Girl blowing on a dandelion puffball.

Nature Now! The Dandelion

May 12, 2021

By Jerry Reynolds, Head of Outreach and Dandelion Seed Dispersal Talking politics in a mixed crowd can stir up some strong opinions and make for lively discussions. Bringing up the dandelion in a mixed crowd can stir up similarly strong opinions and perennial arguments. What’s so divisive about such an innocent-looking plant that has people… Read More >


Butterfly mural at NCMNS Whiteville.

The Butterflies of NC Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville

May 7, 2021

By Kristen Fontana, Science Communications Intern, NCMNS Whiteville Beautiful Murals Celebrate Native Butterflies The Museum’s Whiteville location is making a splash — or, flutter, rather — via their new native butterfly murals, which sparked an entire Whiteville Butterfly Trail throughout downtown Whiteville. The Museum made a literal “butterfly effect” in town. Whiteville Head, Dr. Shelby… Read More >


Dr. Lindsay Zanno with the T. rex. Photo: Justin Kase Conder.

Walter Magazine: How the Dueling Dinosaurs Got to Raleigh

May 6, 2021

The Dueling Dinosaurs is featured in the latest edition of Walter magazine telling the story of the fossil’s journey from the Hell Creek Formation in Montana to our Museum! Check out this excerpt featuring Dr. Lindsay Zanno below: “The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences hosts over a million visitors in a normal year within… Read More >


Museum educator Erin Apple presenting a demonstration of a prescribed burn at Prairie Ridge Ecostation.

Museum Staff Connects With Students on Climate Change and Forests

Erin Apple, Coordinator of Youth Programs at the NCMNS and a member of the YES-Resilience Project Team, connects with program participants over Zoom in preparation for demonstrating a prescribed burn at Prairie Ridge Ecostation in Raleigh, NC. Photo: Dana Haine/UNC IE. Recently, the UNC Institute for the Environment’s Center for Public Engagement With Science, in collaboration with… Read More >


Sci NC logo superimposed on insesct macro photo.

The Museum’s Dr. Adrian Smith featured weekly on PBS North Carolina’s Sci NC

May 5, 2021

Tune into PBS North Carolina on Wednesdays at 7:30PM (EDT) today through June 30 to catch Dr. Adrian Smith, Head of the Museum’s Evolutionary Biology & Behavior Lab, on Sci NC with veteran reporter Frank Graff! Sci NC highlights the latest stories from NC and across the nation, interviews leading scientists, shares fascinating demonstrations and… Read More >