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National Museum of Natural History

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Meet the Researcher Studying How Ancient Human Migrations Shaped a Hotbed of Avocado Diversity in Central America

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

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Smithsonian Scientists Discover That Traditional Agricultural Practices in the Amazon Helped Yield an Enduring Crop Clone

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NMNH in Review: Top Discoveries by Museum Scientists in 2023

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1.1 Billion Objects and Counting: Inside the Effort to Tally Natural History Specimens Around the Globe

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Celebrate the Holiday Season with the Museum’s Stunning Collection of Blue Specimens

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Meet the Archaeologist Leading the Museum’s Repatriation Efforts

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Meet the Smithsonian Scientist Studying the Mysterious Mongolian Deer Stones

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2022 in Review: The Year’s Top Discoveries by Museum Researchers

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Viking Women and Black-Footed Ferrets Are Coming to the Museum This Holiday Season

A tan-colored skull and spine sticks out of a sandy surface. The jaws of the elongated skull are studded with sharp teeth that are angled at the viewer.

This November, Be Thankful for Specialty Spirits and Ancient Sea Monsters

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Community Archeology Helps Bridge Gap Between Science and Tradition

A tan woolly mammoth skeleton facing left bends its front legs and tilts its tusks towards the bottom of the frame.

Celebrate Fabulous Fossils and More Natural History Programs This October

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When Was the World Our Oyster? We Asked the Anthropologist Investigating Sustainable Oyster Practices Through History

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What Mummified Shrews and Giant Hornets Reveal About Biodiversity

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Explore How Chimpanzees Perceive Gender and More Natural History Programs This April

A humpback whale breaches the surface of the ocean on a sunny day as three birds fly overhead.

10 Popular Scientific Discoveries From 2021

A pile of gourds spilling out of a tipped over container onto a brick floor with a bale of straw in the background.

Say Hello to the Scientist Harvesting Clues About Ancient Gourds and Maize

A group of seven squashes and an ear of corn on grass littered with fallen leaves.

How Ancient Humans Helped Bring Pumpkins to Your Thanksgiving Table

Landscapes have been managed by humans for thousands of years – some sustainably, others less so. The Martu people of Australia burn the grasses in continent’s Western Desert. The practice yields food, but also increases biodiversity in the area. (Rebecca Bliege Bird)

New Study Pushes Origins of Human-Driven Global Change Back Thousands of Years

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