From Chemnitz into space

Thorid Zierold

On the right, two stuffed hedgehogs are having sex. On the left, a volcano is about to erupt. And straight ahead, a giant centipede meanders through the undergrowth. Visitors to the Chemnitz Museum of Natural History in Tietz can experience quite something. Thorid Zierold is partly responsible for this. She designed the current special exhibition "1+1 = Sex" and raised money for research work on the Petrified Forest. The 35-year-old is the curator for natural sciences, literally translated: the "guardian of the treasures", the museum's 300,000 exhibits. "If you counted every single insect, there would be many more." Thorid Zierold is the maker of the week.

How do you become a treasure guardian in Chemnitz, Mrs Zierold?
Thorid Zierold: It's a long story. I studied in Freiberg and was made aware of the fascinating prehistoric crustaceans, including Triops, by a professor there as a student assistant. Initially, I analysed fossil impressions of these animals in order to establish a classification. Later, however, I was more interested in the relatives that are still alive today. These became the subject of my doctoral project. This was funded by the German Federal Environmental Foundation. The requirement for this was to prepare the scientific results for the general public. During my doctorate, I developed a special exhibition on the group of prehistoric crustaceans and presented it here at the museum, but also in Dresden, Ziegenrück and at the Senckenberg Museum in Wilhelmshafen.

And then the museums were all over you?
During this work, I became familiar with the museum landscape and built up networks. I wrote my doctorate in co-operation with the University of Hull (UK). This was immediately followed by a post-doc for a further three years. During this time, I researched the reproductive strategies of Triops. Then came an offer to come to Chemnitz for seven months, here at the museum. I was successful in the subsequent application process. I have a job that I am really enthusiastic about.

Why?
The work in England was primarily academic - the work here at the museum: you have everything. I can work creatively, I have to be flexible, I'm responsible for various third-party funded projects that have nothing to do with my scientific work. And it is precisely this variety that makes my work at the Museum für Naturkunde so appealing.

Thorid Zierold has now studied dozens of generations of prehistoric crustaceans. Even the European Space Agency (ESA) has taken notice of her - she is currently preparing a project for the second time in which thousands of crab eggs will be sent into space to the International Space Station (ISS): "The original material comes from near Bautzen, but the population from which the eggs originate hatched in Chemnitz," she says. So we can certainly speak of cosmonauts from Chemnitz who will soon be orbiting the earth at a distance of around 400 kilometres. This experiment, EXPOSE-R, will test whether the tough little animals, which can withstand extreme cold, heat or drought for years and decades, can also withstand cosmic radiation and vacuum.

Why does a researcher from Chemnitz have to come and explain prehistoric crabs to highly qualified space experts?
I have been working with this group of animals for a long time. One evening, I was asked by a colleague to present the animal group at an astrobiology conference. The presentation obviously hit home and the cooperation with the German Aerospace Centre began. Science is always measured by how visible it is. I had recently published a few papers on the subject and people knew that I had a large arsenal of samples and data series and that I was familiar with breeding Triops. Another positive aspect was that I not only work in Chemnitz, but am also networked with other researchers worldwide.

Are you sometimes envious of your prehistoric crabs because they are allowed into space?
The attraction of going on a flight myself is very great.

And what are the chances?
I've looked into it now. There is currently exactly one German person who is being prepared for a flight to the ISS in the near future. Training to become an astronaut takes four years - this includes learning Russian, familiarising yourself with robotic and ISS-specific systems and, of course, scientific work. NASA and the ESA have set up a major project to find young people who are willing to get involved. But unfortunately, I think I'm already too old for that. Nevertheless, I'm very, very proud to be taking part in the project at all. Who else would pay for all the experiments that were carried out on super high-tech equipment? The museum as such doesn't pay anything, but in the end it has the reputation for it and the publicity it generates here and there. So I can act as an ambassador for Chemnitz with my scientific work.

But you also pass on your passion for the little animals to Chemnitz children...
Yes, we've had a Triops research group for a year and a half with a stable core of eight or nine children aged between six and 16. That's also appealing for me to address each age group differently. In June, we will be going on an excursion to Triops sites in Mecklenburg and meeting up with other young researchers interested in science at the Natureum Niederelbe. Our Triops researchers will report on their results so far at a workshop.

If you have received the Triops as a magazine supplement, the breeding has often not worked!
It usually works for us. But not always. But that's also part of the process, dealing with a few setbacks and discussing in the group why it didn't work. But we are now also going beyond the Triops animal group. As "guardian of the treasures", I also see my role as not only preserving the exhibits in the museum, but also familiarising the children with the treasures of nature and finding the treasures that are still hidden in nature. There are also other programmes for children and young people at the Museum of Natural History - such as Sven Erlacher's insect study group.
If you start as a child now, you might have the chance to fly into space as a Triops researcher one day... But let's change the subject. After all, the Museum für Naturkunde doesn't just go high up into space. It also goes deep into the earth to explore the Petrified Forest. Dinosaurs were also found there.

Mrs Zierold, as a curator, you should know: Where are the dinosaurs at the moment?
We have found a total of five dinosaurs in varying degrees of completeness. According to previous analyses, the preserved impressions can be assigned to one species. They are currently being prepared and documented in order to collect sufficient data for a detailed reconstruction. Only then will we be able to form a comprehensive picture of this species - where did it live? what did it feed on? - These are the questions that need to be answered. At the moment, our prehistoric dinosaurs don't even have a name or a classification - that can only happen once we have described them in detail.

She obviously doesn't want to give an exact date and can explain why: The "thumb" of the dinosaur's five-fingered hand could not be found; it first had to be searched for in the rock using computer tomography and X-ray examinations. At least she reveals this much: "We are planning an exhibition on Permian dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History in 2015, where we will also be showing our finds."

A "window into the history of the earth" is currently being created on the Sonnenberg with funds from the European Union and sponsorship from eins energie, which is intended to show the fossilised forest at the site of the discovery. Among other things, a children's excavation site has been created. What is that?
The children's excavation is an excavation area with a re-enacted find situation. On the one hand, it gives children the chance to learn the ABCs of a treasure digger and, on the other, we also use this area as a training ground. We now have a lot of requests for people to help us dig, including many archaeology and geology students. They can then carry out excavations in an authentic field at various levels of difficulty and practise accurately documenting the finds. Afterwards, it is then filled in again for the next children or trainees. There is a run on the excavation site whenever it is opened to visitors, for example on Museum Night in May. The city's interest in the progress of the excavation is just as great as that of the international research community: a giant horsetail found in Hilbersdorf has already been included in textbooks just a few years after its discovery.

Does Chemnitz have enough of a fossilised forest?
We are writing scientific history with historical and current finds. The reputation outside the city limits of Chemnitz - indeed, worldwide - is enormous. Within the city, I still see development potential that needs to be expanded. We are an old city, of course: because the 291 million-year-old trees that lie beneath our city raise the average. I hope that, together with the people responsible for city marketing, we can develop the window into the history of the earth into what it deserves to be - an urban and tourist beacon for Chemnitz. In this way, every visitor can be convinced of its uniqueness - it is a unique selling point of the city - and become an ambassador for the city.

Is there still a chance that we will be awarded a UNESCO World Heritage title here?
We received a rejection for our first application - but we were also signalled that the uniqueness of the Petrified Forest is a clear unique selling point, but that on the other hand, for example, more excavation areas would have to be designated. I think we have to move forward step by step. With the first scientific excavations, specialist conferences and international reputation, we have perhaps completed the first third of the journey. And perhaps the World Heritage title is not the next goal, but rather a "Trail of Stones" or a hiking trail "In the Footsteps of the Volcanoes".

But now there's one final question that will make Thorid Zierold break out in a sweat. Let's see if that works: petrified trees or crabs that fly into space - which is more symbolic of Chemnitz?
I think the Triops has a lot in common with Chemnitz. It is adaptable and tough and able to survive even under extreme conditions. It develops very quickly and lays the foundations for the next generation early on. In addition, it sometimes wants to put its head through the wall and it digs a lot - so there is a lot in common, which at least also characterises us at the Museum für Naturkunde.