Dr. Lindsay Zanno

Dueling Dinosaurs: A Q&A With Lindsay Zanno

December 3, 2020

Dueling Dinosaurs. Copyright NCMNS. Illustration: Julius Csotonyi. Museum Head of Paleontology and associate research professor at NC State Dr. Lindsay Zanno discussed the recent Dueling Dinosaurs announcement with The Abstract this week. She discusses what excites her most about this project and why these fossils are creating a rumble in the global science community. Read… Read More >


barrel sponge

Ask a Naturalist: Sponge Blog

December 2, 2020

What image comes to mind when you hear the word “sponge”? A brightly-colored rectangle used to clean dirty dishes? An adorable, yellow cube-shaped, pants-wearing cartoon character? A beautiful, living animal found attached to a tropical coral reef? Frankly, none of those options popped into my head when I saw the greyish blob in the photos… Read More >


Juvenile T. rex cast in the Nature Research Center, NCMNS

T. rex had a teenage growth spurt — but not all dinos did

November 30, 2020

CNN — Researchers have long known that the meat-eating Tyrannosaurus rex had a teenage growth spurt, gaining around 35 to 45 pounds per week, to reach its colossal size. But up until now, it hasn’t been clear whether all dinosaurs shared this growth pattern. Was a T. rex-style period of extreme growth the only way… Read More >


The new NC Museum of Natural Sciences at Contentnea Creek is a 400-acre outdoor learning center in Grifton.

NC Museum of Natural Sciences establishing two new branches in Pitt County

November 24, 2020

The new NC Museum of Natural Sciences at Contentnea Creek is a 400-acre outdoor learning center in Grifton. Raleigh, N.C. – Through an innovative partnership between the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and A Time for Science, the Museum is establishing two new branches in Pitt County. The NC Museum of Natural Sciences at… Read More >


Pixie cups, a type of squamulose lichen.

Nature Now! Liking Lichens

November 19, 2020

Pixie cups: a type of squamulose lichen. I like lichens! Anybody who has been on a hike with me knows that. I am quick to fall on my hands and knees to marvel at some lichen along the trail that most people would walk by and never see. I am not so quick to get… Read More >