Natural History, Collections and Taxonomy - NATHIST
The NATHIST group is devoted to all the topics traditionally implied in the concept of Natural History, such as integrative taxonomy, biological nomenclature, specimen-based research, study, and management of biological collections, museomics and applied history of sciences.
Rooting on the long-standing tradition of natural history, we also carry on fieldwork in tropical areas, using novel techniques and approaches to answer modern-day challenges at a planetary level.
We have well-established relationships with other groups, colleagues and natural history museums in Europe, Africa, Brazil, and the USA. Although we are currently mostly dedicated to the study of vertebrate diversity and evolution in Africa, we also tackle other taxonomic groups (invertebrates and plants) and other parts of the world (Europe, South America), always with a natural history and integrative approach.
Our main pillars are the following:
1) Integrative taxonomy. A vast majority of the world’s biodiversity is still undescribed. Combining traditional morphological methods, modern CT-Scan techniques, molecular techniques, and a strong theoretical basis, we contribute to the discovery and description of new taxa. Our current projects are focused on Africa (Angola, São Tomé & Príncipe, Guinea-Bissau, and Zimbabwe), with a strong focus on small vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles & small mammals), but we are open to exploring other taxonomic groups and geographic areas. We are also interested in more theoretical approaches to taxonomy, biological nomenclature and philosophy of science.
2) History, management, and modern uses of Natural History collections. As a group with a strong museum background, we are interested in the study of the history of collections, modern management practices and policies, and extracting new data from historical specimens, always with the aim of providing scientifically relevant data. This includes:
a. Traditional studies on the history of a given collection, museum, or collector/naturalist;
b. Production of collection catalogs (e.g. type catalogs, specific collections catalogs, etc.);
c. Development of strategies to digitize museum collections and have its data adhere to FAIR standards;
d. Develop novel solutions for the management and preservation of natural history collections, especially for historical and neglected collections;
e. Exploring new avenues of specimen-based research using extended specimen model and museomics methods;
f. Provide support and consulting services to natural history collections worldwide.
3) Applied history of science. We use traditional historical research on collections, collectors, and naturalists to write their biographies, review historical expeditions and uncover, update and make "lost” data available to the scientific community. With a long experience in archival and museum research methods, our team is dedicated to retrieve historical data that is usually neglected by biodiversity researchers but that may prove critical to answer modern-day research questions. We are especially interested in the study of the history of science in the Portuguese-speaking world, from the eighteenth century to the mid-twentieth century.
4) Outreach and education. As a group, we believe in the importance of outreach and training, and therefore we organize training workshops and courses on both theoretical and practical terms – from biological nomenclature, history of science, to specimen handling and preparation and collections management.
Our group aims to become the major reference for natural history studies in Portugal and establish itself as an international hub for natural historians, historians of science and museum specialists, contributing to the current debates and developments in the field. With a special emphasis on the Portuguese-speaking world, we intend to bring the Lusophone voices to the world stage, share experiences and contribute to solutions that help us study, preserve and manage the important biological and scientific heritage we have under our care. The current lack of natural history and taxonomy schools in the world is worrisome. None of such schools exists in Portugal and very few in Europe. Thus, NATHIST wants to become a school for the next generation of natural historians and taxonomists, and it is open to prospective students, postdoctoral fellows and researchers who want to learn and investigate any topic of the vast world of Natural History. We would be delighted to collaborate with teams from across the world, in museums, research centers, field stations, NGOs and educational institutions.
Rooting on the long-standing tradition of natural history, we also carry on fieldwork in tropical areas, using novel techniques and approaches to answer modern-day challenges at a planetary level.
We have well-established relationships with other groups, colleagues and natural history museums in Europe, Africa, Brazil, and the USA. Although we are currently mostly dedicated to the study of vertebrate diversity and evolution in Africa, we also tackle other taxonomic groups (invertebrates and plants) and other parts of the world (Europe, South America), always with a natural history and integrative approach.
Our main pillars are the following:
1) Integrative taxonomy. A vast majority of the world’s biodiversity is still undescribed. Combining traditional morphological methods, modern CT-Scan techniques, molecular techniques, and a strong theoretical basis, we contribute to the discovery and description of new taxa. Our current projects are focused on Africa (Angola, São Tomé & Príncipe, Guinea-Bissau, and Zimbabwe), with a strong focus on small vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles & small mammals), but we are open to exploring other taxonomic groups and geographic areas. We are also interested in more theoretical approaches to taxonomy, biological nomenclature and philosophy of science.
2) History, management, and modern uses of Natural History collections. As a group with a strong museum background, we are interested in the study of the history of collections, modern management practices and policies, and extracting new data from historical specimens, always with the aim of providing scientifically relevant data. This includes:
a. Traditional studies on the history of a given collection, museum, or collector/naturalist;
b. Production of collection catalogs (e.g. type catalogs, specific collections catalogs, etc.);
c. Development of strategies to digitize museum collections and have its data adhere to FAIR standards;
d. Develop novel solutions for the management and preservation of natural history collections, especially for historical and neglected collections;
e. Exploring new avenues of specimen-based research using extended specimen model and museomics methods;
f. Provide support and consulting services to natural history collections worldwide.
3) Applied history of science. We use traditional historical research on collections, collectors, and naturalists to write their biographies, review historical expeditions and uncover, update and make "lost” data available to the scientific community. With a long experience in archival and museum research methods, our team is dedicated to retrieve historical data that is usually neglected by biodiversity researchers but that may prove critical to answer modern-day research questions. We are especially interested in the study of the history of science in the Portuguese-speaking world, from the eighteenth century to the mid-twentieth century.
4) Outreach and education. As a group, we believe in the importance of outreach and training, and therefore we organize training workshops and courses on both theoretical and practical terms – from biological nomenclature, history of science, to specimen handling and preparation and collections management.
Our group aims to become the major reference for natural history studies in Portugal and establish itself as an international hub for natural historians, historians of science and museum specialists, contributing to the current debates and developments in the field. With a special emphasis on the Portuguese-speaking world, we intend to bring the Lusophone voices to the world stage, share experiences and contribute to solutions that help us study, preserve and manage the important biological and scientific heritage we have under our care. The current lack of natural history and taxonomy schools in the world is worrisome. None of such schools exists in Portugal and very few in Europe. Thus, NATHIST wants to become a school for the next generation of natural historians and taxonomists, and it is open to prospective students, postdoctoral fellows and researchers who want to learn and investigate any topic of the vast world of Natural History. We would be delighted to collaborate with teams from across the world, in museums, research centers, field stations, NGOs and educational institutions.