Welcome to an exciting journey through the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, located in the beautiful city of Denver, Colorado. This museum is not just a place with amazing exhibits; it’s a treasure trove of knowledge and discovery that has been a part of Colorado’s history for over 117 years. Let’s dive into what makes this museum so special!
The museum is packed with fascinating exhibits. You’ll find everything you’d expect in a natural history museum, like collections in zoology, anthropology, and earth sciences. There are incredible displays of vertebrate and plant fossils, as well as stunning minerals. For those who love gems, there’s an exhibition that looks like an underground mine, and you can even see a stomping T-rex!
One of the most unique features of the museum is its health sciences collection. This part of the museum focuses on humans as a significant part of the natural world. Here, you can learn about genetics and what it means to be human, from our bodies down to our DNA.
Dr. Nicole Garneau is the curator of health sciences at the museum. She explains that studying human biology helps us understand ourselves better, not just in terms of health, but in understanding our place in the natural world. The collection includes everything from full human bodies to specimens that show how different systems in our bodies work together.
The museum uses a process called plastination to preserve real human specimens. This process replaces water in the tissues with plastic, allowing the specimens to last for generations. Visitors can see and even touch these specimens (with gloves, of course!) to learn about the human body in a very real way.
The museum also dives deep into the microscopic world. They have slices of tissue that show both normal and abnormal cells, helping us understand what happens when things go wrong at the cellular level. Even more fascinating, they have a collection of DNA samples from visitors who participate in their research.
Visitors can contribute to the museum’s research by providing a cheek swab for DNA analysis. This helps scientists study how tiny changes in our DNA can affect things like taste. Participants get to be part of a study that aims to find the genes responsible for tasting sour flavors.
By participating in the museum’s research, visitors become part of the museum’s permanent collection. It’s a fun and educational way to contribute to science and learn more about human biology. So, if you ever visit the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, don’t miss the chance to be a part of this exciting journey!
Thanks for joining us on this adventure through the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Whether you’re interested in dinosaurs, gems, or the mysteries of human biology, there’s something here for everyone to explore and enjoy!
Imagine you are a curator at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Create a mini-exhibit on a topic of your choice, such as dinosaurs, gems, or human biology. Use drawings, models, or digital presentations to showcase your exhibit. Share your creation with the class and explain why you chose this topic.
Participate in a virtual fossil dig simulation. Use online resources to uncover and identify different fossils. Document your findings and present a short report on the types of fossils you discovered and what they tell us about Earth’s history.
Learn about DNA and genetics by solving a mystery. Use a simple DNA extraction kit to extract DNA from a fruit, and then explore how DNA is used in real-world applications, such as solving crimes or understanding genetic traits. Discuss your findings with your classmates.
Participate in a relay race where each team member represents a different human body system (e.g., circulatory, respiratory, digestive). Create a short presentation or skit explaining how your system works and its importance to the human body. Work together to show how all systems are interconnected.
Use a microscope to examine slides of different cells and tissues. Draw what you see and compare normal and abnormal cells. Discuss how changes at the cellular level can impact overall health and what you learned about the microscopic world.
This episode is brought to you by a collaboration between the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois. We’re going on a road trip! We made it to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in beautiful Denver, Colorado. This place has mountains, splash pads, a stunning bear sculpture, and an amazing museum that has been a fixture of Colorado and Denver for over 117 years. I’ve heard they have incredible research and collections work, so let’s check it out!
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science has a lot of what you would expect in a natural history museum, including zoology, anthropology, earth sciences collections with vertebrate and plant fossils, and minerals. On the public side, they have a gem exhibition that mimics an underground mine, beautiful dioramas, an exhibition on space, and a stomping T-rex.
However, the museum also has something unique that I’ve never seen in a natural history museum: a health sciences collection with an exhibition about genetics where humans are the scientific focus. It makes sense—humans are a significant part of the natural world, so it’s understandable that we would study ourselves in the same way we study other organisms and communities around the planet.
Dr. Nicole Garneau is the museum’s curator of health sciences, and we stopped by to learn more about this unique collection and participate in her research.
Emily: So Nicole, we are in a collection that is nothing like what we have at the Field Museum. Where are we?
Nicole: We’re in the health sciences collection at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
Emily: Okay.
Nicole: Going along with the theme that humans are part of the tree of life, it’s important for us to study our own biology—not necessarily in the human health sense, but to understand what it means to be human, from body to system to tissue to cell to DNA.
Emily: What are some of the things you have in this collection? I’m really excited to see.
Nicole: Let’s go! We start off with an educational collection that includes everything from full human bodies to specimens that allow us to see systems working together.
Emily: Wait, what? You have an arm?
Nicole: Yes, we do! All of our specimens have donor intent.
Emily: Can I give you my arm?
Nicole: You would need to go through a proper donation process, but yes, absolutely!
Nicole: This is a great way to teach people because it makes something that can feel abstract very personally relevant and sparks curiosity about how our bodies work.
Emily: How is this prepared? I haven’t seen anything like this in a museum.
Nicole: Right, anyone who works in a wet collection typically uses formaldehyde or alcohol, which still allows for some decay. Plastination eliminates that because anywhere there was water is now plastic. You have something that can be used for generations for educational purposes.
Emily: It looks like a plastic model.
Nicole: It is real.
Emily: I kind of want to touch it.
Nicole: Go ahead, just put on a glove.
Emily: Eugh.
Nicole: That’s what you want because you want something that won’t degrade over time.
Emily: But this isn’t the only thing you have?
Nicole: No, let’s dive deeper.
Nicole: This is looking directly into the body, like an x-ray, but this is real tissue.
Emily: They kind of look like pizzas.
Nicole: Yes, these are different slices of the body. The preparation involves freezing the bodies, and then slicing them for educational purposes.
Emily: Oh my gosh! It’s like my hand.
Nicole: If I put this on top, it would be a great match for you.
Emily: How is this information being used?
Nicole: We use these specimens mostly for education, incorporating them into programming about the human body for all ages, from young children to high school students. We also work closely with communities interested in anatomy, helping them understand and access research.
Emily: And you have even smaller things?
Nicole: Yes!
Nicole: At this level, we’re diving into tissues and cells. These are slices of tissue, and we have normal histology as well as pathology, which helps us understand what happens when things go wrong at the cellular level.
Emily: And you have another collection that is even smaller than the cellular level?
Nicole: Yes!
Nicole: We have thousands of small tubes that contain pure DNA. When people come to my lab, they do a cheek swab to collect their cheek cells. We extract the DNA for study.
Emily: So, you’re allowing museum visitors to contribute their DNA to this greater understanding of human biology?
Nicole: Yes, this represents a person who visited our lab and is now part of our research collection.
Emily: Can I be a part of the museum collection?
Nicole: We would love for you to be a part of it! The goal of our study is to find the gene or genes for sour taste by comparing taste data to DNA data.
Emily: I’m excited!
Nicole: Great!
Nicole: We’ve done the informed consent, and now we’re going to start the taste test.
Emily: Oh boy!
Nicole: Grab your nose clips and do the sniff test.
Emily: *sniffs* I can’t breathe!
Nicole: That’s perfect!
Nicole: We want to study just taste, so we’re removing smell and visual cues. You’ll take the solution marked L, swish it around for five seconds, spit it out, and mark how intense the sour is.
Emily: Okay. That was pretty weak.
Nicole: Now, rate how much you liked that solution.
Emily: I slightly liked it because I enjoy citrusy things.
Nicole: Perfect! Now, rinse your palate with some water, and we’ll move on to the next sample.
Emily: What is my race? I am very white. Next. Am I a member of the museum? Not currently.
Nicole: We’ll work on that!
Emily: *laughs*
Nicole: Now, let’s go to sample E.
Emily: Okay.
Nicole: The reason we have it randomized is so you don’t know which is which, and I don’t know either.
Emily: Is this malic acid? I don’t know what that is. That was a little more sour.
Nicole: Great!
Emily: That was tart.
Nicole: Good!
Emily: I slightly liked that.
Nicole: That’s fine!
Emily: My mouth is very dry now.
Nicole: Let’s do the DNA sample.
Emily: Woo!
Nicole: We’re going to collect cheek cells.
Emily: So, my name is not going to be attached to this sample?
Nicole: No, you will have a visitor ID number.
Nicole: Your DNA is like a cookbook for your body. Just like a recipe can change how a dish turns out, tiny changes in DNA can affect how we experience taste.
Emily: I did it!
Nicole: You did it! We’ll extract the DNA, and it will become part of our human biology collection.
Emily: Yay!
Nicole: Now, let’s move on to the last taste test.
Emily: Okay!
Nicole: Not going to lie, that was a little disappointing in terms of flavor explosion.
Emily: I was expecting more!
Nicole: Everyone’s experience is different, which is great for research.
Emily: I’m going to say I slightly liked that.
Nicole: You can take off your nose clips now.
Nicole: Since you’re part of our study, we have a board where you can see how you fit in with others’ taste preferences.
Emily: Cool!
Nicole: Thanks for participating!
Emily: I’m part of science!
Nicole: You are part of science and the museum’s permanent research collection!
Emily: Yes!
Biology – The study of living organisms and their interactions with one another and their environments. – In biology class, we learned about the different ecosystems and how animals and plants interact within them.
Genetics – The branch of biology that deals with heredity and the variation of organisms. – Our genetics lesson explained how traits are passed down from parents to offspring through genes.
DNA – The molecule that carries the genetic instructions used in the growth, development, functioning, and reproduction of all known living organisms. – Scientists can analyze DNA to understand the genetic makeup of an organism.
Specimens – Samples of a substance or material used for scientific study and analysis. – The biologist collected specimens from the pond to study the different types of algae present.
Cells – The basic structural, functional, and biological units of all living organisms. – We used a microscope to observe the cells of an onion skin in our science lab.
Fossils – The preserved remains or traces of organisms that lived in the past. – Fossils help scientists understand what life was like on Earth millions of years ago.
Zoology – The scientific study of animals, including their biology, behavior, and habitats. – In zoology, we learned about the different adaptations animals have to survive in their environments.
Anthropology – The study of humans, past and present, focusing on cultural, social, and physical development. – Anthropology helps us understand how ancient civilizations lived and interacted with their environments.
Research – The systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources to establish facts and reach new conclusions. – Our science project required us to conduct research on renewable energy sources.
Museum – A building or institution that houses and cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, or historical importance. – We visited the natural history museum to see the dinosaur fossils and learn about prehistoric life.
