Stories

Welcome to Stories, a place to explore—and be inspired by—the wonder of our natural and cultural worlds.

Scientists and Engineers Measure How Birds Send Heat into Space for the First Time
A new study from scientists at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, UCLA, Indiana University, and Cal State University, Dominguez Hills reveals the hidden reflectance of bird feathers through the prism of light, heat, and color
Meet Masripithecus: Newly Described Ancient Ape Fills a Gap in Evolutionary History of Primates
An international team of researchers add a new chapter in the story of apes—including us humans—starting around 18 million years ago in North Africa
Uncovering L.A.'s Ice Age Past
Take a dip into the science of the tar pits in this video, a rare look under the surface at the fossilized bones of Ice Age predators, from dire wolves to mighty mammoths.
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Life at the Human Scale
Explore how human health, identity, and biology are shaped by the unseen life we rely on every day
Dr. Celestian's Favorite Minerals
See the dazzling mineral specimens on display in NHM's newest exhibition
One Tropical Bird's History Through the Lens of Lice
NHM's new Ornithology Collections Manager, Juliana Soto-Patiño, discovers the evolutionary origins of the mysterious Sapayoa aenigma through its parasitic louse 
Cat Anatomy
A look inside how our fierce feline friends effectively move, hunt, and slurp.
The SNERCH for True Love: A Sinistral Snail Tale
This Snail Search season, be on the lookout for snails with counter-clockwise shells
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Cat Evolution: From Sphinx to Siamese 
The cute critters have more history than you might realize.
Restoring a Los Angeles Mural
The unsung heroes working behind the scenes to keep collections looking their best