Los Angeles

Exhibitions

Scanning Electron Microscope Lab

See how big discoveries can come from the tiniest things in the Gem and Mineral Hall.

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Exhibition | NHM

Spiky, Hairy, Shiny: Insects of L.A.

Meet your tiny neighbors!

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April 1 - October 10, 2021 | NHM

Rise Up L.A.: A Century of Votes for Women

While some women earned the right to vote in 1920, the fight was far from finished.

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The Woolsey Fire in Southern California seen from Malibu Canyon Road.

February 25 - August 5, 2019 | NHM

Wildfire

For many years, we've been adding fuel to the fire.

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Exhibition | NHM

Nature Lab

Live animals and hands-on interactives show you L.A.’s wild side.

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Stories

Reconstruction of Spea labreae, a black toad with orange spots in front of a tar pit, flanked by three other toads

Meet Spea labreae, a New Species of Ice Age Toad Discovered at La Brea Tar Pits

The first new extinct toad species and the first description of the Mexican burrowing toad at the Tar Pits help us understand the impacts of climate change on species distributions, past, present, and future.

An elephant, tapir, saber-toothed cat, llama, and pecarry face off with a pair of giant sloths, a pair of armadillos, a big rodent, and a terror bird, the former on the North American side and the latter on the South America; a globe is in the top left

10-million-year-long Mammal Layover in Mexico Primed the Pump for the Great American Biotic Interchange Between North and South America

Published in the journal Science, a new study by NHM researchers shows that Mexico acted as a biodiversity "holding pen" for 10 million years ahead of the Great American Biotic Interchange that opened the floodgates between North and South America 2.8 million years ago.

A woman with short gray hair and glasses next to a model orca

Keiko’s Tooth: A Killer Whale, a Movie Star, and the Hidden Power of Museum Collections

Assistant Mammalogy Collections Manager Amanda Killian on finding the Free Willy star's tooth and the ever-growing value of natural history museum collections

A high school building with the words 'San Pedro Pirates' surrounding an image of a pirate mascot on the building. Signs of construction surround the building

Fossils Under San Pedro High School Reveal a Pleistocene Beach in a Miocene Sea

Discover some of the last fossils and the lasting impact of the bone beds beneath San Pedro High School

Two people pose behind a long counter inside The Ruby Fruit. One wears a green top and dark pants, while the other wears a bright yellow jumpsuit. In the foreground, a lime green graphic banner features the bar's name next to an image of a red cocktail garnished with a dehydrated citrus wheel.

More Than a Bar: Preserving a Sapphic Sanctuary

Mara Herbkersman & Emily Bielagus | The Ruby Fruit

Orcas: Culture Beneath the Surface

Dive into the matriarchal culture of orcas

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A Reflection on Becoming

Poetry, Prose, and Reflections from WriteGirl Teens

SEM scan close up of ophiotrix brittle star

Happy Hour: Getting Really Small with Dr. Jody Martin

Join Dr. Jody Martin on a tour of "the very very small" - from tiny marine invertebrates to the heads of insects to snowflakes and pollen grains and more - to learn about the Museum's brand new electron microscope and how it will be used in research, education, and exhibits!

Culture of Care: Perspectives from the Filipino Healthcare Community

Oral Stories Project

NHMLAC Discovery Talk: L.A.'s Ice Age Animals

Join Connie Clark, La Brea Tar Pits Preparator, as she explores the La Brea Tar Pits Museum Fossil Lab’s work to improve fossil preparation practices, recent finds in Project 23, and why animals found around L.A. today might be rarer in the Tar Pits fossil record.

NHMLAC Discovery Talk: Keeping the Connection

In this short video, Caroline Thrasher explains how she, and other Museum Educators, are helping visitors stay connected with science and culture at NHMLAC.

News & Press

Little Flies in the Big City: What You Find Depends on How You Look

A group of researchers from the U.S. and Australia have announced the completely unexpecteddiscovery of exotic “vinegar flies” (drosophilids) in urban Los Angeles