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
streetspirit Dr. Floyd Shockley manages this archive of eight million beetle specimens, including twenty thousand primary types.
streetspirit This Maryland collection holds physical evidence of giant mammals from ancient oceans.
streetspirit Hidden cabinets store the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History collection.
Quiz
At what temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit, are tissue samples stored in the Smithsonian's Biorepository?
Quiz
Why do Smithsonian entomologists compare historical beetle specimens with modern ones?
BETA
streetspirit Sort ancient specimens to discover how Earth survived long before humans existed.
streetspirit Museum entomologists preserve massive beetle collections to study environmental changes.
streetspirit Massive insect collections help scientists track environmental changes over centuries.
Quiz
What is the total estimated number of specimens held in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History?
Quiz
Why does the Smithsonian store millions of duplicate-looking specimens of the same species?
streetspirit National Museum of Natural History
Ninety-nine percent is kept inside! (Kept inside!) Saving the secrets of our Earth with pride! (With pride!)
streetspirit Inside the Smithsonian's whale skeleton archive in Suitland, Maryland
streetspirit A massive off-site facility houses the world's largest collection of whale bones.
Quiz
What liquid is used to keep the tissue samples in the Smithsonian's biorepository frozen?
Fun Fact
Heavy bones: A single blue whale jawbone stored in the Maryland warehouse can weigh up to several thousand pounds.
streetspirit The Smithsonian Biorepository preserves animal DNA for the deep future.
Quiz
Where is the Smithsonian's off-site Museum Support Center, which houses the whale skeleton collection, located?
Quiz
Approximately how many insect specimens are housed in the Smithsonian's entomology department?
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.
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.