Eulàlia Garcia-Franquesa

• PhD Marine Science
• Head of Department at Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona

Between the seventeenth and mid nineteenth centuries, the Salvador family of apothecaries and naturalists of Barcelona assembled a natural history cabinet. It was housed in the Salvador apothecary on Carrer Ample in Barcelona but around 1876 or 1877, it was moved to the castle (or farmhouse) of la Bleda (today in the municipallity of Castellet i la...

The results of the conservation work carried out on an exhibition set-up dating from the early twentieth century are presented. The exhibition set-up consists of a wooden showcase containing about twenty evaporite rocks from the collection of the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona (Spain). The work involved the remedial conservation of the roc...

The evolution of information systems and technologies (IS/IT) has driven a fundamental transformation of services and processes within various types of organizations. Specifically, technologies such as AI, virtual reality, augmented reality, big data, drones, cloud, 3D printers and IoT have originated the phenomenon in literature known as digital t...

La transformación digital debe abordarse estratégicamente en toda organización, pues genera retos complejos de mejora e innovación en las personas, los procesos, los sistemas y las tecnologías. No se trata únicamente de inversión tecnológica, se trata de plantear formas mejoradas de implementar la misión de la organización, repensando sus funciones...

Outdoor and indoor pollutants can affect the conservation of natural history collections. As a first approach to this question, environmental acidity around specimens in the collections of the Natural Science Museum of Barcelona and Botanic Institute of Barcelona (MCNB‐IBB) was measured. Measurements were taken using optical sensors in a number of...

The documentation generated by the MCNB's Preventive Conservation and Restoration Laboratory (LCPR) is complete and detailed. It is essential that it is properly stored so that it can be consulted whenever required. The transition between paper and digital documentation has progressed gradually over the past few decades and most areas of the Museum...

The study examines whether the digital image processing technique known as focus stacking is suitable for evaluating and documenting an ultrasonic cleaning treatment. The samples selected for cleaning are fragments of marine invertebrates that belong to scientific collections of the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona. To properly document the...

La Unidad de Registro del MCNB lleva en funcionamiento más de siete años, tiempo en el que se han registrado 92.454 ejemplares o lotes de ejemplares, pertenecientes a las colecciones más voluminosas. El avance en el inventario ha sido importante, además se han recogido datos del proyecto que aportan información sobre cómo aplicar criterios de efi c...

La ciudad de Barcelona, capital científica de Cataluña, ha sido, es y será cuna de naturalistas científicos ilustres. A pesar de ubicarse en una desembocadura fluvial urbanizada en un alto porcentaje, se halla rodeada por los ríos Llobregat y Besós, la sierra de Marina, la sierra de Collserola, la montaña de Montjuïc y el Mar Mediterráneo. Este enc...

Japan paper is a good solution for volumetric reintegration in zoological specimens. It’s excellent for its easy handling, and offer different possibilities to work. The experience and the results obtained indicate that can be helpful in restorations processes.

Los sensores de acidez ambiental desarrollados por el Instituto de Historia CCHS-CSIC, son una herramienta que ofrece múltiples posibilidades en el campo de la conservación preventiva. En esta ocasión, el Laboratorio de Conservación Preventiva y Restauración del Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona, los utilizó para testar la idoneidad de una se...

The Cardona salts showcase was built and designed in 1921 by Francesc Pardillo. Located at the Museu Martorell building (Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona) it exposes and preserves a collection of salt rocks from the Cardona Salt Mountain. These specimens were donated at the end of 19th century by Ms. Casilda de Salabert i Arteaga (Medinaceli...

Since the beginning of mineral collections, they contained specimens that may present potential health risks. Even so, due to ignorance, they were classically manipulated without any kind of prevention. The progress of knowledge in fields such as medicine, physics, chemistry or even mineralogy, has demonstrated that this type of samples can be dang...

In 2009, the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona launched a new permanent exhibit that included removal and restoration of a landmark piece, a fin whale skeleton, and complete redesign of its assembly structure. In this paper we present the process and results of documenting the piece before the dismantling procedure. A graphic record was creat...

Tenim el plaer de presentar el volum 2 de la col·lecció Manuals del Museu, hereva de la col·lecció Treballs del Museu de Ciències Naturals publicada per la Junta de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona a partir de l’any 1917. Manuals del Museu es va crear per donar a conèixer treballs sobre museologia i museografia que siguin rellevants i puguin ser d’ut...

Descripción de las reproducciones de frutas conservadas en el Gabinet Salvador (Institut Botànic de Barcelona)

Revisión de la colección zoológica del Gabinete Salvador (Institut Botànic de Barcelona).

The test compares the level of insulation against incorrect relative humidity (RH) and temperature of two containers: one cardboard and one polypropylene (PP). The final objective is to find permanent packaging systems that, in addition to physical protection, provide passive environmental control. The results show that PP containers offer more pro...

Long term conservation of scientific collections relies on the maintenance of their environmental conditions within certain limits, among other factors. This work examines whether the packaging materials used to store disarticulated skeletons have any influence on these conditions. In particular, a polypropylene box is compared with a cardboard, re...

We show the remedial conservation process carried out by the conservation team of the Natural History Museum of Barcelona on a collection of models of fruits. The models belong to the Salvador Cabinet, a cabinet of curiosities from the seventeenth century. Treatments improved the condition of many reproductions made of wax and paper allowing their...

The use of 3D models is becoming commonplace in both scientific investigation and in more general educational activities; nevertheless, methodologies and their associated software are both relatively expensive to use. As well, measurements of 3D models must be comparable to that of originals if they are to be used in scientific research. The aim of...

Induced vibrations in museum spaces may have undesirable effects on works or samples displayed in them. The goal of this paper is to present the study of the effect of vibrations in skeletons of vertebrates exposed in the Museu Blau (Natural Science Museum of Barcelona) and the design of effective solutions to reduce them. To this end, two main sou...

Description of the skeleton of the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus, Linnaeus, 1758) at the Natural History Museum of Barcelona We describe the osteology of the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus, L., registration code MZB 83-3084) at the Natural Science Museum of Barcelona (MCNB). The specimen was stranded and died on a beach in Llançà (Girona, Spai...

En la colección zoológica del Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona (MCNB) ingresan anualmente nuevos ejemplares. La colección es muy voluminosa, centenares de miles de especímenes antiguos aguardan para ser registrados. El volumen ingente de inventariado pendiente, propició que se tomaran dos decisiones importantes que modifican el sistema de do...

In this first experience, the technique of obtaining models has been developed, calibrating the process for materials, neither too small nor too large. A protocol for obtaining and archiving the models has also been enabled. Finally, a repeatability study on biometric measurements has been carried out to guarantee its scientific use based on the mo...

Los resultados que mostramos se enmarcan dentro de un proyecto general de puesta en valor y divulgación del Gabinete. Además de su conservación-restauración, dicho proyecto implica su documentación exhaustiva y una exposición temporal sobre la familia Salvador y su legado.

The objective was to establish a monitoring scheme to measure T and RH in the storerooms at the NAT in order to follow the evolution of these parameters over time, from 2005 to 2010. We analyzed averages, maximum and minimum, the daily, monthly and yearly fluctuations, and the effect of isolation. Results showed that the ranges of variation of T, b...

The mounted whale skeleton, Balaenoptera physalus MZB 83-3084, is a landmark piece at the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona. Since it first became part of the collection in 1917, it has been transferred, modified, assembled and reassembled several times. In this poster we present the process of documentation and graphic recording of the piece...

The Natural Science Museum of Barcelona (MCNB) houses a total of 309 specimens of non–human primates. The collection comprises 102 stuffed animals, 33 skins, 73 skeletons, 24 postcranial skeletons, eight mounted skeletons, 54 skulls, three whole animals in alcohol, and 31 other samples (bones and other). Over the last two years the collection has b...

L'MCNB conserva un total de 309 exemplars de primats no humans. La col·lecció consta de 102 exemplars dissecats, 33 pells, 73 esquelets, 24 esquelets postcranials, vuit esquelets muntats, 54 cranis, tres animals sencers en alcohol i 31 mostres d'altres tipus (ossos o altres). Els darrers anys s'ha portat a terme una revisió completa i una reorganit...

The working thesis is about to know if the insecticide product used in gas form for pest controlling lets some type of solid rest above the surfaces. Samples of mammals skin, feathers and butterflies have been used in order to compare those being treated with others without insecticide treatment. The comparison has been carried out by electronic mi...

The contribution of genetics to wildlife conservation has been stressed often forgetting the existing theoretical and empirical limitations in the use of genetic information to solve ecological and demographic problems. The possibilities of molecular analyses are extensive and the automation of procedures is increasing the efficiency and reducing t...

The Senegal sole Solea senegalensis is a commercially valuable fish and it is beginning to be cultured, in an extensive way, in fish farms in southern European countries. Little is known about its feeding habits, unlike other Solea species such as the common sole Solea solea. This paper studies the feeding habits of a wild population of Senegal sol...

The amino acid profile of the dominant prey items of the sole natural diet was analysed; differences in the quantity and proportions of non-essential and essential amino acids between the sexes were determined. The highest level of total amino acid was found in Upogebia from F. Callianassidae. The prey items with a higher proportion of essential am...

En los últimos años, los avances en técnicas moleculares han sido aplicados en taxonomía, ecología, biología evolutiva y biología de la conservación. Es preferible que los estudios genéticos de la fauna salvaje se realicen sin interferir con las poblaciones naturales y su bienestar. En este sentido, el desarrollo de técnicas para obtener ADN a part...

Taller para escolares dedicado al estudio de la clasificación de animales. éste consta de 35 cuestiones dedicadas al tema en cuestión

Material complementario al taller que se realiza en el Museo de Zoología con el mismo nombre. Se trabaja la classificación de los animales y se realizan propuestas para trabajar en el aula posteriormente a la visita tanto para alumnado de educación primaria como de secundaria