Story Topics | Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County

Playing With Fire: Extinction and Survival at La Brea Tar Pits

In California, 13,000 years ago, huge Ice Age mammals that had roamed the landscape for many millennia, suddenly ceased to exist. The cause? Humans, catastrophic fires, and an ecosystem made vulnerable by climate change.

Nature in L.A.

Match Point

Regan Dunn, Interim Assistant Deputy Director and Assistant Curator at La Brea Tar Pits, looks at the pervasive planetary issue of fire with a long-term lens.

Genus Pseudopotamilla polychaete by Leslie Harris

Research and Collections

An Ocean of Worms

Discover an underwater world of incredible marine worms in the ancient rocks off L.A.’s coast

Children looking at flowers with magnifiers

Naturalist Nature in L.A.

Nature Gardens Turn 10

A look back—and forward–at all the nature thriving in NHM’s Nature Gardens.

Some Strings Attached: L.A.'s Premier Puppet Theater

Alex Evans | Bob Baker Marionette Theater Co-Executive Director & Head Puppeteer

Becoming San Gabriel

In 1785, a Gabrieleno-Tongva woman named Toypurina led a revolt against the Spanish colonizers at Mission San Gabriel, cementing her legacy as a symbol of Indigenous resistance and fortitude.

Goth Couture

A behind-the-scenes look at preparing Wednesday Addams' dress for display in NHM's Becoming Los Angeles exhibition.

Giant Robot and the Aesthetics of Fun

Eric Nakamura | Giant Robot

A Museum Educator holding a tape measure around a tree's circumference

How Old Is Your Oak?

A How-to by NHMLAC

A close-up of two children holding magnifying glasses up to their face

Ponding!