A new exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul is putting skin under the spotlight.

It's a deep dive into what lies on the surface and far beneath, according to Caillean Kapoor, the museum's visitor experience manager.

"We're teaching people about human's largest organ, which is really cool and inspires us to learn more about ourselves as a whole and the world around us," Kapoor said.

With dozens of rare specimens, from feathered birds to armored reptiles, "Skin: Living Armor, Evolving Identity" highlights how skin helps all species survive and thrive.

"Animals, ourselves included, have adapted to live in sometimes very niche environments, and that can be really difficult in terms of conservation because when that environment changes due to climate change or habitat loss, those adaptations may no longer be beneficial to them, and so that can also accelerate potential extinction," Kapoor said.

A large example of that greets you at the entrance. With its thick hide and keratin horn, the black rhinoceros adapted for survival, but is still endangered by poaching.

But not all of the exhibit's stories and interactives are large scale. Some are microscopic, like the disgusting-sounding face mites living on our skin.

"You can actually see through a microscope what a face mite looks like," Kapoor said.

The exhibit also addresses how skin color has shaped and divided human history.

"The end of the exhibit talks about the human experience with skin in terms of color and how that's been used to separate groups, and why that's not any way related to a scientific backing," she said. "It ties really nicely into the 'Race: Are We So Different?' exhibit which is just right next door."

It's science that touches on everything: survival, identity and the unseen.

"Going just a little bit below the surface and seeing all the cool, extra bits that every other species has that we don't," she said.

"Skin: Living Armor, Evolving Identity" opens Friday, Oct. 3. Click here for more information.