Scientists get creative to save living collections

What happens to a scientist’s tsetse fly collection during a pandemic? Living collections that hold everything from plants to viruses require a lot of time and technical skill to preserve. In a time of social distancing, that becomes much harder. To keep collections going, scientists appear to be taking two approaches: putting collections into hibernation or bringing them home. A group of scientists who maintain 900 strains of fungi at West Virginia University has carefully planned maintenance with the minimum number of visits to the greenhouse. They wear masks, disinfect shared surfaces and coordinate with other essential personnel to be on campus at different times.

00:38 - Others are bringing their collections of spiders, beetles or butterflies home. Many scientists are taking risks and have had to justify the importance of their collections to gain lab access during lockdowns. But keeping their collections alive is worth it to bring the benefits of their science to other researchers and society overall. .