Scientific collections store millions of animals and plants. These valuable archives of nature document biodiversity - the variety of life - and enable basic research into the evolution, distribution and diversity of living organisms. Further work on deepening our knowledge of biodiversity is also invaluable for our society: for example, active substances and materials from nature that are still undiscovered today could be groundbreaking for future developments in medicine or agriculture.

But the irreplaceable diversity of life, which is essential for human survival, is endangered, and its exploration is more urgent today than ever: of the estimated 10 million species, only about 2.1 million species have been documented, and countless disappear forever every day, along with their habitats such as rainforests or wild river landscapes.

With this exhibition, the museum opens part of its scientific collections to the public. A walk through the "Wunderkammer" provides insight into current collection activities, modern research methods and irreplaceable historical collections - an extraordinary tour of one of the most pressing problems of the present day.