National Museum of Natural History

Foraminifera from Ernst Haeckel's Kunstformen der Natur. (Ernst Haeckel)

Here's How Scientists Reconstruct Earth's Past Climates

Scientists apply different methods to the geologic record with the goal of better understanding and quantifying ancient Earth's temperatures.

With more disciplines working together, better use of big data, and more computer simulations and other quantitative approaches, archaeologists may be able to make meaningful predictions of the future. (Photo courtesy of Wendy Cegielski and Jay Etchings)

Convergence May Help Scientists Predict the Future

Archaeologists J.Daniel Rogers and Wendy Cegielski identified three distinct research trends that need to converge to address today’s greatest challenges.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History houses countless artifacts and specimens related to the American Presidency, like this meteorite which was presented to President Ulysses S. Grant by the Mexican government. (Paul Fetters for the Smithsonian)

Check Out These Unexpected Connections in Natural and Presidential History

To celebrate President’s Day, here are some of my favorite natural history artifacts and specimens that not only form the foundation for scientific discovery, but also reveal a piece of the American story.

St. Croix ground lizards are one of the world's rarest lizards. (Nicole Angeli, Smithsonian)

Why Aren't St. Croix Ground Lizards on St. Croix?

Smithsonian scientists are working to save St. Croix ground lizards from extinction and bring them home to their namesake island.

Schools of snappers, grunts and jacks on a seagrass plain at Hol Chan marine reserve, Belize. (Pete Oxford, International League of Conservation Photographers)

Can Genetics Improve Fisheries Management?

The Smithsonian's Marine Conservation Program uses genetics as one tool in a holistic approach to marine conservation. In doing so, the Program provides fisheries managers with sound scientific data that can be used for evidence based decision-making and adaptive management.

Scientists at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History traveled the world and made many new discoveries this year--like this Cyrtodactylis payarhtanensis, a new species of bent-toed gecko. (Daniel G. Mulcahy)

Countdown to the New Year: 7 of Our Favorite Discoveries from 2017

To count down to the new year, here are some of our favorite stories about the exciting discoveries our researchers made this year.

Tlingit Killer Whale Clan Hat digitized and repatriated by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in 2005. (Nick Partridge, Smithsonian)

Is 3D Technology the Key to Preserving Indigenous Cultures?

Smithsonian scientists apply 3D technology to indigenous artifacts to ensure native cultures survive and thrive for future generations.

Four views of a Shee aan. SI Catalog #E7899. (Brittany M. Hance, Smithsonian)

3D Technology May Revive this Ancient Hunting Tool

Smithsonian scientists used 3D technology to help revive the ancient Tlingit Shee aan.

A team of Smithsonian scientists excavating the Hart Chalet site found a double tournois copper coin minted for French King louis XIII in 1634. In pristine condition, it would have looked similar to this 1638 double tournois coin. (Images courtesy of the National Numismatic Collection, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. Image composite by Anna Torres)

Some Archaeological Dating can be as Simple as Flipping a Coin

The appearance of European artifacts in the arctic helps archaeologists date Inuit sites.

Onboard science leads Drs. Chris Mah and Chris Kelley and NOAA Educational Partnership Program Intern Nikola Rodriguez discuss and take a closer look at deepwater habitats explored with remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer on Horizon Guyot. (Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2017 Laulima O Ka Moana)

Can Technology Bring the Deep-Sea to You?

Telepresence adds a collaborative dynamic to scientific research, outreach, and education.

The 2016 Arctic sea ice summertime minimum, reached on Sept. 10, is 911,000 square miles below the 1981-2010 average minimum sea ice extent, shown here as a gold line (NASA Goddard's Scientific Visualization Studio/C. Starr).

Can Science Help Policymakers Create the Arctic Policies We Need Right Now?

If the future of the Arctic is to be governed by evidence-based policies, scientists must accelerate the exchange of knowledge and engage with policy makers.

A new exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History will dive deep into the Arctic world of narwhals to explore what makes this mysterious animal and its changing ecosystem unique and important. “Narwhal: Revealing an Arctic Legend” will present Inuit perspectives on their relationship with narwhals and the latest scientific knowledge about these animals, while illuminating the interconnectedness among narwhals, people and their ecosystems (Smithsonian Institution).

Narwhals, Narwhals, Swimming in the...Smithsonian?

Take a behind-the-scenes look at the development process behind the new exhibition, "Narwhal: Revealing an Arctic Legend" on view at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

Ginkgo biloba leaves could be the key to reconstructing past changes in carbon dioxide and climate (Rich Barclay, Smithsonian).

Can You Help Us Clear The Fossil Air?

Help Smithsonian scientists reconstruct past changes in carbon dioxide and climate by joining the Fossil Atmospheres project.

Before its residence at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, this pressed plant (Cyananthus macrocalyx subspecies spathulifolius) was housed at London's Natural History Museum where it survived a bombing during World War II (Photo Credit: Ingrid P. Lin, Smithsonian).

Are Pressed Plants Windows Into World History?

Digitizing the records of our herbarium specimens is important for expanding our scientific reach, but safely securing museum specimens is essential for current and future botanical research.

Will the Blue Marble Stay Blue? This famous Earth photo, known as The Blue Marble, was taken on December 7, 1972 by astronauts on the Apollo 17 spacecraft – the last manned lunar mission that provided humans with such an opportunity. Beautiful and fragile, the Blue Marble became a symbol of the environmental movement and part of the official Earth Day flag (Photo credit: NASA).

This Earth Day, the Planet’s Health is Your Health

We are now living in a highly connected world. Human health threats anywhere can have impacts everywhere. However, we can only be as healthy as the global ecosystem in which we live and on which we depend. This is the main message of Planetary Health--an evolving discipline of enormous scope, where human health is inseparable from the state of Earth systems.

Each species of tinamou—a nearly-flightless bird from South and Central America—lays a different color of glossy egg. The males build the nest and incubate the eggs, while the females nest-hop, laying eggs in multiple nests. Visit our #ObjectsofWonder exhibit to see the eggs of tinamous and other bird species (Photo Credit: Paul Fetters for the Smithsonian).

This Easter, Forget Everything You Know About the Egg Hunt

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History has more than 109,000 individual bird egg specimens. It is a hidden gem that rivals the fanciest Easter basket imaginable. The eggs vary in size, shape, color, and pattern and reflect the diversity of life on this planet. So, how did the collection start? And why do we have so many bird eggs?

The traditional Thanksgiving turkey is delicious, but is it paleo? (Photo Credit: Tim Sackton via Flickr)

This Thanksgiving, Try the Real Paleo Diet

With Thanksgiving almost here, many people are looking forward to turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. But as a scientist who studies what people ate in the deep past - the real paleo diet – I’m bracing myself for the inevitable questions from people who want to know what’s on the menu that qualifies. If, like me, you enjoy the friendly debunking of baseless nutritional lore, here are some conversation starters for this holiday weekend.

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