The David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins: What Does It Mean To Be Human?

March 17, 2010 - Permanent
1st Floor, Northwest Wing (Halls 11 & 12)
Exhibit hours:
• March 17 and 18: 12 Noon-3 PM
• Starting March 19: regular museum hours

This major new exhibition hall focuses on the story of human origins and probes the ecological and genetic connections that human beings have had with the natural world over time. It examines the shared framework of humankind -- the biological and cultural history we all share -- as well as the differences that exist and preoccupy us today.

The Sant Ocean Hall Focus Gallery: Deeper Than Light

February 20, 2010 - May 23, 2010
The Sant Ocean Hall, 1st Floor, North
In 2004, curiosity drove a team of scientists on the Norwegian research vessel G.O. Sars to study the vast, unexplored depths of the north Atlantic Ocean to learn about the creatures that live there and answer the following questions: How do they survive? How do they interact? How can we protect them? This exhibition retraces this team of scientists' journey into this relatively undiscovered world using art, images, models, and multimedia.

This traveling exhibition is on loan from the Bergen Museum, University of Bergen, Norway.

A Rare Encounter: The Hope and Wittelsbach-Graff Diamonds

January 29, 2010 - August 1, 2010
2nd Floor, East Wing, Gems Hall, Harry Winston Gallery
The Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond is displayed together with the Hope Diamond for the first time. The Wittelsbach-Graff's deep blue color, flawless clarity, and royal history make it one of the most celebrated gemstones known. Its story goes back over 340 years, and the diamond has not appeared in public for more than 50 years. Both diamonds come from India and share their rare blue color. Could they have come from the same mine? Smithsonian scientists compare the properties of both gems and explore this intriguing possibility.

Nature's Best 2009 Photography Awards: Windland Smith Rice International Awards

November 12, 2009 - May 2, 2010
2nd Floor, Northwest Wing, Special Exhibit Gallery (Hall 25)
On view are winners in 19 categories from the 2009 Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards, including the Grand Prize, Conservation Photographer of the Year, Youth Photographer of the Year, and selected Highly Honored images. The annual awards honor the best amateur and professional nature photographers from around the world.

Since Darwin: The Evolution of Evolution

September 12, 2009 - July 18, 2010
1st Floor, West Wing, Special Exhibit Gallery (near Mammals)
This exhibition reveals the significant role Darwin's theories have played in explaining and unifying all the biological sciences. Specimens from the museum's diverse collections, along with documentation from its ongoing research, illustrate the importance of evolution as a scientific foundation and how our knowledge of evolution has evolved over the last 150 years. Included in the exhibition is Darwin's groundbreaking book On the Origin of Species, first published November 1859.

Celebrates the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of On the Origin of Species.

See February 2009 Smithsonian magazine, pp. 40-48 and 50-54.

See also related exhibition Cases: Darwin's Legacy

Cases: Darwin's Legacy

September 10, 2009 - September 12, 2010
Ground Floor, Constitution Ave. Lobby, East & West Sides
Charles Darwin served as an unpaid naturalist on the H.M.S. Beagle during a scientific expedition around South America and the Galapagos Islands from 1831 to 1836. The studies he performed and the specimens he collected during that voyage served as the basis of his theory of evolution by natural selection, which he expounded in his groundbreaking book On the Origin of Species. These two cases -- on the east and west sides of the lobby -- feature objects and books related to that voyage to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species and the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth.

Highlights include:
• Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of His Majesty's Ships 'Adventure' and 'Beagle' between the years 1826 and 1836 (4 volumes)
• Beautifully illustrated volumes from the Zoology of the H.M.S. Beagle, edited by Charles Darwin and published 1838-1843
• Galapagos land iguana and mockingbird specimens from the museum's collections
• Charles Darwin's silk neckerchief
• Portrait of Charles Darwin

See also related exhibition Since Darwin: The Evolution of Evolution.

Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th-Century Chesapeake

February 7, 2009 - January 6, 2013
2nd Floor, West, between Reptiles & Western Cultures (new space)
This exhibition features archaeological discoveries that reveal the historic importance of Jamestown and its contribution to the American way of life. The exhibition addresses such subjects as life and death in the colonies, activity and physical labor, health and disease, dietary resources, internal strife, and inter-population relationships and includes the stories of all peoples affected by the colonization of North America -- Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans -- and their role in the formation and function of the first permanent settlements and capitals of Maryland and Virginia.

The Sant Ocean Hall

- Permanent
1st Floor, North Center (Halls 8, 9, & 10)
Covering 71% of the Earth's surface and containing 97% of the planet's water, the ocean is a vast and complex ecosystem; it is intrinsically connected to other global ecosystems and is essential to all life, including our own. In this new hall, the importance and complexity of the ocean is revealed through a cross-disciplinary perspective -- biological, geological, and anthropological. Information on understanding and predicting changes to the Earth's environment and on how to conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our nation's economic, social, and environmental needs is also highlighted.

Highlights include a life-size model of a 45-foot North Atlantic right whale, based on the real female whale named Phoenix, the centerpiece of the exhibition; two giant squids; a set of 7-foot-tall jaws of the extinct great white shark (Carcharodon megalodon), the biggest shark that ever lived; and a 26-foot long Northwest Coast canoe, carved especially for the exhibition by a Tlingit master carver.

Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution

- Permanent
2nd Floor, Southwest Wing, near Insect Zoo (Hall 30)
This exhibition shows how butterflies have evolved, adapted, and diversified with their plant partners over millions of years. Housed within this exhibition is a special Butterfly Pavilion, which looks like a cocoon, where visitors can walk among hundreds of live butterflies and pesticide-free plants to observe butterfly behaviors ranging from flying and sipping nectar at flowers to roosting and emerging from chrysalides. These butterflies will hatch from pupae raised on farms in Africa, Asia, and North and South America.
Note: To maintain an environment conducive for butterflies, the temperature inside the Pavilion will be 80-85 degrees with high humidity.

For operating hours, visit the Web

For ticketing information, visit the Web

Discovering Rastafari!

- Indefinitely
1st Floor, Northeast Wing, African Voices Focus Gallery (Hall 7)
Featuring rare photographs, artifacts, and ephemera, this exhibition moves beyond the popular Jamaican music known as reggae to explore the origins and practice of the Rastafari religion in Jamaica and the movement's subsequent spread across the Caribbean and around the world.

Video footage featuring male and female Rastafari of different ages, nationalities, ethnicities, and socioeconomic classes highlights the unity of the movement. An overview of the three major "mansions" (organizations) reveals the diversity of Rastafari and the core of sacred practices that guide the daily lives of its practitioners.

Korea Gallery

- Indefinitely
2nd Floor, Center, North Corridor (Hall 24)
To celebrate the country's distinctive art, culture, and 2,000-year history, on view are some 85 objects, including Korean ceramics, wooden furniture, stone and wooden sculptures, paintings, and textiles.

Mammals, Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of

- Permanent
1st Floor, West Wing, Mammals Hall (Halls 14, 15, & 16)
This hall showcases some 274 mammals and explores their diversity and how they originated and adapted to changing landscapes and environments over the last 225 million years -- from polar to desert regions and from dry to humid environments. The exhibition addresses such questions as: What is a mammal? Why do some mammals live in groups while others live alone? How many kinds of mammals are there and what are their habitat preferences? How are mammals related? How and why do scientists study mammals? The exhibition also shares information about the unusual -- the oddest specimens (including egg-laying mammals), the rarest specimens (an okapi from Africa), and the oldest known mammal (Morganucadon) from 210 million years ago.

African Voices

- Permanent
1st Floor, Northeast Wing, African Cultures Hall (Hall 7)
This exhibition examines the diversity, dynamism, and global influence of Africa's peoples and cultures over time in the realms of family, work, community, and the natural environment. Included are historical and contemporary objects from the museum's collections, as well as commissioned sculptures, textiles, and pottery. Video interactives and sound stations provide selections from contemporary interviews, literature, proverbs, prayers, folk tales, songs, and oral epics.

Geology, Gems, and Minerals, Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of

- Permanent
2nd Floor, East Wing (Halls 18, 19, & 20)
This hall features 2,500 minerals and gems, including the Hope Diamond, Hooker Emerald Brooch, and Star of Asia sapphire. It also explores the birth and evolution of the solar system and the earth's changing surface through computer interactives and video presentations

Blast from the Past (case)

- Indefinitely
1st Floor, Dinosaurs Hall (Hall 2), south side of FossiLab
This showcase features a 11.5-meter tubular core sample that shows physical and biological effects of Earth's collision with a giant asteroid 65 million years ago, which resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs. The sample, taken from 130 meters below the ocean floor east of St. Augustine, Florida, contains the best preserved Cretaceous/Tertiary sequence yet recovered. The exhibition highlights the work of Smithsonian micropaleontologist Brian Huber, who interprets past climate change by studying tiny marine fossils.

Garden: Butterfly Habitat Garden (outside, seasonal)

- Permanent
Outside along 9th Street between Madison Dr. & Constitution Ave.
The Garden has signs that identify four habitats: wetland, meadow, wood's edge, and urban backyard. The signage discusses the connections between plants and butterflies and explains butterfly behaviors. As many as 30 species of butterflies may be attracted to the native plants in the Garden. The Garden is a joint project of the Horticultural Services Division and NMNH, with partial funding from the Smithsonian Women's Committee.

Insect Zoo, O. Orkin

- Permanent
2nd Floor, West Wing, near Reptiles
The Insect Zoo focuses on insects and their relationships with plants, animals, and humans. The exhibition contains a section about the evolution of insects and showcases live insects and their environments, including:

• The Termites' Turf
• Water-loving Bugs
• Familiar Insects
• The Bee Hive
• Desert Dwellers
• Rain Forests--Home to Millions

Welcome to the National Museum of Natural History

- Permanent
Ground Floor, Constitution Ave. Lobby
This exhibition offers an array of objects selected for their beauty including minerals, fossils, sea shells, butterflies, Pueblo ceramics, prehistoric stone artifacts, and totem poles and wood carvings from Northwest Coast Indian cultures.

• The Easter Island Head -- without the hat (which was not original) -- was installed on the east side of the lobby the week of Aug. 29, 2005. Also called a Moai, this ancestor sculpture from the South Pacific had previously been on view in Pacific Cultures Hall (which is now permanently closed).

• Totem Poles, Northwest Coast: The 3 Northwest Coast totem poles near the east stairwell of the lobby are from the Haida and Tsimshian tribes of British Columbia. They previously had been on view at the Arts and Industries Building. The display includes an ongoing video about these tribes.

• Yap Money: The Yap Money (large stone "coin") is located on the ground floor near the entrance to the main Museum Store. It had previously been on view in Pacific Cultures Hall (which is now permanently closed).

Note: The Research Case, located on the southeast wall, features changing exhibitions highlighting the work of museum staff (see On View).

Life in the Ancient Seas

- Permanent
1st Floor, East Wing (Hall 5), near Dinosaurs Hall
Fantastic marine fossils tell the story of evolution and extinction in the seas in three acts: the Paleozoic Era (540 to 250 million years ago), when odd prehistoric creatures such as trilobites abounded; the Mesozoic Era (250 to 65 million years ago), when marine reptiles such as mososaurs appeared; and the Cenozoic Era (65 million years ago to today), when the numbers and kinds of shelled animals increased, and when the primitive whale took to the seas.

Early Life: Earliest Traces of Life

- Indefinitely
1st Floor, East Wing (1st half of Hall 4), near Dinosaurs Hall
Presented is an overview of the origin and early evolution of life. Included is the oldest fossil, a cabbage-sized, 3.5-billion-year-old fossil algal mat, as well as the earliest animal fossils, to relate a large portion of the earth's history known as the Precambrian.

Fossil Mammals: Mammals in the Limelight

- Permanent
1st Floor, East Wing (Hall 3), behind Dinosaurs Hall
This exhibition focuses on the spectacular evolution of mammals as the dominant class of vertebrates following the extinction of the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago.

Dinosaurs: Reptiles: Masters of Land

- Permanent
1st Floor, East Wing (Hall 2)
All of the old favorites are on view in the exhibition hall, including the gigantic 90-foot-long Diplodocus, horned Triceratops, and the Stegosaurus model. Other attractions include Quetzalcoatlus, a huge toothless pterosaur with a 40-foot wingspan, posed in flight; a nest of dinosaur eggs; and the meat-eating Allosaurus -- 8 feet tall and 20 feet long -- challenging newly re-mounted Stegosaurus.

Fossil Plants and Animals: The Conquest of Land

- Permanent
1st Floor, East Wing, (2nd half of Hall 4), near Dinosaurs Hall
This exhibition focuses on the earliest plants and animals to evolve the complex adaptations needed to live on land. In an animated video, evoking television coverage of the first lunar landing, characters Frank Anchorfish and Arthur Pod explain the characteristics plants and animals needed to pioneer the harsh, dry terrestrial environment. Just beyond an arbor formed by a diorama of the first forests are still more fossils: specimens of a 16-foot fossil of an early tree, Callixyon; other fossil trees and smaller plants from the ancient coal forests of North America.

Birds of the District of Columbia

- Indefinitely
Ground Floor, East Ambulatory
Year-round and seasonal residents, migrants and vagrants--hundreds of bird species--are displayed. They all live in the region extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Allegheny Mountains. Learn where and when to look for a snowy owl or ruffed grouse, warbling vireo or orange-crowned warbler, chickadee or indigo bunting.

Burgess Shale Diorama

- Indefinitely
1st Floor, East Wing, inside entrance to Dinosaurs Hall (Hall 2)
Soft-bodied and hard-shelled animals, tall sponges and algae offer a rare glimpse into the earliest explosion of animal life about 515 million years ago. This plethora of weird wonders was reconstructed based on fossils preserved in the rocks of the Burgess Shale. In 1909, Charles Wolcott, then Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, discovered the Burgess Shale fossil deposit in British Columbia, Canada. The museum houses more than 65,000 Burgess Shale fossils, many of which are still intensively studied by scientists around the world. Dozens are on display.

See Smithsonian magazine: February 1983, p. 153, and August 2009, pp. 15-17.

Fossils Galore: A Grand Opening

- Permanent
1st Floor, East Wing, Entrance to Dinosaurs Hall
This exhibition documents the dramatic explosion of hard-shelled life at the beginning of the Paleozoic Era 570 million years ago. Rare 530-million-year-old fossilized soft-bodied animals of the Burgess Shale are on display here. These fossils, which are among the Smithsonian's greatest finds, were discovered in 1910 by the Institution's 4th Secretary, Charles D. Walcott.

Ice Age: Ice Age Mammals and the Emergence of Man

- Permanent
1st Floor, East Wing (Hall 6)
This hall provides a glimpse of the Ice Age, one of the most extraordinary times in earth's history. Mounted skeletons of some of the largest Ice Age mammals dominate the hall: a towering giant ground sloth, a woolly mammoth, an Irish elk, a long-tusked American mastodon, a saber-toothed cat, the mummified remains of a big horned bison, and dozens of other Ice Age animals are displayed. At the northeast entrance, is a life-sized diorama of a reconstructed Neanderthal burial site depicting a Neanderthal family burying a young man in a shallow grave, along with tools and food; the reconstructed diorama is based on a 70,000-year-old site found in the Regourdou cave in Dordogne, France.

Natural History Museum Turns 100 on March 17, 2010

The museum celebrated its 100th anniversary March 17, 2010. For more information, see the following links:

100 Years of the Natural History Museum

Video: Natural History Museum is 100 Years Old

African Elephant

- Permanent
1st Floor, Kenneth E. Behring Family Rotunda & 2nd Floor Balcony
The museum's 8-ton, 14-foot-tall African elephant is in a setting that re-creates the Angolan bush. Important ideas in botany, entomology, mineral sciences, and zoology, as well as information on the ancestors of modern-day elephants and the elephants' importance in African cultures, are discussed.

Western Cultures Hall: Origins of Western Culture

- Permanent
2nd Floor, West Wing (Hall 26)
The institutions, traditions and ideals of North American cultures are deeply rooted in those of western Asia, northern Africa, and Europe. This hall explores some examples from various cultures in the western world including northern Iraq, ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome and the recent discovery of the Iceman, a Copper Age mummy found in an Italian glacier.

Reptiles

- Permanent
2nd Floor, West Wing (Hall 29)
Life-size displays illustrate the eating habits, defenses, and locomotion of a variety of snakes and amphibians. Reptiles on view include a preserved king cobra, reticulated python, and boa constrictors from the Malayan and Amazonian jungles; sea turtles; crocodiles; and lizards.

Outdoor Sculptures, including Sculptures from Nature

- Permanent
Outside
Near Constitution Avenue entrance:

• Colossal Head: This replica of an Olmec "Colossal Head" (Monument #7) from San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan in Veracruz, Mexico, was sculpted by Ignacio Perez Solano of Veracruz. Installed Oct. 19, 2001.

• Triceratops Head: The bronze statue of a Triceratops head was installed on July 19, 2001.

Near Madison Drive entrance: Sculptures from Nature:

• Banded Iron Ore Boulder: On one plinth is a banded iron ore boulder, 7 x 5 feet in size and approximately 2.25 billion years old. One side is cut and polished. The boulder is from Ishpeming, Michigan. Installed March 16, 1985.

• Petrified Logs: On the other plinth are two petrified logs, each 8 feet long x 3 feet in diameter and over 180 million years old. One end of each log is cut and polished. The logs are from Holbrook, Arizona. Installed March 16, 1985.

Curator: Dept. of Paleobiology

Osteology: Hall of Bones

- Permanent
2nd Floor, West Wing (Hall 28)
Hundreds of skeletons of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes -- ranging from the gigantic extinct Steller sea cow to the tiny pocket mouse -- are shown in characteristic poses and grouped by order to illustrate their relationships. Exhibits show how bone structures evolved in adaptation to environment.

Upcoming Museum Events

• No upcoming events


View Full Calendar of Events »