Spectacular Specimens
A podcast for curious kids (and adults) about a collection of spectacular specimens and the stories they can tell us about life on Earth.
Join Brandi and Paige as they open drawers, cabinets, and freezers full of specimens (a.k.a: dead animals used for research) at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. In each episode, we'll unlock exciting discoveries about one of our planet’s most remarkable creatures and learn how they can help us solve the mysteries of our living world.
Spectacular Specimens is a production of KUOW, part of the NPR Network, in collaboration with the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.
Download the Spectacular Specimens Listen-Along Activity Book and complete a fun activity paired with each episode!
Get In Touch!
We’d love to hear from you! Tell us about your Big Think or send your drawings! We may give you a shout out on the show!
- Join our Spectacular Text Club: Text 'spectacular' to 206-926-9955.
- Email us! spectacular@kuow.org
Show Credits:
Hosted by Paige Browning and Brandi Fullwood. Edited by Jim Gates and Jeannie Yandel. Logo art by Makenzie Ley. Theme song composed by Emily Nokes and mixed by Erik Blood. Show music composed by Emily Nokes.
Additional production support from Matt Martin, Joanne Matsusaka, Aaron McCanna, and Katharine Canning at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.
Episodes
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Meet the beetles! These rice-sized workers clean up specimens at Seattle’s Burke Museum
Very few Burke Museum visitors realize that thousands of secret workers are helping make the museum's animal specimen collection. No, it’s not a secret organization of janitors. But this team also cleans up expertly.
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The Mysterious Twilight Zone Whale
A whale with a bird-like beak lives 3,000 feet underwater where the pressure would crush humans. When one washed ashore, scientists finally had a chance to study how this mysterious giant survives the deep-sea.
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A Spider Space Oddity!
Spiders have been floating through the air like tiny astronauts for millions of years, but scientists never knew how many until a volcano's eruption changed everything! Check out the Burke Museum's collection of a super special spider species that proved they could survive against incredible odds.
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Howl you doing? City Coyotes Tell All
Enough with the rumors! Get up-close with the specimens of the most cunning city celebrity --coyotes!! Untangle the fact from the fiction
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Hummingbirds: Swords for Sugar!?
These aren't just cutesy wootsy sugar-loving birds - they are tiny gladiators! Join us at Seattle's Burke Museum where high-speed cameras and 3D printed beaks reveal the secret combat skills of Hummingbirds.
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Performing Nightly: The Mysterious, Marvelous Bat
Bats have been the stars of the night time world for centuries. Join us as we peek behind the curtain of their nightly performance to find out some of bats’ most remarkable adaptations - from seeing with their ears to sleeping upside-down.
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A 66-Million-Year-Old Mystery
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Dermestid Beetles: The Flesh-Eating Cleanup Crew
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Sea Otters: Fierce Behind the Fluff
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Pssst! We're going inside the Museum for 'Spectacular Specimens'
