San Diego is synonymous with seafood—especially tuna. Museum volunteers are preparing two specimens that will allow people to see these impressive animal skeletons in incredible detail. The specimens also serve as a useful tool in understanding the lives of native people. 

City Nature Challenge 2020 sure was something! So how did we do? Or perhaps, more importantly, how did nature do?

Even though we’re all staying close to home, it’s important to remember that nature is a part of our everyday life—from spiders on bathroom walls, to sparrows living on tile roofs. Wildlife is much closer than you think. 

In the past 80 years, the plumage of the Horned Lark has undergone a relatively rapid color change, which scientists believe is due to the conversion of Imperial Valley desert into farmland, which has caused the landscape to change from light to dark. This could represent the first example known among birds evolving different colors within recorded history.

Working at The Nat, it’s not uncommon to be asked: “Where are all the bumblebees?” Good question. Want to help us find them?

Nature isn’t something found only on trails and in reserves and we need your help documenting it. That includes taking photos of lizard love...wait, what?

Looking for something to do from home that still connects you to nature? We got you covered. This April marks the first Global Citizen Science month, and as luck would have it, it is also the first digital Global Citizen Science month.

A new way to use collections? Using material from specimens within the Museum's botany collection, researchers may be on the path to a new treatment for Alzheimer's disease - and maybe more.

We don’t know much about our native ringtail cats, but we can say two things for certain: they are not actually cats (they are in the racoon family), and they love strawberry jam. The Nat is working with the San Diego Zoo to study these elusive creatures and understand why they keep ending up as roadkill in our foothill areas.

Some bird species museum scientists have been studying are spreading in a more southerly or downslope direction over time, which is contrary to the expectations of climate warming. Why is this happening? They attribute these shifts to three main factors, all directly resulting from human influence.