Research & Collections

BE ADVISED: On Sunday, December 3, CicLAvia South LA will take place from 9 am-3 pm and Martin Luther King Jr Blvd will be closed to motorists. Traffic around the Museum may be impacted. Please plan your visit accordingly. If you are heading North on the 110 freeway, take exit 20B for Exposition Blvd to access the Museum. Taking public transportation to the Museum is also very easy and convenient via Metro's Expo Line. For more information, contact us at info@nhm.org or 213.763.DINO.

Research and Collections

Photograph of Butterfly specimens in the NHM collection

Our Collections

NHM has, wait for it, 35 million real objects and artifacts. Explore them online!

See what we've got

Our Research

There are dozens of scientists and historians on staff, protecting our records of the planet, and making new discoveries all the time.

What our experts are up to

austin hendy looking at specimens in collections research and collections

Recent highlights

Research and Collections

The Ancient Odyssey of Crabs

An international team of scientists including NHM researchers chart crabs' sideways path from the ocean to dry land—a journey they've made at least 17 times since the Triassic.

Ceacilian in a jar held by Neftali Camacho

The Giant Monsters of Herpetology Tour

A look at some of the reptile and amphibian specimens that have inspired some of film and television’s biggest, baddest monsters with Herpetology Collections Manager Neftali Camacho.

Elephant Hill Community Nature Celebration and Habitat Survey

Join community members and scientists, Saturday, October 14, to celebrate and study nature on Elephant Hill, an open space in North East L.A. valuable to humans and wildlife.