Search Results

See how you can make your own paper from old scrap paper and other materials.

Mexico is the home of ancient cultures like the Maya and Aztecs. Today, Mexican culture is a blend of old and new.

Thousands of years ago, nomads traveled throughout the area that is now Peru. Eventually, they settled into villages...

Craig Morris knows there's no such thing as too many artifacts.

See how artifacts and ruins give us glimpses of what life was like long ago.

Ancient trash or ancient treasure? This archaeologist tells us which he prefers.

In the 1940s, paleontologists from the American Museum of Natural History discovered rich fossil beds in the high des...

Sterling was always fascinated by nature, ancient history, and archaeology. Since he was 15 years old, he has spent e...

It's not easy being an artifact! Uncover why in this urn-est interview.

Examine maps and ancient artifacts. And collect all six Inca chronicles!

Archaelogist David Hurst Thomas answers kids' questions.

Long ago, camel caravans trekked thousands of miles across the snowy mountains and scorching deserts of Asia. Along t...

Five hundred years ago, a great empire stretched along the Andes mountains and the Pacific coast of South America.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, a group of people called the Aztecs flourished in Mexico. They built an advanced...

Sandstone is made of tiny pieces of sand you can see and feel. You can actually scratch away grains of sand from a pi...

Mummies are preserved remains of humans and other animals, some lasting for thousands of years.

In 1938, fishermen off the east coast of Africa pulled up a strange creature in their nets.

Thousands of years before the Aztecs, a native people called the Zapotec founded one of Mexico's earliest civilizatio...

Obsidian doesn't look like your typical rock. In fact, it looks more like dark glass than a rock you'd pick up in you...

For thousands of years, the dragon has been an unmistakable symbol around the world. But this lizard-like beast doesn...

Throughout history, many cultures have told of mythic creatures of enormous size. The cyclopes are some of the most f...

As a kid, John Flynn had a rock collection and made lots of trips with his family and school to the American Museum o...

Discover the intriguing facts and artifacts that Chuck has unearthed.

Guatemala is located in Central America. It sits south of Mexico and northwest of El Salvador and Honduras.

Take a peek into a mineralogist's scrapbook to see why he thinks jade is so special.

A dinosaur book led to this paleontologist's lifelong fascination with fossils.

Play music that you may have heard along the Silk Road.

Decorate, shatter, and piece together your own pottery artifact!

Limestone is made up of fossils. After small marine animals die, their shells and skeletons build up on the ocean floor.

Deformed conglomerate is a metamorphic rock that has been changed by heat and pressure.

Hundreds of years ago, European sailors placed carved mermaids on the front of their ships as figureheads and told ta...

For thousands of years, people have kept animals for many different reasons. They have kept sheep for wool, cows for...

Match up these eight dinosaur fossil photos with their descriptions.

Video + Game

Take a look at some stories that were told along the Silk Road.

Take a peek at our planet's layers, learn what secrets rocks reveal, and gain a long view of history.

Investigate an "artifact" and record your observations in a field journal!

Earth was a very different place at the beginning of the Triassic. All of Earth's continents were combined into one s...

About 2,000 years ago, people in China invented paper. Over time, the technique for making paper moved west along the...

In the 1920s, the first team of Museum paleontologists trekked to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.

This real-life "Indiana Jones" led the first AMNH expeditions to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.

Two thousand years ago, the Nabataeans ruled over one of the most powerful civilizations of the ancient world. The Na...

Two thousand years ago, Petra was a center of trade and culture in the ancient world. The dazzling city in the desert...

Make a coin that tells something special about you.

Based on fossils of ancient dragonflies, we know these winged insects have been soaring around for at least 300 milli...

In this interview, meet the cast of a titanosaur, one of the largest dinosaurs ever found!

Explore an ancient city carved into the sandstone cliffs.

Send a note to a friend with these ancient letterheads.

Scientist Rob DeSalle answers kids' questions about the brain!

Imagine you are an Arabian incense trader in 100 B.C. Arriving in Petra, you enter through the Siqa long, winding go...

Two thousand years ago, an ancient city called Petra thrived deep in the desert of Nabataean kingdom.

What does it mean to be human?

Find out from a zooarchaeologist how humans have tamed and bred horses.

OLogy learning: Find resources for K-5 grade levels.

Located in the heart of the Middle East, this small desert nation is home to some of the world's oldest archaeologica...

Paleontologist Mark Norell answers questions about T. rex.

Take a look inside your trash can. What clues can you find?

Archaeology is the study of past cultures through material remains. These material remains might be a majestic pyrami...

Over 500 years ago, the Inca built a city high in the Andes mountains called Huanuco Pampa (wa-nu-koh pam-pa).

A magnetometer lets archeologists measure magnetic strengths and detect buried artifacts without digging and destroyi...

What is it like to hunt for dinosaur fossils? And what discoveries are made back in the lab?

Since he was a kid, George Amato has been wild about wildlife. Today he works for the Wildlife Conservation Society a...

A thought experiment is an experiment that can be described but is not actually performed. Instead, it is carried out...

A tiny, two-feet tall horse-like animal scampers through a forest, nibbling on leaves.

Watch two stories from ancient Greece that are animated as if they are vase paintings come to life.

Melanie Stiassny has been fascinated by fish from the time she was a little girl living in London. Today, Melanie is...

Ian Harrison first became interested in sea life during family vacations to the southwest coast of England.

Many artifacts at the American Museum of Natural History will spend time in the Conservation Lab, the Museum's hospit...

Jim is fascinated with volcanoes. He wants to know why some volcanoes erupt explosively, and how he might be able to...

See how genetics is used to solve crimes!

Meet six rocks that travelled to the Museum from places like Mexico, Scotland, and even outer space.

Winter brings snow and ice in places like northern Minnesota. But during the same season along Florida's beaches, tem...

With its long, dramatic crest, the giant Pteranodon longiceps is easy to recognize.

Dug up in the Alxa Desert in China, this is the oldest and most complete therizinosaur ever found.

This theropod belonged to a group called ornithomimids, also called "ostrich-mimics."

Compared to other titanosaurs, Gondwanatitan was a peewee at only about 7.5 meters (25 feet) long.

As you can tell from its body plates and tail spikes, this dinosaur is related to Stegosaurus.

This horned dinosaur had two long spikes on the back of its frill, the bony extension behind its skull.

This plant-eating dinosaur was an ornithopod, as are duck-bill dinosaurs.

With its bird-like features, this animal was mistaken for a giant bird for a while.

This is one of the oldest known dinosaurs!

This prehistoric relative of living ducks had a long neck, tall legs, webbed feet, and a duck-like head.

Because of the diamond-shaped plates on its back, Stegosaurus was given a name that means "roof lizard."

Long before dinosaurs, these strange roach-like creatures scurried along the ancient sea floor.

Reading + Game

Find out what we know about Mars in this online tour of Earth's closest neighbor.

In college, Rob DeSalle wanted to study the narwhal, an Arctic whale with an eight-foot spiral tooth.

Eleanor Sterling is the Director for the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American Museum of Natural H...

Igneous rocks form when magma, or melted rock from inside the Earth, cools and hardens. They can form above ground wh...

In satellite images of Earth's atmosphere, it's easy to spot the large, spiraling clouds of hurricane. These powerful...

These rocks provide the most clues about the history of life on Earth.

Check out these fascinating fish from Africa's lower Congo River.

That toothy grin might make you think this is a crocodile or an alligator. But the Yacaré caiman is neither. Caimans...

Dig your way through this list of ten titles.

Growing up in Argentina, Adriana Aquino loved nature, especially the ocean. As a young girl, she wondered what it wou...

The Earth is our home. So far, it's the only place that we know of that has life. Everywhere you look on Earth there...

What faraway places might humans travel to someday, and how will we get there?

A paleontologist travels to Antarctica to collect fossil evidence.

Manatees were once mistaken for mermaids. In fact, manatees are part of a small group of marine mammals known as &quo...

Effigia looks just like a dinosaur. It particularly looks a lot like bird-like dinosaurs called ornithomimids, or ost...

When you ride in a car, watch your favorite television show, or take a hot shower, you're most likely using fossil fu...

Imagine a flying reptile the size of a two-seater plane! That's Quetzalcoatlus, one of the largest flying animals eve...

This famous long-necked, long-tailed wonder belongs to a group called "sauropods."

Mongolia is a large country in the middle of Asia. Its Gobi Desert is a fossil "gold mine" for paleont...

Its brow horns and snout horn inspired this dinosaur's name, which means "three-horned face."

Located in the Gobi Desert, this is a fossil "hot spot" for Museum paleontologists.

Test your knowledge in this quiz about what it takes to dig up the past!

Find out how paleontologist John Flynn answered kids' questions.

Most people know red and black spotted ladybird beetles as friendly insects that are fun to pick up and watch fly awa...

Anyone can find fossils. This handy guide tells you where to look and what to do.

George Harlow travels the world over to study how jade, rubies, and diamonds form. George wants to find out what thes...

The Sumatran tiger is found in only one place on the Earth -- on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Fewer than 500 o...

Growing up, Joel Cracraft loved reading travel and adventure books. In high school, he became interested in ornitholo...

As a kid, Neil Tyson first glimpsed the magic of the Universe in the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Nat...

Join scientist George Amato on his quest to stop criminals smuggling illegal goods.

When Paula Mikkelsen moved to Florida, she turned a fun hobby into an exciting career. She enjoyed walking along Flor...

These tropical freshwater fishes come in so many colors, shapes, and sizes, it's nearly impossible to sum up the fami...

Located off the coast of Georgia, St. Catherines is an island with white sandy beaches, a variety of wildlife, and de...

Like many kids interested in science, Ro Kinzler thought she wanted to be a marine biologist. But later on, she reali...

Granite is an igneous rock, which means it formed from magma, or melted rock. It forms deep inside the Earth under a...

The plates that make up the Earth's crust are always moving. When two plates meet, the motion causes lots of pressure...

The Earth is always changing. Mountains form and erode away. Volcanoes erupt and grow larger. Earthquakes shift the l...

If you look at a map, the coasts of South America and Africa seem to fit together like puzzle pieces.

Ross MacPhee has always loved dirt. It means the opportunity to find lost things--from bones and teeth to pirate trea...

Silk is the finest, most luxurious cloth in the world. It is soft and shimmery, yet strong and sturdy. Long ago, silk...

When he was 8 years old, Theodore Roosevelt found a seal skull. It would be the first specimen in his very own natura...

Visit three national parks and monuments. What can you discover with just your eyes?

Send a note to a friend with these colorful letterheads.

Take a look at some unusual living and extinct mammals.

Jade is a special and rare rock. For thousands of years, people around the world have been using this durable and bea...

Game + Video

Challenge your friends to this Mesozoic Era card game.

Ross MacPhee has always loved dirt. To him it means the opportunity to find lost things — from bones and teeth to pirate treasure.

One of the earlier dinosaurs to appear on Earth was Coelophysis. It was a small, but skilled hunter that lived during...

Put on these handmade masks or puppets and tell your own mythic tale.

If you ever find a pseudoscorpion in your bathtub, don't worry! These tiny arachnids are harmless to humans.

Since he was a boy, Vladimir Ovtsharenko has been fascinated by nature. Growing up, he loved collecting spiders, beet...

Estuaries are places where a river meets the sea. This ever-changing ecosystem is bursting with life. Saltwater from...

In college, Laurel Kendall had so many interests she couldn't decide on a major. Then she took a class in anthropolog...

About 120 kilometers (75 miles) off the coast of China is the island of Taiwan. Although this country is small, it is...

This massive plant-eater lived about 100 million years ago. Today, a cast of this 122-foot long titanosaur welcomes v...

What animal does this long, spiraled tooth belong to? Take a guess!

Find out about Earth's climate, its consequences, and what we can do.

Archaeologists learn about how people lived in the past from the remains they left behind. Over time, architectural r...

You have to be a really big thinker to imagine the size of the Universe.

Take a closer look at how the atmosphere keeps our planet warm.

Where did Einstein get his great ideas? Find out with this virtual tour.

In this comic book series, follow an entomologist into the world of parasitic wasps.

Find out what's so fascinating about these beautiful, pink birds.

Chris Raxworthy has been fascinated by all things scaly and slimy since he was a kid. Chris is a herpetologist at the...

Do you dig the Earth? If so, you'll want to meet Ed.

What kind of person becomes an ichthyologist, a scientist who studies fish?

What do we have in common with sharks, bluebirds, lizards, and toads? We are all vertebrates, or animals with backbon...

Watch these videos to explore Felicity's work as a conservation biologist.

Saying "deoxyribonucleic acid" is a real mouthful. Luckily, you can call it DNA for short.

As a conservation geneticist, Yael tries to help endangered species by studying their DNA.

Deep inside the Earth, intense heat and pressure can change rocks into entirely new metamorphic rocks.

Some volcanoes erupt explosively, like opening a shaken soda bottle, because their magma is full of gases.

Most volcanoes form along plate boundaries. But some of the world's largest and most active volcanoes are found far f...

If you marked every active volcano in the world on a map, you'd start to notice a pattern. Most of the world's active...

When viewed from above, the wide-open sea is vast and flat. But venture below and you'll find a varied landscape that...

For Steve Quinn, art and science have always gone hand-in-hand. As a kid, he liked to draw and make clay models of di...

When Martha Hurley first took science as a kid, she thought it was boring. She'd rather be outside exploring nature....

Today, unicorns are creatures of fairy tales. But thousands of years ago, people believed these creatures were real,...

Today, there are mythic creatures that some people believed to be real, like the Loch Ness monster of Scotland and th...

The kraken is a sea monster with long, snakelike arms. This amazing creature may have been inspired by a living anima...

According to legend, the roc was a giant bird large and strong enough to carry an elephant in its claws. As incredibl...

You hear a buzz, and swat at a mosquito.

Taiwan's national butterfly is the Broad-tailed Swallowtail butterfly.

This butterfly once lived in the mangrove forests along the tropical coast of Taiwan.