Rhesus monkey pair.

What shapes your microbiome? It may not be what you think.

September 29, 2023

Pair of rhesus macaques. Photo: Lauren Brent. (RALEIGH, N.C.) – The skin is the largest organ of the human body and the main barrier against the external world. Microbes on the surface of the skin often work in symphony with host skin cells to mediate body odor and, more importantly, overall health. For example, the… Read More >


A biologist holds a handful of salamander mussels from the Chippewa River, Wisconsin.

Species of mussel found in western Pennsylvania might soon be listed as endangered

September 13, 2023

A biologist holds a handful of salamander mussels (Simpsonaias ambigua). Photo: Megan Bradley/USFWS. The Museum’s Research Curator of Mollusks, Dr. Art Bogan, was interviewed by Pittsburgh’s NPR station WESA.  The article begins: A species of freshwater mussel found in pockets of the Allegheny River might soon be protected under the Endangered Species Act, as proposed… Read More >


BugFest 2023

BugFest highlights tarantulas and more at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, Sept. 16

September 6, 2023

(RALEIGH, N.C.) — It’s time to get buggy with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences as they host BugFest, the largest one-day bug-centric event in the country. Satisfy all your web weaving, wing flapping, dungball rolling, creepy crawling and (of course) bug munching pursuits in one day: Saturday, Sept. 16, 10 a.m.–7 p.m. It’s… Read More >


This is a FLY!? Bat fly

Video: The Weirdest Insect I’ve Ever Filmed! BAT FLY

August 29, 2023

From the Head of the Museum’s Evolutionary Biology & Behavior Research Lab, Adrian Smith: Wow, bat flies are bizarre creatures! I went out to find one of these extraordinary ectoparasitic insects with my museum colleague, Lisa Gatens, as she was trapping and banding bats in the North Carolina’s Coastal Plain. The bat fly in this… Read More >


Spoonworm

Video: What is a spoonworm?

August 21, 2023

  Sci NC Producer Rossie Izlar heads to the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh for a closer look at the spoonworm. Found almost exclusively in the Atlantic Ocean, the spoonworm uses its handy proboscis to guide food to its mouth. Museum curator Bronwyn Williams puts one under the microscope to show us how…. Read More >