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National Museum of Natural History

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Meet the Expert Studying Fishes That Spit Water to Hunt

Smithsonian Ichthyologist Matt Girard talks about how and why he studies archerfishes.

Keeping our pets healthy is just one way to improve the wellbeing of our families and communities. Find out why in a family program streaming Sept. 26. (Kim Hester)

Four Natural History Programs Streaming for Free This Month

Join scientists, artists and educators from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History for virtual natural history crash courses throughout September.

Tyrannosaurus rex was first discovered in 1900, and named in 1905. But not much was known about how it lived or died. (USNM 555000 and USNM 500000, Smithsonian)

What We've Discovered About the 'Tyrant Lizard King' Since the Nation's T. rex Was Unearthed

Paleontologists continue to use the species to find out more about tyrannosaurs and dinosaurs in general

Whether your classes are held in person or remotely this fall, the Smithsonian’s fall series of virtual school programs will keep students engaged as they explore the museum’s research and collections. (Smithsonian)

Sign Your Students Up for a Natural History Crash Course This Fall

Educators can take advantage of a suite of live and interactive lessons designed to develop students’ core science skills.

Mosquitoes are more than blood-sucking menaces. They also pollinate flowers, have intricate sex lives and eat other disease-carrying mosquitoes. (Lawrence Reeves)

The Secret Lives of Mosquitoes, the World’s Most Hated Insects

While some are a nuisance, others working as nighttime pollinators may be critically important to a functioning ecosystem

Male acorn woodpeckers, like the one on the left, have more offspring over their lives when they’re polygamous, according to new research. (Vivek Khanzode)

Study Finds Polygamy Helps Male Acorn Woodpeckers Thrive

The findings could help scientists learn more about how social behaviors evolved in other animals

The vast diversity of anole lizards found throughout the Americas helps scientists understand what factors drive the evolution of life. (goatling, CC BY 2.0)

Say Hello to the Scientist Using Lizard Limbs to Unlock Evolution's Secrets

For this month's Meet a SI-entist, we caught up with Kevin de Queiroz to talk about the evolution of lizard legs and the joys of unplanned discoveries

Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide is causing global warming. This means glaciers in Antarctica are melting. Those same glaciers were originally made when carbon dioxide dropped 34 million years ago. (NASA/Jim Ross)

Drop in Greenhouse Gas Caused Global Cooling 34 Million Years Ago, Study Finds

The findings confirm that carbon dioxide plays a significant role in any climate change.

Smooth pearls in the shape of orbs and ovals are usually created by bivalves, like mussels, in pearl farms. As with all gems, the less blemishes they have, the more valuable they are. (Chip Clark, Smithsonian)

The True Story Behind How Pearls Are Made

Learn about how mollusks create these shiny gems and how that biological process could change as Earth’s waters warm

The world’s smallest moth, the pygmy sorrel moth, has a wingspan as short as 2.65 millimeters. It belongs to a group called the leaf miner moths, which could become problematic pests for more farmers as global temperatures rise. (Patrick Clement, CC BY 2.0)

Who's the Smallest of Them All? Mini Moth Gets a Big Title

A group of curious researchers has finally awarded one species the coveted title of world's smallest moth

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