Mick Jagger in amber: fossil exhibition begins

Museums - Mick Jagger in amber: fossil exhibition begins

What do the Rolling Stones have to do with stoneflies? That's what the Stuttgart Natural History Museum wants to show in a small exhibition starting this Saturday (December 16). "Rock Fossils feat. The Rolling Stoneflies" presents fossils, models and reconstructions of extinct animal species named after rock and metal stars such as David Bowie, Bad Religion and the Beatles. The exhibition has already been shown in Denmark, Norway and Switzerland, and in Stuttgart it will be supplemented with additional pieces for the first time.

Eight stoneflies from the fossil collection on display, for example, lived at the time of the dinosaurs. This is why entomologist Arnold Staniczek combined these oldest stoneflies with the oldest active rock band: the Rolling Stones. One of them is reminiscent of the Stones' frontman, singer Mick Jagger. The name of the stonefly is therefore "Petroperla mickjaggeri".

"When I was lucky enough to find eight different fossil species in Burmese amber, as a lifelong Stones fan I immediately knew what to do: pay tribute to the greatest rock band in the world and dedicate a stonefly to each Rolling Stone," Staniczek is quoted as saying by the museum.

However, the fossils are not only named after a rock star, they are also exhibited with a song by the respective band or artist. This combination of science and music should help to inspire people in particular who rarely go to museums, said Lars Krogmann, Scientific Director of the Natural History Museum, in Stuttgart on Thursday. Achim Reisdorf, who describes himself as the tour manager of "Rock Fossils", wants above all to make scientists more approachable: "We are among you, we attend the same concerts, we jump off stages, do stage diving and we have a lot of fun doing it."

Website Naturkundemuseum Stuttgart Spotify playlist for the exhibition