The hidden worlds within natural history museums - Joshua Drew
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0:07 - 0:09When you think of natural history museums,
-
0:09 - 0:14you probably picture exhibits
filled with ancient lifeless things, -
0:14 - 0:15like dinosaurs
-
0:15 - 0:16meteroites,
-
0:16 - 0:18and gemstones.
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0:18 - 0:21But behind that educational exterior,
-
0:21 - 0:25which only includes
about 1% of a museum's collection, -
0:25 - 0:30there are hidden laboratories
where scientific breakthroughs are made. -
0:30 - 0:31Beyond the unmarked doors,
-
0:31 - 0:34and on the floors
the elevators won't take you to, -
0:34 - 0:37you'd find windows into amazing worlds.
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0:37 - 0:42This maze of halls and laboratories
is a scientific sanctuary -
0:42 - 0:46that houses a seemingly
endless variety of specimens. -
0:46 - 0:50Here, researchers work to unravel
mysteries of evolution, -
0:50 - 0:51cosmic origins,
-
0:51 - 0:54and the history of our planet.
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0:54 - 0:57One museum alone
may have millions of specimens. -
0:57 - 1:00The American Museum of Natural History
in New York City -
1:00 - 1:04has over 32,000,000 in its collection.
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1:04 - 1:06Let's take a look at just one of them.
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1:06 - 1:09Scientists have logged exactly
where and when it was found -
1:09 - 1:14and used various dating techniques
to pinpoint when it originated. -
1:14 - 1:17Repeat that a million times over,
and these plants, -
1:17 - 1:18animals,
-
1:18 - 1:19minerals,
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1:19 - 1:20fossils,
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1:20 - 1:25and artifacts present windows
into times and places around the world -
1:25 - 1:28and across billions of years of history.
-
1:28 - 1:30When a research problem emerges,
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1:30 - 1:35scientists peer through these windows
and test hypotheses about the past. -
1:35 - 1:40For example, in the 1950s,
populations of predatory birds, -
1:40 - 1:41like peregrine falcons,
-
1:41 - 1:42owls,
-
1:42 - 1:45and eagles started to mysteriously crash,
-
1:45 - 1:49to the point where a number of species,
including the bald eagle, -
1:49 - 1:51were declared endangered.
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1:51 - 1:55Fortunately, scientists in
The Field Museum in Chicago -
1:55 - 1:58had been collecting the eggs
of these predatory birds for decades. -
1:58 - 2:02They discovered that the egg shells
used to be thicker -
2:02 - 2:04and had started to thin around the time
-
2:04 - 2:10when an insecticide called DDT
started being sprayed on crops. -
2:10 - 2:12DDT worked very well to kill insects,
-
2:12 - 2:16but when birds came and ate
those heaps of dead bugs, -
2:16 - 2:19the DDT accumulated in their bodies.
-
2:19 - 2:21It worked its way up the food chain
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2:21 - 2:26and was absorbed by apex predator birds
in such high concentrations -
2:26 - 2:28that it thinned their eggs
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2:28 - 2:32so that they couldn't support
the nesting bird's weight. -
2:32 - 2:34There were omelettes everywhere
-
2:34 - 2:36until scientists from
The Field Museum in Chicago, -
2:36 - 2:38and other institutions,
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2:38 - 2:40helped solve the mystery and save the day.
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2:40 - 2:43America thanks you, Field Museum.
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2:43 - 2:45Natural history museums
windows into the past -
2:45 - 2:48have solved many other
scientific mysteries. -
2:48 - 2:51Museum scientists have used
their collections -
2:51 - 2:53to sequence the Neanderthal genome,
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2:53 - 2:56discover genes that gave mammoths red fur,
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2:56 - 3:01and even pinpoint where
ancient giant sharks gave birth. -
3:01 - 3:04There are about 900
natural history museums in the world, -
3:04 - 3:07and every year they make
new discoveries and insights -
3:07 - 3:11into the Earth's past, present and future.
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3:11 - 3:14Museum collections even help us
understand how modern threats, -
3:14 - 3:16such as global climate change,
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3:16 - 3:18are impacting our world.
-
3:18 - 3:20For instance,
naturalists have been collecting samples -
3:20 - 3:24for over 100 years from Walden Pond,
-
3:24 - 3:27famously immortalized
by Henry David Thoreau. -
3:27 - 3:30Thanks to those naturalists,
who count Thoreau among their number, -
3:30 - 3:33we know that the plants around Walden Pond
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3:33 - 3:38are blooming over three weeks earlier
than they did 150 years ago. -
3:38 - 3:41Because these changes
have taken place gradually, -
3:41 - 3:45one person may not have noticed them
over the span of a few decades, -
3:45 - 3:47but thanks to museum collections,
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3:47 - 3:52we have an uninterrupted record
showing how our world is changing. -
3:52 - 3:54So the next time you're exploring
a natural history museum, -
3:54 - 3:57remember that what you're seeing
is just one gem -
3:57 - 4:01of a colossal scientific treasure trove.
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4:01 - 4:05Behind those walls and under your feet
are windows into forgotten worlds. -
4:05 - 4:07And who knows?
-
4:07 - 4:12One day some future scientist may
peer through one and see you.
- Title:
- The hidden worlds within natural history museums - Joshua Drew
- Description:
-
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-hidden-worlds-within-natural-history-museums-joshua-drew
When you think of natural history museums, you might picture exhibits filled with ancient lifeless things, like dinosaurs or meteorites. But behind that educational exterior, there are hidden laboratories where scientific breakthroughs are made. Joshua Drew gives a breakdown of some of the hidden worlds within these museums.
Lesson by Joshua Drew, animation by Provincia Studio.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:27
Jessica Ruby approved English subtitles for The hidden worlds within natural history museums - Joshua Drew | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for The hidden worlds within natural history museums - Joshua Drew | ||
Jessica Ruby accepted English subtitles for The hidden worlds within natural history museums - Joshua Drew | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for The hidden worlds within natural history museums - Joshua Drew | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for The hidden worlds within natural history museums - Joshua Drew | ||
Jennifer Cody edited English subtitles for The hidden worlds within natural history museums - Joshua Drew | ||
Jennifer Cody edited English subtitles for The hidden worlds within natural history museums - Joshua Drew | ||
Jennifer Cody edited English subtitles for The hidden worlds within natural history museums - Joshua Drew |