Description: As a postdoctoral fellow at the National Museum of American History, I’ve spent months in the Smithsonian Institution Archives researching a book tentatively titled, Not Naturally a Grass Country: Environment, Plant Genetics, and the Quest for Agricultural Modernization in the Humid World. It’s largely a story about global attempts to replace one form of agriculture—the
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Behind the Smithsonian Institution Building (SIB), the "Castle," is the site of the Smithsonian's museum complex on Independence Avenue, 1987, by Jeff Tinsley, Photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 410 Box 3 Folder Quad with Street, Negative Number: 87-7964-1."][/caption]
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="351" caption="Dr. Donald J. Ortner, a physical anthropologist in the National Museum of Natural History, is examining a skull, He studied 500 unusual pathological skeletons in the Smithsonian's collection, 1986, Dane A. Penland, Photographic print, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 98-016, Box 1, Folder: Research Reports
Description: Watch Dr. Corrigan give a tour of the meteorite collections. Geologist & Curator of Antarctic Meteorites, Dr. Cari Corrigan, Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, studies meteorites from the Moon, Mars and asteroids to understand how the Solar System formed and how the impact cratering process affects these planetary materials. #Groundbreaker
Description: Dr. Melanie McField is the founding director of the Healthy Reefs for Healthy People Initiative, a collaborative, international conservation program of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, focused on improving the health of the Mesoamerian Reef, since 2006. She leads a team that aims to create reports that measure the health of the region. #Groundbreaker
Description: Eliza Scidmore was a lifelong photographer, writer, and world traveler. In addition to facilitating a gift of cherry blossom trees from Japan to the U.S. capital, Scidmore donated her time, photographs, and some artifacts to the Smithsonian’s collections. She also accessed the world through colonial channels that she reinforced with her writings.
Description: A station for the Metro, Washington DC’s subway system, was eliminated from early plans but protest by the Smithsonian ensured it would be built.
Description: To celebrate International Migratory Bird Day on May 9th, we will be releasing recently digitized specimen drawings by ornithologist Robert Ridgway (1850-1929.) Ridgway's career with the Smithsonian began in 1864 when he wrote asking for help identifying a bird. As they say, the rest is history. Starting in 1869, Ridgway became curator at the Smithsonian's United States
Description: A new understanding of the canine lineage brought to you by DNA and infographics. [via NBC News]A new open source platform was funded through IMLS for making historic newspapers accessible online. [via J. Willard Marriott Library]In the wake of Brexit, a new Migration Museum opened in London. [via artnet]You can travel the world with Smithsonian's National Anthroplogical