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Tag: Suitland

  • Mapping the genetic code of ocean life at the Smithsonian – WTOP News

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    WTOP’s Matt Kaufax takes an even deeper dive into the Smithsonian Natural History Museum’s “Ocean Library” to explore how DNA collected from millions of specimens is helping us understand oceans and Earth.

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    Mapping the genetic code of ocean life at the Smithsonian

    Did you know one of the largest collections of marine DNA in the entire world is hiding just outside D.C.?

    In today’s episode of “Matt About Town,” we’re taking an even deeper dive into the Smithsonian Natural History Museum’s “Ocean Library,” to explore how DNA collected from millions of specimens is helping us understand our oceans — and our planet.

    Last week, “Matt About Town” gave you an exclusive look at the Smithsonian’s “Ocean Library,” a staggeringly vast collection stored at the Museum Support Center in Suitland, Maryland. MSC is where the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History stores its reserve collections not in display to the public. Scientists from all over come to MSC to study them.

    What we didn’t show you before were the rooms filled with liquid nitrogen drums, metal containers and a freezer, along with the state-of-the-art DNA labs, where scientists are extracting and cataloging samples from all these specimens.

    It’s all part of NMNH’s Ocean DNA Program, which was launched in 2019. The eventual goal is to have every marine species known to humankind accounted for at MSC, with each individual specimen getting its own digital DNA bar code of sorts, stored in a database for all time.

    This way, any scientist anywhere in the world can study a species at any given time.

    Scientists use the DNA gathered from the millions of specimens here as a reference point, comparing it to traces of environmental DNA, or eDNA, that floats around in water all across the planet. It’s how they sift through the genetic soup of skin, blood, hair cells and more in our oceans to paint a comprehensive picture of life in the sea.

    The Smithsonian’s state of the art preservation methods — and the incredible wealth of information scientists can gather using new technologies — is what makes this program unlike any other on Earth.

    Hear “Matt About Town” first every Tuesday and Thursday on 103.5 FM!

    If you have a story idea you’d like Matt to cover, email him or chat with him on Instagram and TikTok.

    Check out all “Matt About Town” episodes here!

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    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Matt Kaufax

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  • Flesh-eating beetles: The unsung heroes of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History – WTOP News

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    What if we told you that a small army of flesh-eating insects plays a crucial role in helping the Smithsonian prep and preserve its fossils?

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    How the Smithsonian uses an army of flesh-eating insects to preserve its fossils

    What if we told you that a small army of flesh-eating insects plays a crucial role in helping the Smithsonian prep and preserve its fossils?

    In today’s episode of “Matt About Town,” we’re going behind the scenes at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s Osteology Prep Lab in Suitland, Maryland.

    You can find the OPL on the campus of the Smithsonian Museum Support Center — that’s where the Natural History Museum keeps its reserve collections. OPL is housed in a separate building, secluded from the other collections, mainly because of the carpet beetles you can find inside.

    These beetles are what scientists there call “the unsung heroes” of fossil preparation.

    When dead specimens that the Smithsonian is interested in preserving come into the facility, humans are only able to remove so much of the oil/grease, fats, skin, tissue and other gunk from these carcasses on their own.

    That’s where the beetles come in.

    Join us on a wild adventure for an up-close look at the real-time decomposition process, which can take anywhere from days to months (depending on the size of what they’re dealing with).

    At the end of the process, these beetles have played a major role in the pristine, well-preserved bones that NMNH either stores in collections or proudly displays in its museum.

    To learn more about the Osteo Lab at MSC, head to their website.

    Hear “Matt About Town” first every Tuesday and Thursday on 103.5 FM!

    If you have a story idea you’d like Matt to cover, email him or chat with him on Instagram and TikTok.

    Check out all “Matt About Town” episodes here!

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Matt Kaufax

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  • Bored Census Bureau Employee Changes Every Ohio Resident’s Name to Laura

    Bored Census Bureau Employee Changes Every Ohio Resident’s Name to Laura

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    SUITLAND, MD—Saying that at this point she just wondered how long it would take everyone to notice, U.S. Census Bureau employee Rita Edmond confided to reporters Thursday that, out of sheer boredom, she had changed every Ohio resident’s name to Laura. “Ever since I randomly decided to do it this morning, all 11.78 million residents of Ohio, regardless of gender, age, or race, are named Laura,” said Edmond, who added that while she could easily undo the changes, she figured it would be way more fun to leave everyone “Laura” and see what happened. “Look, this job sucks, but this whole ‘Laura’ thing has really made my week. Everyone who lives in Ohio is Laura. Everyone who has ever died in Ohio is Laura! I think I’m going to do Oklahoma next. Everyone there will be named ‘Emma.’” At press time, millions of Ohio’s residents had called upon Gov. Laura DeWine to address whether the name changes were an infringement upon their rights as Lauras.

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