It's Darwin Day, 2013, and readers around the world can digitally peruse scientific manuscripts Charles Darwin wrote, thanks to the Darwin Manuscripts Project at the American Museum of Natural History, directed by David Kohn. 

Just six weeks to go until the opening of Whales: Giants of the Deep, a new exhibition devoted to the biology, anatomy, and evolution of whales—as well as their cultural significance to maritime human cultures, from New Zealand to New Bedford, Massachusetts. 

This Sunday marks the first day of the year 4711 in the Chinese lunar calendar—the Year of the Snake. And to get the new year off to an auspicious start, families will gather to share delicious meals.

A small, furry-tailed, insect-eating creature was the earliest ancestor of placental mammals—a widely diverse group of animals ranging from bats to humans—according to a new study in the journal Science by a team of international scientists, including a core group of Museum researchers. 

They may seem as delicate as gossamer, but moths and butterflies routinely survive the cold, harsh weather of New York winters. This post, adapted from A Seasonal Guide to New York City's Invertebrates, written by Elizabeth A. Johnson, explains a bit about how the four-stage life cycle of these insects helps them survive the cold.