Painting of forest path by moonlight by Karin Neuvirth

‘Vibrant Nature’ on display at Museum’s Nature Art Gallery, Dec. and Jan.

December 2, 2019

(RALEIGH, N.C.) — The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences’ Nature Art Gallery presents “Vibrant Nature,” artwork by Karin Neuvirth. The show runs Dec. 6 through Jan. 26, with a Gallery reception Saturday, Dec. 7, 2–4 p.m. All exhibited art is for sale. Visual artist Karin Neuvirth grew up on a farm in southern Minnesota… Read More >


A dinosaur skull is wrapped in colorful lights - red, blue, orange. They glow. How pretty!

5 Ways to Celebrate the Holiday Season with NCMNS!

November 21, 2019

The holiday season is a time for excitement! Families and friends come together to express gratitude for relationships shared all year long. With holiday travel plans, coordinating schedules, finding gifts, and everything else (whew!), there’s a lot to think about. One thing you can count on is an engaging, entertaining visit to the North Carolina… Read More >


Gremlins movie

Cute. Clever. Mischievous. Intelligent. Dangerous. ‘Gremlins’ take over Museum Nov. 29

November 19, 2019

(RALEIGH, N.C.) — Billy Peltzer has a nice home, a nice job, a nice girl. And loving parents who are about to give him the most unusual gift he ever got. But there are a few things to keep in mind. If you expose it to the light, you may hurt it. If you get… Read More >


Three large adult male turkeys stand strong in a field of green grass.

Talkin’ Turkey! Facts About the Favorite Festive Fowl

November 14, 2019

by Michael Moore, former Intern, John Connors, former Naturalist Center Coordinator, and Jessica Wackes, PR and Marketing Coordinator. If someone calls you a turkey, it’s time to take it as a compliment! Photo by Melissa Dowland. Turkey time, but why? It’s turkey season. The fowl known for feeding families and friends at annual gatherings may… Read More >


Eye position and shape in the holotypes of new taxa and representative specimens of new leeches recently discovered inside freshwater mussels. Image credit: Anna L. Klass.

Gimme shelter: Seven new leech species call freshwater mussels home

November 11, 2019

The frequent presence of leeches with a hidden lifestyle in the mantle cavity of freshwater mussels has been recorded since the second half of the 19th century. Yet this was, until now, regarded as an accidental phenomenon. Recent research not only reveals seven mussel-associated leech species new to science, but also shows that their association… Read More >