I love how Emily is always so excited for everything, from cutting up an ant eater to musical gourds and coconut hats she always seems so amazed like she's loving every moment of what she's doing. I hope one day I have a job that I love as much as that!
If we were to put a wax seal over the corks, would that still allow for sampling/testing of the liquid inside of the container? We've also got to consider the damage (or potential damage) a permanent wax seal would have on the brittle glass. The containers themselves are also a part of the museum specimen/artifact. Just things to consider! I've got so much respect for the patience of conservationists.
Parafilm would be a very good fix that is not permanent. It creates quite a good seal and would help prevent evaporation. It is also easily removed and replaced and is not extraordinarily expensive. Not as good as wax, but maybe more practical. It takes some practice to get used to it so maybe learn on something a bit less important. :) prolabscientific.com/Parafilm-p-18615.html?xid_3551c=2925edaf73f29d528cfa2eeba0c65476
I'm not quite sure why they don't simply move to containers with plastic or metal caps, like a soda bottle. Surely that would further lessen the evaporation problem? Or is there some underlying problem I don't know of?
Jeanetta McGinley I was thinking of the same thing. And Parafilm can fit over any shape quite easily. Also, you wouldn't need to worry about contamination since parafilm is lab approved!
KnickKnackPatty Things can still evaporate through Parafilm, it's not necessarily airtight (I've had samples of solvents dissipate over the course of a month once). Also, you would have to replace the parafilm very tightly if you take a sample, which can be a problem.
Ami I think it may be pretty good for lengthening the lifespan of the use of the bottles though. Parafilm on it's own is weak in terms of protection, but it does quite well partnered with another form of covering - I've had samples with cork + parafilm going for several months with no visible change in fluid level. In this case, the cork or glass tops. A way to preserve the whole collection, containers and all. :)
If anyone in the UK wants to see something like this, Kew Gardens in London has a great economic botany collection. As well as directly plant-related stuff, they also have a really interesting collection of shellac objects that is apparently seriously in need of study.
I am amazed again and again how diverse and unexpected (for me) the collections are. I wonder how the museum keeps track of all its inventory. Is there a digital database, do you use ledgers, is it divided by departments. I mean how do you manage the logistics of storing millions of artefacts without losing any? The sheer number boggles my mind.
Silicon can be a good solution as I seals quite well thanks to friction (considering it takes very precise molds of anything) and yet, it may not cause any damage to the containers as it only strcks to itself. When silicon is sticked to something, it is just very tightly holding it, not chemically bonded like some glues can be.
I have a suggestion/wish for an episode. What about doing an episode on leaf pressing? You could show how to build a simple press and then ya'll could collect some leafs or flowers. :) I like these episodes too, where you show the collections in storage. Ms. Niezgoda seemed like a very interesting person. Thank you.
I would think the best place to look to would be the Scotch/aged-liquor industries. A lot of high-end Scotch and other aged liquors is bottled with "soft cork" that has a plastic topper. Since the bottles are actually meant to be stored upright, the cork is meant to stay longer without becoming brittle over time. The cork would only have to be replaced once every 50-80 years. The plastic topper to the cork is key because it prevents the cork from drying or moistening unevenly (which is what prevents it from becoming brittle/unstable). The overall design prevents oxidation as well. Other than that, why not a simple screw top?
I love the collection videos. LOOK AT THIS. LOOK AT THIS THING. LOOK AT THIS COOL THING. NOW THIS COOL THING. This thing is practically lost to time, and that's sad, but now we cut to THIS COOL THING.
I like when you have guests from museums. It's so cool and amazing to see people be super enthusiastic about one specific area. Like that one old guy with gemstones and this cute lady with plant stuff. Love it 😭
I'm going to have to go with the other people who suggested plastic film. Any kind of plastic film would be less permeable than cork I would think, so even if you just wrapped a layer of that over the top and secured with an elastic band that would help. It would be easily removable and should last quite some time, as long as you keep your samples away from UV radiation (which I'm assuming you do anyway).
Emily, winter is the perfect time for visiting the collections. I hope you will find ways to have other on the field/prairie/forest/mountain natural history expeditions with kids. Was great fun to watch. The best to you
I really find these videos amazing. Not only do viewers get to see the happenings at the museum, but also get to learn about more obscure topics. Every child I knew growing up wanted to be a marine biologist, but after this video I could imagine a kid going up to his mom and saying, "I want to be an economic botanist!" (Side note, I would love to see the parents reaction, wouldn't you?) I also find the people here are awesome. Where else on the internet do you find complete strangers discussing the various ways to preserve botany samples with chemical, and biological knowhow.
I love when you post a new video!!! Even though I've been watching this show since the beginning I still can't believe how big the field museum is. I'm going there this weekend and I'm so excited! Even though I can only see less than one percent of the wonders.
putting the vials in airtight container will result in the liquid evaporating and then condensing outside the original container, damaging both, removing the liquid can result in accidents and liquid loss, sealing the cork tops with an instant plastic or artificial resin so its air tight would work better.
I am absolutely amazed by the fact that all of these things have been preserved. It hadn't even occurred to me that their might be someone somewhere with the job of preserving the plants of the world anthropological links between those plants and human civilization! This is SO AWESOME!! Thanks for this episode, Emily! :D
Very cool! I love that you branched out into a different collection. I like animals and dissections and all, but this was very cool! Keep the varied and different stuff coming!
Stunning! I adore TBS's videos about these wonderful collections. We get to see some amazing stuff and the people who love and care for them. Christine seems like such a lovely person who is very passionate about the EBC
I have interned in a local history museum as the archives intern, and let me tell ya, the more contextual information you have on an object, the better. Even if you store the information in a catalog attached to the object, nothing compares to the actual information contained with the object. That is why I would argue the preservation of the bottles to be absolutely important. Without context, the liquid becomes just that: liquid. It needs to have a story to make it worth storing. How many undated and unnamed, and quite old photos have I deaccessioned from the archives just because there is no story connected to them . . .
Exactly. Why dont you take a wide mouth mason jar, fill it with polymer beads aka Poly- Pellets about an inch deep, place the viles standing up inside the jar nessled in the plastic pellets & place on lid. The material wont contaminate the specimen & can be rinsed if they become wet or soaked in the liquid in the viles. They also make Silica beads the same way you could take a look at those since they are a perservative type material that keeps out moisture.
A formfitting clamshell case that is non-porous could be placed around the whole bottle and cork preserving everything. Or could be placed in sand / fine metal filings that are packed tight.
I think it's more that Christine Niezgoda is quite small than that Emily is extremely tall. The contrast makes Emily seem taller. In some of the other Brain Scoop episodes, you can see the opposite-- Emily stands next to a taller person and looks short in comparison.
I admit got ridiculously excited when they mentioned hats made out of plants, trying to imagine what sort of strange plant-hat they had in their collection. Then I remembered that they make hats out of straw and that cotton is a plant, so I was disappointed that they would just be normal hats. Then she brought out the coconut fiber hat and it was incredibly intricate and I was really impressed by all the detail that went into it (and by the coconut).
Does it sound silly to suggest a little cling-film over the top of the corks in order to make them more air tight? (It would not risk damaging the bottles to the same extent that sellotape would...)
I was thinking something like tin foil, but cling foil would be more air tight. Covering the top is pretty obvious though, I'm sure they've considered it and that there's a reason it won't work...maybe the liquids need to breath? No idea. I wonder if we can get Emily to do an episode on everyone's suggestions and why some of our ideas might or might not work.
Material Engineer here to ruin your day! XD Cling film is good to maintain solid/liquid stuff. When a liquid evaporates and it's organic (like all those liquids) they pass through the film at a rate variable but I think the can leek a L/year! So glass/cork are better but a non-organic sealant like silicone would work but you could not open it anymore! XD
Voveve Thanks for explaining, I knew there had to be some reason they weren't doing it. :) Just reread my original comment...did I really say cling foil instead of cling film? I need more coffee, that's my only explanation.
If it came down to saving the last of a sample, Mylar bags can be vacuum packed with oxygen absorbers. Down side would be that you can't see the condition of the sample without opening it, however it would block out light that can sometimes damage samples.
so for the containers, you know how bike pumps work, how the tires have a valve that allows a needle to be inserted but still seals, could you not simple put a needle throw the porous cork, attach needle to a very airtight valve and cap, and then seal the cork and bottle except for the valve with a thin layer of nondegradable plastic? protects the brittle glass, cork, and liquid, yet still allows a method for getting samples.
Parafilm! That's your answer. Chemists use it all the time on flasks. Mostly to keep moisture out. It's basically just a plastic film that molds tightly to the applied surface while only being mildly adhesive. Look it up.
One thing that strikes me, is that collecting for this section is probably very difficult. There is so much to collect, and so little space, since its a very wide category...
Thank you so much for sharing this. I had never thought that there might be a collection of these things. It makes sense though. I would love to see a more in-depth episode or two on this.
These are all beautiful, and totally fascinating! I especially loved the herbs, spices, and teas; a weak spot for me, I guess. Also, I can't get over how cute your sweater is. :D
could you seal the entire container in a nondegradable plastic to prevent damage to the brittle glass and prevent leaks, while still thin enough for a needle to pierce the layer and cork to get samples, which can then be resealed with the plastic?
I used to work at the National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian), in the Botany Department. We had a double coconut that was used a lot during behind the scenes tours. It was affectionately called "the butt nut."
Vacuum Wrap the bottles with plastic. Its fast, easy, cheap, removable, and will lock in any moisture! In addition you could probably store many of the samples on their sides if they have been vacuum wrapped since the vacuumed plastic will hold the tops in place.
I would love to examine that old tea collection, I love tea and that's just so awesome that the Field Museum has this. (I don't usually get excited by plants, but this was awesome, as well as all the different things made by plants that we just don't think of in everyday life.) I love how well they were kept as well, so awesome. (and yay Ukelele)
there is a material used to coat and preserve decommissioned aircraft and on cars. I know its adherent and extremely stretchy! It could probably be formed around the bottle tops and down the neck a little way and would be easy enough to reseal. Think shrink wrap with glue
3 years late...... but ive recently preserved a few insects in candle jars, they have a silicon(?) seal on lid and seem fairly airtight havent had any evaporation over a number of months compared to the small glass vials with cork lids that have vespid specimens, and quickly dry out
It's an old video so hopefully some one can see this, a coat of lacquer or enamel over the cork would stop the evaporation, covering the cork just to the edges so that if a sample needs to be taken it's as simple as taking the top off and putting it back on tight
Maybe a vacuum-sealed wrapper, like what they use to wrap around things we consume today (like salad dressing). Then, if necessary, the plastic could be peeled off, and another piece sealed on later.
Maybe use simple commercial re-sealing plastic bags (like for freezing food) with a little moisturizer (cotton with pure and clean water) in the bottom to keep the bag saturated with humidity?
yayyy, you went to the herbarium!! LOVE IT! It's good to see Christine! what a wonderful collection that is. I was geeking out about the organization and how well curated it is, haha. :) (all that camera motion made me pretty dizzy and nauseous though. :-/ )
There is a noble gas gun used for wines at our shop that uses argon to keep wines fresh (its like a needle that goes through cork, removes wine and replaces it with argaon gas) I believe its called a Coravin Gun. Its like 400.00. If you injected the gas into the containers there would be less reaction as it is a "noble" gas. Just not sure how often you would have to replace the argon in the jars (as I am sure it will leak out at some point) Our wines are kept "unopen" for up to a month with this method. The company claims it will keep wine fresh for up to three months... but seriously if we cant sell 4 gasses of wine in a month... something's wrong. Just a thought, on the museum scale $ may not make it feasible...
The resin sculpture blew my mind. It reminds me of the Venus of Willendorf, except much more fragile. I can't imagine the patience required to work with that material. Seriously, why don't we do this anymore?
This. Is. So. COOL. I flipping love plants, and I'd never even heard of economic botany before this! It's too bad most people never even get to see this collection - but I'm glad this video is doing something to try to offset that. The conversation in the comments - and especially the one about conservation techniques - is also really cool. Is this sort of collection open to the public? If I'm ever able to make it to Chicago I would love to stare at it with my face.
very informative video , wow Christine is really knowledgeable ❤ it's so fascinating to learn about these topics and see the passion people have as they explain. It's so lovely to see how enjoyable it was for her to be interviewed and it is actually very interesting information! Thank you for this video Emily! you're also a great interviewer 😄
Put the corked bottles into individual larger sealable glass containers, so you can see it and open it for testing, they will take up more room though.
Make a glass container with a glass stopper that has a machine taper. These tapers (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_taper) stay in place via surface friction and should be non-permeable. Refrigeration slows the rate of evaporation. Freezing samples (where possible) would also stop any evaporation. Additionally, keeping the samples under high pressure slows the evaporation rate. And finally you could store the liquids under another, less dense liquid.
Perhaps the liquids should be absorbed into some powdery medium or freeze dried to remove the moisture and preserve the oils which can be later reconstituted for future generations. Or store them in vacuum sealed ampules the way they do with extremely volatile substances in chemistry.
Hey Brain Scoop! Could you guys sit down with more of these conservationists and just talk with them? I would love to hear the stories they have! Thanks for the well made videos :]
You could throw a wax seal on all those corks and that should help stop the evaporation. I don't know all the specifics but if you looked into wine storage there is bound to be good stuff there.
Has there been thought about creating a smaller sample of the liquids in air tight vials to be cirtain that there will be a sample available for future generations.
Even if you steal something away, can one not breach the steal, take samples, even of the seal itself, and replace it with something better? A recataloging of these liquids might provide better questions or answers and make better the preservation of said samples. Maybe alright boxes around the entire sample and container, as a sample. Loss would be limited to volume of said container and frequency of opening.
Attempt 2: This might be too simple; paint the part of the cork that's showing with acrylic paint, latex paint or something in between. I can't see the paint 'seeping' into the specimens, unless...well it would?
@TheBrainScoop or Emily - Why dont you take a wide mouth mason jar, fill it with polymer beads aka Poly- Pellets about an inch deep, place the viles standing up inside the jar nessled in the plastic pellets & place on lid. The material wont contaminate the specimen & can be rinsed if they become wet or soaked in the liquid in the viles. They also make Silica beads the same way you could take a look at those since they are a perservative type material that keeps out moisture. #TheBrainScoop #thefieldmuseum
spray the cork and part of the bottle's neck with plastic, and a thick enough layer to not let any molecules through. some plastics allow air to get through, so the selection of plastic would have to be sprayable, and isolating enough. plastic that isnt biodegradable will remain in tact as long as the bottle will be of use.
how about sealing the jars with low heat-shrink plastic film(like shrink wrap). either just the top or the whole bottle. I assume they dont sample the stuff pretty often soo you just have to cut it open when the time comes and seal it again after! :)
great episode! I was hoping that yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) would show up :P as for the conservation of liquids, you could just put the containers in other bigger glass containers, with some type of air tight neoprene (or something) seal.
Can't we design special made airtight containers to put the original containers in? So the jar with the cork in a box just slightly bigger than the jar? maybe vacum sealed if that helps? Then that should keep evaporation to a minimum and you can open the outer box to access the contents for study?
What an interesting field! I am curious to know how economic botany collections and studies will evolve in a hundred more years or so as our society uses plants in drastically different ways than the practical tools and clothes etc shown here.
Just cover the corks with parafilm. If you do that correctly it will basically be airtight. And it's easily removable at a later date if need be. Simple, cheap, and easy solution.
If they don't have to access the liquids, they can always permanently seal them like medicine ampules. There are examples of how to hand seal ampules on youtube and it doesn't look that difficult.
I don't know if this was a reaction to my request for plants, put I like it. :D Next question: Since you have stored olive oil more than 100 years old, do you have other kinds of food products stored? I realize there's a problem with rot and whatnot, but with everything you have stored it wouldn't surprise me if you also had an african dessert or something like that lying around.
I love how Emily is always so excited for everything, from cutting up an ant eater to musical gourds and coconut hats she always seems so amazed like she's loving every moment of what she's doing. I hope one day I have a job that I love as much as that!
If we were to put a wax seal over the corks, would that still allow for sampling/testing of the liquid inside of the container? We've also got to consider the damage (or potential damage) a permanent wax seal would have on the brittle glass. The containers themselves are also a part of the museum specimen/artifact. Just things to consider!
I've got so much respect for the patience of conservationists.
Parafilm would be a very good fix that is not permanent. It creates quite a good seal and would help prevent evaporation. It is also easily removed and replaced and is not extraordinarily expensive. Not as good as wax, but maybe more practical. It takes some practice to get used to it so maybe learn on something a bit less important. :)
prolabscientific.com/Parafilm-p-18615.html?xid_3551c=2925edaf73f29d528cfa2eeba0c65476
I'm not quite sure why they don't simply move to containers with plastic or metal caps, like a soda bottle. Surely that would further lessen the evaporation problem? Or is there some underlying problem I don't know of?
Jeanetta McGinley I was thinking of the same thing. And Parafilm can fit over any shape quite easily. Also, you wouldn't need to worry about contamination since parafilm is lab approved!
KnickKnackPatty Things can still evaporate through Parafilm, it's not necessarily airtight (I've had samples of solvents dissipate over the course of a month once). Also, you would have to replace the parafilm very tightly if you take a sample, which can be a problem.
Ami I think it may be pretty good for lengthening the lifespan of the use of the bottles though. Parafilm on it's own is weak in terms of protection, but it does quite well partnered with another form of covering - I've had samples with cork + parafilm going for several months with no visible change in fluid level. In this case, the cork or glass tops. A way to preserve the whole collection, containers and all. :)
Thumbs up if you wait to the last second just to hear "It still has brains on it".
If anyone in the UK wants to see something like this, Kew Gardens in London has a great economic botany collection. As well as directly plant-related stuff, they also have a really interesting collection of shellac objects that is apparently seriously in need of study.
I am amazed again and again how diverse and unexpected (for me) the collections are. I wonder how the museum keeps track of all its inventory. Is there a digital database, do you use ledgers, is it divided by departments. I mean how do you manage the logistics of storing millions of artefacts without losing any? The sheer number boggles my mind.
Silicon can be a good solution as I seals quite well thanks to friction (considering it takes very precise molds of anything) and yet, it may not cause any damage to the containers as it only strcks to itself. When silicon is sticked to something, it is just very tightly holding it, not chemically bonded like some glues can be.
I have a suggestion/wish for an episode. What about doing an episode on leaf pressing? You could show how to build a simple press and then ya'll could collect some leafs or flowers. :) I like these episodes too, where you show the collections in storage. Ms. Niezgoda seemed like a very interesting person. Thank you.
I would think the best place to look to would be the Scotch/aged-liquor industries.
A lot of high-end Scotch and other aged liquors is bottled with "soft cork" that has a plastic topper. Since the bottles are actually meant to be stored upright, the cork is meant to stay longer without becoming brittle over time. The cork would only have to be replaced once every 50-80 years.
The plastic topper to the cork is key because it prevents the cork from drying or moistening unevenly (which is what prevents it from becoming brittle/unstable). The overall design prevents oxidation as well.
Other than that, why not a simple screw top?
I love the collection videos. LOOK AT THIS. LOOK AT THIS THING. LOOK AT THIS COOL THING. NOW THIS COOL THING. This thing is practically lost to time, and that's sad, but now we cut to THIS COOL THING.
I like when you have guests from museums. It's so cool and amazing to see people be super enthusiastic about one specific area. Like that one old guy with gemstones and this cute lady with plant stuff. Love it 😭
I'm going to have to go with the other people who suggested plastic film. Any kind of plastic film would be less permeable than cork I would think, so even if you just wrapped a layer of that over the top and secured with an elastic band that would help. It would be easily removable and should last quite some time, as long as you keep your samples away from UV radiation (which I'm assuming you do anyway).
Emily, winter is the perfect time for visiting the collections.
I hope you will find ways to have other on the field/prairie/forest/mountain natural history expeditions with kids. Was great fun to watch.
The best to you
I really find these videos amazing. Not only do viewers get to see the happenings at the museum, but also get to learn about more obscure topics. Every child I knew growing up wanted to be a marine biologist, but after this video I could imagine a kid going up to his mom and saying, "I want to be an economic botanist!" (Side note, I would love to see the parents reaction, wouldn't you?) I also find the people here are awesome. Where else on the internet do you find complete strangers discussing the various ways to preserve botany samples with chemical, and biological knowhow.
I love when you post a new video!!! Even though I've been watching this show since the beginning I still can't believe how big the field museum is. I'm going there this weekend and I'm so excited! Even though I can only see less than one percent of the wonders.
putting the vials in airtight container will result in the liquid evaporating and then condensing outside the original container, damaging both, removing the liquid can result in accidents and liquid loss, sealing the cork tops with an instant plastic or artificial resin so its air tight would work better.
I am absolutely amazed by the fact that all of these things have been preserved. It hadn't even occurred to me that their might be someone somewhere with the job of preserving the plants of the world anthropological links between those plants and human civilization! This is SO AWESOME!! Thanks for this episode, Emily! :D
I love these tours of the different parts of the museum! Everyone you talk to looks so happy and excited to show off their collection :)
Very cool! I love that you branched out into a different collection. I like animals and dissections and all, but this was very cool! Keep the varied and different stuff coming!
Stunning! I adore TBS's videos about these wonderful collections. We get to see some amazing stuff and the people who love and care for them. Christine seems like such a lovely person who is very passionate about the EBC
I have interned in a local history museum as the archives intern, and let me tell ya, the more contextual information you have on an object, the better. Even if you store the information in a catalog attached to the object, nothing compares to the actual information contained with the object. That is why I would argue the preservation of the bottles to be absolutely important. Without context, the liquid becomes just that: liquid. It needs to have a story to make it worth storing.
How many undated and unnamed, and quite old photos have I deaccessioned from the archives just because there is no story connected to them . . .
Put the bottles in new larger airtight bottles. No damage to the original container and nothing will evaporate.
Exactly. Why dont you take a wide mouth mason jar, fill it with polymer beads aka Poly- Pellets about an inch deep, place the viles standing up inside the jar nessled in the plastic pellets & place on lid. The material wont contaminate the specimen & can be rinsed if they become wet or soaked in the liquid in the viles. They also make Silica beads the same way you could take a look at those since they are a perservative type material that keeps out moisture.
A formfitting clamshell case that is non-porous could be placed around the whole bottle and cork preserving everything. Or could be placed in sand / fine metal filings that are packed tight.
I LOVE listening to her talk about plants. She and the curator of gemstones are my top 2 favorite guests in your videos!
Emily are you a giant?
I'm 5'9", so not really, but I am 5" taller than the average American woman.
I think it's more that Christine Niezgoda is quite small than that Emily is extremely tall. The contrast makes Emily seem taller.
In some of the other Brain Scoop episodes, you can see the opposite-- Emily stands next to a taller person and looks short in comparison.
+thebrainscoop I'm 5'9", too! Taller than average females for the win!😂
Sounds exactly what would a giant say
Can we see more episodes from this collection? I'd love to see more!
Thats is the most cute little woman I have seen for a damm long time ! i think she mostly is made of tea and warm pillows !
she is really cute , lol :)
I admit got ridiculously excited when they mentioned hats made out of plants, trying to imagine what sort of strange plant-hat they had in their collection. Then I remembered that they make hats out of straw and that cotton is a plant, so I was disappointed that they would just be normal hats. Then she brought out the coconut fiber hat and it was incredibly intricate and I was really impressed by all the detail that went into it (and by the coconut).
Does it sound silly to suggest a little cling-film over the top of the corks in order to make them more air tight? (It would not risk damaging the bottles to the same extent that sellotape would...)
I was thinking something like tin foil, but cling foil would be more air tight. Covering the top is pretty obvious though, I'm sure they've considered it and that there's a reason it won't work...maybe the liquids need to breath? No idea. I wonder if we can get Emily to do an episode on everyone's suggestions and why some of our ideas might or might not work.
Material Engineer here to ruin your day! XD
Cling film is good to maintain solid/liquid stuff. When a liquid evaporates and it's organic (like all those liquids) they pass through the film at a rate variable but I think the can leek a L/year!
So glass/cork are better but a non-organic sealant like silicone would work but you could not open it anymore! XD
Voveve
Thanks for explaining, I knew there had to be some reason they weren't doing it. :)
Just reread my original comment...did I really say cling foil instead of cling film? I need more coffee, that's my only explanation.
If it came down to saving the last of a sample, Mylar bags can be vacuum packed with oxygen absorbers. Down side would be that you can't see the condition of the sample without opening it, however it would block out light that can sometimes damage samples.
Curators like Christine are national treasures! Don't let her go until you have her narration on everything :)
so for the containers, you know how bike pumps work, how the tires have a valve that allows a needle to be inserted but still seals, could you not simple put a needle throw the porous cork, attach needle to a very airtight valve and cap, and then seal the cork and bottle except for the valve with a thin layer of nondegradable plastic?
protects the brittle glass, cork, and liquid, yet still allows a method for getting samples.
Christine Niezgoda is my hero! Thank you Brain Scoop for being amazing and awesome
Parafilm! That's your answer. Chemists use it all the time on flasks. Mostly to keep moisture out. It's basically just a plastic film that molds tightly to the applied surface while only being mildly adhesive. Look it up.
One thing that strikes me, is that collecting for this section is probably very difficult. There is so much to collect, and so little space, since its a very wide category...
I get so incredibly happy every time I see you in my sub box!
This has got to be one of the most fascinating things I've seen in a while. And coming in, I didn't think it would be.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I had never thought that there might be a collection of these things. It makes sense though. I would love to see a more in-depth episode or two on this.
The sheer amount of stuff the Field Museum has laying around is just mind boggling! I have to come visit soon I haven't been there in years.
These are all beautiful, and totally fascinating! I especially loved the herbs, spices, and teas; a weak spot for me, I guess. Also, I can't get over how cute your sweater is. :D
could you seal the entire container in a nondegradable plastic to prevent damage to the brittle glass and prevent leaks, while still thin enough for a needle to pierce the layer and cork to get samples, which can then be resealed with the plastic?
I used to work at the National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian), in the Botany Department. We had a double coconut that was used a lot during behind the scenes tours. It was affectionately called "the butt nut."
Oh my goodness if I was able to be where you are I would never leave. There is sooooooo much to see and learn.
Wow, very informative, and the small lady presenting all the stuff was just adorable! thanks
wow, LOVED the craftsmanship in that hat!
Vacuum Wrap the bottles with plastic. Its fast, easy, cheap, removable, and will lock in any moisture! In addition you could probably store many of the samples on their sides if they have been vacuum wrapped since the vacuumed plastic will hold the tops in place.
I would love to examine that old tea collection, I love tea and that's just so awesome that the Field Museum has this. (I don't usually get excited by plants, but this was awesome, as well as all the different things made by plants that we just don't think of in everyday life.) I love how well they were kept as well, so awesome. (and yay Ukelele)
Quite simple to prevent evaporation: put it in sealed glass ampoules. And ideally store it under inert atmosphere to prevent oxidation.
there is a material used to coat and preserve decommissioned aircraft and on cars. I know its adherent and extremely stretchy! It could probably be formed around the bottle tops and down the neck a little way and would be easy enough to reseal. Think shrink wrap with glue
3 years late...... but ive recently preserved a few insects in candle jars, they have a silicon(?) seal on lid and seem fairly airtight havent had any evaporation over a number of months compared to the small glass vials with cork lids that have vespid specimens, and quickly dry out
It's an old video so hopefully some one can see this, a coat of lacquer or enamel over the cork would stop the evaporation, covering the cork just to the edges so that if a sample needs to be taken it's as simple as taking the top off and putting it back on tight
Man, this is the best channel.
The height difference between you two makes this video particularly entertaining.
Maybe a vacuum-sealed wrapper, like what they use to wrap around things we consume today (like salad dressing). Then, if necessary, the plastic could be peeled off, and another piece sealed on later.
Maybe use simple commercial re-sealing plastic bags (like for freezing food) with a little moisturizer (cotton with pure and clean water) in the bottom to keep the bag saturated with humidity?
yayyy, you went to the herbarium!! LOVE IT! It's good to see Christine! what a wonderful collection that is. I was geeking out about the organization and how well curated it is, haha. :) (all that camera motion made me pretty dizzy and nauseous though. :-/ )
There is a noble gas gun used for wines at our shop that uses argon to keep wines fresh (its like a needle that goes through cork, removes wine and replaces it with argaon gas) I believe its called a Coravin Gun. Its like 400.00. If you injected the gas into the containers there would be less reaction as it is a "noble" gas. Just not sure how often you would have to replace the argon in the jars (as I am sure it will leak out at some point) Our wines are kept "unopen" for up to a month with this method. The company claims it will keep wine fresh for up to three months... but seriously if we cant sell 4 gasses of wine in a month... something's wrong. Just a thought, on the museum scale $ may not make it feasible...
So cool. I didn't even know this field existed!
The resin sculpture blew my mind. It reminds me of the Venus of Willendorf, except much more fragile. I can't imagine the patience required to work with that material. Seriously, why don't we do this anymore?
The rubber was so interesting. I'd heard of rubber trees, but I guess I never really understood how exactly the processed worked.
I just saw the largest seed in the world! I love learning new things! Amazing stuff. Keep up the great work.
This. Is. So. COOL. I flipping love plants, and I'd never even heard of economic botany before this! It's too bad most people never even get to see this collection - but I'm glad this video is doing something to try to offset that. The conversation in the comments - and especially the one about conservation techniques - is also really cool. Is this sort of collection open to the public? If I'm ever able to make it to Chicago I would love to stare at it with my face.
"Here we have tea! How much more botanical can you get?"
Oh, don't you worry. I can get more... "botanical" than that ;)
*****
Cannabis
very informative video , wow Christine is really knowledgeable ❤ it's so fascinating to learn about these topics and see the passion people have as they explain. It's so lovely to see how enjoyable it was for her to be interviewed and it is actually very interesting information! Thank you for this video Emily! you're also a great interviewer 😄
Put the corked bottles into individual larger sealable glass containers, so you can see it and open it for testing, they will take up more room though.
Could wax not be used to seal the tops and the cork all in one?
Make a glass container with a glass stopper that has a machine taper. These tapers (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_taper) stay in place via surface friction and should be non-permeable. Refrigeration slows the rate of evaporation. Freezing samples (where possible) would also stop any evaporation. Additionally, keeping the samples under high pressure slows the evaporation rate. And finally you could store the liquids under another, less dense liquid.
I got really excited about the tea collection and the German parsley.
Perhaps the liquids should be absorbed into some powdery medium or freeze dried to remove the moisture and preserve the oils which can be later reconstituted for future generations. Or store them in vacuum sealed ampules the way they do with extremely volatile substances in chemistry.
Hey Brain Scoop!
Could you guys sit down with more of these conservationists and just talk with them? I would love to hear the stories they have!
Thanks for the well made videos :]
You could throw a wax seal on all those corks and that should help stop the evaporation. I don't know all the specifics but if you looked into wine storage there is bound to be good stuff there.
Has there been thought about creating a smaller sample of the liquids in air tight vials to be cirtain that there will be a sample available for future generations.
Even if you steal something away, can one not breach the steal, take samples, even of the seal itself, and replace it with something better? A recataloging of these liquids might provide better questions or answers and make better the preservation of said samples. Maybe alright boxes around the entire sample and container, as a sample. Loss would be limited to volume of said container and frequency of opening.
Attempt 2: This might be too simple; paint the part of the cork that's showing with acrylic paint, latex paint or something in between. I can't see the paint 'seeping' into the specimens, unless...well it would?
about the shoe part, in the Netherlands we have wooden shoes just carved logs we where and they have forms
@TheBrainScoop or Emily - Why dont you take a wide mouth mason jar, fill it with polymer beads aka Poly- Pellets about an inch deep, place the viles standing up inside the jar nessled in the plastic pellets & place on lid. The material wont contaminate the specimen & can be rinsed if they become wet or soaked in the liquid in the viles. They also make Silica beads the same way you could take a look at those since they are a perservative type material that keeps out moisture.
#TheBrainScoop #thefieldmuseum
Really enjoyed this episode. I never thought about ALL that stuff that comes from plants... I mean WOW. All that stuff was really cool.
Can't you just use a few layers of plastic wrap sealed around it? Then it would be easy to take off when necessary.
I still can't get past the $5-10 box, that's unbelievable.
spray the cork and part of the bottle's neck with plastic, and a thick enough layer to not let any molecules through. some plastics allow air to get through, so the selection of plastic would have to be sprayable, and isolating enough.
plastic that isnt biodegradable will remain in tact as long as the bottle will be of use.
how about sealing the jars with low heat-shrink plastic film(like shrink wrap). either just the top or the whole bottle. I assume they dont sample the stuff pretty often soo you just have to cut it open when the time comes and seal it again after! :)
great episode! I was hoping that yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) would show up :P
as for the conservation of liquids, you could just put the containers in other bigger glass containers, with some type of air tight neoprene (or something) seal.
for half a second i was like "a ukulele made out of plants? awesome!"
realising, that wood is from a plant i felt quite stupid^^
How about rubber stoppers?
Cork allows them to evaporate because they are porous, but rubber stoppers- shaped much the same way a cork, are solid.
Can't we design special made airtight containers to put the original containers in? So the jar with the cork in a box just slightly bigger than the jar? maybe vacum sealed if that helps? Then that should keep evaporation to a minimum and you can open the outer box to access the contents for study?
This is awesome!! What would be even more awesome is a Brain scoop all about fungi!
oh no it's 2:00 AM and I was about to go to sleep!
* watches anyway*
cap them all with water balloons, then when it evaporates, it fills the balloon & you can tip it back into the bottle
What an interesting field! I am curious to know how economic botany collections and studies will evolve in a hundred more years or so as our society uses plants in drastically different ways than the practical tools and clothes etc shown here.
Fascinating - simply fascinating.
Could you put a wax seal over the whole cork? That way you wouldn't have to remove the cork and risk losing more fluid?
Another solid episode.
Emily I really love your sweater!
sorry, just had to say that.
Sweaters like that always remind me of The Big Lebowski.
Put parafilm over the corks. Easy to remove and replace and much more water sealed
Just cover the corks with parafilm. If you do that correctly it will basically be airtight. And it's easily removable at a later date if need be.
Simple, cheap, and easy solution.
yeah, looks like somebody else already made the same points. Great minds and all...
To prevent the evaporating how about dripping wax on top of the cork top to seal it? Only on the cork and top of the glass area.
you could seal over the corks with wax! maybe that would help!
If they don't have to access the liquids, they can always permanently seal them like medicine ampules. There are examples of how to hand seal ampules on youtube and it doesn't look that difficult.
I would totes see a gourd concert at The Field.
Oh, the lovely potions and tinctures I could make with that collection as a resource. Squeeee!
I don't know if this was a reaction to my request for plants, put I like it. :D
Next question: Since you have stored olive oil more than 100 years old, do you have other kinds of food products stored? I realize there's a problem with rot and whatnot, but with everything you have stored it wouldn't surprise me if you also had an african dessert or something like that lying around.