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National Museum of Natural History

Tens of millions of years of bird evolution guided some of the most important elements of human-powered flight. (Pixabay)

How We Lifted Flight from Bird Evolution

The path to flight in modern birds was full of forks, twists and dead ends.

The National Museum of Natural History’s newest curator in the paleobiology department, Dr. Stewart Edie, opens a drawer with mollusk fossils in the museum’s invertebrate paleobiology collection. (Katie Collins, National History Museum, London)

Say Hello to the Smithsonian’s Newest Mollusk Expert

Learn what the ancient history of these sea creatures could tell us about biodiversity on ancient and modern Earth.

The Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems working group combines expertise from paleontologists and ecologists to improve our understanding of ancient and modern ecosystems. (Mary Parrish, Smithsonian)

Interdisciplinary Study Shows How Species Interactions Affect Evolution

The study shows that it’s possible to model how competition for resources, symbiosis or predation shapes the evolution and survival of species.

This mummified steppe bison was donated to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in the 1970s. Right now, museum audiences can see it online during a virtual tour. (Michelle Pinsdorf, Smithsonian)

Bison Mummies Help Scientists Ruminate on Ancient Climate

Bison mummies hold valuable information for researchers who want to understand how biodiversity evolved and responded to climate change.

Cole had been using fossils in the National Museum of Natural History’s Springer collections for her research long before joining the museum as a curator. (Selina Cole, Smithsonian)

Meet the Scientist Using Fossils to Predict Future Extinctions

Selina Cole has dedicated her career to understanding the emergence and disappearance of species throughout Earth’s history.

As the ocean continues to warm, scientists look to the past for answers on how to manage today’s environmental problems. (Sophie McCoy/NOAA)

Get to Know the Scientist Reconstructing Past Ocean Temperatures

Meet the scientist reconstructing past ocean temperatures to solve today's environmental problems.

Kay Behrensmeyer pioneered the field of taphonomy, or the study of how organisms become fossils. (Smithsonian)

Meet the Scientist Studying How Organisms Become Fossils

In the latest iteration of "Meet a SI-entist," get to know the scientist who pioneered a new scientific field - taphonomy.

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.

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."

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.

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.

The Smithsonian’s new fossil hall includes myriad stories and details – big and small – about Earth’s 4.6-billion-year history. (Smithsonian Institution)

Five Things You Shouldn’t Miss in the New Fossil Hall

Here's what the experts behind "Deep Time" don't want you to miss.

Visitors enter the Smithsonian’s new fossil hall for the first on June 8 when it reopened after being closed for a five-year renovation. (Smithsonian Institution)

How Exhibit Writers Tackled Earth’s 4.6 Billion Year History in ‘Deep Time’

Exhibition writer, Angela Roberts Reeder, shares what it took to write the script for the new "David H. Koch Hall of Fossils - Deep Time," now open at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

Miniature dinosaurs are staged in a scene from 150 million years ago while guests peruse another display showing the same species at full-size. (Smithsonian Institution)

The Experts Behind the New Fossil Hall Wrap Their Minds Around ‘Deep Time’

The team behind the Smithsonian's new dinosaur and fossil hall reflect on what "deep time" means to them.

Smithsonian paleontologist, Hans Sues, answers your questions in the National Museum of Natural History’s Deep Time YouTube series, “The Doctor Is In.” (Smithsonian Institution)

The Dr. Is In: Who Would Win in a Duel - T. rex or Stegosaurus - and Other Questions From Our Readers

Cat-loving paleontologist answers your questions in the National Museum of Natural History's YouTube series, "The Doctor Is In."

Smithsonian paleontologist, Hans Sues, answers your questions in the National Museum of Natural History’s Deep Time YouTube series, “The Doctor Is In.” (Smithsonian Institution)

The Dr. Is In: Is Dimetrodon a Dinosaur and Other Questions from Our Readers

Cat-loving paleontologist answers your questions in the National Museum of Natural History's YouTube series, "The Doctor Is In."

Smithsonian paleontologist, Hans Sues, answers your questions in the National Museum of Natural History’s Deep Time YouTube series, “The Doctor Is In.” (Smithsonian Institution)

The Dr. Is In: What Is the Smallest Known Dinosaur and Other Questions from Our Readers

Cat-loving paleontologist answers your questions in the National Museum of Natural History's YouTube series, "The Doctor Is In."

Smithsonian paleontologist, Hans Sues, answers your questions in the National Museum of Natural History’s Deep Time YouTube series, “The Doctor Is In.” (Smithsonian Institution)

The Dr. Is In: What Did Stegosaurus Eat and Other Questions from Our Readers

Cat-loving paleontologist answers your questions in the National Museum of Natural History's YouTube series, "The Doctor Is In."

Education Specialist Gale Robertson helps museum visitors test prototypes of hands-on activities that will be in “The David H. Koch Hall of Fossils—Deep Time” when it opens June 8 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. (Smithsonian Institution)

Try These Hands-on Activities in the Smithsonian’s New Fossil Hall

Hands-on activities at the Smithsonian teach visitors about the history of life on Earth and what it means to us today.

Smithsonian paleontologist, Hans Sues, answers your questions in the National Museum of Natural History’s Deep Time YouTube series, “The Doctor Is In.” (Smithsonian Institution)

The Dr. Is In: Are Birds Dinosaurs and Other Questions from Our Readers

Cat-loving paleontologist answers your questions in the National Museum of Natural History's YouTube series, "The Doctor Is In."

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