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

A close up of the skull of a polar bear skeleton

The Tale of Piccolo the Polar Bear and Captain Jack Bonavita

The story of the most famous polar bear in our collections

Three men, one older, two younger, standing in front of two red class cars

Driven by Pride

Mike Parente, Randall Mitchell, & Rhoeby Gonzalez | Great Autos Car Club

A mother holds her dead child between the North American continent all depicted in red

Posters from Protests Against the Vietnam War on the 50th Anniversary of the War's End

Posters cared for by the Seaver Center for Western History Research Collection recall campus protests and national strife reverberating into our nation's struggles today

Yewande Pearse and AZA Allsop seated in chairs, facing each other on stage

AMPLIFIED – Healing Sounds

A discussion with AZA Allsop, MD PhD, Assistant Professor at Yale and Howard University and Director of the Center for Collective.

Illustration of ice age bird, the teratorn.

Meet Teratorn, the Largest Bird Found at La Brea Tar Pits

The teratorn was undoubtedly big, but was it a big vulture or something else?

A male house finch with a little red plumage around its beak and breast alongside otherwise gray feathers being held still by a person's hand

Bird banding, Wildfire Smoke, and the Nature Gardens

Researchers band birds and collect feathers in the Nature Gardens to study the impacts of wildfire smoke on birds.

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Video: Happy Hour with Dr. Greg Pauly

Dr. Greg Pauly, Curator of Herpetology and Co-Director of the UNRC, gives a peek at how NHMLAC's community science work is revolutionizing the detection and management of potential invasive species.

NHMLAC Discovery Talk with Ilana Gustafson

In this Discovery Talk you'll meet Ilana Gustafson, Manager of Performing Arts, as she offers a deeper look into this unique museum Preforming Arts program.

NHMLAC Discovery Talk with Dr. Adam Clause

Join Adam Clause, Herpetology and Urban Nature Research Center Postdoctoral Fellow, as he explores what he has been doing while sheltering-in-place, his research on how plastic litter might be threatening non-marine turtles, and how he worked with other departments in the museum to make his discoveries.

Video: Happy Hour with Cullen Townsend

Find out how ancient creatures and environments are brought to life with Paleo Artist, Cullen Townsend. He'll show us how scientific research is used in his creations, and explain his current project.

Photo of a dire wolf bone being cleaned at

Members Q&A with LBTP Lab Manager Stephany Potze and Assistant Curator Dr. Regan Dunn

Asphalt is dirty business, but scientists at the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum have spent over 100 years learning how to excavate, clean and conserve the multitude of fossil specimens plucked from the tar at Hancock Park.

News & Press

New Exhibition Fierce! The Story of Cats Roars into the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park on July 13

Tickets are available now for this insightful, interactive celebration of the diversity
and significance of cats

Through advanced microscopy and imaging techniques, La Brea Tar Pits scientists successfully identify a previously unknown species to Southern California from fossilized seeds, revealing a drought-fueled dance between two species of juniper with lessons for the region’s climate future

The traveling exhibition by the National Geographic Society and National Museum of Wildlife Art features the impactful work of National Geographic Explorer and photographer Ronan Donovan.