For Some Scientists, The Call To Get Rid Of Natural History Collections Can Be Personal

Natural history collections serve as a time capsule of sorts, preserving life on Earth. And these collections — birds, bones, stones — always carry the fingerprints of those who collected the specimens. Their passions, interests and hard work become part of what's stored in flash display cases or dusty drawers.

So when a collection's future is threatened, it gets personal.

Irina Zhorov (@zhorovir) of WHYY's The Pulse looks at one story of what happens when collections bow to other priorities.