Question: In the picture with the sculls, why is the scull nearest to the camera so white?

Michael Rivera answered on 7 Nov 2016:

Great question – thanks for asking!

I think that it’s so white because it was treated with some chemical – probably bleach. If I remember correctly, the skull belongs to someone who lived in Victorian England roughly 150 years ago. It is one of many skulls in a medical collection – in those days, doctors and professors would use these skulls to teach biology in class. It was helpful if the skulls were nice and clean, and not covered in dirt!

Michael 🙂