Spectacular Specimens

Dermestid Beetles: The Flesh-Eating Cleanup Crew


Listen Later

ALERT: There’s a top secret crew cleaning up the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Meet nature’s tiniest janitors - dermestid beetles! 

These incredible insects have the grossest (but coolest) job ever: they eat away all the flesh from animal specimens, leaving behind pristine bones for scientists to study. We're going through a maze of the museum to get a behind the scenes to check out thousands of these beetles.

Psssst! Get in on the fun:

  • Grab our free activity book: https://www.kuow.org/podcasts/Spectacular-Specimens

  • Text ‘spectacular’  to 206-926-9955 to join our Text Club

  • And you can share your Big Think, drawings, and thoughts with us at [email protected]

Spectacular Specimens is made possible by KUOW Public Radio in Seattle in collaboration with the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Support more episodes at https://www.kuow.org/donate/spectacularspecimens/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Spectacular SpecimensBy KUOW News and Information

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

115 ratings


More shows like Spectacular Specimens

View all
This American Life by This American Life

This American Life

90,998 Listeners

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! by NPR

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

38,825 Listeners

Pod Save America by Pod Save America

Pod Save America

87,533 Listeners

Circle Round by WBUR

Circle Round

16,158 Listeners

Ologies with Alie Ward by Alie Ward

Ologies with Alie Ward

24,565 Listeners

Greeking Out from National Geographic Kids by National Geographic Kids

Greeking Out from National Geographic Kids

18,618 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

16,129 Listeners

Dora’s Amazing Adventures by Nickelodeon

Dora’s Amazing Adventures

183 Listeners