Cosmic Cliffs of the Carina Nebula, taken with the James Webb Space Telescope.

‘Due South’ spaces out on mysteries of the universe with NC astronomer

May 13, 2024

Carina Nebula, taken with the James Webb Space Telescope. Photo: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI. By Leoneda Inge, Jeff Tiberii, Erin Keever After talking with a NASA astronaut, we at Due South wanted to learn more about research that’s happening here on Earth. Rachel Smith, an astrophysicist at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences,… Read More >


Dr. Lindsay Zanno, head of paleontology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The DinoLab will show real scientists at work studying fossils. Photo: Joshua Steadman.

Good Bones: Inside the SECU DinoLab at NCMNS

May 6, 2024

Dr. Lindsay Zanno, head of paleontology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The SECU DinoLab will show real scientists at work studying fossils. Photo: Joshua Steadman. by Hampton Williams Hofer This high-tech research lab within the museum is open to the public. It will showcase ongoing paleontological study of the Dueling Dinosaurs. The… Read More >


Ruby-throated hummingbird in bird bander's hand.

Attracting Ruby-throated hummingbirds

April 24, 2024

Ruby-throated hummingbird in bird bander’s hand. Photo: Cape Fear Bird Observatory. Ruby-throated hummingbirds are making their way back to NC. Here’s how to spot and attract them. By Leoneda Inge, Stacia Brown What is the best feeder to use in your yard if you want to attract hummingbirds? And what blooms should you plant if… Read More >


Spectators visit the beached sperm whale known as Trouble, which washed ashore on Wrightsville Beach in April 1928. Its skeleton now hangs in the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh.

Trouble comes to town: When a whale captivated Wrightsville Beach

April 15, 2024

Spectators visit the beached sperm whale known as Trouble, which washed ashore on Wrightsville Beach in April 1928. Its skeleton now hangs in the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. By Owen Hassell “In the spring of 1928, a quiet morning on Wrightsville Beach turned into a madhouse when word spread of a massive… Read More >


Broad-headed sharpshooter – Oncometopia orbona. Filmed at 6,000 frames per second. October 2021, Raleigh NC.

These photos are works of art — and the artists are bugs

April 1, 2024

A photographer’s innovative technique reveals the flight paths of insects in exquisitely alluring ways. Broad-headed sharpshooter — Oncometopia orbona — filmed at 6,000 frames per second. October 2021, Raleigh NC. Photo: Xavi Bou. By Annie Roth Movements of flying insects make them tough to track, but technological advances and some creative thinking have allowed Spanish… Read More >