Library Photo Apprentice Alex Tomeo set out to digitize hundreds of fragile glass plate photographs. Inspired by the process, she revived old photography methods to capture history in the making—the old-fashioned way.
How can thousands of dead bugs save the lives of millions more? Join Entomologist Eva Horna-Lowell in the field as she takes part in California’s answer to the insect apocalypse.
Who else but The Nat would jump at the chance to ensure kangaroo rats were safe from construction holes? When old power poles needed replacing in Warner Valley, the construction put the federally threatened Stephens’ kangaroo rat at risk. Our team stepped in to ensure the rats were minimally impacted.
Wildlife conservation work is often portrayed as scientists in tactical vests trekking into the wilderness in search of species to protect. Some conservation works that way, but many wildlife wins are borne from something much more ordinary: Biological consulting.
Wildlife conservation work is often portrayed as scientists in tactical vests trekking into the wilderness in search of species to protect. Some conservation works that way, but many wildlife wins are borne from something much more ordinary: Biological consulting.
We're making major progress on an important initiative that will bring our region’s paleontological past to life—and into the limelight. Soon, every step of our paleontology work—from fossil preparation and specimen curation to collections storage and research—will be on display.
Did sea turtles go extinct in the Pacific Ocean when the Dinosaurs died out? Were they here all along, swimming below the radar? Turns out the answer was sitting in a small box, on the third shelf of a large cabinet, deep in The Nat’s paleontology collection.
"Coastal resiliency" has become a global priority for government agencies and conservation groups alike. But what is coastal resiliency, and why is it important in our corner of the world?
The grey vireo has declined steeply in southern California for 75 years, but new research indicates the vireos persist in high numbers just south of the border. Our twenty-year journey to conserve this overlooked songbird just got a lot more interesting.
While it may look like drawers of dead plants and animals, our collection is very much alive with information critical to the future of our region, and indeed, human survival on the planet. When museums coordinate efforts, share information, and make their specimens more accessible, our global collection becomes ever more relevant to the future of humanity and biodiversity.