Stories

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

Bobwhite, a brown quail-like bird with small black and white accents, on the ground
Research and Collections
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
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Illustration of an extinct ape
Research and Collections
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
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A small coquÍ frog in some beautiful foliage
Research and Collections
The Songs of the Coquí Frog
The soothing sounds of home or a sonic menace? How you feel about the coquí's call depends on context, but when coquí frogs call in L.A. County, NHM's Herpetology Curator Dr. Greg Pauly answers.
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An artistic reconstruction of a herd of ancient sea cows foraging on the seafloor.
Research and Collections
For Ancient and Modern Seagrass Ecosystems, Having a (Sea)Cow Is Super Important
A new species of extinct dugong from the Persian Gulf highlights sea cows as underwater lawn mowers protecting biodiversity
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Dr. Rodrigo Monjaraz Ruedas holding specimens in a jar and wearing a head lamp at night
Research and Collections
Sumérgete en el mundo los Arácnidos con nuestro nuevo Curador de Entomología, el Dr. Rodrigo Monjaraz Ruedas
Conoce a uno de los dos nuevos curadores de Entomología del Museo de Historia Natural, NHM y explora con nosotros la biodiversidad de arácnidos secreta en las entrañas de la tierra.
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Dr. Rodrigo Monjaraz Ruedas holding specimens in a jar and wearing a head lamp at night
Research and Collections
Cave Dive Into Arachnids With Dr. Rodrigo Monjaraz-Ruedas, Our New Entomology Curator
Welcome one of NHM’s two new Entomology Curators and explore the secret biodiversity of arachnids deep below the Earth’s surface
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a woman holds a twig from a tree
Research and Collections
Ants Are Her Business: Meet Dr. Megan Barkdull, Our New Entomology Curator
Welcome one of NHM’s two new Entomology Curators and discover some of the secrets hiding in ant DNA
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Fossil tree limb with a fossil bird on top of it framed by demolished wall
Research and Collections
Fossil Trees Help Grow Our Understanding of Ancient Climate
A new study reveals how ancient trees from La Brea Tar Pits helped warm the planet during the last ice age by coughing up CO2
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Bat Specimens from the Mammalogy Collection laid back to back with their specimen tags visible
Research and Collections
Digitized Mammals
How the new digitization project Ranges is unlocking the potential of NHM's Mammalogy Collection
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A paradise tanager looks directly into a camera with its green head cocked, visible red spot on its back, and stunningly bright blue breast.
Research and Collections
Hidden black and white feathers are the secret behind songbirds' dazzling colors
Colorful songbirds like tanagers use a painterly technique to make their colors pop
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