National Museum of Natural History | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/blog/national-museum-of-natural-history/RSS feed for National Museum of Natural HistoryenMon, 31 Aug 2026 14:30:00 +0000Meet the Museum Scientist Studying Modern Birds and Fossils to Understand How Ancient Avians Took Flighthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-of-natural-history/2026/08/31/meet-the-museum-scientist-studying-modern-birds-and-fossils-to-understand-how-ancient-avians-took-flight/Smithsonian researcher Klara Widrig studies living birds to build 3D models of their ancestors’ anatomies, uncovering how flight evolvedMon, 31 Aug 2026 14:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-of-natural-history/2026/08/31/meet-the-museum-scientist-studying-modern-birds-and-fossils-to-understand-how-ancient-avians-took-flight/Microscopic Fossils Reveal the Culprit of an Ancient Extinction Is Still at Largehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-of-natural-history/2026/08/27/microscopic-fossils-reveal-the-culprit-of-an-ancient-extinction-is-still-at-large/Chemical clues preserved in tiny shells reveal that ocean acidification doomed a group of planktonic organisms that have outsized impact on climateThu, 27 Aug 2026 14:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-of-natural-history/2026/08/27/microscopic-fossils-reveal-the-culprit-of-an-ancient-extinction-is-still-at-large/How the National Museum of Natural History Photographed Over 600 Objects to Bring a New Exhibition Representing the Entire United States to Lifehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-of-natural-history/2026/08/19/how-the-national-museum-of-natural-history-photographed-over-600-objects-to-bring-a-new-exhibition-representing-the-entire-united-states-to-life/For “From These Lands,” museum photographers drew on their experience and creativity to document everything from tiny insects to a colossal canoeWed, 19 Aug 2026 05:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-of-natural-history/2026/08/19/how-the-national-museum-of-natural-history-photographed-over-600-objects-to-bring-a-new-exhibition-representing-the-entire-united-states-to-life/Who Has Opposable Thumbs and a Prehensile Tail? This Tree Rat That Few Have Ever Seenhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-of-natural-history/2026/08/12/who-has-opposable-thumbs-and-a-prehensile-tail-this-tree-rat-that-few-have-ever-seen/After sequencing the DNA of the world’s only Emmons’s tree rat specimen, museum scientists have returned to the Bornean forest to learn more about the mysterious rodentWed, 12 Aug 2026 15:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-of-natural-history/2026/08/12/who-has-opposable-thumbs-and-a-prehensile-tail-this-tree-rat-that-few-have-ever-seen/An Oyster With Teeth Reveals When Mollusks Covered the Chesapeake Bayhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-of-natural-history/2026/08/05/an-oyster-with-teeth-reveals-when-mollusks-covered-the-chesapeake-bay/Celebrate National Oyster Day by learning about the most bizarre oyster specimens in the National Museum of Natural History’s collectionWed, 05 Aug 2026 13:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-of-natural-history/2026/08/05/an-oyster-with-teeth-reveals-when-mollusks-covered-the-chesapeake-bay/Meet the Researcher Studying How Ancient Human Migrations Shaped a Hotbed of Avocado Diversity in Central Americahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-of-natural-history/2026/07/22/meet-the-researcher-studying-how-ancient-human-migrations-shaped-a-hotbed-of-avocado-diversity-in-central-america/While collecting avocado leaf samples in Nicaragua, archaeobotanist Kevin Wann finally tasted the fruit he has spent years studyingWed, 22 Jul 2026 15:05:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-of-natural-history/2026/07/22/meet-the-researcher-studying-how-ancient-human-migrations-shaped-a-hotbed-of-avocado-diversity-in-central-america/Hailing From Glaciers, Geysers and Volcanoes, These Iconic Rocks Provide a Glimpse Into How America Was Formed and Builthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-of-natural-history/2026/07/13/hailing-from-glaciers-geysers-and-volcanoes-these-iconic-rocks-provide-a-glimpse-into-how-america-was-formed-and-built/In celebration of National Rock Day, learn how several rock specimens in the new exhibition “From These Lands” shed light on the nation’s geological heritageMon, 13 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-of-natural-history/2026/07/13/hailing-from-glaciers-geysers-and-volcanoes-these-iconic-rocks-provide-a-glimpse-into-how-america-was-formed-and-built/