op-ed by Duke Herbarium student Kaylee McKinzie, discussing the administration's decision to close the very collection that linked the top winners at Botany 2025 in Palm Springs. We've grown the future of botany here Why are we cutting its roots? www.dukechronicle.com/article/weve...

dukechronicle.com

We’ve grown the future of botany here. Why are we cutting its roots?

Duke’s decision to close its herbarium threatens to uproot a legacy of scientific discovery, climate research and education that has shaped the field of botany for generations.

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Duke Herbarium @bluedevilherbarium.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

What a beauty! Meet Entoloma strictius, a striking mushroom with intricate gills preserved in time. Nature's artistry at its finest! Thank you to @matthewcicanese.bsky.social! #FungiFriday #FungiFriends #Mushrooms #Mushroom #Macro #Herbarium #Fungi

A detailed close-up of the mushroom species Entoloma strictius, focusing intensely on its intricate gills. The tightly overlapping layers of the gills display a delicate, wavy texture and warm hues of brownish-orange. The depth and complexity of the patterns create a captivating, abstract composition. The closer perspective emphasizes the fine details and natural architecture of the specimen, highlighting its preserved beauty.

A close-up view of the mushroom species Entoloma strictius, showcasing its intricate, wavy gills in stunning detail. The golden-brown coloration and textured stem give the mushroom a preserved, almost timeless appearance. The dark background accentuates the delicate patterns and structure of the gills, making the specimen visually striking and captivating.

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Duke Herbarium @bluedevilherbarium.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

In 2012, Duke researchers named an entire genus of ferns “Gaga” after pop star Lady Gaga! Gaga wore a costume to the 2010 Grammys that had an amazing resemblance to the fern’s sexual life stage. It's also written in the DNA! A unique molecular signature was in all of the ferns, spelling “GAGA”.

In 2012, Duke researchers named an entire genus of ferns “Gaga” after pop star Lady Gaga (Li et al. 2012).

"We wanted to name this genus for Lady Gaga because of her fervent defense of equality and individual expression in today’s society.”

…Scientists often look to popular culture for inspiration and have sometimes immortalized certain people with scientific names (e.g., “Washingtonia”, for a genus of palms named in honor of George Washington; “Zappa,” a genus of goby fish named for Frank Zappa).

All land plants have a life cycle that alternates between two distinct phases: a tiny gametophytic (haploid) phase and a much larger sporophytic (diploid) phase that are produced by meiosis (reduction division) and syngamy (fertilization), respectively. Gametophytes are a fully independent life phase from the sporophytes, and they form the male (antheridia) and female (archegonia) gametangia that yield sperm and egg, respectively. Shown in the diagram is one of the more common breeding systems in ferns––outcrossing. Here, the sperm and egg that fuse to initiate a new young sporophyte, come from gametophytes formed by spores from different parental sporophytes.

Gaga comprises nineteen distinct species and extends all the way from Arizona and Texas, through Mexico and Central America to Andean South America (as far south as Argentina). The highly divided sporophyte leaves of Gaga kaulfussii are shown here displaying their dense glandular hairs on the upper surface and the marginal flaps (indusia) that protect the sporangia on the lower leaf surface.

During the timeframe of this research study, Lady Gaga wore a costume to the 2010 Grammy’s that had an amazing resemblance to the fern’s sexual life stage (see first slide). Further validation for the scientific name came from a unique molecular signature at a particular site in the DNA sequence of all Gaga ferns: Guanine, Adenine, Guanine, Adenine, spelling “GAGA”, that was not present in related ferns.

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Duke Herbarium @bluedevilherbarium.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

Today’s opinion column in the Duke Chronicle is from Jakob Hagedorn, visiting international student from Germany, who says that Duke’s pledge to its “Climate Commitment” is falling short as a result of the administration’s decision to get rid of its Herbarium www.dukechronicle.com/article/2025...

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