A Rare Encounter: The Hope and Wittelsbach-Graff Diamonds

Location: Second Floor, Harry Winston Gallery
Exhibit: January 29 - August 1, 2010

Come and see the world's most extraordinary blue diamonds - the Hope and the Wittelsbach-Graff - displayed together for the first time. The Wittelsbach-Graff's deep blue color, flawless clarity, and royal history make it one of the most celebrated gemstones known. Its story goes back over 340 years, and the diamond has not appeared in public for more than 50 years. Both diamonds come from India and share their rare blue color. Could they have come from the same mine? Smithsonian scientists plan to compare the properties of both gems and explore this intriguing possibility.

Nature's Best Photography Show 2009

Location: Second Floor
Exhibit: November 12, 2009 - May 2, 2010

On view will be winners in 19 categories from the 2009 Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards, including the Grand Prize, Conservation Photographer of the Year, Youth Photographer of the Year, and selected Highly Honored images. The annual awards honor the best amateur and professional nature photographers from around the world

Since Darwin: The Evolution of Evolution

Location: First Floor
Exhibit: September 12, 2009 – July 18, 2010

Celebrate with us the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his groundbreaking On the Origin of Species.  This exhibition focuses on the significant role that Darwin’s theories have played in explaining and unifying all the biological sciences.  Specimens from the Museum’s diverse collections, along with documentation from our ongoing research, illustrate the importance of evolution as a scientific foundation, and how our knowledge of evolution has evolved over the last 150 years.

Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th-Century Chesapeake

Location: Second Floor
Exhibit: February 7, 2009 – January 6, 2013

Human anatomy and forensic investigation provide intriguing information on people and events of America's past. This exhibition will examine history through 17th-century bone biographies, including those of colonists teetering on the edge of survival at Jamestown, Virginia, and those of wealthy and well-established individuals of St. Mary’s City, Maryland. At no other time in our history have we had the technological capability or opportunity that are now available to help us tell this tale.

The Sant Ocean Hall

Location: First Floor
Exhibit: Permanent

A one-of-a-kind interpretive exhibit, extraordinary in scale, the Sant Ocean Hall presents the global ocean from a cross-disciplinary perspective, highlighting the biological, geological, and anthropological expertise and unparalleled scientific collections of the Museum, as well as ongoing research in marine science. The ocean is intrinsically connected to other global systems and to our daily lives. Artist rendering of the Sant Ocean Hall

The Hope Diamond

Location: The Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals, Second Floor
Exhibit: Permanent

The renowned Hope Diamond is celebrating the golden anniversary of its arrival at the Smithsonian Institution. Harry Winston gave the diamond to the Institution in November 1958. The rare 45.52 carat deep-blue diamond was cut from a stone found in India about 350 years ago and was once part of the French crown jewels.  It was also involved in a dramatic theft, and according to some legends might even carry a curse!Learn more about t he Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals

Deeper Than Light

Location: First Floor, Sant Ocean Hall, Ocean Focus Gallery
Exhibit: February 20, 2010 - May 23, 2010

Dive in and experience the world of the deep sea in this international traveling exhibition from the Bergen Museum, University of Bergen, Norway. In 2004, curiosity drove a team of scientists on the Norwegian research vessel G.O. Sars to study the vast, unexplored depths of the north Atlantic Ocean. What lives there? How do they survive? How do they interact? How can we protect them? This exhibition follows the scientists' journey into this relatively undiscovered world through art, images, models and multimedia.

The David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins

Location: First Floor
Exhibit: March 17, 2010 - Permanent

A major new exhibition dedicated to the understanding of human origins will open on March 17, 2010. Based on decades of cutting-edge research by Smithsonian scientists, the David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins will tell the epic story of human evolution and how humans evolved over six million years in response to a changing world. Following the process of scientific discovery, visitors will explore the evidence for human evolution, come face-to-face with unforgettable representations of early humans, and arrive at a deeper understanding of what it means to be human.

Yuungnaqpiallerput (The Way We Genuinely Live)
Masterworks of Yup’ik Science and Survival

Location: Second Floor
Exhibit: April 17, 2010 – July 25, 2010

Yup'ik elders share their scientific and spiritual knowledge for living in the sub-arctic environment of western Alaska in this exhibition of more than 200 19th- and 20th-century tools, clothing, weapons, and watercraft. From harpoons to snow-goggles, and kayaks to dance masks, Yup'ik people devised solutions for living unsurpassed by Western science. Explore how the Yup'ik people discovered these scientific principles that have allowed them to live in intimate relationship with their environment.

Celebrating 100 Years at National Museum of Natural History

Location: Second Floor
Exhibit: May 29 – November 7, 2010

The Natural History Building first opened its doors to the public on March 17, 1910. The Museum celebrates its 100th birthday with a special exhibition featuring archival and modern photographs highlighting many facets of this building-its people, collections, exhibitions, and outreach throughout the years. Photographs both old and new give snapshots of life and work at the Museum over the past 100 years.

Dig It! The Secrets of Soil

A new virtual exhibit that journeys into the skin of the earth and explores the amazing world of soil. This web site is a virtual exploration of the Dig It! traveling exhibition now on display at the National Museum of Natural History. Completely familiar yet largely unknown, soils help sustain virtually every form of life on Earth. Dig It! transports visitors to the world of fungi, bacteria, worms, and countless other organisms. The online exhibit includes educational activities and teacher resources.