Places and Structures
Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway
Who's up for a fossil road trip? In 2007 paleoartist Ray Troll and paleobotanist Kirk Johnson published a travelogue of their journey to check out the fossils of the American west called Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway. It is not your average paleo book. Filled with Troll's whimsical pop-art illustrat...
December 18, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Crop Circles: The Art of the Hoax
They may not be evidence of UFOs, ancient spirits or secret weapons, but there is something magical in their allure
December 15, 2009 |
By Rob Irving and Peter Brookesmith
Samson the Tyrannosaurus Finds a Temporary Home
This past October, many paleontologists were worried about the fate of a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton nicknamed "Samson."With about 50 percent of his bones recovered, Samson is one of the most complete individual Tyrannosaurus skeletons found to date. This makes Samson a very important specimen. The ...
December 14, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
"Walking With Dinosaurs" Puppet Walks Off
For the past three years, the Walking With Dinosaurs live show has been entertaining arena audiences all over the world, but when the show stopped in Guadalajara, Mexico the crew noticed that one of their cast members was missing. A robotic baby Plateosaurus (which is devoured by the predatory dino...
December 11, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Shopping Maul
The first rule of holiday shopping: There are no rules
December 2009 |
By Caitlin Kelly
The Mystery of Bosnia's Ancient Pyramids
An amateur archaeologist says he's discovered the world's oldest pyramids in the Balkans. But many experts remain dubious
December 2009 |
By Colin Woodard
Dinosaurs Get Ready to Go to Abu Dhabi
In the summer of 2008, "Einstein," one of the most complete Apatosaurus skeletons ever discovered, made its international debut in the arrivals hall of the Abu Dhabi International Airport. That is a long way from the Wyoming quarry in which it was found. What reason could there be for this unique s...
November 09, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Texas Citizens Stand Up For Paluxysaurus
Earlier this year Texas updated the name of its official state dinosaur, a sauropod dinosaur previously called Pleurocoelus but recently renamed Paluxysaurus. To celebrate the name change, a team of scientists is creating a full restoration of the dinosaur's skeleton for the Fort Worth Museum of Sc...
November 02, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Dinosaur Sighting: A Stegosaurus in Paris
Our latest Dinosaur Sighting comes to us from our very own Sarah Zielinski, who writes for the Surprising Science blog here at Smithsonian. During a recent visit to Paris, Sarah spotted this Stegosaurus outside the Museum National D'Histoire Naturelle, and while she did not see anyone on it while s...
October 16, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
250 Years of Wedgwood
Two new exhibitions celebrate the enduring wares of ceramics designer and entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood
September 29, 2009 |
By Nancy Mann Jackson
The Old Meets the New at Odgen's Dinosaur Park
There are at least two ways to look at dinosaurs. You can examine their fossilized bones, the stuff that comes directly from the fossil record, or you can imagine what those bones would have looked like when they were clothed in muscle, sinew, and skin during the animal's life. At the George S. Ecc...
September 23, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Ancient Greece Springs to Life
Athens’ New Acropolis Museum comes to America in an exhibition highlighting treasures of antiquity
September 22, 2009 |
By Jamie Katz
Q and A: Smithsonian Channel Host Tom Cavanagh
Actor Tom Cavanagh discusses what it is like to go behind the scenes of the Smithsonian museums
September 2009 |
By Beth Py-Lieberman
German POWs on the American Homefront
Thousands of World War II prisoners ended up in mills, farm fields and even dining rooms across the United States
September 16, 2009 |
By J. Malcolm Garcia
Dinosaur Treasures at the Utah Museum of Natural History
On the last day of our vacation, my wife and I had a few hours to kill before we had to get to the airport, so we started poring over a map of Salt Lake City to see if there was anything fun to do. A little icon in the upper right corner of the map caught our attention: there was a natural history ...
September 14, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
The Dinosaurs of Thanksgiving Point
During my trip to Utah several weeks ago I knew I had to stop by the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point, not far from Salt Lake City.As the Web site for the attraction states, the Thanksgiving Point facility "is not an ordinary museum." Its impressive collection of dinosaurs do not stand ...
September 08, 2009 |
By Brian Switek
Urban Legends About the Smithsonian
Ever since its inception, the Smithsonian has been the subject of wild rumors about the Hope Diamond, Noah’s Ark and more
September 01, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Overheard at the Natural History Museum
Summer might be coming to an end, but the Dinosaur Hall in the National Museum of Natural History still echoes with the voices of tourists. As a spinoff of DCist’s fantastic weekly series "Overheard in DC, here’s our version of “Overheard at the Museum”:An older gentleman: “I always thought they we...
August 31, 2009 |
By admin
Museums With Their Own Niche
Subjects as wide-ranging as lunchboxes, roller skating, and Bigfoot have museums dedicated solely to their study and appreciation
August 28, 2009 |
By Kristin Ohlson
