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National Museum of Natural History

The National Museum of Natural History’s new Chief Scientist, Dr. Rebecca Johnson (James D. Tiller, Smithsonian Institution)

Meet the Smithsonian’s Newest Chief Scientist

Get to know the woman leading science at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

Insect expert Dan Babbitt talks about the Chilean Rose Tarantula on “Smithsonian Science How,” a video series for students. (Smithsonian Institution)

Seven Ways to Learn About Natural History From Home

Deepen your understanding of the natural world from home with these free resources.

Invasive species like lionfish can harm natural, human, and economic health. (Barry Brown)

Five Species to Wrap Up Invasive Species Week

Check out some of the most destructive and interesting species in the U.S.

These bumblebees were part of a mass digitization project at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. Pinned underneath each bee is important information about where the bees were collected, when and by whom. (Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Institution)

Digitization Allows Public Access to Smithsonian’s Hidden Collections

2.8 millions items in the National Museum of Natural History's collections went open access on Feb. 25.

“Vai” is one of more than 20 films celebrating language and cultural diversity at the Smithsonian’s fifth annual Mother Tongue Film Festival. (Photo courtesy of MPI Media)

See Indigenous Films at the Mother Tongue Film Festival

Don't miss these films at the Smithsonian's fifth annual Mother Tongue Film Festival.

An illustration of the new coronavirus. Coronaviruses are named for the spikes on their outer surface, which look like points on a crown. (CDC)

‘One Health’ Could Prevent the Next Coronavirus Outbreak

An exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History puts the new coronavirus outbreak into context, showing how and why new viruses emerge and what we can do to stop them from spreading.

This African Bush Elephant is just the first of many photogenic sites for visitors at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. (James Di Loreto, Smithsonian Institution)

How to Take the Perfect Selfie at the Smithsonian

This #MuseumSelfieDay, take the perfect selfie at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

Scientists at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History discovered all sorts of cool things in 2019 including the first North American medicinal leech (Macrobdella mimicus) in more than 40 years. (Anna Phillips, Smithsonian)

10 Popular Scientific Discoveries from 2019

Celebrate the new year with some of our most popular scientific discoveries from 2019.

Many artists work hard to bring dinosaurs to life with accurate details, but often products can be out dated or be careless with details like how Diplodocus held their necks. (© N. Tamura CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

A Shopper’s Guide to Dinosaur Gifts

Tips to help you buy scientifically accurate dinosaur gifts for your loved one.

Museum staff, Laura Donnelly-Smith and Sally Love, try out the new audio description app in the “Hall of Fossils – Deep Time.” (Lucia RM Martino, Smithsonian Institution)

New App Takes Smithsonian Visitors Beyond Visuals

A new audio description app welcomes visitors to more autonomously explore the fossil hall.

A chocolate model of the African Bush Elephant in the rotunda of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History on top of a festive holiday cake celebrating the museum. (Smithsonian Institution)

How Elaborate Cakes Make Science Sweet

Smithsonian archaeologist Eric Hollinger makes science sweet with elaborate, science-themed cakes.

Artist and Jeweler Sidney Mobell donated his gold-plated Monopoly set to the National Museum of Natural History in 2002. (Smithsonian Institution)

Check Out the Monopoly Board You Wish You Had as a Kid

The Smithsonian's collection includes a 23-carat, gold-plated Monopoly set.

Free post cards were given to service members when they visited the US National Museum (now the National Museum of Natural History) in the 1940s. (Smithsonian Institution Archives, Image # SIA2013-07711)

How WWII Service Members Helped Shape the Smithsonian’s New Fossil Hall

World War II service members played an important role in the shift toward audience-centric storytelling in the new "David H. Koch Hall of Fossils - Deep Time."

Collections at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History are filled with all sorts of eerie specimens. (Clockwise from top left: Gilles San Martin via Wikimedia, Smithsonian Institution, NoahElhardt via Wikimedia, Karie Darrow)

Six Bewitching Smithsonian Specimens to Get You Ready for Halloween

Check out some of the spookiest (read: coolest) items in the National Museum of Natural History's collections.

A Bryde's whale from a community in the Gulf of Mexico. The rare whales face a myriad of threats including pollution and being hit by ships. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

Saving This Rare Whale Skeleton was a Dirty Job

The Smithsonian welcomes a rare whale skeleton that was found dead on an island in the Florida Everglades. The specimen is expected to help scientists better define and understand the endangered species.

The spectacled flowerpecker has been spotted eating mistletoe, a parasitic plant that grows high in Borneo’s forest canopy. The distinctive white markings around the eyes earned these birds their common name. (John Anderton)

Scientists Describe New Bird Species 10 Years After First Reported Sighting

In an article published today in the journal <i>Zootaxa</i>, Smithsonian researchers described the spectacled flowerpecker after a decade of only scattered sightings and photographs of the small gray birds.

On opening day of the new fossil hall, visitors flocked to the windows of the FossiLab to see fossil preparation in action. (James D. Tiller, Smithsonian Institution)

Smithsonian Puts Backstage Fossil Preparation Center Stage in its New Fossil Hall

Watch a team of volunteers prepare real fossils in the Smithsonian's new fossil hall.

South American rivers are home to at least three different species of electric eels. One species, Electrophorus varii, named after the late Smithsonian ichthyologist Richard Vari, swims through murky, slow-flowing lowland waters. (D. Bastos)

Fish Detective Solves a Shocking Case of Mistaken Identity

Smithsonian scientist David de Santana discovered two new species of electric eels in the Amazon rainforest.

Smithsonian Curator Anna Phillips wants people to be less scared of blood-sucking leeches. Phillips and her colleagues recently discovered a new species of North American medicinal leech living in the eastern U.S. (Anna Phillips, Smithsonian Institution)

This Smithsonian Scientist is on a Mission to Make Leeches Less Scary

Smithsonian Curator Anna Phillips is on a quest to make leeches less repulsive to the public.

Siobhan Starrs joined the “David H. Koch Hall of Fossils – Deep Time” team in 2009. She spent a decade working on the exhibit, which opened on June 8. (Smithsonian Institution)

How Siobhan Starrs’ Harrowing Hike Shaped the New Fossil Hall

Get to know the woman who managed the Fossil Hall renovation.

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