Museum Collections News

From the Collections posts Historic Coral Specimens Offer Insight into Future of Reefs Specimens from the Museum’s coral collections let researchers see into the past to better plan for the future. January 9, 2018 From the Collections posts Dry Corals Offer Snapshots of Oceans Past The Museum’s historic dry coral collection—currently being conserved and rehoused—helps researchers from around the world to peer... September 12, 2017 From the Collections posts Exploring the Ancient DNA of Fossil Mammals The Museum’s fossil collections, including specimens that carry traces of organic materials, are letting researchers peer back in... July 21, 2017 From the Collections posts Exquisite Emerald The Patricia Emerald is among the world’s most magnificent uncut emeralds. “Only a small number of large emeralds have been saved,... August 22, 2016 From the Collections posts "Jade" By Any Other Name In this excerpt from his book Gems & Crystals, George Harlow explains the history and science of the famed ornamental stone. October 26, 2015 From the Collections posts Fossils of Ghost Ranch New Mexico's most famous fossil site houses the remains of many species of dinosaurs and related animals. October 16, 2015 From the Collections posts Wonderful World of Wasp Nests A few choice specimens from the Museum’s wasp nest collection illustrate the diversity and beauty of these impressive structures. September 3, 2015 From the Collections posts The Bugs of Summer: Orchid Bees These colorful bees are perfect partners for orchids, pollinating the flowers while they create perfumes that attract mates. August 14, 2015 From the Collections posts Buzz Cut: Bee Styling For Posterity Before a bee specimen enters the Museum's collections, Curatorial Assistant Melody Doering styles it for posterity. July 31, 2015 From the Collections posts Exquisite Threads from Kashmir A new addition to the Museum’s collection provides a stunning example of Kashmiri craftsmanship. July 16, 2015 From the Collections posts Mapping Languages with Virus-Tracking Tool How a tool meant to track viruses is being adapted to map languages and much more. June 19, 2015 From the Collections posts Forams 101 Marine creatures called foraminifera hold many clues for scientists studying ancient climates. April 24, 2015