Restoring History

The Social Science of Piracy

In this Science Bite, Museum scientist Marc Levine takes an anthropological look at piracy and considers how social and political issues have driven piracy throughout history.

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Life After the Dodo: Discovering Mauritius

Museum anthropologist Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh will share remarkable images, stories, and insights from the tiny island-nation of Mauritius—a place with incredible language, cultural, and religious diversity.

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August 10, 2010
For more than a century, natural history museums have collected objects from Native American cultures. Most of them were gathered through scientific expeditions, purchases, and donations. However, some objects came to museums in more questionable ways.

In this Science Bite, Museum scientist Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh, explains the law that's helping thousands of cultural items get returned to the tribes to which they belong.

Restoring History for iPod (M4V | 21MB)