Museum Conservation Institute | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/museum-conservation-institute/RSS feed for Museum Conservation InstituteenTue, 28 Apr 2026 23:05:00 +0000Scorpions Are So Metal—Literally. New Images Reveal Patterns in How Their Weaponry Is Fortified With Iron, Zinc and Manganesehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/scorpions-are-so-metal-literally-new-images-reveal-patterns-in-how-their-weaponry-is-fortified-with-iron-zinc-and-manganese-180988633/Scientists knew the stingers and pincers of these arachnids generally contained metals, but a new Smithsonian-led study maps out how these components are distributedTue, 28 Apr 2026 23:05:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/scorpions-are-so-metal-literally-new-images-reveal-patterns-in-how-their-weaponry-is-fortified-with-iron-zinc-and-manganese-180988633/Scientists Recover Ancient Proteins From Animal Teeth Up to 24 Million Years Old, Opening Doors to Learning About the Pasthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-recover-ancient-proteins-from-animal-teeth-up-to-24-million-years-old-opening-doors-to-learning-about-the-past-180986966/Two new papers analyze fossils found in Canada and Kenya, respectively—vastly different environments for the preservation of genetic materialWed, 16 Jul 2025 15:59:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-recover-ancient-proteins-from-animal-teeth-up-to-24-million-years-old-opening-doors-to-learning-about-the-past-180986966/Archaeologists Are Recreating the Long-Lost Recipe for Egyptian Blue, the World's Oldest Known Synthetic Pigmenthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-are-recreating-the-long-lost-recipe-for-egyptian-blue-the-worlds-oldest-known-synthetic-pigment-180986778/Created 5,000 years ago, the mysterious color has been found on artworks and artifacts throughout the ancient world. But the pigment's recipe was eventually lost to historyThu, 12 Jun 2025 15:47:25 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-are-recreating-the-long-lost-recipe-for-egyptian-blue-the-worlds-oldest-known-synthetic-pigment-180986778/The Best Books of 2024, as Chosen by Smithsonian Scholarshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-best-books-of-2024-as-chosen-by-smithsonian-scholars-180985583/Staff at the Institution pick their favorite reads of the year, including riveting memoirs, fascinating true histories and fun fictionWed, 04 Dec 2024 20:43:15 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-best-books-of-2024-as-chosen-by-smithsonian-scholars-180985583/An In-Depth Look at Latino History Among the Stars and Skieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/an-in-depth-look-at-latino-history-among-the-stars-and-skies-180982764/This summer, a podcast series from the National Air and Space Museum discusses Operation Pedro Pan, Latino Futurism and “Star Wars”Mon, 21 Aug 2023 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/an-in-depth-look-at-latino-history-among-the-stars-and-skies-180982764/How to Build a Better Homemade Face Mask, According to Sciencehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/using-store-bought-microscopes-and-eye-detail-heres-what-smithsonian-scientists-have-learned-about-mask-effectiveness-180977216/When Covid-19 hit, Smithsonian researchers set up makeshift home laboratories to conduct groundbreaking studies on mask fabric materials Wed, 17 Mar 2021 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/using-store-bought-microscopes-and-eye-detail-heres-what-smithsonian-scientists-have-learned-about-mask-effectiveness-180977216/Iraq's Cultural Museum in Mosul Is on the Road to Recoveryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/iraqs-mosul-cultural-museum-road-recovery-180977027/The arduous process, says the Smithsonian's Richard Kurin, is "a victory over violent extremism"Fri, 19 Feb 2021 16:18:50 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/iraqs-mosul-cultural-museum-road-recovery-180977027/Secretary Lonnie Bunch on the Invisible Work of the Smithsonian's Conservatorshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/secretary-lonnie-bunch-invisible-work-conservators-180976242/From deep cleaning to painstaking repairs, caring for Smithsonian’s 155 million objects requires serious TLC—and steady handsWed, 18 Nov 2020 16:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/secretary-lonnie-bunch-invisible-work-conservators-180976242/These Ancient Whale Baleen Artifacts Can Now Tell New Storieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/these-ancient-artifacts-crafted-whale-baleen-can-now-tell-new-stories-180965066/How an innovative protein analysis technique helped solve a decades-old mystery Fri, 29 Sep 2017 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/these-ancient-artifacts-crafted-whale-baleen-can-now-tell-new-stories-180965066/The Starship Enterprise Is Coming in for a New Landing at the Smithsonianhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/starship-enterprise-new-landing-smithsonian-180958788/This artifact in the Air and Space Museum collections boldly returns to public viewWed, 20 Apr 2016 15:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/starship-enterprise-new-landing-smithsonian-180958788/