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This T. rex skull is ready for Halloween! Standing about 15 feet tall with large, serrated teeth, a Tyrannosaurus wouldn't need much help striking fear. The largest meat eater in western North America, it feasted on dinosaurs large and small.

Eighty-four years, six months and seven days. That's how long it took for an octopus collected by John Steinbeck in the Gulf of California to be correctly identified. Read more here: s.si.edu/3Uty8X7

In late 1872, Captain Charles Hall lay dying on the U.S.S. Polaris, off the coast of Greenland. Before his death, Hall accused his chief scientist of wanting to poison him. Could a specimen in the museum's collection help solve this mystery? Read more: s.si.edu/4enP34l

In Aug 2023, a shark seemingly appeared out of nowhere and the three female epaulette sharks at the Brookfield Zoo in Illinois had a new roommate: a teeny-tiny baby shark. Where'd it come from? Short answer: parthenogenesis Find the long answer here: s.si.edu/3UDGk7s

In the event of a government shutdown, our museums, research centers, and the National Zoo will remain OPEN through at least Thursday, Dec. 26. Please note that we are closed on Dec. 25. Visit si.edu for updates. Image: Richard Lippold’s “Ad Astra” on view

The National Museum of Natural History will be closed to the public on Tuesday, January 7 due to street closures as part of ceremonies honoring former President Jimmy Carter. All other Smithsonian museums on the National Mall will be open as usual.

Due to inclement weather, Smithsonian museums in the DC area, including the National Zoo, will be closed to the public on Monday, Jan. 6.

A frosted pumpkin treat at our snowy Hirshhorn. Smithsonian museums in the DC area are closed on Tuesday, Jan. 7. Yayoi Kusama’s "Pumpkin" (2016), installed in the museum's plaza. Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts. © YAYOI KUSAMA. Collection of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture

Congrats to curators Dr. Andrea Quattrini and Dr. Sabrina Sholts for receiving the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). PECASE is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers early in their careers.

Interested in writing about meteorites and mammoths, squids and sloths, diamonds and dinosaurs? Apply now for our paid Summer 2025 #SciComm internship! This 12-week, part-time internship may be virtual. Apply here by Feb 21: s.si.edu/3BXZnma