Extinction For Oxford Dinosaurs?

Dinosaurs skeletons at risk of damage as museum’s new glass roof do not offer protection against ultraviolent rays.

12:08 01 August 2016

Oxford dinosaurs are in danger of becoming extinct due to inadequate protection against the sun’s ultraviolent rays.

 

Dinosaurs are exhibits at Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History, one of Britain’s most prestigious museums. They are at risk of being destroyed due to the high levels of ultraviolent light coming from the museum’s glass roof. 

The museum is housed inside a large Grade I listed building. Due to recent hot weather, the temperature inside has reached 44C, making it as hot as the Sahara desert. The heat is damaging ancient exhibits including dinosaur skeletons and stuffed animals.

 

Plans to install a reflective film to the roof’s glass tiles have been submitted. High temperatures have a ‘deleterious effect on the collections, and put them at high risk of irreversible deterioration’, the application states.

 

Plans to install a better ventilation system are also thought to be being drawn up in a bid to lower the temperature inside the building. It is understood that the maximum temperature for collections should be 25 degrees.

 

The museum features more than 250 specimens and attracts approximately 600,000 visitors every year.