Life Before Dinosaurs: The Permian Monsters: Lecture Series

Don’t call it a comeback: ‘Life Before Dinosaurs’ presentation on mass extinction recovery, June 2

May 28, 2022

[RALEIGH] – The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences presents, “Rewiring the Biosphere: Ecosystem Collapse and Recovery after the Permian Mass Extinction,” Thursday, June 2 at 7 p.m. The worst mass extinction of all time occurred at the end of the Permian Period, around 252 million years ago. During this extinction, around 80% of species… Read More >


Soylent Green (1973) Movie poster

Discover the secret of Soylent Green at Museum Movie Night, Friday, May 20

May 16, 2022

New York City, 2022. Overpopulated, polluted, starving. With 40 million mouths to feed, how can humanity survive? The Soylent Corporation has the answer – and it’s to die for! On Friday, May 20 from 5:30 to 10pm, grab a bite during Museum Movie Night and discover the secret behind the fictional food of the future,… Read More >


A hunt gone wrong! Artistic reconstruction Otodus megalodon feeding upon an ancient swordfish ~11 - 3.7 million years ago. A puncture injury to the tooth gum such as this may have caused gemination of the developing tooth buds. Image: Jorge Gonzalez

What Caused This Megatooth Shark’s Massive Toothache?

May 12, 2022

A hunt gone wrong! Artistic reconstruction Otodus megalodon feeding upon an ancient swordfish ~11 – 3.7 million years ago. A puncture injury to the tooth gum such as this may have caused gemination of the developing tooth buds. Image: Jorge Gonzalez Did the world’s largest prehistoric shark need an orthodontist, or did it just have… Read More >


Common Snapping Turtle. Photo: Brianna Ondich.

The Common Snapping Turtle — An Underappreciated Mud Monster

May 10, 2022

Common Snapping Turtle. Photo: Brianna Ondich. By Peter Hortensius, Naturalist Center Intern In January 2022, the largest Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) known from North Carolina passed away after spending the last decade of its life at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. Hearing about its death made me recall a memorable experience I had… Read More >


The newly updated Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Laboratory.

New Look: The Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Lab

April 28, 2022

A visitor’s view of the Astronomy & Astrophysics Research Lab. Recently the Lab received new high-resolution displays and a paint job. Photo: K. Swain/NCMNS. By Dr. Rachel Smith, Head of the Astronomy & Astrophysics Research Lab and Curator of Meteorites The Astronomy & Astrophysics Research Lab, located at the Museum’s downtown Raleigh location, recently got… Read More >