Nature Now! Magical Mushrooms
September 2, 2020
I welcomed the frequent rains that we had this summer. They nourished the plants, kept my stream flowing and produced magic in the woods behind my house. The magic is the arrival of mushrooms that seemingly appear out of thin air! The truth behind the appearance of mushrooms and other fungi in their varied forms… Read More >
IE, NCMNS youth program on climate resilience to begin Aug. 29 virtually
August 28, 2020
On Aug. 29, 37 youth from North Carolina will begin the Youth Engaged in the Science of Resilience (YES-Resilience) Teen Climate Ambassadors program hosted by the UNC Institute for the Environment’s Center for Public Engagement with Science and the NC Museum of Natural Sciences (NCMNS). This yearlong program, originally planned for an in-person launch… Read More >
The Leaf-litter Frog mystery in the Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia
August 26, 2020
Cardamom Leaf-litter Frog (Leptobrachella neangi). Photo copyright by Thy Neang. Although Leaf-litter Frogs are found throughout the forests of Southeast Asia, only a single individual of an unknown species had been recorded in the vast Cardamom Mountains. This has now changed, with the scientific discovery of the Cardamom Leaf-Litter Frog, named in honour of Cambodian… Read More >
Insect Flight: Capturing Takeoff & Flying at 3,200 FPS
August 25, 2020
From the Museum’s Head of the Evolutionary Biology & Behavior Research Lab, Dr. Adrian Smith: Takeoff and flight sequences of insects spanning eight different taxonomic orders captured at 3,200fps!
Nature Now! Awesome Opossum, Part 2
August 20, 2020
The only interaction that most people have with the Virginia Opossum is on the road! Sadly, that is not usually a good interaction for the opossum. The opossum is not well-suited for crossing heavily traveled roads. They are slow and apt to freeze when danger approaches — not a good formula for crossing roads. Some… Read More >