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julia ostmann

Julia Ostmann

Julia Ostmann has written about Kew Gardens fungi, psychiatric history, museum skeletons, and beyond for The Rumpus, the Harvard Divinity School, the Museum of Zoology Cambridge, the Wellcome Trust, and other organizations. She studied the history of science at Harvard College and received an MPhil in history and philosophy of science from the University of Cambridge. As Writing & Reporting Fellow at Dumbarton Oaks, she covered exciting discoveries such as those of the Plant Humanities Initiative. Previously she worked for Emmy-winning National Geographic television show Cosmos.

Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, Maria Sibylla Merian. Amsterdam: Apud Joannem Oosterwyk, 1719. Rare Book Collection, Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University. HOLLIS number 990013327990203941. Multimedia credit: Dumbarton Oaks/Elizabeth Muñoz Huber.

Plant of the Month: Guava

Often classified as an invasive species, guava ignites a longstanding, transnational battle over foreign invaders and local customs.