Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

National Museum of Natural History

A man wearing an orange rain jacket sits on a boat, framed by the ocean and a glacier behind him.

Meet the Scientist Tracing 10,000 Years of Indigenous Life Along Alaska's Southern Coast

Aron Crowell weaves Indigenous knowledge, archaeology and environmental science into a powerful narrative of cultural resilience in the Arctic

P6134784.jpeg

To Understand a Changing Estuary, Smithsonian Scientists Search for Biodiversity Buried in the Sediment

This past June, researchers congregated at the Smithsonian Marine Station to catalogue the vast diversity of tiny animals living in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon

Wood coll horiz DSC_8767.jpg

How Much Wood Could a Museum Collect? Much More Than a Woodchuck Could

From providing forensic wooden "fingerprints" to insights on structural engineering, the museum’s collection of rare and wonderful lumber is a prized scientific resource

Pic 1 - Life Reconstruction Mirasaura_Copyright Gabriel Ugueto.jpg

Paleontologists Discover a ‘Marvelous’ Triassic Reptile That Sported a Sail of Feather-Like Structures on its Back

The odd structure is distinct from anything seen in living animals and likely created a colorful display

3.jpeg

Meet the Scientist Who Discovered a New Genus of Curious Catfish Hiding in Colombia’s Most Endangered River

Museum ichthyologist Cristhian Conde-Saldaña uses evolutionary genetics to study freshwater fishes and document at-risk biodiversity

Two men and a woman stand together holding a case with a large diamond inside in this black and white image

How the 'King of Diamonds' Gave the National Museum of Natural History Its Crown Jewel

From the legendary Hope Diamond to a rainbow of colorful gemstones, a multigenerational bond between the Winston family and the Smithsonian transformed the museum’s world-renowned gem collection

EO_035269_Land_Snail_Tropidophora_cuvieriana_001.jpg

The History of the World in Seven Snails

For National Snail Day, museum research fellow Melissa Betters explores the mollusks’ notable nature

5625-216.jpg

To Recreate a 17th-Century Masterwork, an Entomologist at the National Museum of Natural History Got Creative with Butterflies, Bees and a Bit of Rosemary

The display will be featured in a new exhibition at the National Gallery of Art as part of a historic collaboration along the National Mall

2008-10649-S (1).JPG

To Correct Some Fishy Anatomy, Researchers at the National Museum of Natural History Get Inside the Head of a Coelacanth

The new work adds to the legacy of Dave Johnson, a long-time museum curator famed for his detail-oriented research on fishes

A man in a grey short sits in a lab setting, in front of a microscope and a computer screen.

Meet the National Museum of Natural History Volunteer Preserving Prehistory One Microfossil at a Time

Carlos Savignano is part of a dedicated group of FossiLab volunteers preparing Smithsonian fossils for display and future research

Categories
Archive

Page 2 of 4