National Museum of Natural History
Temporary Exhibits
Unforgettable Behavior: Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Nov. 3, 2021 – Summer 2022
2nd Floor, Hall 25
Unforgettable Behavior brings together exceptional images recognized in past years of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, which is owned and run by the Natural History Museum, London.
From dueling flies to lodge building beavers, the exhibition’s pictures reveal hidden moments from animal life. Their photo captions share important stories behind these images, including technical information and the challenges in capturing that perfect moment.
By conveying the beauty and fragility of wildlife, Unforgettable Behavior will inspire museumgoers to think more about their relationship with the natural world.
Documenting Diversity: How Anthropologists Record Human Life
June 18, 2021 – Oct. 18, 2022
Ground Floor
Critical Distance
Sept. 29, 2021 – Summer 2022
2nd Floor
Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code Oct. 21, 2021 – Summer 2022
2nd Floor
Sea Monsters Unearthed, Life in Angola’s Ancient Seas
Nov. 9, 2018 –Nov. 2022
Open Focus Gallery
Unsettled Nature: Artists Reflect on the Age of Humans
June 18, 2021- March 2022
1st Floor
Unsettled Nature offers visitors the opportunity to explore the unparalleled, ubiquitous and still-growing mark that humanity is making on the world through 16 works of art, asking visitors to consider how they are shaping the planet and what world they envision for the future.
Permanent Exhibits
Outbreak:
Epidemics in a Connected World
March 18, 2018- October 2022
2nd Floor
Our world is more interconnected than ever before—by global travel and trade, by technology, and even by our viruses.
When people move into or change an environment, pathogens— microbes that cause illness—can “jump” from wildlife to humans and cause disease outbreaks that spread internationally. Tracking down and responding to outbreaks requires coordinated detective work from people in many professions.
Outbreak invites visitors to join epidemiologists, veterinarians, public health workers, and citizens of all ages and origins as they rush to identify and contain infectious disease outbreaks. Case studies of HIV/AIDS, Ebola virus, and influenza highlight the social and emotional fallout of outbreaks—for victims, their loved ones, and society overall. Objects from both the National Museum of Natural History and National Museum of American History collections illustrate the scientific and cultural impact of epidemics.
Exhibits, left to right: African Elephant, The David H. Koch Hall of Fossils-Deep Time, Mega-toothed Shark, Mud Masons of Mali, Eternal Life in Ancient Egypt, The David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins: What Does it Mean to be Human?, Sant Ocean Hall, Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals, African Voices, Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals, FossiLab, Insect Zoo O. Orkin, Birds of District Columbia, Bone Hall, The Garden Lounge
2021 represents a significant chapter in the Smithsonian’s history—its 175th anniversary. On August 10, 1846, the U.S. Senate passed the act organizing the Smithsonian Institution, which was signed into law by President James K. Polk. As we commemorate this milestone, it is important to not only look back at where we have been, but also look ahead to what is on the horizon. Join us for a series of events this coming year that explore our history and imagine the Institution’s next 175 years.