Mississippi science museum unveils expansion
The Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (MMNS) has officially opened a conservation and biodiversity facility in Jackson, US, following a US$5m (£3.1m, EUR3.8m) expansion.
Financed by the state and federal governments, the new 19,000sq ft (1,765sq m) Mississippi Center for Conservation and Biodiversity (MCCB) houses laboratory and collection spaces.
MMNS' collections currently contain more than 1 million animal and plant specimens, with its "wet collection" of alcohol-preserved items exceeding storage capacity in recent years.
The expansion plans were designed by Jackson-based Barlow Eddy Jenkins Architects and the MCCB was built by England Enterprises.
Museum director Libby Hartfield said: "Properly preserved collections of plants, animals, and fossils are libraries of Earth's history, and are vital to our ability to learn about the past and future."
Details: museum.mdwfp.com