National Museum of Natural History.

National Museum of Natural History. National Museum of Natural History, museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., dedicated to enhancing interest and understanding of the natural world and the place of humans in it. As the nation's largest research museum, it studies issues of current scientific and societal importance such as biological diversity, global climate change, and genetic research. As a leading educational institution, it explains this scientific knowledge to the public through exhibitions and programs. The museum's vast collections of more than 120 million specimens and artifacts are the foundation for its research and educational activities. Only a small fraction of the collections are on view in the Beaux Arts building on the National Mall, which opened in 1910 to hold the expanding national collections. The collections encompass the fields of anthropology, archaeology, botany, entomology, ethnology, mineral sciences (see Mineralogy), paleobiology (see Paleontology), and vertebrate and invertebrate zoology. The impressive breadth of objects ranges from Northwest Coast Indian totem poles to a 700,000-year-old ax from Kenya, and from one of the world's best marine invertebrate collections to a premier archive of amphibian sounds. The museum's Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals explores the forces that have shaped Earth and the solar system. The exhibition features sections on meteors, plate tectonics, mining, and more. Among the gems on display is the renowned 45.5-carat Hope Diamond, the largest deep blue diamond in the world. Another exhibition, "In Search of Giant Squid," focuses on the world's largest invertebrates, and includes two giant squid--the only ones exhibited in any museum. "Exploring Marine Ecosystems" compares two different ecosystems: a tropical coral reef and a rocky Maine coastal area. The Early Life Hall documents the origins of life in the sea and features a fossil that is considered the oldest direct evidence of life on Earth, a stromatolite (sedimentary structure formed of cyanobacteria) that dates to approximately 3.5 billion years ago. The dinosaur collection includes one of the most complete Allosaurus skeletons ever displayed in a museum and a Ceratosaurus skeleton that is unique for its complete skull. Educational programs include the Natural Partners Initiative, which links the nation's classrooms to Smithsonian resources through video conferencing, online exhibits accessed via the World Wide Web, and other state-of-the-art technologies. Popular attractions include the O. Orkin Insect Zoo and the Discovery Center, where visitors can explore living examples of natural history firsthand. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.