Smithsonian Voices

From the Smithsonian Museums

Fossil plants reveal information about the temperature and precipitation of past climates. Scientists use what they learn from fossil plants to inform their research on modern climate change (USNM PAL 606436, Smithsonian)

What Fossil Plants Reveal About Climate Change

Paleobiologists use fossil plants to reconstruct Earth’s past climate and inform climate change research today.

This fossilized dinosaur head and vertebrae were discovered in 1883 but only recently gained its name, Smitanosaurus agilis. (Smithsonian)

Scientists Give Old Dinosaur a New Name

This is a giant spindle magnetofossil, created by a mysterious creature over 50 million years ago. So far, the iron fossils have only been found during two periods of intense global warming. (Kenneth Livi, Courtney Wagner, and Ioan Lascu)

New Way to Study Magnetic Fossils Could Help Unearth Their Origins

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

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

Smithsonian anthropologists hold up the world’s longest beard after it was donated to the National Museum of Natural History in 1967. (Smithsonian)

Five of Nature’s Best Beards for World Beard Day

Collections at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History that are similar to objects in the show “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” (Smithsonian)

Six Avatar-Themed Items in the Smithsonian Collections

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

Smithsonian Puts Backstage Fossil Preparation Center Stage in its 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

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’

Researchers at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History traveled the world and made many new discoveries this year—including 18 new species of pelican spiders. (Nikolai Scharff)

Check Out Some of Our Most Popular Discoveries From 2018

A new exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History reveals how millions of years ago, large-scale natural forces created the condition for real-life sea monsters to thrive in the South Atlantic Ocean basin shortly after it formed. “Sea Monsters Unearthed” offers visitors the opportunity to dive into Cretaceous Angola’s cool coastal waters, examine the fossils of striking marine reptiles that once lived there, and learn about the forces that continue to mold life in the ocean and on land. (Smithsonian Institution)

Ever Wonder how Exhibits are Made? Here's Your Answer.

The Smithsonian embedded the first Ceratosaurus ever discovered in the wall of the National Museum of Natural History in 1911. It remained stuck in the wall for more than 100 years. (Smithsonian Institution)

A Smithsonian Dino-Celebrity Finally Tells All

A fossil sea turtle skull excavated from Angola’s coastal cliffs. A cast of this fossil will be featured in “Sea Monsters Unearthed,” opening November 9 at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. (Hillsman S. Jackson, Southern Methodist University)

Q&A: Sea Monsters in Our Ancient Oceans Were Strangely Familiar

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Meet the Expert Studying Fishes That Spit Water to Hunt

Four Natural History Programs Streaming for Free This Month

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