Creepy, Crawly, and Full of Mysteries
KUOW’s new podcast uncovers stories behind Burke Museum’s incredible specimens
By Sarah Stackhouse January 25, 2025
Did you know the Burke Museum is home to more than 16 million artifacts? From dinosaur bones to preserved sea otters, to teeny-tiny shells, the place is packed with natural history that helps tell the story of our planet. Now, there’s a podcast to go with it: Spectacular Specimens, a new series from KUOW in collaboration with the Burke, explores the stories these specimens reveal about life on Earth.
Hosted by KUOW producer Brandi Fullwood and a voice familiar to many Seattleites, Paige Browning, the podcast is designed for kids (ages 8-12 is the sweet spot) and grown-ups who still nerd out over fossils and beetles. Each episode takes listeners behind the scenes at the Burke. “We pretty much open up the drawers and closets and freezers and really whatever the Burke will let us open,” Fullwood told KUOW. “And we talk to each other about a bunch of animals that we learn about.”
The first three episodes are out now:
- Fierce Behind the Fluff takes a closer look at sea otters, deceptively cute with a reputation for being scrappy survivors.
- A 66-Million-Year-Old Mystery asks: What happened to Fly By the Triceratops? The team uncovers clues from ancient rocks to solve this prehistoric case.
- The Flesh-Eating Cleanup Crew highlights dermestid beetles, tiny insects that play a vital role in keeping museum specimens clean for study.
“There’s a lot of mystery, and that’s what science is all about,” Browning says. “Because you have a hypothesis, you think you know what might have happened, and then you search for the answers.”
The podcast also comes with a free activity book.
One of my favorite exhibits is in the Our Material World gallery — a wall that shows how long our waste (tires, clothing, pill bottles, apple cores, etc.) sticks around. It’s sobering and endlessly fascinating.
The Burke Museum, located on the University of Washington campus, is home to working labs, Northwest Native art, and cultural artifacts from around the globe. It was founded in 1885 by a group of teenagers inspired by Seattle’s rapid transformation.
Follow Us
82 Million Tons of E-Waste by 2030. Now What?
Smart ways to handle old electronics after a holiday upgrade.
Every holiday season, our houses fill with upgraded gadgets and the promise that we’ll deal with the old stuff later. Meanwhile, the drawer of mystery cords multiplies, and some items just get tossed out. Most of us mean well, but those castoff electronics often end up somewhere they really shouldn’t. And with about 59% of…
Going to the Mountains This Winter? Read This.
A new online tool breaks down avalanche basics for anyone planning snowy fun off the beaten path.
I’m a rule follower when it comes to the outdoors. This summer, my family did some backcountry hiking in Whistler and made sure to do everything by the book—texting friends our plan and location, and wearing a bear bell even though it felt a little dorky. It’s reassuring to know you’ve covered the basics before…
Historic Flooding Prompts WA Governor to Declare Emergency
Rivers are surging around the state amid days of heavy rainfall.
As floodwaters swelled around Washington, threatening low-lying communities along rivers, Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a statewide emergency declaration on Wednesday. Ferguson says he’ll also seek an expedited emergency declaration from the federal government in response to the flooding, which is the result of an atmospheric river that has dumped multiple inches of rain in parts…
Barnes & Noble Is Coming Back to Downtown Seattle
The bookseller will open a new flagship at 520 Pike, marking the largest retail lease in downtown Seattle since 2020.
Barnes & Noble is returning to downtown Seattle for the first time since early 2020. The national bookseller has signed a 10-year lease for a new flagship at 520 Pike Street, a 29-story tower, taking over 17,538 square feet on the corner of Pike and 6th Avenue. The store is expected to open in the…