National Museum of Natural History
Events: FONZ Photo Club, Mad Science, Mars and More
Monday April 4: FONZ Photo ClubIf you’re a shutterbug with a penchant for snapping shots of critters, come on out to the National Zoo and participate in the Friends Of the National Zoo (FONZ) photo club’s monthly meeting. Share your photos, hear from speakers and learn about new techniques that may...
April 04, 2011 |
By Michelle Strange
Facebook Friends of Social Networking Scientists Help Identify Fish
Facebook friends provide a variety of uses in ones life—some relationships are beneficial, while others are trivial. At times, their posts can elicit responses from you in a way that no actual conversation with them ever has—amusement, chagrin, surprise, rancor, and even, as a group of scientists r...
April 01, 2011 |
By Arcynta Ali Childs
The List: March Madness at the Smithsonian
College athletics feature some of the most unusual mascots in all of American sports. Take the teams in this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament for example. Mascots included the Peacocks (St. Peter's), Sycamores (Indiana State), Zips (Akron) and Gauchos (University of California, Santa Barbara...
March 23, 2011 |
By Ryan Reed
Events: Stargazing, Live Tarantula Feedings, Test Your Women's History Knowledge and More
Monday, March 21: March Film Screening: My Name Is KahentiiostaKahentiiosta, a young Kahnawake Mohawk woman, took part in a 78-day armed standoff in 1990 as a part of a land dispute between the Mohawks and the Canadian federal government. Arrested and imprisoned, she was detained longer than her pe...
March 21, 2011 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Weekend Events: Pulitzer Prize Winning Biologist E.O. Wilson, Rachel Carson and the Art of Digital Buddhist Shrines
Friday, March 18: E.O. Wilson: Biologist, Naturalist, Writer, Professor and EnvironmentalistTwo-time Pulitzer Prize-winning biologist E.O. Wilson played a key role in the development of the new field of chemical ecology in the 1950s and 60s. With William H. Bossert of Harvard University, Wilson cre...
March 18, 2011 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Smithsonian Geologist Elizabeth Cottrell Discusses the Japan Earthquake
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fraPBV4kzvIAs director of the Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian geologist Liz Cottrell studies the mechanisms of the earth, and she and her team of staff and volunteers are responsible for building databases and archival resources for the Earth's active volcanoe...
March 15, 2011 |
By Beth Py-Lieberman
Events: The Art of Human Origins, Meet Hans Op de Beeck, Celebrate Women's History Month and More
Monday, March 14: Recreating Our Past: The Art of Human OriginsWith only fossil records to go by, how do artists go about envisioning what our human ancestors looked like? In this Resident Associate Program event, paleoartists John Gurche and Karen Carr discuss the techniques and science behind the...
March 14, 2011 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Weekend Events: George Ault, Coral Reef Awareness and Celebrating Persian New Year
Friday, March 11: To Make a World Exhibition TalkCome explore the vision of America realized by painter George Ault through the canvases on display in this brand new show. Alexander Nemerov, exhibition curator and Yale University’s Vincent Scully Professor of the History of Art, discusses what mak...
March 10, 2011 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Events: Be a Forensic Sleuth, Create Mailable Art and Indian Film
Friday, March 4: I Am God (Naan Kadavul)Director Bala has carved a name for himself by marching against all prevailing sensibilities in the Tamil film industry. His films speak of madness on the margins and the grotesque tragedy that accompanies it. The story is about Rudran, a fourteen-year-old ...
March 03, 2011 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Weekend Events: Exploring the Crab Nebula and a Celebration of Orchids
Friday, February 25: Bahcall Lecture: Revealing the Crab Nebula with the Hubble, Chandra and Fermi Space TelescopesEver since its discovery in the 18th century, the Crab Nebula has surprised astronomers and taught astrophysicists much of what they have come to take for granted about the universe. T...
February 24, 2011 |
By Jesse Rhodes
The Smithsonian Gets WILD! Check Out These Hilarious Wild Animal Pics.
For years, scientists have planted motion sensitive cameras in the wild to help them get a handle on population sizes, movement patterns and other animal behaviors. “At the same time we’re answering these questions, we’re collecting millions of amazing pictures of animals,” says Roland Kays, curato...
February 24, 2011 |
By Megan Gambino
New IMAX film, Arabia 3D, Opens Friday at Natural History
Tomorrow, a new IMAX film, "Arabia 3D," debuts at the National Museum of Natural History’s Johnson IMAX Theater. The immersive, 3D-experience delivers breathtaking aerial views of the Kingdom Tower of Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia and the Grand Mosque in the Holy city of Makkah (Mecca), ...
February 17, 2011 |
By Madeline Andre
From A Smithsonian Gardener: Tips for Creating a Beautiful Valentine's Day Arrangement
Hey Valentine, did your honey send you a romantic bundle of red and pink rose buds this morning? Or maybe a secret admirer sent you 12 fragrant beauties. Either way, nothing says love more than the classic Valentine's Day gift: the bouquet of roses.We asked Melanie Pyle, a Smithsonian Gardens hort...
February 14, 2011 |
By Madeline Andre
Events: Butterflies, Underwater Archaeology, Iranian Cinema and More
Monday, February 14: Butterfly PavilionThis Valentine's Day, why not take your sweetheart by the arm and take a stroll through this special exhibit area which is rife with exotic plants and live butterflies that hail from all over the world. Tickets are required. Rates are: $6 for adults; $5.50 for...
February 14, 2011 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Smithsonian Scientist Discovers Seven New Fish Species
Carole Baldwin, curator of fishes at the National Museum of Natural History, thought that scientists had revealed just about all there was to be known about Starksia blennies. After all, the small (less than two inches) shallow-reef fish found in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans had ...
February 07, 2011 |
By Megan Gambino
Events: Freedom Riders, Woo at the Zoo, American Indian Filmmaking and More
Monday, February 7: Contemporary Perspectives on Fiber and the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef ProjectThe Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef on display at the Natural History Museum is a nexus of art, science and the fiber art community. Tonight, join a discussion with Jane Milosch, senior program office...
February 07, 2011 |
By Jesse Rhodes
UPDATED: Fire in the Natural History Museum's Mechanical Building Under Control; Museum Is Open
Early this morning, a fire broke out just off the Mall in the National Museum of Natural History's mechanical building, where the museum's heating and air conditioning units are contained. The frightening-looking mushroom cloud emanating from the cooling tower appeared more hazardous than it actual...
February 07, 2011 |
By Brian Wolly
"Orchids: A View from the East" Opens This Weekend at Natural History
For the last 17 years, the Smithsonian Gardens and the United States Botanic Garden have teamed up to host an annual orchid exhibition. And, each year, says Tom Mirenda, a museum specialist for the Smithsonian Orchid Collection, "We try to have a different aspect of orchidology that we feature."To ...
January 27, 2011 |
By Megan Gambino
Events: Meet the Scientist, a Glimpse of Tehran, Crocheted Coral Reefs and More
Monday, January 24: Meet an Oceanographer: The Sant Ocean HallGet your pressing marine biology questions answered in the Sant Ocean Hall. Meet the scientist stationed within the exhibition, who will show collections specimens or artifacts (including some under the microscope) with visitors, and lea...
January 24, 2011 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Wednesday Roundup— Goldfish Gulping, Space Travel and Naming Rights
And the Gold Medal Goes To— What's the craziest thing you've ever eaten on a dare? Well, how about 101 goldfish? That's the record for the largest number eaten in a single sitting, set back in April 1939, when goldfish gulping was a competitive collegiate sport. Check out the piscine cuisine over a...
January 19, 2011 |
By Arcynta Ali Childs
