Stories
Welcome to Stories, a place to explore—and be inspired by—the wonder of our natural and cultural worlds.
Think Small With SEM
Seeing the big picture with tiny specimens and one powerful scanning electron microscope
Biodiversity in L.A. Backyards
A week's worth of spotlighting species (and some ways you can help) in recognition of California's Biodiversity Week, September 7–15, 2024.
Eating bamboo? It's all in the wrist.
An ancient fossil reveals the earliest panda on an exclusively bamboo diet and the evolutionary history of panda's false thumbs
The Secret Power of Zeolite
Our Curator of Mineral Sciences, Aaron Celestian, talks about why this mineral blows his mind!
Gypsum Crystals: Mineral Ships for Alien Life?
Can gypsum crystals hold alien life from Mars? Explore every facet of these incredible crystals with our Mineral Sciences Curator Aaron Celestian.
How Littler Raptors Are Making It in the Big City
Picturing the perfect city raptor with community science data
Year of the Tiger
Celebrate the 2022 Lunar New Year with highlights from the collection
Fragmentary Fossils Help Tell the Whole Evolutionary Story
Paleontological “twigs” from our fossil past can help us reconstruct branches on the tree of life
Tooth Fast, Tooth Curious?
A new study uncovers a novel approach to a plant-based diet, unique to long-necked dinosaurs
These Hips Don’t Lie: 3D Imaging of a Pelvis Suggests Social Care for Saber Tooths
A new display at La Brea Tar Pits showcases how modern science can shed new light on old fossils.