Dark Data: The Vulnerable Treasures Sitting On Museum Shelves

As curators begin the grim work of sorting through what's left of Brazil's fire-ravaged National Museum, a new paper quantifies the staggering number of fossils and other scientifically significant finds going unstudied — and vulnerable to loss — in museum collections. It's a call to action, say the authors.
The cause of the fire that broke out Sunday evening, local time in Rio de Janeiro, at the Museu Nacional is still under investigation, the extent of the losse