Approximately how many insect specimens are housed in the
Chapter 1

The architecture of deep time

Chapter 2

Surviving the great dyings

Chapter 3

Ancient climates and changing worlds

Chapter 4

The library of 148 million secrets

Ch 4 · The library of 148 million secrets
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streetspirit Inside the Smithsonian's whale skeleton archive in Suitland, Maryland

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streetspirit Museum entomologists preserve massive beetle collections to study environmental changes.

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streetspirit National Museum of Natural History

Ninety-nine percent is kept inside! (Kept inside!) Saving the secrets of our Earth with pride! (With pride!)

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streetspirit The Smithsonian Biorepository preserves animal DNA for the deep future.

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The whale warehouse in Maryland

streetspirit A massive off-site facility houses the world's largest collection of whale bones.

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Fun Fact

Heavy bones: A single blue whale jawbone stored in the Maryland warehouse can weigh up to several thousand pounds.

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Why we keep millions of beetles

streetspirit Massive insect collections help scientists track environmental changes over centuries.

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Glossary
specimen (noun)
An individual animal, plant, or mineral used as an example of its species for scientific study. The Smithsonian Institution stores 148 million specimens, keeping over 99 percent off public display.

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Quiz

Approximately how many insect specimens are housed in the Smithsonian's entomology department?

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Gossip

Which museum job sounds the most exciting to you?

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The library of 148 million secrets
BETA

streetspirit Sort ancient specimens to discover how Earth survived long before humans existed.

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streetspirit Hidden cabinets store the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History collection.

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Quiz

What liquid is used to keep the tissue samples in the Smithsonian's biorepository frozen?

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Quiz

Why does the Smithsonian store millions of duplicate-looking specimens of the same species?

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Quiz

Why do Smithsonian entomologists compare historical beetle specimens with modern ones?

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Quiz

Where is the Smithsonian's off-site Museum Support Center, which houses the whale skeleton collection, located?

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Quiz

What is the primary purpose of the Smithsonian's frozen biorepository?

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Quiz

What is the total estimated number of specimens held in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History?

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Quiz

At what temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit, are tissue samples stored in the Smithsonian's Biorepository?

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