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New: Orchids through Darwin's Eyes: 15th Annual Orchid Show
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Upcoming: January 24, 2009 - April 26, 2009 (new opening date)
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Naturalist Charles Darwin selected orchids to help prove his theories of natural selection and evolution; and since then, scientists have included orchids in their studies to learn more about how plants have evolved and adapted to live in almost every type environment around the world. To mark Darwin's 200th birthday, the exhibit explores the incredibly diverse world of orchids through his eyes and examines the ways in which he influenced today's naturalists, horticulturists, and scientists who study these intriguing plants.
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New: Coastal America Ocean Art Contest (new title)
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December 8, 2008 - March 29, 2009 (new opening & closing dates)
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Works by the the first place winners from each age group in the national competition of the Coastal America Ocean Art Contest are on view. The contest drew hundreds of entries from throughout the United States and Mexico from kindergarteners to college students. Challenged to convey one of the seven Essential Principles of Ocean Literacy, the winners were selected based on visual impact, communication of the principle, and artistic merit.
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September 27, 2008 - New Permanent
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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.
Web: ocean.si.edu/ocean_hall/
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New: Dig It! The Secrets of Soil
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July 19, 2008 - January 3, 2010
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Through dioramas; cultural artifacts; and soil cross-sections from each state, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, this exhibition introduces the study of soil science and demonstrates the vital role soil plays in sustaining human welfare, assuring future agricultural productivity, and environmental sustainability. Hands-On Interactive Components
Theater: 10-minute detective story about soil (runs continuously)
Soil Display: On view are 54 soil samples representing each U.S. state and territory and the District of Columbia.
See August 2008 Smithsonian magazine, p. 30 Related publication: $40 (cloth)
Web: forces.si.edu/soils
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- Permanent
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The museum's 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.
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- Permanent
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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.
Web: www.mnh.si.edu/africanvoices
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Birds of the District of Columbia
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- Indefinitely
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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.
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Dinosaurs: Reptiles: Masters of Land
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- Permanent
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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.
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Fossil Mammals: Mammals in the Limelight
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- Permanent
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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.
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Fossil Plants and Animals: The Conquest of Land
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- Permanent
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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.
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- Permanent
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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.
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- Permanent
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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.
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- Permanent
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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.
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Western Cultures Hall: Origins of Western Culture
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- Permanent
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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.
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Last update: January 13, 2009, 19:24
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