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.

The dioramas in the Jill and Lewis Bernard Family Hall of North American Mammals have always been splendid, but after more than a year of painstaking restoration, they look better than ever. A multi-video series documents their renovation. In this video, Museum artist Stephen C. Quinn describes how a team re-created the evocative blue moonlight over snow in the wolf diorama.