Harvard Museum of Natural History

06/17/2026

It's not common that Father's Day and the Solstice coincide on the same day. Celebrate both on Sunday, June 21, at our annual, free Summer Solstice event. Watch science demos, performances from The Revels, make a flower crown, and more. See more details here: https://tinyurl.com/Solstice2026

Photo ⓒ Tony Rinaldo

06/11/2026

Celebrate the beginning of summer, Pride Month 🏳️‍🌈, and Father’s Day at our annual FREE Summer Solstice Celebration!

Enjoy Pride-themed activities like a dance party, street chalking, and temporary tattoos. The Revels will present lively music, dance performances, and lead the Procession of the Sun! ☀️Visitors will also be able to observe science demos, make a signature flower crown, and more. 🌼

See here for more details on parking, giveaways, exhibitions, and food offerings: https://tinyurl.com/HMSCSolstice2026


𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 & 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴, 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮. 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰 © 𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘙𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘥𝘰.

06/05/2026

Happy Fossil Friday! The Romer Hall gallery showcases the evolutionary history of vertebrates, including the world’s only mounted Kronosaurus, a 42-foot-long prehistoric marine reptile, and a visitor favorite. A family visiting from Ontario, Canada, recently visited with their grandson. We hope you can find a time to visit this summer!

; Photo by the Ablett family

06/04/2026

On June 24, attend a free evening talk from Thomas Lowe Fleischner, Ph.D., Senior Advisor and Founding Director, Natural History Institute ; Faculty Emeritus of Environmental Studies, Prescott College . Fleischner’s new book, 𝐴𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑦 (Torrey House Press) is part reflection, part guide, calling for a life lived with care, presence, and respect for the wild beauty that surrounds us. With stories from the Alaskan Arctic to the Amazon, Fleischner will reveal how we can deepen our connection with the land and its creatures.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase. Advance registration is recommended: https://tinyurl.com/AstonishedbyBeauty

Leaping Bottlenose Dolphin, Gulf of California; photo ⓒ Thomas Fleischner

06/03/2026

Being bilingual boosts your brain and connects you to people and cultures from around the world. Join bilingual museum educator, Javier Marin, for ¡Ser Súper Is Super! The Power of Bilingualism! on Saturday, June 6. Javier will lead a storybook reading in both English and Spanish.

After, kids and caregivers will have the chance to participate in a craft workshop, practice their Spanish, and build community together! Recommended for ages 3—8. Regular admission rates apply. Leer en español and register: https://tinyurl.com/SerSuperJune2026

05/28/2026

Happy Harvard Commencement day! Congrats to graduate Ashwin Sivakumar 26'. Ashwin's thesis focused on bird wing evolution, working off of CT scans taken in the Edwards Lab, The Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology at Harvard.

He's also been an integral member of the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture student board, presenting Song Sparrow specimens at Visitas and helping host the annual Zagmuk party at the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East.

Ashwin Sivakumar ’26 wanted to understand how birds evolved such a diversity of wing shapes. Working with the Edwards Lab, led by Alexander Agassiz Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Scott V. Edwards, Sivakumar used CT technology to scan a variety of wings. The results, outlined in h...

05/27/2026

Alyssia Wiesenbauer 26’, a Harvard Department of the History of Science concentrator, arrived at Harvard with an interest in studying volcanoes. She is leaving with a deep knowledge of how people live with volcanoes, museums, and a new birdwatching hobby.

As part of her work with the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture student board, Alyssia led a number of student tours. “I have always loved how excited people get when they realize how much exists behind the scenes, from individual objects to the people who take care of them,” she said.

After graduation, she will return to her home state of Hawaii to work on a photo digitization project at the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

In 2018, the volcano Kīlauea erupted and damaged the family home of Alyssia Ursula Pualani Wiesenbauer ’26, located on the east side of the Island of Hawaiʻi. The experience was terrifying. But it also inspired a fascination with how generations of people have learned to coexist with the lava-sp...

05/26/2026

Congratulations to Lauren Bartel ’26, Harvard Museums of Science & Culture student board leader and integrative biology concentrator, in the The Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology at Harvard.

She has been participating on the board since her first year. Lauren says, “It is always so meaningful to see new faces and introduce students to the museums at Visitas and beyond,” Bartel said. “Some of the students ended up joining the board, just like I did.”

Read about her thesis on Florida scrub-jays, and her plans post graduation:

As a high school senior from the Miami area, Lauren Bartel ’26 knew about Harvard’s rich array of museums. She finally got to experience their collections in person after traveling to campus for Visitas, a welcoming event held every spring for those admitted to the College. Bartel was so taken t...

05/19/2026

Next Thursday, May 28, join us for a FREE night at two of the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture. Come with a date, with friends, or make new friends while strolling through the galleries. All ages are welcome!

𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐮𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲: Blaschka Glass Flowers, and a new rubies installation - this gemstone is known for its extraordinary beauty and offers a rich source of scientific insight.

𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐮𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 & 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲: Explore 𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑰𝒓𝒂𝒏: 𝑨 𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝑻𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒚, a new exhibition by Iranian photographer and filmmaker Azadeh Akhlaghi. Akhlaghi’s project stages and photographs pivotal moments from Iran’s tumultuous 20th-century history.

More event details here: https://tinyurl.com/ATMay2026
𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵: 𝘌𝘑𝘚𝘗 𝘝𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭 | 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘢 𝘚𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘰

05/18/2026

Now open! Rubies is a new, intimate collection of stunning minerals, gemstones, and jewelry on display in the Earth & Planetary Sciences Gallery.

Ruby, the red variety of the mineral corundum, owes its vibrant color to trace amounts of chromium in its crystal structure. This element also gives many rubies a striking fluorescence, glowing bright crimson under ultraviolet light. Ruby’s internal world—its inclusions, growth zoning, and rutile “silk” needles—records its geological journey and can reveal its origin, making ruby a gemstone of extraordinary beauty and a rich source of scientific insight. Visit 9am-5pm ET: https://tinyurl.com/VisitRubiesHMNH.

Shown here:《 The Soul of Flame II 》 Brooch, The Ikhor Collection