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National Museum of Natural History

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Scientists Discover New Species of Poison Dart Frog with One-of-One Specimen Collected More than Sixty Years Ago

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A New Pterosaur, Ancient Asteroid Brine and More Discoveries from the National Museum of Natural History in 2025

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Paleontologists Discover a ‘Marvelous’ Triassic Reptile That Sported a Sail of Feather-Like Structures on its Back

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Meet the Scientist Who Discovered a New Genus of Curious Catfish Hiding in Colombia’s Most Endangered River

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Top Discoveries at the National Museum of Natural History in 2024

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Scientists at the National Museum of Natural History Discover Two Squirrel Species Long Obscured by Mistaken Identities

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Fearsome Flies: Meet the Scientist Studying the Top Predators in the Insect World

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Through the Fossil Grapevine: Museum Scientist Helps Untangle How the Fruit Thrived in the Aftermath of Extinction

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

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Meet the Smithsonian Scientist Who Has Spent Decades Exploring Ocean Depths

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Smithsonian Scientists Discover New Species of Hedgehogs Hiding in Plain Sight

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Smithsonian Expedition Yields a New Species of Deep-Sea Coral

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Starstruck: A Suite of Strange Sea Stars Discovered in the Smithsonian’s Collection

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Smithsonian Scientists Discover One of the Earliest Mammal Ancestors That Ate Its Veggies

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Scientists Describe Two New Species of Ancient Brittle Star

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

Scientists described a new species of Bryde’s-like whale using the skeleton of a whale that washed ashore in the Florida Everglades in 2019 and is now part of the Smithsonian’s marine mammals collection. (NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC Permit No. 779-1633-0)

Scientists Describe New Species of Rare Bryde’s Whale

Staring into the mouth of flooded cave passages on the islands of the Turks and Caicos. Hidden cave pools are illuminated by dive lights and photo flash. (Joost Daniels, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)

Scientists Brave One of the Darkest Places on Earth for Rare Predatory Worm

Scientists at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History discovered all sorts of cool things in 2019 including the first North American medicinal leech (Macrobdella mimicus) in more than 40 years. (Anna Phillips, Smithsonian)

10 Popular Scientific Discoveries from 2019

The spectacled flowerpecker has been spotted eating mistletoe, a parasitic plant that grows high in Borneo’s forest canopy. The distinctive white markings around the eyes earned these birds their common name. (John Anderton)

Scientists Describe New Bird Species 10 Years After First Reported Sighting

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