During the October 28th Rose Scholar lecture, Professor Drew Harvell introduced Cornell’s collection of Blaschka invertebrate models. The Blaschka models, made in the 19th century by glass artists Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, capture the biodiversity of oceanic creatures of the time period. Professor Harvell explained that the models accurately portray the color, size, and shape of the invertebrates, and thus, give her a window into how form follows function in each part of these organisms. Not surprisingly,climate change and over-fishing have contributed to the ocean’s continual decrease in biodiversity; in fact, it is possible that several of the invertebrates in the Blaschka collection are already extinct. One example is the octopus vulgaris, which scientists can no longer find in their dives off of the Mediterranean coast. Coincidentally, in one of my biology classes this week, we discussed climate change and shrinking biodiversity. Most of my classmates associated climate change with animals on land. By learning about the Blaschka collection, I most certainly have a fuller appreciation for how greatly the ocean and its creatures are also affected by climate change.