Meteorite Survives Catastrophic Fire at the National Museum of Brazil
- by Ken Ortega
- in Worldwide
- — Sep 7, 2018
In fact, many have compared the loss of the massive collection in Brazil to the devastating blow that'd be felt by the loss of the Field Museum's own collection.
Raul Jungmann, Brazilian Minister for Public Safety, said that the cause of the blaze remains unknown.
Roberto Leher, rector of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, which is associated with the museum, indicated to the Associated Press that it was well known that the museum building had been in desperate need of fix. Aerial photos of the main building showed only heaps of rubble and ashes in the parts of the building where the roof collapsed. The human passion that brought what this museum once held remains unharmed. Cristiana Serejo, a vice-director of the museum, told the G1 news portal that as little as 10 percent of the collection may have survived. "The building could be rebuilt, but the collection will never again be rebuilt".
The collection also contained a painting by the Brazilian artist Candido Portinari and extensive paleontological, anthropological and biological specimens.
The blaze at the 200-year-old National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's oldest and most important historical and scientific museum, is blamed on cuts in funding and inadequate maintenance.
On Monday, protesters gathered outside of the historic building to express their grief not only at the loss of history but with the current state of violence and homelessness in the Latin American country.
More news: Google Chrome now shows search result answers in the omnibox by defaultYet while the lion's share of anger is being directed toward Temer, former President Rousseff has also been accused of squandering funds on the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympic Games. At a time like this, we see how important these institutions are-not just to the cities that they're in, but to the entire world. Police attacked the students with pepper spray, tear gas and stun grenades.
Signs of disrepair were evident: The fencing was dilapidated, stonework was cracked and lawns appeared untended. This 365 days, the museum became preparing to personal an even time the 200th anniversary of its founding. Earlier this year, the museum had to use a crowdfunding website to help raise $7,000 to deal with a termite infestation that had forced the closure of an exhibit.
"Look at the irony".
"Luzia is a priceless loss for everyone interested in civilisation", museum director Paulo Knauss told AFP news agency. French President Emmanuel Macron offered in a tweet to send experts to help rebuild the museum.
Roberto Robadey, a spokesman for the fire department, said firefighters got off to a slow start fighting the blaze because the two fire hydrants closest to the museum were not functioning. Yet, while there are fire alarms everywhere, automatic sprinklers are not recommended in a cultural institution: "The worst damage from a fire typically comes from water rather than fire", Semal said. Science museums are not only displays of what we have learned, but also chances to learn so much more from studying the specimens stored there.
"Let this free us from the ignorance that fails to appreciate culture, science and our national identity", he wrote on Twitter. Brazil's super-rich have no interest in anything other than what they can own, pouring their money into helicopters that fly them over the country's favelas to their offices in Rio and Sao Paulo and into Miami real estate and the global stock markets.
