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Raven Capone Benko

Raven Capone Benko is a science communicator specializing in marine systems, climate change, and the human-nature relationship. She has worked for the Smithsonian several times, first as a science writing intern, then as a government relations fellow focusing on science policy, and again as a media specialist for the Pettibone Legacy Project in the NMNH Department of Invertebrate Zoology. She finished her master’s in 2021 at the University of Washington studying how different groups of people engage with climate change science and policies. In her free time, she teaches partner dancing and reads as many fun and frivolous books that she can get her hands on.

Stories from this author

An illustration of a new species of phyla with a cone shaped bottom and thin tendrils coming out of the top.

Science Illustration: A Creative Door for Early Women in Science

Learn about Violet Dandridge, Aime Motter Awl, Carolyn Bartlett Gast, and Marilyn Schotte: four women from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Department of Invertebrate Zoology who broke through the gendered barriers of science and made significant contributions to scientific discovery through art.

Marian Pettibone with short grey hair and glasses sits at a lab bench in front of a microscope. There are files and specimen bottle on shelves behind her.

Dr. Marian Pettibone Discovered and Described New Forms of Oceanic Life

The first female curator in the National Museum of Natural History Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Dr. Pettibone described 172 species and fought for the recognition of women in science.

A colorful worm is lit up against a black background

How 3D Worms Provide a Peek Into Historic Smithsonian Collection

Thanks to cutting-edge technology, Smithsonian scientists provide worldwide access to some of the museum's most delicate specimens

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

Smithsonian marine scientist Brett Gonzalez spent 10 days exploring the flooded caves of the Turks and Caicos in search of a rare predatory scale worm.

Dr. Suzan Murray, Program Director for the Smithsonian’s Global Health Program, reading her testimony at the House Science Subcommittee’s Coronaviruses: understanding the Spread of Infectious Diseases and Mobilizing Innovative Solutions hearing that occurred in March 2020.

Science, Policy, and Pandemics

For years, the dangerous virus currently making global headlines was circulating in wild animals, replicating and spreading with little notice from the host that carried it. This virus, that scientists now believe originated in bats, quickly turned from a benign hitchhiker to a deadly producer of disease when it was introduced to an animal population it had never come in contact with before – humans.

Karen Osborn, invertebrate zoologist and curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, uses photography to help people connect with the hard-to-see marine animals she studies, like this deep-sea jellyfish (Voragonema pedunculata). (Karen Osborn, Smithsonian)

Why Science Needs Art

From teaching curious museumgoers to adding creativity to the scientific process, art is an essential component of the science done at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.