Why 11 Million Embalmed Specimens Are Stored In The Field Museum's Basement | Colossal Collections
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- čas přidán 22. 05. 2024
- The Field Museum in Chicago preserves everything from fish and snakes to frogs and Komodo dragons in their basement.
These 11 million fluid specimens are preserved in jars or tanks. Preparing and storing them is a centuries-long commitment, so why do it? This method effectively keeps their shape and, in some cases, even DNA. Not only that, but it has helped researchers do groundbreaking work, like developing new techniques for getting old DNA and discovering new species right among the shelves.
We went to the Field Museum to see how new specimens are added to the ever-growing collection.
0:00 - Intro
0:53 - Acquisition
1:15 - Water Snake
3:40 - Catfish
4:19 - Komodo dragon
4:56 - Diaphonized Fish
6:40 - Spider-Tailed Horned Viper
7:45 - Frogs
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Why 11 Million Embalmed Specimens Are Stored In The Field Museum's Basement | Colossal Collections - Věda a technologie
McDonald's tray?? so that's where the meat comes from...
which minute?
They stole it...
Like fr lol mcds ??? Lol
@Mateusz Cielas 1:03
*taco bell bong sound affect*
A Lizard collected in 1838! Wow that's amazing. You guys are what the future generations will depend upon. So all the best from Dallas. Very informative video.
biology bachelor then masters in that field
They made presidency
You sound oblivious and delusional of what's actually going on
i feel like the mcdonalds tray at 1:20 shows how much gets invested into our museums
I preserved my sand boa like this. Now he is with me forever. Its been over a year and he still looks like the day I injected the formalin. Amazing
Just like my mother☺️
wow
Do they move around like Rowdy?
@@alainapristine3305make sure to change the jar often for change of air😊
Their work is so valuable for science.
Atta
Why did they steal McD tray? Not enough budget?
@@fynkozari9271 someone’s gotta eat
@@fynkozari9271 i mean, a trays a tray, it was probably needed for budget at the time and then just kept , or various places also donate tools and stuff to science research centers so youll see dental tools, old artist brushes and sculpting tools etc a mcdonalds tray isnt too farfetched
says the one who destroyed the twin towers
I would definitely like a part 2 to this
Ikr it’s so interesting
A whole series going through each and every specimen would be amazing
Yes! We need some deep dives into this topic. I especially love the clear fish.
comment section drained?
@@ICEDOUTv9 In the sewer all alone 💎
imagine you died just to become a display and specimen for centuries
Just sad as hell
i’d be honoured to be honest. someone looked at me and thought i was good enough to be displayed and used to help science! that’s pretty good if you ask me
Honestly, that'd be pretty cool
@@fooxling if thats an honor to you that sounds horror to me
There are people who donate their body for that reason.
As a biologist, I can say that I can smell the formaldehyde from here 😂
😄😄
Woah, cool to see how the Spidertail viper was identified. Ive seen videos of it, they live up high on cliff faces using the little tail to behave like a spider to attract birds to eat. Its cool! Also, seeing that poor water snake on a mcdonalds tray made me laugh. I love snakes, didnt expect youtube to recommend something like this to me lol!!
Just thought I'd let everyone know since I missed everything that was said in this video after having muzzled out by the sound of my hacking and gasping for air throughout the whole video
@@thegaynomad based on this comment i can only assume they were trying to petrify u too
peta dorks: omg i love science. also peta dorks: animals are killed in the process of scientific research?
Snek
I'm just thinking if they preserve large animal such as cow
*Takes a pickle out of the jar and eats it*
Everyone in The Field Museum's Basement- 😨😨😨😨
"Nooooo we didn't examine it, that was the last Cucumberous Vinegarous "
"you fool! That was a sea cucumber not a regular cucumber!"
“MY AUNT!!!!!! NO!!!!!”
*multiple diseases joined the chat*
Series finally of Rick and Morty. Roll credits not out bumper.
They stole mcdonald's tray 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
They use a tray from McDonald's lol.
I wouldn't be able to walk thru this museum. I would feel creeped out by everything. Feeling like it would jump up and grab me at any point. Props to all of these folks who do this.
You should really check it out if you have the chance, also don’t forget to check out Sue!
I’m with you Dan. They could actually make a show out of that 2 guys scared and creepy out in the field Museum lol I wonder is there a market for that.
Maybe but the rest of the "Field" is beautifully laid out with great panoramas. You'll need at least three days. As a kid growing up in Chicago, I loved this place. Go when its cool. Watch out for California's tourists, super rude. You'll be taking a picture of something and they'll step into your "frame". Good luck
HAHA, don't worry, you won't see them. As stated at the beginning of the video, these specimens are kept in the basement. The main museum constantly presents new exhibits and most often does not include these for the public.
We were at the field museum in Chicago just a few months ago. That place is huge and so much to see.
Ah! The spider-tailed viper! Such an amazing, incredible species! So unbelievable apparently that the Field Museum had one and couldn't tell its lure was actually an insane appendage and not an anomaly. So, so cool to hear this story and see this species spotlighted in this video. The entire video, of course, is brilliant, but the viper was definitely an unexpected treat. Ugh, museum collections never fail to impress me.
The Field Museum is so amazing. Went there on my first and only trip to Chicago. Wish there had been a tour for something like this. The dinosaur collection was worth the visit. Hope more people get the chance to go there
My college anatomy class did a field trip here. I freaked when the guy pulled out a huge electric eel from the formalin trunk.
I love videos like this where we get to look at animal or rock museums that involve the process of collecting and admiring them all! 😍
there's a nature for that
Admiring the thing you slaughtered to stick in a jar? Wow, such admiration
Would that make institution a people zoo?
@@MrShanester117 Dude, it's for research and to understand evolution in animals for the future to look back on. We are not looking at cruelty and abuse to dead animals. We are seeing their beauty, and to help understand their species and bring it from close extinction.
@@HannahBanana126
No one mentioned cruelty or abuse to dead animals. It's the fact they were made to be dead in the first place.
i think that this is so cool. i could never walk down rows and rows of preserved animal shelves though, or rifle through tanks of them, or touch them (with gloves or without). kudos to these researchers and scientists!! what a fascinating career
WHAT you mean?
I love videos like this bc it's informative on smthn I didn't know much about. That said, it also makes me want to go talk to a scientist for hours
im surprised they arent coughing from the formalin because of how strong it is. Maybe I'm not used to it because we brought out our preserved frogs the other day and the formalin was really strong it made my nose ache xD
You get used to it.
Preservation of species is very important work! When Sara pulled out that water snake, did anyone notice that she put it on a McDonald's tray?? How Scientific! 😂
@@freezaphreeze4298 Why do you write in haiku
@@novaenricarter705 😂
whats wrong with that? they probably got it all from donations and theyre solid nice trays.
I smiled all throughout the video, how casual all this is touching and operating ... on the other side i will get slight shivers by just looking at any reptile even if its dead.
Looks like a good level design for The last of us. Imagine walking through an abandoned building full of preserved animals.
I still can't imagine if there's a human trapped in a jar on that lab
research dr ulrich george klopfer
nah im more curious on a diaphonized human
what if that place has a pony in a jar
I was wondering if you could "clear" a human, lol.
Very interesting! I'd love a video going into more detail on making the little fish clear with colored bones. 👍🏻😀
Staining small wet specimens is called diaphonization! It's really cool!
@@Lewisiaisoutofcontext wow .. but could they do something similar with a horse??
@@jayemeljay2117 Unfortunately not. Diaphonization starts with "bleaching" all the tissues with a type of enzyme that begins to break it down, turning it transparent. If the specimen is too large it won't be able to turn all the tissue transparent before it actually starts destroying it instead. So it's mostly used for small and brittle specimens.
I may visit a museum with a human body preserved this way.
I hope in future by extracting their DNA we can bring them back to life with the advancement in technology of stem cells.
Sadly thats almost impossible. Even if stem cell tech keeps improving that far, the amount of time and resources needed to even atempt to create fertile animals would (and kinda should tbh) certainly be put in medical advancements
@@Ocean_Man Maybe through discovering how to use those techniques we could figure out how to apply the same techniques for humans.
@@peggedyourdad9560 I want to believe that theres an ethical way to do that but a life lived as an artificially created neanderthal living under constant observation isnt one id wish on anyone
@@Ocean_Man I mean, there are already people that exist who were developed in a lab. You ever hear of test tube babies? So far those people turned out normal.
@@peggedyourdad9560 thats goofy as hell, your talking about normal people that where created from living humans DNA as theyr children, not about science project babies of another human species created for testing
there's a channel that goes by the name of Odd Animal Specimen that specifically talks and showcases these speciments, really cool channel!
Forbidden pickles 👀
☠️☠️☠️
The stolen McDonald’s tray lol. I thought only my friends and I stole those things (in high school), so we could go “tray sliding” in our cars lol. If you’ve never gone tray sliding, you need to. Just need a front wheel drive car. Put two trays under each rear tire, pull the e-break, and get to driving! Lol
We actually did this a few times in my first car (mazda mx3) in high school at the mcdonald's parking lot about 20+ years ago. LOL
Yall giving me anxiety
Do you know how many kids died or got critically injured this way?
@@RyanAl92 I’m sure plenty. Kids are stupid. We never got hurt cuz we only did it in empty parking lots…
@@sal50111 yea, they’re also marinating chicken in NyQuil. So I think tray sliding is pretty tame compared to that lol
I'v seen a used pickle jar (the wooden handle phax glass barre) and a mc donalds tray. i love the way this lab works
This was way more interesting than i thought it'd be.
More of this please
Love Sara's enthusiasm about her field. I bet a diner or drinks with her could lead to some fascinating conversations.
Simp
@@wemakeasiansurveys4U lol, you poor incel boy
💀
Negative rizz
omg i went to Field Museum in July 2023 and that was under reconstruction, but i can say it was huge! and surely beautiful
3:40 to be precise, that's not a catfish, that fish is called "Cachara", that pattern of lines and dots are very unique to the species
The McDonald’s tray😂
0:08
«Live in the basement»
Well, that’s one way to put it…
🤣🤣🤣
"More than 11 million fluid specimens are dead in the basement"
I can imagine a movie where all these creatures come alive
1:16 mcdonalds tray 😂
Its good they are doing this so the future can see what alot of these things looked like. The way things are going not much will be left in the future
yeah so better start killing everything so we can talk about what a wonderful world we once had!
А не проще ли не уничтожать природы
Yes especially with that woman catching them and putting them in jars instead of letting them live and reproduce
But it's sadder when you're realized that the future generations probably can only see those creatures from these jars, not on wildlife :(
@@logimoe you don't understand the point of this preservation, do you?
Very very cool video. I am curious who stole the McDonald's tray though lol
HAHA
It was my very first thought! 🤣 "Oh this tray would be perfect in the lab!'
I've never been to chicago before but now I'm adding the field museum to my go-to list whenever I do go!!
Please do. The place is absolutely incredible. The dinosaur collection is amazing. You should definitely go. So many unbelievable things to see!
Another reason to stay away from Chicago.
this is so cool to me, i love things like this
That is simply amazing! In the video they showed many fishes, amphibians and reptiles, but what about the other animals, are they stored like these?
I think with other animals like mammals they are preserved dry more often due to their fur and hair and such.
they can be stored like this as well it's just difficult because they're generally larger
They gutted it n deflesh it and stuffed it with something( in my workplace, they put just cotton). There are other process too but i dont remember
Very cool and informative video.. great content
I love how she prepares the snake on the McDonads food tray
I had three pet water snakes and they love to bite! Seriously the best pets I've ever owned. They had a massive 70gal semi aquatic bioactive tank with lots of warm rocks and vines. They used every inch of their enclosure. Lived over 15 years!
The female Dr. Is like an auto mechanic working on cars. She loves her job so well she dives right into them jars without gloves. Cool!
She's awesome haha
I love how many people genuinely interested in this topic are in the comments instead of just trolling the content ❤️❤️ this is very wholesome to see
Sara is so passionate and knowledgeable :)
How the hell did a McDonald's tray end up there?
where do u think the unusable specimens go to?
That lady putting her hand in the jar without gloves gives me anxiety
Must be really cool to work at this place! 🤩
😶
Y tho.
It is
I'm really interested in zoology. What degrees do I need to have an occupation like Sara's?
Start wit Biology and then afterwards you can get additional degree in DNA analysis.
Don’t get a real job
wishing you a successful future
Science subjects,for example;integrated science
Those fish are SICK. It's like art
That was so cool!!! This is the part of the Field I'd love to tour!
My girlfriend is into wet specimens , fun thing to collect.
We collect frogs, salamanders, small snakes and lizards to put into jars
Back in the spring found a dead possum along the road that had a pouch of babies. Kept one and sold the rest.
My nieces work for a vet and we get some neat things from them
Have jar full of deer eyes
Actually wet specimens are pretty popular now
That’s gross as hell bro. I wouldn’t want that in my house
😐
@@Yung_Fettuccine I collect human bones and oddities
Have an articulated Victorian human skeleton hanging in the kitchen, most of another in old nail keg and a mummified head and 5 other skulls
Then 6 children coffins and etc
So no my girlfriend’s wet specimens don’t bother me
thats awesome that you have a partner to share that interest with! the other people replying to you are lame af lol
@@Yung_Fettuccine I know right. That's scary af and bit psychopathic
I'm donating my body to USC for science and I do hope chunks of me will be hanging around in jars in basements for centuries.
Ok but why is Mr. Josh lying on the floor at 00:03??😹
The Field Museum in Chicago is interesting to visit
This is amazing and is science at its best
The most memorable thing about this video that stuck with me is the snake on a McDonald’s tray. I’m sure someone could take a screenshot of that and make into a decent meme or Facebook news story about the new McSsssss…
1:20 she’s using a McDonalds food tray hahahaha
are we not gonna talk about them killing a random snake
5-6 random snakes. Imagine most species are killed in a way to keep them fully intact.
yeah..they captured living thing to kept as dead things 😶
No, no, no… they were Strategically Euthanized.
For science. A lot of organisms die or get killed for no sensible reason at all.
The Field Museum!! My favorite childhood destination 🥺
I am endlessly fascinated by the preservation process and the fact that an entire library of preserved animals in jars is a thing- but at the same time, I know that it must smell horrible in the formalin 🤢
I’m loving it
6:27 You need new glasses if those fish look identical. They're nothing alike except for the size.
I really like the fact the new specimens are placed and prepped on a McDonald’s tray
lol nobody saw that
Bro like this is sooo interesting i wanna visit this museum
Other than me gagging, throwing up in my mouth, and loosing my appetite, this is so cool!
Imagine we advance science so much that we use the DNA of these species and go to some other earth like planet but little be different and drop the DNA in the environment, and then seat back and watch the whole different level of show!
Aka, panspermia and terra forming.
Might takes centuries to flourish but still possible.
Is there any reason why most of them in jars are either reptiles/amphibians, or fish? What about mammals or birds?
Can you fit most mammals in jars?
Mammals are not that many at least compared to fish and reptiles
Also, I those are different departments.
Using a Mc Donald's tray for specimen preparation is the most American thing I will see in a long long time.
Those fish are so cool!
How does she remembers the species name of the snake and speaks so fluently 😮😮😮
Its a pain tbh, when we study medical plants, we have to remember all of their latin names, and the worst part is we have to remember their old name or other names as well. For example Piper lolot and Piper sarmentosum, same thing
Isn't formalin highly toxic? There's evaporation going on as they prepare the specimens.
The evaporated formalin isn't as toxic as how you think it is, it hurt your eyes and nose a bit but the pain wouldn't last long. Source: i am a vet met student
It's absolutely toxic, and should only be used in a fumehood. I foresee a courtcase when these worker's health is affected.
Wow the diaphonized fish.. So interesting
Everyone at 2:00: IS THAT A MCDONALD’S TRAY?
Me: yes, yes it is.
I have a question for you. How does your hair grow? Before it grows, where is it stored? I would like if you can make a video answering my question, thank you!
Yeah.... just like toenails and fingernails 🤔
Watching it in larger size is amazing
That spider tailed horned viper is the coolest thing ever! Look it up. It waves the end of its tail making it look just like a spider. Then, when a bird swoops down for it, the snake strikes and eats the bird.
5:15 whats the name of this method?
Diaphonization
@@triniscouting4369 thanks
the way she just dunks her bare hand into the jar like shes reaching for a snack
The fish bone stain was incredible.. probably what gave somebody the idea of the Bodies exhibition.
Giant salamander be like 😆
Even in the afterlife he'd be 😆
0:17 "and why keep them wet?" 💀
"Goodnight snakey 😋"
Snake: ... *Ayo whose aunty is this!?* ☠️☠️☠️
OMG! is that a Mcdonald tray I see when they preparing the snake! haha
Does McDonald's know you have one of their trays, if not, they do now.. 🤣🤣🤣
Love the definitely stolen McDonald’s tray being used 😂😂
How do you know macdonalds didnt sponsor the museum?
Anyone know what this career is called specifically? It looks really interesting and is something I'd be curious to get into as a career.
That snake lady is crazy good at her job!
How long has that Mcdonalds' tray been in the lab? Do they even use them any more?
I want to see a film where they all come back to life..any suggestions for a name.?
Embalmpocalypse!
Night at the museum
Revenge of the Reptiles
@@JohnGeometresMaximos best one Haha 🤣
"I'm pickle riiiick.."
Very cool!
-So, how it is going?
-Nothing special, just popped out few snake benises
I remember learning about this from the brain scoop, it was a channel that was from the field museum and it went more in depth about this stuff
Its the mcdonalds tray that did it for me