Summer Fun

Summer is here and there's no better time to take a stroll down Solano Avenue and visit our store. While here, you'll have a chance at some in-store only items. For one, our Mexican Jumping Beans are popping away! Perhaps making up for the lack of jumping beans last year, this year's batch are particularly lively and eager to metamorphasize into moths(after a season of eating the inside of their home). Some of the moths are already emerging. Beans are $0.25 each, or $1.50 for three in a clear (or colored) acrylic box (complete with breathing holes). Each bean purchase comes with an information sheet providing the answer to that most important of questions - why do they jump?.

• Mexican Jumping Beans (Cydia deshaisiana), $0.25 each (in-store sales only)
• Three Jumping Beans in a box (Cydia deshaisiana), $1.50 (in-store sales only)

Also available in-store are unmounted insects - including a fresh batch of spread butterflies just back from the Los Angeles Bug Fair. Our insects drawers are full of spread and pinned butterflies and moths, dragonflies, beetles, ranging from inexpensive local insects to exotic giants. We also carry unpinned, unmounted bugs for the real do-it-yourself type. Some are local, some are from far away, but all are beautiful.

• Pinned Insects (Var. sp.), $3.00 - $100.00, depending on species. (in-store sales only)
• Unpinned Insects (Var. sp.), $2.00 - $350.00. depending on species. (in-store sales only)

Happily munching away on fresh-picked anise are a fresh batch of eagerly awaited anise swallowtail caterpillars. These beautiful little guys are available in-store for $2.00 each. Each caterpillar comes with a care sheet.

• Anise Swallowtail Caterpillars (Papilio zelicaon), $2.00 each. (in-store sales only)

New Jewelry

After a long hiatus, we are once again selling bone and insect inspired silver jewelry. Our selection includes old favorite such as our stunning squirrel monkey arm necklace, our popular adjustable rib ring, and our dare-to-be-noticed rhino beetle locket. For a complete selection, check out our revamped jewelry page at http://www.boneroom.com/jewelry/jewelry1.html.

For something a little less heavy metal, how about our new scorpion earrings? Designed to match our scorpion in lucite bracelet, these drop shaped earrings each contain a real scorpion encased in lucite for only $12.00 per pair.

• Rhino Beetle Pendant in Sterling Silver, $30.00
• Monkey Arm Necklace in Sterling Silver, $150.00
• Rib Ring in Sterling Silver, $25.00
• Scorpion Earrings, $12.00

Human Skulls

We've recently received a new batch of human skulls. Besides our normal human skulls with mandibles, we currently have a selection of skull uppers without mandibles for artists and other bargain hunters. In addition, for once we have a glut of female skulls (on account of one of our customers - a rather notorious British artist - buying out all the males) available. Those of you have been waiting for female skulls - now is your chance. Visit our current skull selection at http://www.boneroom.com/skulls/newskulls1.html.

In The News

San Francisco residents may have noticed the new San Francisco Zoo insect displays (from The Bone Room) at Bus Shelters throughout the city. Featured in the San Francisco Chronicle and on local news stations, these are a great example of our insects going out into the world! Zoo staff took apart our Shadow-Box Framed Insects and rearranged the specimens within to produce the ads. Assuming they survive their time on the streets, the specimens will be incorporated into educational materials used by the SF Zoo's Insect Zoo. To recreate this effect, visit our Insect section and browse our Shadow-Box Framed Insect collection at http://www.boneroom.com/insects/philippine.html.

Read the article, "Zoo Brings Out the Bugs in Three City Bus Shelters" by Patricia Yollen at http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/07/02/BAGO4DI3V21.DTL. If the article is no longer available, you can also read it at http://www.boneroom.com/press/sfchronicle.htm.

On a more scientific front, Dr. Eddy Rubin, head of the U.S. Joint Genome Institute recently visited the shop to photograph our resident fossils for a Science Magazine article announcing the successful identification of Cave Bear (Ursus spelaeus) nuclear DNA. The techniques used in this investigation will next be applied to attempting to identify DNA from a 40,000 year old Neanderthal specimen (Homo neanderthalensis). Images of our prized Miocene bear fossil, Indarctos lagrelli may be used in the press releases as will some of our Cave Bear teeth. For more info on this project, view the press release at http://www.jgi.doe.gov/News/news_6_2_05.html. For your own cave bear fossils, check out our Mammal Fossils at http://www.boneroom.com/fossils/vertfossils.html.