Food
It takes more than 40 different species to make a simple lunch (tuna sandwich on whole wheat, potato chips, iced tea, and an apple).
You’d be surprised to know how far some of the ingredients have traveled. As shoppers and as eaters, we play a critical role in shaping what ends up on our plate and why. Informed choices keep us healthy and help protect ecosystems around the world — along with all the species, including humans, that depend on them.
Video
SciCafe: How "Paleo" is Your Diet?
Reconstructing ancient microbiomes.
Video
SciCafe: The Raw Truth About Cooking with Rachel Carmody
How do cooking and processing our food affect the way our bodies respond to nutrients?
Reading
Global Grocery
Have you ever wondered what gives chocolate its flavor? Or where olive oil comes from? You might be surprised to learn just how far...
Healthy Eating for You and the Planet: Select Seasonally
Guide on seasonal foods of the Northeastern United States.
Blog Post
Our Global Kitchen: Brazilian Urban Farms
Six exquisite miniature dioramas in the new exhibition Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture illuminate diverse methods of farming...
December 26, 2012
Educator Materials
The Green Guerillas, New York City
From a humble start 25 years ago tossing seed-filled water balloons into abandoned city lots, the Green Guerillas have grown into...
Article
Farming in a Dry Land
Mexico's Oaxaca Valley gets almost no rain for seven months of the year.
Exhibition
Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture
Take a journey around the world and through time as you consider some of the most challenging issues of our time.
November 17, 2012 — August 11, 2013
Reading
The Quest for the Perfect Tomato
Find out how scientists are using genetics to change the food you eat.
Blog Post
Artifacts from Museum’s Collections Offer Clues to Two-Thousand-Year-Old Cooking Methods
Artifacts from the Museum’s collections help illuminate how people cooked and ate in China some 2,000 years ago.
November 28, 2012
Healthy Eating For You and the Planet: Avoiding Pesticides in Produce
Guide on fruits and vegetables that are typically most likely to have higher pesticide residue levels.
Article
Fire and the Brain: How Cooking Shaped Humans
It takes a lot of calories to power a human brain. Find out how cooking and gut microbes help us make the most of our food.
Support for the development of Science Topics was generously provided by Sidney and Helaine Lerner, GRACE Communications Foundation.