Inside The $50 Billion Museum Economy Threatened By Government Shutdowns

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Museums and research labs quietly contribute $50 billion to the American economy. Their work includes the collection of 11 million embalmed specimens in Chicago and molten lava experiments in upstate New York. But whenever the federal government shuts down, national institutions like the Smithsonian grind to a halt. We take a look deep behind the scenes of the government-run Smithsonian, as well as the Field Museum and the La Brea Tar Pits, to show how scientists preserve and uncover Earth's biggest mysteries. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:00:42 - The Field Museum's 11 Million Embalmed Specimens 00:09:17 - How 4 Million Fossils Are Extracted From Tar at La Brea Tar Pits 00:18:10 - Why the Smithsonian Stores 148 Million Specimens 00:42:01 - How an 8,000-Pound Crystal Went From Mine to Smithsonian 00:53:13 - We Dissolved Fossils to Prove Dinosaurs Were Warm Blooded 01:07:44 - How Far Volcanologists Go to Test Lava 01:19:29 - How Far Scientists Go to Create Your Face From Your DNA 01:28:37 - Credits ------------------------------------------------------ #Science #Museums #Smithsonian #FieldMuseum #LaBreaTarPits #DNA #Volcanoes #Paleontology #BusinessInsider #ColossalCollections #ScienceSkills #bigbusiness WATCH NEXT: How One Tiny Country Rivals American Farming How Toxic Turmeric Ends Up in Your Food The Rise And Fall Of 17 American Industries Business Insider tells you all you need to know about business, finance, tech, retail, and more. Visit our homepage for the top