National Museum of Natural History

A man in a grey short sits in a lab setting, in front of a microscope and a computer screen.

Meet the National Museum of Natural History Volunteer Preserving Prehistory One Microfossil at a Time

Carlos Savignano is part of a dedicated group of FossiLab volunteers preparing Smithsonian fossils for display and future research

A circular rock is cut in half against a black background, revealing the plant material fossilized inside.

Meet the Scientist Studying 'Fossil Snapshots' of Ancient Insect Life

Paleobiologist Scott Lakeram analyzes 300-million-year-old coal ball fossils to reveal prehistoric plant-insect interactions frozen in time

Wapadsberg1.JPG

National Museum of Natural History Scientists Discover That Ancient Insects Perfected Their Plant Palates 165 Million Years Ago

The findings reveal that insects developed modern patterns of herbivory long before flowering plants flourished, upending a long-held hypothesis

Carrano, Kroehler, Oreska Cloverly 2006.jpg

Newly Described Fossil From Wyoming Sheds Light on When Frogs and Toads Lost Their Teeth

A fragment of upper jaw fossil from the Early Cretaceous is among the oldest examples of a toothless amphibian in the fossil record

Art_Pansani_2024_SciRep 1.jpg

Meet the Scientist Decoding Human History in South America Through Giant Ground Sloth Fossils

Thaís Pansani examines the marks humans left on megafauna bones to determine when people arrived in South America and how they interacted with giant mammals

NHB2017-00615.jpg

Fetching Fossils and Unwrapping Mannequins: Here’s What Happens When a Museum Exhibition Closes

In the wrap-up of “Objects of Wonder,” hundreds of the museum’s most treasured specimens are returning to the collection

nhb2013-02539_.jpg

This Fall at the Museum: Fossils, Fossils and More Fossils!

There are also events about mushrooms, bats and much more at the National Museum of Natural History in September and October

Screenshot 2024-06-06 at 2.44.10 PM.png

Check Out These Wondrous Objects on Display Before They Return to the Museum’s Collection

From whale earwax to a shimmering ammonite shell, the “Objects of Wonder” exhibition spotlights some of the museum’s most intriguing specimens

IMG_6610.jpg

Dusting Dinosaurs and Elephants: How Specialists Keep the Museum’s Largest Treasures Spotless

To celebrate International Museum Day, learn how experts protect the museum’s most dramatic displays from dust bunnies and cobwebs

Yellow and white lichens are pictured against a back background on a tree branch.

Meet the Smithsonian Fellow Alumni Helping to Save the Planet

This Earth Day, learn about early-career researchers who are tackling issues from green technology to lichen biodiversity and coral rehabilitation

nmnh2018_allosaurus_fragilis_usnm4734_002.jpg

Just Our Type: Museum's Dinosaur Skeleton Becomes the Scientific Standard for Its Species

In this month’s Specimen Spotlight, find out what makes the Smithsonian's Allosaurus specimen so special

Kermit Smithsonian close up_TMS Edit copy.jpg

Newly Discovered Fossil from the Smithsonian’s Collection Named After Kermit the Frog

The new amphibian ancestor joins a growing list of species named after Jim Henson and his Muppet characters

2008-12706_SantOceanHall-S.JPG

Celebrate Valentine’s Day With the Ocean’s Oddest Couples and More Natural History Programs This February

Join the National Museum of Natural History for programs on asteroid samples, fossils and chimpanzees

A man sits in front of a large, white machine and a row of computer screens in a lab setting.

Uncovering Earth's Secrets One X-ray at a Time

The National Museum of Natural History’s analytical laboratories are revolutionizing how scientists study everything from Civil War tooth fillings to Earth’s oldest rocks

Screen Shot 2023-10-31 at 11.27.18 AM.png

Meet the Scientist Studying the Scary Speed of Spider Jaws

This Halloween, learn how arachnologist Hannah Wood uses the fossil record to track the evolution of these misunderstood critters

IMG_6197.jpeg

What a Drawerful of Dung Reveals About the Lives of Ground Sloths

For International Sloth Day, learn about the scientific clues preserved in petrified poop

Screen Shot 2023-09-28 at 10.39.47 AM.png

How Smithsonian Fossil Preparators Are Re-Excavating a Tyrannosaur From Its Past on Display

This National Fossil Day, take an inside look at the effort to free the skeleton for research after more than a century in museum fossil halls

uroderma_bilobatum_bites_fig_fruit_photo_by_merlin_tuttle.jpg

Get Up Close With Bat Specimens and More Natural History Programs This October

Stop by for programs about bats, fantastic fossils and more at the National Museum of Natural History

IMG_6325.jpg

Dino-Sore: Smithsonian Paleontologist Diagnoses Ancient Ailments in the Museum’s Dinosaurs

For National Veterinary Day, Matthew Carrano gives several ancient reptiles a paleo-physical

Categories
Archive

Page 1 of 3