staff Archives - Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum

POSTED ON April 26, 2018 BY Clarisse Tan

Small Amounts, Massive Damage – The Effect of Selective Logging on Fish Biodiversity

Researchers have found that selective logging has the same harmful impacts on freshwater fish biodiversity as total deforestation, despite lesser trees being removed from the rainforest. The results of the study, published last week in the journal Biological Conservation, surprised even the researchers, which included Dr. Tan Heok Hui from LKCNHM and Dr. Darren Yeo

POSTED ON November 15, 2017 BY marcuschua

Snakeheads: bringing order into identification chaos

As the protagonists of a number of horror B-movies snakehead fishes have been portrayed as highly aggressive and voracious predators, capable to hunt down their prey in the water and on land. Scientifically snakeheads are a small group of only 38 recognized species with an interesting biology, whose identification has been notoriously difficult having resulted

POSTED ON November 10, 2017 BY Clarisse Tan

Research Highlights – Singapore Swamp Skink (New Species)

For the past two decades, herpetologists had been unsure about the taxonomic status of a diminutive freshwater swamp-dwelling skink from Singapore. It had been known as ‘Sphenomorphus sp.’, and then as ‘Tytthoscincus cf. sibuensis’, as it resembles Tytthoscincus sibuensis from neighbouring Johor in Malaysia. However, latest research published in the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology (click

POSTED ON November 3, 2017 BY Clarisse Tan

Christmas (Island) in September

Christmas has come early once again for LKCNHM this year. In September, a team from the Museum embarked on a two-week trip to Christmas Island for fieldwork, and have brought back with them a treasure trove of new specimens and, of course, interesting stories of adventure and discovery. The LKCNHM team comprised Museum Head Peter

POSTED ON September 27, 2017 BY Clarisse Tan

A Step Closer to Solving A 100-Year Mystery

Mammalogists may be one step closer towards solving a conundrum that has been a subject of much uncertainty for almost a hundred years—on whether Tragulus williamsoni, or Williamson’s mouse-deer, is a valid and distinct species. Mouse-deer, or chevrotains are some of the world’s smallest hoofed animals. Research findings by mammalogists Dr. Erik Meijaard, Mr.

POSTED ON August 7, 2017 BY museum_admin

An Eye-Popping Discovery in Southeast Asian Assassin Bug Biodiversity

Two pop culture characters, Popeye the Sailor and Mini-Me from the Austin Powers comedy movie series, are now linked in eternity in circumstances most unusual – having assassin bugs named after them. Paraphysoderes popeye and Physoderes minime are two new assassin bug species that were named by LKCNHM Museum Officer Dr. Hwang Wei Song, together

POSTED ON March 23, 2017 BY Clarisse Tan

Raffles Bulletin of Zoology – New Year, New Blood

With each new year comes new changes, and this year brings in some significant changes in the editorial team of the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology (RBZ), a peer-reviewed, open-access journal published by our Museum. The Bulletin has a new Managing Editor – Dr. Jose C. E. Mendoza (a.k.a. “JC”), who had previously served as Associate

POSTED ON January 26, 2017 BY Clarisse Tan

Harryplax severus and the Twenty-year-old Secret

A secret that evaded detection for almost 20 years has finally been uncovered, with the discovery of Harryplax severus. Sorry to disappoint all the ‘Potterheads’ out there, but this is not a synopsis of a new Harry Potter spin-off. Rather, it is a tale of how a new species of crab was discovered by LKCNHM

POSTED ON March 29, 2016 BY museum_admin

Scientist Feature: Dr Yang Chien-Hui

When one hears of the word crustacean, seafood is what usually comes to mind and rings the dinner bell. But for Dr Yang Chien-Hui, these sea creatures pique interest in a different sense. They are her life’s work and she has dedicated to studying their biology, genetics and natural history. Dr Yang, is a

POSTED ON April 1, 2014 BY marcuschua

LKCNHM Specimens at the Singapore Art Museum

Our conservator, Kate Pocklington, recently collaborated with artist, Lucy Davis, on two exhibits at the Singapore Art Museum as part of an exhibition—Unearthed. Unearthed contains exhibits by artists in Singapore that offer a look into how they as city dwellers view and respond to the natural world. The two exhibits that Kate was involved with are All