| |  | | | | News |  | | Image credit: Kenneth Wurdack, NMNH | |
How Much Wood Could NMNH Collect? More than a Woodchuck Could!
To celebrate National Tree Day, take a look inside one of the world’s largest wood collections, with over 43,000 specimens tucked neatly in museum drawers. According to NMNH research botanist Kenneth Wurdack, scientists from around the world visit the collection to compare samples and distinguish between wood types, helping them combat illegal lumber trafficking, craft conservation plans and shed light on extinct tree species. Click the link below to learn more!
| | |  | | Image credit: Smithsonian PollenGEO Project | |
Smithsonian Scientists Digitize 18,000 Pollen Specimens to Power Research, Medicine and Forensics
A team of Smithsonian researchers digitized microscopic pollen samples from over 18,000 tropical plant species to create one of the world’s largest digital pollen databases. Click the link below to learn how this powerful new tool could help diagnose pollen allergies, pinpoint where clothing at a crime scene came from or help investigate how ancient forests responded to climate change.
| | | | Events and Activities |  | | Celebrate World Elephant Day on Tuesday, August 12! Image credit: cocoparisienne, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons | Here is our latest programming guide. Click here for a full schedule of upcoming public programs and a link to previously scheduled video webinars. For Families Play Dates at NMNH Join us on Tuesdays for special family play dates with museum educators: The World & Me: Little Beasts at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden Come explore artful connections with the flora and fauna around you, paint your own little beast, make observations of specimens from the National Museum of Natural History's education collection, and more! Saturday, September 6, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET
Location: National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, Constitution Ave NW & 7th St NW For Adults Q?rius After Hours - August Enjoy an evening of free play that will connect you to the natural world in Q?rius, the Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center. Come in and explore at your own pace. Feed your curiosity opening specimen drawers in the Q?rius Collection, sit down and do a puzzle with old or new friends, try a board game, talk with experts, or lose track of time making art inspired by the natural world. Check out these featured topics and experts for August: - Dune-esque Ancient Worms with NMNH Deep Time Peter Buck postdoctoral fellow Kat Turk
- Mass Extinctions in Ancient Oceans with NMNH paleobiology postdoctoral fellow Sarah Leventhal
- Putting Plant-damaging Insects of the Past to Work: The History of Insect Herbivory with NMNH paleoecologist Conrad Labanderia
- The Art of Preserving Plants featuring hands-on botany specimen preparation with NMNH museum specialist Erika Gardner
- Fossil hunting and sorting
This program is designed for adults. Registration is free and highly encouraged. Space is filled at a first come first served basis.
Wednesday, August 13, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, Ground Floor For Everyone Experts Are In! Stop by the Sant Ocean Hall to talk with experts about their work: | | | | Support Natural History Today |  | | Image Credit: Phillip R. Lee, Smithsonian | |
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