Night at the Natural History Museum

What happens behind the exhibits at a natural history museum? At Te Papa Tongarewa, the Museum of New Zealand, millions of specimens form a scientific record stretching across species, ecosystems, and generations. In this episode of Green Frequency, Clark is joined by deep-sea researcher and curator of fishes Dr. Thom Linley to explore what those collections are actually for.We find out why researchers sometimes need to borrow a shark, how curators decide what to preserve for scientists a hundred years from now, and how technologies like micro-CT scanning, hyperspectral imaging, and machine learning are changing what we can learn from specimens collected decades ago. Along the way, we encounter snailfish, bioluminescence, colossal squid, the world's friendliest "meat library," and a much bigger question: what does it mean for a museum to preserve the memory of a changing natural world?Episode Guest: Dr. Thom Linley Listen to the Deep Sea PodcastAnd Dr. Linley’s episode on Oceanography, What is the Deep Sea Even Like?Visit the Te Papa Tongewera Museum website Review Dr. Linley’s publications on Google ScholarExplore the Pine Forest Media digital ecosystem on our websiteFollow us on Social Media @pineforestmediaCover Art by Laurel WongTheme music by Nela RuizFind some more Pine Forest Media podcasts belowListen to Oceanography on Spotify or Apple PodcastsListen to Plastic Podcast on Spotify or Apple PodcastsListen to South Pole on Spotify or Apple PodcastsListen to Something in the Water on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.