When I was younger, I was incredibly interested in fossils and all of these videos are bringing back the same fascination I had with them. Thank you so much for sharing them with us
Science tends to do that. I remember a biology textbook that had a diagram showing how to extract DNA and, apparently, a homogenizer is a just sciency word for a blender.
I used to wonder how you're not massively nervous every time you go to a new lab and use equipment you've never used before but now after my first week working in a lab I totally get your excitement: the first attempt with any technique or equipment is a bit shaky but every time I'm introduced to something new it's fascinating and I just want to try it out. Keep doing the stuff you enjoy and DFTBA!
We use a lot of redundancies in those instances; things that are not as much of a major loss if, in the unlikely event that I massively screw up a specimen, it won't compromise the collection or research. In this case, the fish I was working on is the most common found in the quarry and we literally have thousands. Still... I totally blew off a few scales and that one definitely isn't going to end up on display any time soon... but I did an alright job. :)
I always assumed there was a lot of work that went into recovering fossils, but this series really gave me a new appreciation of the hard work and dedication that so many people have to put into it. Amazing!
It's so great that you get to experience this huge broad range of things that happen behind the scenes at the museum, and WE get to see it all. :) So thank you!!!
They actually make toys where a plastic fossil is encased in compacted sand and you get a little wooden chisel and a brush. It slow work, but oddly fun and soothing. So watching this done for real for fun. :)
It's this horrible itch we want to scratch; there are literally thousands if not millions of things we want to talk about on this channel, and right now we're limited by time, resources, and a duty to our scientists to diversify our subject matter. Soon we'll be able to strike that fine balance of variable content and supplement it with more consistent preparation lab adventures - but that time is not yet here. So, stay tuned. :)
There is such a thing, check out Leica or Mitutoyo if you're interested in looking some up, but they are not cheap, so you would have to use them regularly to justify the cost of it.
keithcessna1 (not all specimens disclaimer here) I thought the reason this wouldn't work is cool so here: the fish they are working on (and a lot of fish in general) are fish bones made of carbonate as is the matrix. I believe they are slightly different because there's magnesium and phosphate in the bones but that's a class I took several years ago. The similarity means that it's hard to dissolve the matrix without dissolving the fish.
This brings back memories of a toy my cool uncle got me as a kid. You had to uncover a Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil from something resembling dry clay. I had a lot of fun scratching and brushing away the clay to expose the "fossil".
They still sell those in bookstores- they come in little kits usually by the registers. They come with a fossil bed full of compressed clay (i think?) and a buried skeleton of a dinosaur or bird (I had a pterosaur!) and you carefully dig it out and the book that comes with it tells you all about fossilization and dinosaurs and stuff.
Love tools and what uses they have. It's especially useful to learn the proper names so you don't look like a complete noob. Compressed air is awesome.
One of my odd jobs in college was working in a geology lab. I picked out microscopic fossils from deep sea core samples so that scientists could analyze their chemical composition and infer the environmental conditions in which these creatures had lived. Staring into the microscope for hours and using fine instruments for hours on end is actually pretty strenuous on the eyes and hands.
Enjoy this video I made while working with Fossil Butte National Monument, which showcases the green river formation, and see how we prepared our fossils: www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=FFB262AD-155D-451F-67CD5BFB722FF50E
If it's not too much to ask, can you please make more skinning or dissection videos. I know they take a long time and you guys probably have a few videos saved up and you're busy at the Field Museum.
I'm just starting to prep fossils at home. I have the hand tools, and a microscope. What type of air compressor would be good for home use to use with the Microjack? Also, can you provide more info as to the equipment necessary for a home air abrasion system? Thanks so much!
The thought of doing this has always terrified me. It's all just rock, and I'd be scraping away much of the fossil while leaving much of the matrix unscraped, and the end result would bear little resemblance with what the specimen actually once was.
When I visited Fossile Butte in Wyoming, I saw them preparing a fossil using some sort of robotic machine that sensed where the fossil was and automatically removed the surrounding rock. Any idea of what sort of machine that might be?
My father told me that the things that don't change over time don't change because they are already being done the most efficient way possible, and making it more complicated won't make it any better or faster. Like putting on your socks.
It reminds of how dentists clean your teeth ) I also remember reading about archeology, and the author says, they often use used dentist tools, they are the best.
Love the episode as always! If I may make one suggestion: the classical music is perhaps not very appealing to the target audience of young people who you're trying to get interested in the museum and the show. I realise there can be copyright issues with using more recent music, but honestly classical music can turn younger folk like myself (and even younger people who are still in school; a large part of your target audience, I assume) right off. I love everything the Brain Scoop does but I think updating the music choices would be advantageous! :)
I would say that the music is designed to be lighthearted because the show is modern and modest, which classical (IMO) is not known for. It's a kind of like a little joke. And if you find classical music off putting, then there is likely an unawareness of where modern music originates from. I know this comment is a few months late. ...sorry!
JeremiahTatola True, but it's got to be hard to find that right balance. Wanting to educate, but wanting to be entertaining and consistent so more can be educated. (I'm secretly hoping for a lot more videos too though haha)
Josh Fletcher This is a professional channel. They should be consistent with putting out videos. If a t.v. show didn't premiere when it was supposed to people would flip.
JeremiahTatola I thought there wasn't a schedule, but I was wrong. The About section says "New episodes every other Wednesday!" So might as well calm our storms cause that's all we're gettin'.
I know your comment is not as horrible as the examples that Emily shared in her video "where my ladies at?" But it still falls under the categories of sexist and demeaning. Babies and kittens are adorable. If they were men acting the same way, i doubt adorable would be used to describe them. It's the content they want to share with you, not how they look.
Dawn Olmsted In my mind adorableness has nothing to do with appearance in this case . These women are really nice people who clearly enjoy their work. And I adore them. Adoration is synonymous with love. Sorry if it came across as demeaning.
Dawn Olmsted en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoration "respect, reverence, strong admiration or devotion in a certain person, place, or thing. The term comes from the Latin adōrātiō, meaning "to give homage or worship to someone or something"."
Dawn Olmsted Have you ever read women's comments on the physicist Prof. Brian Cox? My point being that both men and women do comment on the others' appearance and perceived personality (e.g.adorable), and that this is not necessarily demeaning nor a sign of disrespect for someone's professional ability if done in a positive way. Obviously, the comment above should probably not be the first thing to say when actually meeting a scientist, but I think it is equally counterproductive to an anti-sexism agenda if we are not able to differentiate between intentions behind what is being said (e.g. hateful vs harmless) and instead push the outrage-button at every opportunity.
To sum up what Emily usually answers to these types of questions: educate yourself about relevant stuff (either by getting a college degree or by self-study), and volunteer or intern at museums to get your foot in the door, then work your way up from there.
I have a question for you Emily, totally unrelated to this video (sorry!). Is there a mammal in existence that has a naturally external penis glans? ie. no naturally occurring foreskin or retractable penis? A glans that is permanently and naturally exposed? Thanks!
Hello! Very nice video. Just to say, whilst this is certainly interesting, I don't find it as gripping as the animal prep videos, to which I have a very visceral (eh? EH?) reaction, and I would love to see more of them. I know it takes a lot of work to make the videos, and I appreciate all of them, just hoping that this feedback helps in some way? Thanks!
When I was younger, I was incredibly interested in fossils and all of these videos are bringing back the same fascination I had with them. Thank you so much for sharing them with us
lol her "HA HA" at Emily's pun. I had to replay it.
Man this is really cool. I never realized just how much work was put into preparing these things... So neat...
Scraping off the matrix sounds so much cooler than scraping off the dirt. :)
Science tends to do that. I remember a biology textbook that had a diagram showing how to extract DNA and, apparently, a homogenizer is a just sciency word for a blender.
I used to wonder how you're not massively nervous every time you go to a new lab and use equipment you've never used before but now after my first week working in a lab I totally get your excitement: the first attempt with any technique or equipment is a bit shaky but every time I'm introduced to something new it's fascinating and I just want to try it out. Keep doing the stuff you enjoy and DFTBA!
We use a lot of redundancies in those instances; things that are not as much of a major loss if, in the unlikely event that I massively screw up a specimen, it won't compromise the collection or research. In this case, the fish I was working on is the most common found in the quarry and we literally have thousands.
Still... I totally blew off a few scales and that one definitely isn't going to end up on display any time soon... but I did an alright job. :)
I always assumed there was a lot of work that went into recovering fossils, but this series really gave me a new appreciation of the hard work and dedication that so many people have to put into it. Amazing!
This makes me happy. A giggly type of happy. Thank you Emily!
It seems to me that this kind of work would be really satisfying!
It's so great that you get to experience this huge broad range of things that happen behind the scenes at the museum, and WE get to see it all. :) So thank you!!!
Really cool to see some behind the scenes stuff that most will never see when they go to a museum.
reminds me of the joy of cleaning stone tools from a dig....collecting seeds from the wet sieve much less enjoyable, particularly in winter
Akiko is so cute! I'd love to see her come back on a future episode.
i love how they were both so awkward i feel like i belong here...
Yeah
This might be my favorite series yet!
They actually make toys where a plastic fossil is encased in compacted sand and you get a little wooden chisel and a brush. It slow work, but oddly fun and soothing. So watching this done for real for fun. :)
I kind of wish there was a microscope camera to show what was happening...
Me, too.
Next time, perhaps!
Would be cool, but kinda hard to do if your microscope isn't set up for it.
It's this horrible itch we want to scratch; there are literally thousands if not millions of things we want to talk about on this channel, and right now we're limited by time, resources, and a duty to our scientists to diversify our subject matter. Soon we'll be able to strike that fine balance of variable content and supplement it with more consistent preparation lab adventures - but that time is not yet here. So, stay tuned. :)
There is such a thing, check out Leica or Mitutoyo if you're interested in looking some up, but they are not cheap, so you would have to use them regularly to justify the cost of it.
I was thinking that seemed like a very relaxing job… until I heard the air scribe.
How on earth can you use that air scribe without protective ear wear?
It might not be *that* loud. Just annoying.
I think they only did it like that for the show, because there was a pair of Ear Muffs hanging by the table :)
I was actually looking for ear protection, and didn't see it. If you caught some, good eye :)
you such a woos!
I believe you mean "wuss", and if not wanting long term hearing damage makes me a wuss, guess I'm a wuss :)
She’s such a pro! Do more fossil preparation videos!
Very informative... good science content, not dumbed down... hope there will be more of them. :)
I know how to update the technique. Lasers. Lasers make everything modern.
laser ablation .. I suppose that could work. a non-contact version of the air scribe.
I was thinking of chemicals, but I guess every specimen could react differently.
...on sharks!!!
keithcessna1 (not all specimens disclaimer here) I thought the reason this wouldn't work is cool so here: the fish they are working on (and a lot of fish in general) are fish bones made of carbonate as is the matrix. I believe they are slightly different because there's magnesium and phosphate in the bones but that's a class I took several years ago. The similarity means that it's hard to dissolve the matrix without dissolving the fish.
A fish tail braid! I see what you did there.
TheLimting ;)
I just moved to Chicago and I cannot wait to take my son to the field museum.
Teamwork! Good job, Fossil Moses, set those fishies free!
This brings back memories of a toy my cool uncle got me as a kid. You had to uncover a Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil from something resembling dry clay. I had a lot of fun scratching and brushing away the clay to expose the "fossil".
They still sell those in bookstores- they come in little kits usually by the registers. They come with a fossil bed full of compressed clay (i think?) and a buried skeleton of a dinosaur or bird (I had a pterosaur!) and you carefully dig it out and the book that comes with it tells you all about fossilization and dinosaurs and stuff.
Fantastic stuff, Emily!
So excited that you are on CrashCourse now! ahhh :DD
Maybe I missed the explanation, but "preparing" the fossil means uncovering it from thin layers of rock that are on top of it? Is that right?
I can't stop laughing at the sound the air scribe makes. It sounds like a cartoon character screaming.
Sandblasting a coprolite? That's like when Mythbusters were polishing a turd. :)
Love tools and what uses they have. It's especially useful to learn the proper names so you don't look like a complete noob. Compressed air is awesome.
0:31 I have a Leica just like that one!
One of my odd jobs in college was working in a geology lab. I picked out microscopic fossils from deep sea core samples so that scientists could analyze their chemical composition and infer the environmental conditions in which these creatures had lived. Staring into the microscope for hours and using fine instruments for hours on end is actually pretty strenuous on the eyes and hands.
That just looks like so much fun! I am hoping that the air scribe just sounded louder because of the microphone. . . That is a really shrill noise.
Do you have plans to do any mammal preparation videos soon? I love all Brain Scoop videos, but I miss the dissections!
The microscope you use in this episode seems to be the child of Wall-E and EVE
That's exactly what I was thinking!
Wow, such patience! I could never do that!
And here's one I prepared 50,000 years earlier...
Oh Emily.. you know how to really PICK your jokes! Great Job!!
Enjoy this video I made while working with Fossil Butte National Monument, which showcases the green river formation, and see how we prepared our fossils: www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=FFB262AD-155D-451F-67CD5BFB722FF50E
I think I find The Brain Scoop so enrapturing because Emily is so genuinely fascinated by just everything.
If it's not too much to ask, can you please make more skinning or dissection videos. I know they take a long time and you guys probably have a few videos saved up and you're busy at the Field Museum.
I'm just starting to prep fossils at home. I have the hand tools, and a microscope. What type of air compressor would be good for home use to use with the Microjack? Also, can you provide more info as to the equipment necessary for a home air abrasion system? Thanks so much!
I like your enthusiasm! Now I want to sandblast a fossil.
llamas are nature's greatest warriors
Those facial expressions are great.
thx for this awesomely ha bisky vid i loved this so much and that oddly looked like fun
wow that was cool. thank! great job!
The air scribe sounds just like a balloon when you squeeze a little air out through a tiny hole!
Reminds me of my medical device manufacturing days; lots of time staring into microscopes operating air tools.
What's the music at 0:19 called?
Could you show us a before and after picture of what a fossil looks like before and after preparation?
I would have really appreciated before and after shots of the fossil where you can see how little is removed after all the work.
The thought of doing this has always terrified me. It's all just rock, and I'd be scraping away much of the fossil while leaving much of the matrix unscraped, and the end result would bear little resemblance with what the specimen actually once was.
Wow, everything is miniaturized!
This seems like the kind of job that would drive me totally insane.
When I visited Fossile Butte in Wyoming, I saw them preparing a fossil using some sort of robotic machine that sensed where the fossil was and automatically removed the surrounding rock. Any idea of what sort of machine that might be?
That looks like such a soothing job. Just slowly pick away the rock. Watch a fossil come out.
great episode! but I miss the grossometer, it´s been too long!
Me too. Fortunately Emily said recently they were working on making new dissection videos, as well as how to prepare a bird I think.
My father told me that the things that don't change over time don't change because they are already being done the most efficient way possible, and making it more complicated won't make it any better or faster. Like putting on your socks.
How many fossils does the museum prepare a year?
Why is Akiko's title "Preparator" and not just "Preparer"? Is there a difference, grammatically?
there is no real difference in meaning for the words -- Preparator is just the official title for the job.
Preparator sounds cooler :)
This techniek seems to me that it would only work on rock that is soft (or softer than the fossil. What are some other technieks for harder rocks?
It reminds of how dentists clean your teeth ) I also remember reading about archeology, and the author says, they often use used dentist tools, they are the best.
God I would love to do that job.
always good
Love the episode as always! If I may make one suggestion: the classical music is perhaps not very appealing to the target audience of young people who you're trying to get interested in the museum and the show. I realise there can be copyright issues with using more recent music, but honestly classical music can turn younger folk like myself (and even younger people who are still in school; a large part of your target audience, I assume) right off. I love everything the Brain Scoop does but I think updating the music choices would be advantageous! :)
I would say that the music is designed to be lighthearted because the show is modern and modest, which classical (IMO) is not known for. It's a kind of like a little joke. And if you find classical music off putting, then there is likely an unawareness of where modern music originates from.
I know this comment is a few months late. ...sorry!
Wow, the airscribe is... painfully unpleasent. * Replays part.*
3:40 Brule!!!
it's been 2 damn weeks! WTH
Rev it down Jeremiah. There are other fossilized fish videos in the sea.
Well maybe not the sea, but they're out there probably.
Josh Fletcher lmao shut up! haha With consistency comes more subscribers.
JeremiahTatola True, but it's got to be hard to find that right balance. Wanting to educate, but wanting to be entertaining and consistent so more can be educated. (I'm secretly hoping for a lot more videos too though haha)
Josh Fletcher This is a professional channel. They should be consistent with putting out videos. If a t.v. show didn't premiere when it was supposed to people would flip.
JeremiahTatola I thought there wasn't a schedule, but I was wrong. The About section says "New episodes every other Wednesday!" So might as well calm our storms cause that's all we're gettin'.
Why are all the women who work in museums so bloody adorable?
I know your comment is not as horrible as the examples that Emily shared in her video "where my ladies at?" But it still falls under the categories of sexist and demeaning. Babies and kittens are adorable. If they were men acting the same way, i doubt adorable would be used to describe them. It's the content they want to share with you, not how they look.
Dawn Olmsted In my mind adorableness has nothing to do with appearance in this case . These women are really nice people who clearly enjoy their work. And I adore them. Adoration is synonymous with love.
Sorry if it came across as demeaning.
Dawn Olmsted en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoration "respect, reverence, strong admiration or devotion in a certain person, place, or thing. The term comes from the Latin adōrātiō, meaning "to give homage or worship to someone or something"."
Dawn Olmsted Have you ever read women's comments on the physicist Prof. Brian Cox? My point being that both men and women do comment on the others' appearance and perceived personality (e.g.adorable), and that this is not necessarily demeaning nor a sign of disrespect for someone's professional ability if done in a positive way. Obviously, the comment above should probably not be the first thing to say when actually meeting a scientist, but I think it is equally counterproductive to an anti-sexism agenda if we are not able to differentiate between intentions behind what is being said (e.g. hateful vs harmless) and instead push the outrage-button at every opportunity.
mooxim Say "awesome"--you're less likely to be misunderstood.
the air scribe XD that shit gave me the giggles. its annoying as hell but it seems too happy and cheery!
The closest thing I've done to paleontology is pouring boiling water into a bowl of that dino oatmeal where the eggs turn into little dinosaurs.
Good video! (But you probably had a vise, rather than a vice.)
how does one become a fossil preparator? that's my dream job
To sum up what Emily usually answers to these types of questions: educate yourself about relevant stuff (either by getting a college degree or by self-study), and volunteer or intern at museums to get your foot in the door, then work your way up from there.
I have a question for you Emily, totally unrelated to this video (sorry!). Is there a mammal in existence that has a naturally external penis glans? ie. no naturally occurring foreskin or retractable penis? A glans that is permanently and naturally exposed? Thanks!
This is weird, I was literally just thinking that The Brain Scoop needs a episode about fossil preparation.
That got stupid loud....thanks for the warning.
I want fish and plant fossil tiles for my shower o.o
Sounds like the air horns you hear in music sometimes to me. PEEW PEEW PEWPEWPEW-
I could never do that job.
nice to know how they are prepared, but might have been nicer if you'd had a way to show us what was visible through the microscopes.
Would have been better if there was a zoom in on the tools in action
Hello! Very nice video. Just to say, whilst this is certainly interesting, I don't find it as gripping as the animal prep videos, to which I have a very visceral (eh? EH?) reaction, and I would love to see more of them. I know it takes a lot of work to make the videos, and I appreciate all of them, just hoping that this feedback helps in some way? Thanks!
this video would have been perfect to put a twist on the sign-off... it still has matrix on it...
I wonder what that kind of job pays. I can't think that it's more than $15 an hour, but I would still totally do it for that much.
So. Cool.
I have prepared several fossil fish from Wyoming in garage. I excavated a really nice Diplomystus denatus and several really good Knightia eocaena.
looks hard to do
They should be wearing hearing protection.
Hey Harry, wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world???...2:43
Im 40% dolomite
Dolomite? I'm 40% dolomite!
We have confirmation that the Matrix, in fact, exists!
r.i.p headphone users
1st
no not the scale ...well may as well just throw the whole thing out its useless
Oh, it's this dreadful format again.