ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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Given that your starfish is already dead, this will not be very helpful. 
However I will respond to how I accomplished it.

My starfish was alive as I was the one who got it right out of the ocean. 
It was (and is) at least twice the size of yours.

I put it in a 20-gallon clean garbage can and covered it with seawater.  I 
then slowly added formaldehyde.  The objective was to have the starfish 
breathe normally and slowly have the formaldehyde diffuse throughout its 
body.

It worked.  The starfish looks great and remains on my mantle after 40 
years.

I am not sure that I would do this again given the health concerns 
associated with formaldehyde that have been recognized during the past 40 
years.

Jack Cannon

-----Original Message----- 
From: Daniels, Alissa
Sent: Saturday, May 26, 2012 9:15 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: starfish preservation

ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related 
institutions.
*****************************************************************************

I don't know if there sort of thing ever happens to you, but I came in to my 
office this morning to find a Frisbee on my chair with a pretty large 
starfish in it, recently dead. It's a nice-looking starfish, and I'd like to 
preserve it, but I have no idea how to do that. Any advice or resources 
would be much appreciated.

this is almost as weird as the time I came into my office to find a coffee 
cup with a live frog inside.

thanks all!
AD

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alissa Daniels, Science Program Manager
Boston Children's Museum
617 426 6500 .342
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new 
discoveries, is not "Eureka!" (I found it!) but "That's funny..."  " --Isaac 
Asimov
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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