NEWS

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 >

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 >

Otago skink (Oligosoma otagense), IUCN Red List status: Endangered. Photo: Jaclyn Aliperti. Click to enlarge.   [RALEIGH, N.C.] — Conservation efforts for other animals have likely helped protect many reptile species, according to a new study led by NatureServe, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Conservation International, in partnership with scientists from… Read More >

Piedmont Ghost Firefly male. Photo: Matt Bertone. Jerry Reynolds, Head of Outreach Chris Goforth, Head of Citizen Science Want to go on a ghost hunt? Well, now’s your chance! You may recall reading the Nature Now blog on Ghost Hunting from June of last year. To summarize last year’s ghost hunt, we were searching for… Read More >

If you walked out your door right now, how many species do you think you could observe? 5? 10? 20? It’s likely far more than you’d expect — and we have a great opportunity that can help you find out! The City Nature Challenge is an international, biodiversity-focused citizen science event that runs April 29… Read More >