Natural sciences museums often keep collections of specimens collected during research expeditions as a sort of biological reference library for research purposes. In addition to environmental impact studies, these collections can also be used e.g. to aid in the identification of new species.

Sorry for your work lost! I swear I have to let myself go through a mourning period before I can start frogging. I switch to another project for a while once I decide I want to frog this one. I’ve noticed that it helps me reflect on my progress as a knitter and how I am improving the final work by restarting.