This Fall at the National Museum of Natural History: Dinosaurs, Neanderthals and Elmo!

Learn about the history of humans’ taste for tuna, Yellowstone’s iconic bison and much more at the museum this October and November

The weather in Washington may be getting cool but the exciting events at the National Museum of Natural History are heating up. This October and November, museum visitors of all ages can learn about everything from bison to tuna fish, ancient proteins to changing coastlines. Plus, the museum will even host a certain scarlet-furred inhabitant of Sesame Street.

Meet the museum’s dinosaur expert Matthew Carrano
Oct. 13, 6:30 to 8:15 P.M. ET

Are we entering another age of dinosaurs? Since the turn of the century, scientists have described a multitude of new dinosaur species from all over the world and these ancient reptiles remain a fixture in popular culture and the collective imagination.

The museum has served as a hub of dinosaur research for more than a century and its paleobiology collection contains a trove of scientifically significant specimens of iconic species like Tyrannosaurus rex, Stegosaurus and Pachycephalosaurus. Smithsonian researchers continue to study these fossils and utilize cutting-edge techniques to investigate aspects of dinosaur biology, ecology and evolution that would have seemed inconceivable to early paleontologists.

Leading these efforts is Matthew Carrano, the museum’s curator of Dinosauria. In a new installment of the museum’s “Behind the Science” series, Carrano will discuss how new discoveries in the field and at the museum are refining our understanding of these ancient species as living, breathing animals. The event is free but registration is highly encouraged.

Celebrate National Fossil Day in the museum’s world-class fossil hall
Oct. 14, 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. ET

In celebration of National Fossil Day, museum scientists and educators are hosting family-friendly festivities in the “Hall of Fossils – Deep Time.” The world-class exhibition features some 700 fossil specimens ranging from tiny trilobites to a giant ground sloth. Museum visitors can touch and hold real fossils, observe expert volunteers as they delicately clean dinosaur bones in the FossiLab and get up close to showstopping specimens like the Nation’s T. rex.

Learn how Neanderthals adapted to the cold
Oct. 15, 11:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. ET

The first primates liked it hot. The group evolved in the tropics and the earliest human relatives originated on the sweltering savannas of Africa. But during the Pleistocene, around 400,000 years ago, Homo neanderthalensis came onto the evolutionary scene and thrived across the frigid frontier of ice age Eurasia.

Trent Holliday, a professor of anthropology at Tulane University, is studying how Neanderthals conquered such extreme environments. During this program, Holliday will present evidence of cultural and biological adaptations that helped our ancient cousins stay warm in cold conditions.

This presentation is part of the ongoing Human Origins Today (HOT) Topic series and will be moderated by museum paleoanthropologist and educator, Briana Pobiner. Registration is free and a link to the webinar will be sent to all registrants.

Hear from a former Secretary of the Smithsonian about Georgia’s dynamic coastline
Oct. 15, 6:30 to 8:15 P.M. ET

The coastline of the state of Georgia is in constant flux. This sprawling mosaic of wetlands, marshes, beaches and barrier islands has been shaped by tides and fluctuating sea levels for millions of years. This changing environment is home to dolphins, shorebirds and baby sea turtles that embark on a fateful crawl to reach the safety of the ocean shortly after hatching. The state’s human residents will have the biggest impact on Georgia’s coastline into the future.

Georgia native G. Wayne Clough, a geotechnical engineer and educator who served as the 12th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from 2008 to 2014, recently documented the past, present and future of his home state’s coastline in the new book “The Ever-Changing Georgia Coast: A Natural History of Its Creation, Transformation, and Future.”

Visitors are invited to attend a discussion between Clough and Rebecca Johnson, the museum’s Sant director. The pair will talk about the new book and the future of Georgia’s coastline and the plants and animals that call it home. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing at the program. Registration ahead of time is encouraged.

Learn about Yellowstone’s iconic bison herd
Oct. 21, 6:30 to 8:15 P.M. ET

The American bison is one of conservation’s greatest comeback stories. For tens of thousands of years, enormous herds of these massive mammals trudged across large swaths of North America. But in the late nineteenth century, westward-moving hunters and efforts to control the Indigenous communities that lived alongside bison drove the iconic species to the brink of extinction.

The bison would likely have gone the way of the dodo if not for a hardy herd of bison in Yellowstone National Park. Early conservationists used the Yellowstone bison to rebuild the species’ population across the plains and the park is still home to the largest herd of bison on public land.

The significance of these bison is explored in the new book “Yellowstone Bison: Return of the Last Wild Herd” by biologist and Yellowstone National Park’s bison manager Chris Geremia and photographer Tom Murphy. The pair will be at the museum for a discussion with Kirk Johnson, the museum’s Sant director, and copies of the new book will be available for purchase and signing.

Attendees before and after the presentation will also have the opportunity to hear from an educator from the Smithsonian National Postal Museum about the U.S. Postal Service American Bison stamp released in May 2026 that features one of Tom Murphy’s photographs as well as a connection to the museum’s bronze bison sculptures and Bison: Standing Strong exhibition. The event is free but registration is encouraged.

Bring the family to explore the African savannah with Elmo!
Oct. 24, 10:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. ET

Have you ever wanted to explore the African savanna and meet the assortment of amazing animals that live there? Now’s your chance to learn about this incredible ecosystem with the help of a special, very fuzzy guest: Elmo!

The museum, in collaboration with the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and WETA, D.C.’s local PBS station, invites learners of all ages to participate in an African safari adventure. Visitors can learn more about the animals that live on the African savanna, create art inspired by a safari and watch Elmo’s safari adventure in “Sesame Street and the Great Elephant Adventure!”

Families are invited to explore different stations, observe specimens from the museum’s collection and even meet “Sesame Street” character Elmo in person. This program will be held in Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, on the museum’s ground floor.

Catch the latest research on when humans first reeled in tuna and billfish with anthropologist Torben Rick 
Nov. 10, 6:30 to 8:15 P.M. ET

Today, billfish and tuna are among the world’s most popular fish. These oceanic predators are revered by fishermen and have become important food staples around the world. But billfish and tuna were not always caught to be a trophy on a wall or stuffed inside of a sushi roll. Little is known about when and how humans began catching these fish before industrial fishing efforts began in the 20th century.

Research anthropologist Torben Rick, the museum’s curator of North American archaeology and human-environment interactions, is studying archaeological, historical and ecological records to piece together the deep history between humans and these fishes. Shedding light on the past could help plan for the sustainable harvest of these critical fishes in the future.

The program is another upcoming installment in the museum’s “Behind the Science” series, a monthly after-hours program where NMNH researchers share insights into their latest discoveries and explore the fascinating questions driving their work. Registration to the event is free and highly encouraged.

Learn how scientists are using ancient proteins to piece together the human evolutionary puzzle
Nov. 19, 11:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. ET

Southern Africa was an evolutionary hotbed for early humans. However, some of these species left few fossils, making it difficult for researchers to accurately piece together the diversity of ancient humans in this region. So scientists have recently investigated a new source of evidence: ancient proteins.

Palesa Madupe, postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, specializes in studying ancient proteins, in a relatively new field known as paleoproteomics. She will present the latest paleoproteomic discoveries from dental enamel proteins extracted from several species of early humans in South Africa.

This presentation will be moderated by museum paleoanthropologist and educator Briana Pobiner and is part of the ongoing Human Origins Today (HOT) Topic series. Registration is free and a link to the webinar will be sent to all registrants.

Jack Tamisiea | | Read More

Jack Tamisiea is a Science Communications Specialist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. In addition to covering all things natural history for the museum's blog, Smithsonian Voices, he tracks media coverage and coordinates filming activities for the museum's Office of Communications and Public Affairs. Jack recently completed his masters in science writing at Johns Hopkins University and his writing has appeared in the New York Times, Scientific American, National Geographic and other science-focused publications. In his free time, he loves exploring the outdoors with a sketchbook and camera. You can read more of Jack's work at https://jacktamisiea.com.