
Gut Check Time: New technology used to study endangered Atlantic sturgeon
January 22, 2021
Atlantic sturgeon. Illustration: Duane Raver. Fossil evidence shows that sturgeon have been around for nearly 175 million years, and likely thrived as marine neighbors of the dinosaurs. It’s no wonder then that they look prehistoric, with five rows of daunting diamond-shaped plates running the length of their bodies. In more recent history, however, sturgeon have… Read More >

Head of Paleontology Lindsay Zanno interviewed by Podcast Raleigh
January 20, 2021
Dr. Lindsay Zanno is the Head of Paleontology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and an associate research professor in biological sciences at N.C. State University. Podcast Raleigh spoke with her about “her career, the [Dueling Dinosaurs] exhibit, naming dinosaurs and life at a dig site,” among other things. Dr. Lindsay Zanno, Head… Read More >

Museum Director Eric Dorfman featured on VisitRaleigh’s Tourism Talk blog
January 19, 2021
Eric Dorfman, PhD, Director and CEO of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, was recently interviewed for VisitRaleigh.com’s Tourism Talk blog. He talks about his background, why he opted for the directorship of NCMNS over the Carnegie Museum, and what the future holds for the Museum — Raleigh’s number one attraction*. Meet Eric Dorfman, Ph.D.,… Read More >

Museum researcher and colleagues publish “An Annotated Atlas of the Freshwater Fishes of North Carolina”
The Carolina Madtom is endemic to the Tar and Neuse river basins of North Carolina, and is threatened in the state. Photo credit: NCWRC. In October of 2020, Gabriela Hogue, Museum Collection Manager for Ichthyology, and Bryn Tracy, retired Aquatic Biologist from NCDWR, along with Fred Rhode of NOAA, published “An Annotated Atlas of the… Read More >

Citizen scientists help find rare black holes
January 15, 2021
Patrick Treuthardt, Assistant Head of the Astronomy & Astrophysics Research Lab, collaborated with a group (Supercluster.com) to produce a short documentary video about his citizen science project, Spiral Graph. The goal of Spiral Graph is to measure the winding of spiral arms in galaxies, a parameter known as spiral arm pitch angle. Pitch angle has… Read More >