Stories

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

Fossil tree limb with a fossil bird on top of it framed by demolished wall

Research and Collections

Fossil Trees Help Grow Our Understanding of Ancient Climate

A new study reveals how ancient trees from La Brea Tar Pits helped warm the planet during the last ice age by coughing up CO2

Bat Specimens from the Mammalogy Collection laid back to back with their specimen tags visible

Research and Collections

Digitized Mammals

How the new digitization project Ranges is unlocking the potential of NHM's Mammalogy Collection

A paradise tanager looks directly into a camera with its green head cocked, visible red spot on its back, and stunningly bright blue breast.

Research and Collections

Hidden black and white feathers are the secret behind songbirds' dazzling colors

Colorful songbirds like tanagers use a painterly technique to make their colors pop

Vintage illustration of various feathers and specimen skins of birds

Research and Collections

How Bird Feathers Work

A brief look at the structure of feathers—and what they mean to birds

A life-like painting of a large lizard lurking over a nest of dinosaur eggs with one already in its mouth

Research and Collections

A Monster “Goblin” at the Feet of Dinosaurs

Meet the newly discovered giant, armored lizard named for the Hobbit’s goblin prince

An silhouette of a bird filled with naming words like 'black' 'western' etc

Research and Collections

A First Step to Bird Names as Simple as ABC

First-of-its-kind Avian Lexicon Atlas maps how bird species get their names

Illustration of a long-legged crocodile-looking reptile looks at a mammal carcass on an ancient tropical islands

Research and Collections

How Ancient Crocodile-Like Predators Ruled the Islands of the Caribbean

NHM's scientist discovers that sebicids, ancient land-dwelling crocodile-like beasts, reigned over the West Indies as apex predators after vanishing from South America

A skeletal looking Vinciguerria mabahiss under a microscope and black background

Research and Collections

The Lights Below

A new study shines a light on the mechanics of bioluminescence in the rare fish Vinciguerria mabahiss and we explore some of the other fish lighting up the deep