Farmers, Warriors, Builders: The Hidden Life of Ants

Location: Second Floor
Exhibit: May 30, 2009 – October 10, 2009

Did you know that some ants grow their own food, just like farmers?  Or that other ants build highways that can be seen from the air?  Or that large ant colonies go to war with each other?  Get a look at life from an ant’s point of view with large-format photographs of ants going about their daily business, a cast of an underground ant city, and a live ant colony.

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

Location: Second Floor
Exhibit: February 7, 2009 – February 6, 2011

Human anatomy and forensic investigation provide intriguing information on people and events of America's past. This exhibition will examine history through 17th-century bone biographies, including those of colonists teetering on the edge of survival at Jamestown, Virginia, and those of wealthy and well-established individuals of St. Mary’s City, Maryland. At no other time in our history have we had the technological capability or opportunity that are now available to help us tell this tale.

The Sant Ocean Hall

Location: First Floor
Exhibit: Permanent

A one-of-a-kind interpretive exhibit, extraordinary in scale, the Sant Ocean Hall presents the global ocean from a cross-disciplinary perspective, highlighting the biological, geological, and anthropological expertise and unparalleled scientific collections of the Museum, as well as ongoing research in marine science. The ocean is intrinsically connected to other global systems and to our daily lives. Artist rendering of the Sant Ocean Hall

The Hope Diamond

Location: The Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals, Second Floor
Exhibit: Permanent

The renowned Hope Diamond is celebrating the golden anniversary of its arrival at the Smithsonian Institution. Harry Winston gave the diamond to the Institution in November 1958. The rare 45.52 carat deep-blue diamond was cut from a stone found in India about 350 years ago and was once part of the French crown jewels.  It was also involved in a dramatic theft, and according to some legends might even carry a curse!Learn more about t he Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals

Since Darwin: The Evolution of Evolution

Location: First Floor
Exhibit: September 12, 2009 – July 18, 2010

Celebrate with us the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his groundbreaking On the Origin of Species.  This exhibition focuses on the significant role that Darwin’s theories have played in explaining and unifying all the biological sciences.  Specimens from the Museum’s diverse collections, along with documentation from our ongoing research, illustrate the importance of evolution as a scientific foundation, and how our knowledge of evolution has evolved over the last 150 years.

Museum Panoramic Virtual Tours

These virtual tours allow visitors to take self-guided, room-by-room walking tours of the Museum. The visitor can navigate from through the Museum either by using a floor map or by following blue arrow links connecting the rooms. Camera icons indicate hotspots where the visitor can get a close-up on a particular object or exhibit panel.

Dig It! The Secrets of Soil

A new virtual exhibit that journeys into the skin of the earth and explores the amazing world of soil. This web site is a virtual exploration of the Dig It! traveling exhibition now on display at the National Museum of Natural History. Completely familiar yet largely unknown, soils help sustain virtually every form of life on Earth. Dig It! transports visitors to the world of fungi, bacteria, worms, and countless other organisms. The online exhibit includes educational activities and teacher resources.