Past Exhibitions

Gold

Gold, an enduring icon of wealth, beauty and power. Since the beginning of recorded history, the rise of influential societies has coincided with their ownership of the precious substance.

November 18, 2006 - August 19, 2007

Horse

Horses have been racing across the landscape for more than 50 million years--much longer than our own species has existed. But once horses and humans encountered each other, our two species became powerfully linked.

May 17, 2008 - January 4, 2009

Traveling Information

Mythic Creatures

Track the origins of legendary creatures including dragons, unicorns, mermaids, and sea serpents.

January 1, 2008 - January 6, 2008

Traveling Information

Pearls

The most comprehensive presentation ever mounted on pearls weaves science, art, literature, history, and fabulous jewelry into the story of pearl-forming mollusks.

January 1, 2002 - April 14, 2002

Petra

Once a flourishing city in the heart of the ancient Near East...then forgotten by the outside world for centuries. Now Petra reveals some of its long-lost secrets.

October 18, 2003 - July 6, 2004

Totems to Turquoise

For thousands of years, the Native peoples of North America have made extraordinary jewelry and other adornments. Today throughout the continent that tradition is still alive–and vibrant.

October 30, 2004 - July 10, 2005

Meteorite Impacts

Countless impacts continue to shape Earth, other planets, and moons in our dynamic solar system. They can make craters of many sizes, which often provide clues to how the meteorites formed. These resources cover a range of topics, including an introduction to gravity and the evidence for life on Mars.

Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Hall of the Universe

Article

Profile: Ernst Chladni and Rocks from the Sky

Today, we accept the notion that enormous rocks exist within our solar system and that some of them fall to Earth. A little over 200 years ago, though, this idea garnered skepticism and ridicule.

Article

Case Study: Fossil Microbes on Mars?

A meteorite that escaped from Mars 16 million years ago was found recently in Antarctica. Does it, or doesn't it, hold evidence that proves the existence of life on the red planet?

Article

Impacts

Why do you think they call it “Impacts"? A comic strip shows what can happen—and does happen—when asteroids head for Earth.

Activity

Locating a Point

The full force of the Antarctic winter is just days away, and you're deep into your research on a fallen meteorite. How can you mark its exact location for your return in six months?