Stories
Welcome to Stories, a place to explore—and be inspired by—the wonder of our natural and cultural worlds.
10-million-year-long Mammal Layover in Mexico Primed the Pump for the Great American Biotic Interchange Between North and South America
Published in the journal Science, a new study by NHM researchers shows that Mexico acted as a biodiversity "holding pen" for 10 million years ahead of the Great American Biotic Interchange that opened the floodgates between North and South America 2.8 million years ago.
Newly Described Snake from the Age of Dinosaurs, Tametara mirim, Reveals the Ancient Brains and Surprising Diversity of Snakes
Newly Described Snake from the Age of Dinosaurs, Tametara mirim, Reveals the Ancient Brains and Surprising Diversity of Snakes
A Mural To Remember
This once-censored scene in Mexican American artist Barbara Carrasco’s mural L.A. History: A Mexican Perspective spotlights the experiences of Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during World War II.
Earth Blossoms
Chisel away with us at the science behind the “chrysanthemum stone", a 900-pound specimen bursting with white crystal “blossoms.”
A Mammoth Impression
See how Beatriz Inglessis, a scientific illustrator and visual artist, captured the bones of Ice Age animals in Japanese woodcut prints.
Killer Art
In the new exhibition, Orcas: Our Shared Future, visitors can immerse themselves in art inspired by killer whales—sculptures, masks, textiles, and prints —beckoning humans into the deeply powerful world of these cunning marine mammals.
Keiko’s Tooth: A Killer Whale, a Movie Star, and the Hidden Power of Museum Collections
Assistant Mammalogy Collections Manager Amanda Killian on finding the Free Willy star's tooth and the ever-growing value of natural history museum collections
New Study More Than Triples the Estimates of Insect Species From 6 Million to 20 Million
Ground-breaking study explodes the number of estimated insects, emphasizing the need for conservation and natural history collections
Day in the Life: Excavations Manager at the La Brea Tar Pits
Join Sean Campbell Behind the Scenes at La Brea Tar Pits
Discover Labrujasuchus expectatus, a Bipedal, Toothless, Crocodile Relative From Triassic Ghost Ranch, New Mexico
The newly described ‘Witch Croc’—Labrujasuchus expectatus—from Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, highlights the weirdness of life during the dawn of the dinosaurs and the legacy and ongoing discoveries at an iconic site 20 years into excavation