From tales of mythical beasties and the kraken comes the science behind a new exhibit at the Burke Museum. In Search of Giant Squid, the traveling version of an exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., tells the story of scientists' ongoing pursuit for Architeuthis, the giant squid.

"This is a story that's unfolding as we speak," said MaryAnn Barron, director of external communications at the Burke. "People should come to learn what scientists know so far."

Ron Eng, a biologist and collections manager at the Burke Museum, said that the advent of remote submersibles has helped to reinvigorate the study of giant squid. He also said that the squid illustrates what a mystery the ocean still is.

"They live at great depth," Eng said. "That alone makes them hard to study."

Barron said that there have been new discoveries since the exhibit was developed. In Dec. 2006, Japanese scientists filmed a live giant squid for the first time. Eng explained how the team found success only after changing their search strategy. Rather than follow the squid's prey, they tracked its only known predator, the sperm whale.

Earlier this year, a 26-foot-long, 550-pound giant squid washed ashore on a beach in Australia. Scientists were able to take DNA samples and preserve the squid in good condition.

Despite the increase in observation, scientists still have much to learn about giant squid.

"The exhibit is as much about the process of scientific investigation as it is about the squid," Eng said. "It's a great way to illustrate how science works."

The exhibit features information about the squid and a sampling of specimens, such as giant squid beaks and suckers. It also features a video that follows scientists' work in the laboratory and underwater. Throughout the film, experts offer conjectures that may lead to more concrete knowledge.

"[The exhibit] does leave questions to be answered," Barron said. "But one of our functions is to pique people's curiosity, and we present the very limits of what scientists currently know about these mysterious creatures."

In Search of Giant Squid is located in the Burke's newly expanded space for touring exhibits. It sits alongside the museum's other traveling showpiece, Yellowstone to Yukon, a collection of wildlife photography from the North American West.

"The pair of exhibits really showcase our commitment to balancing cultural art and natural science," Barron said.

[Reach reporter Brian Smoliak at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]