Natural History Museum | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/natural-history-museum/RSS feed for Natural History MuseumenFri, 10 Jul 2026 16:30:59 +0000An Ancient Sea Once Split North America Down the Middle. The Beautiful Multicolored Ammonite Shells From Its Waters Are So Perfectly Preserved That They Still Shimmer Todayhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/an-ancient-sea-once-split-north-america-down-the-middle-the-beautiful-multicolored-ammonite-shells-from-its-waters-are-so-perfectly-preserved-that-they-still-shimmer-today-180989104/Spectacular marine fossils tell the story of the long-gone Western Interior Seaway and the planet’s past aquatic lifeFri, 10 Jul 2026 16:30:59 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/an-ancient-sea-once-split-north-america-down-the-middle-the-beautiful-multicolored-ammonite-shells-from-its-waters-are-so-perfectly-preserved-that-they-still-shimmer-today-180989104/How One German Button Maker Searched the Rivers of the American Midwest for the Shells That Could Make Him a Fortunehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-one-german-button-maker-searched-the-rivers-of-the-american-midwest-for-the-shells-that-could-make-him-a-fortune-180989012/John Boepple settled in Muscatine, Iowa, where he produced pearl buttons made from freshwater mussel shells. His innovations brought economic prosperity to the town—and disaster to the local mussel populationsThu, 25 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-one-german-button-maker-searched-the-rivers-of-the-american-midwest-for-the-shells-that-could-make-him-a-fortune-180989012/What Natural History Objects Represent Your State? You Can Find Out in This New Exhibition of More Than 600 Specimens and Artifactshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/what-natural-history-objects-represent-your-state-you-can-find-out-in-this-new-exhibition-of-more-than-600-specimens-and-artifacts-180988980/The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History celebrates America’s 250th anniversary by spotlighting fascinating items from across the nationThu, 18 Jun 2026 14:15:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/what-natural-history-objects-represent-your-state-you-can-find-out-in-this-new-exhibition-of-more-than-600-specimens-and-artifacts-180988980/Scientists Discover the World's Largest, Deepest Whale Graveyard, Where Cetacean Remains Have Been Piling Up for Five Million Yearshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-discover-the-worlds-largest-deepest-whale-graveyard-where-cetacean-remains-have-been-piling-up-for-five-million-years-180988942/The massive necropolis, located deep in the southeastern Indian Ocean, is teeming with marine life supported by the whale carcasses, including many suspected new speciesFri, 12 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-discover-the-worlds-largest-deepest-whale-graveyard-where-cetacean-remains-have-been-piling-up-for-five-million-years-180988942/