Stories

Welcome to Stories, a place to explore—and be inspired by—the wonder of our natural and cultural worlds.

The Olympics in Los Angeles: Back to the Future
Los Angeles first hosted the 1932 Summer Games for the Xth Olympiad. The Museum, then called the Los Angeles County Museum of History, Science and Art, provided the venue for the Olympic Art Exhibition.
A Deep Dive on Microplastics
Museum scientists are examining fish guts to understand the pervasiveness and types of plastics invading California waters over time, which may help us understand how that pollution affects sea creatures and even land-loving pescatarians.
Dispatches from the D-ARK
Follow Curator of Malacology Jann Vendetti with updates from an expedition into the deep sea caves around Japan's Minami-Daitō Island
An Object of Contempt and Curiosity to a Testament of Hope
At quick glance, the picture looked unremarkable and vaguely familiar like something I might have on my iPhone. After introspection, it reveals stories about community, immigration, tradition, and a historic earthquake.
A New Skink in Town
How an iNaturalist observation of a non-native lizard could help protect Southern California’s native species—and its economy
Spaceport Fossils from French Guiana
How one small step for a spaceport in French Guiana led to a giant leap for Pleistocene fossils
A Landmark Anniversary for La Brea Tar Pits
Mark the 60th anniversary of La Brea Tar Pits' designation as a National Natural Landmark with some vintage photography. 
Halichoeres sanchezi: A New Fish Species from Mexico’s Revillagigedos Islands
How a team of marine scientists netted a fish species new to science with three dives off a far-flung island
The Ancient Odyssey of Crabs
An international team of scientists including NHM researchers chart crabs' sideways path from the ocean to dry land—a journey they've made at least 17 times since the Triassic.
Elephant Hill Community Nature Celebration and Habitat Survey
Join community members and scientists, Saturday, October 14, to celebrate and study nature on Elephant Hill, an open space in North East L.A. valuable to humans and wildlife.