A ‘Time Capsule’ for Scientists, Courtesy of Peter the Great

I have little doubt that if woolly mammoths are recreated, we will soon find them to be more trouble than not, and nature's way is better than ours.

The current relevance of such collections for conservation genetics is that modern methods can determine the sequence diversity of individuals collected at a known time and place in the past and compare that to the current genetic diversity of that species. That the genome is fragmented is irrelevant to that purpose. This can be use to estimate the population size in the past, and the level of current inbreeding, among many other parameters. Such data will have been the utility of the DNA in the feather of each of the two California Condors donated from the museum. The slender-billed curlew is probably extinct. The test performed was probably on an immature bird, using the ratio of heavy hydrogen to determine the latitude at which it had been born, as part of an effort to find any remaining breeding sites.

In an era when we mainly think of Russia as a political enemy again, it's nice to see kids romping through a museum and enjoying nature as they would anywhere in America or the world. People have a common fascination with nature and a love of good museums no matter where they live.

Great article! Reminds me of why I am a happy NYT subscriber. Thanks to the Russian staff at the museum for their dedication to science and concern for the ecosystem.

Having recently visited a small, charming and fascinating one-room museum in Churchill, Canada, filled with old-fashioned cases that manage to hold taxidermied bison and polar bear among other animals, two kayaks, and hundreds of Inuit carvings, I’d love to check out this one as well! Such a far cry from the modern but sterile museum aesthetics that seem to be divorced from real life. Now if only the political situation in Russia were better...

Fascinating!

Nitpicking - "currently there are less than 500 birds" should be "currently there are fewer than 500 birds".

Healing the Earth we are busy destroying will become a major priority for future generations of humans. It seems far more relevant to create a gene bank for contemporary species especially those recently made extinct or soon to become extinct as a result of humanity’s environmental stupidity. Such generic material will be either complete and not require reconstruction at all or will be of a reasonably high quality.

St. Petersburg is now top on my bucket list. Hope a 3rd World War doesn't get in the way ....

Hmmm, maybe it's just the angle, but those seem like really weird antlers for a juvenile bull moose even without paddles.

Would love to be in a position to contribute either time or big bucks to this fantastic enterprise. The priority the Director places on expanding the collections and conducting fieldwork—as opposed to flash and glitz—is refreshing to see. And I agree with other commenters who have expressed their thrill at seeing so many children engaged by the displays. I also appreciated the tired guide who was smilingly game to lead one more tour for a group of kids. Great article!

Excellent article thank you!

nice article

Thanks for the kind words in the article and comments! I invite everyone to a virtual walk through our museum - https://www.zin.ru/museum/virtual_tour/

Now I want to go visit this museum.

What wonderful photographs James Hill has produced for this article.

Wish I had known about this on my trip to Russia some years ago. But it was a group trip so maybe a visit could not have been arranged. Wondering if they have any English language guide books for the museum. This could even be sold online for people who can't visit the museum. We need to take better care of the animals we have left so the day doesn't come when the only ones left are in museums.

I found the photographs of people most interesting. No longer Russians in drab clothing, but people as easily in New York as Russia.

Dublin, Ireland has a similar, smaller museum. it is suffering budget cuts so it can only display 10,000 of its 2 million samples. See https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/dublin-s-magnificent-dead-zoo-is-not-as-lively-as-it-should-be-1.1898155 It is profoundly sad that these collections have such great importance now, showing us just what we have destroyed/lost and just how far we are from experiences our ancestors could take for granted. Would be wonderful if some philanthropist could step up to fund the preservation and display of more of these.

Kudos to James Hill for his photos.

Would love to learn more about scientific efforts to restore extinguished species, and agree that a central repository for all nations would be an invaluable resource for all scientists. Loved the photos as they truly captured the essence of the museum.

This article is a great diversion from the election, thanks! What a great shark exhibit too, greenland shark, thresher shark, requiem sharks. Museums like this are a great source for educating children and comparing the genes of smaller and smaller populations plus museums like this document climate change and the impact of the change on populations. However, the fire in the museum in Brazil shows just how vulnerable these collections are to destruction so perhaps people should create a site or multiple sites for storing DNA samples collected from museum series from around the world.

I met a woman in Norway who told me how wonderful this museum is. It was nice to see some pictures and read about its mission. Thank you NYT!

One of my favorite memories of visiting Saint Petersburg in 1987, was that museum. They even had a dodo bird! :)

To see the dedication, appreciation, and plain awe these creatures present to our eyes, to our brains that make us think outside of us, is the most inspiring and tranquil moments have had in months. thank you for revealing there are still curious children, fierce scientists whose work will not be interrupted. An amazing building containing wonders i had not previously known. thank you again.

Nice article, great pix. Thanks!

Another collection that includes birds and mammals is the Natural History Museum in Pretoria, ZA. The collection of minerals and meteors is remarkable as well.

very interesting - would love more pictures of the collection!