Showing 1 - 50 of 55 Things to Make and Do

Blood ARTICLE Learn about the body's vital defense force. READ IT

Peter's Savage Garden VIDEO Explore the deadly beautiful world of carnivorous plants. WATCH IT

Penguins ARTICLE Living along the continental coastline of Antarctica are the emperors and the Adélies. READ IT

A Cell's Fate ARTICLE Specialized cells have a common origin. What sets them on separate paths? READ IT

Turning Garbage into Gold ARTICLE Seasoned gardeners depend on a community of bacteria, worms, and insects to get the most out of their plantings. Find out why. READ IT

Three Ways to Make a New Plant ARTICLE Learn how grafting, hybridizing, and transgenics have transformed cultivation. READ IT

Cell Explorer INTERACTIVE Learn about the inner workings of a cell through this interactive exhibit. TRY IT

Extracting DNA from Neanderthal Bones PHOTO ESSAY Explore the process of extracting DNA from Neanderthal bones. VIEW IT

Frog Tracker INTERACTIVE Listen to different frog calls and make a frog chorus. TRY IT

Everybody Gets Lunch VIDEO Sit down for compost tea with a visionary cultivator. WATCH IT

Mutant Fruit Flies The fruit flies in this exhibit show just a few of the mutations that occur in natural fruit fly populations. VIEW IT

Krill ARTICLE Tiny shrimplike crustaceans, krill play a critical roll in many marine food webs, even feeding huge baleen whales. READ IT

Arctic Whales ARTICLE Learn about the giants of the polar seas. READ IT

Fruitful DNA Extraction HANDS-ON Think you have a lot in common with a kiwi fruit? Genetically speaking, you do. MAKE IT

Stem Cells ARTICLE See living stem cells and find out why they are the "stem" from which all other cells develop. READ IT

Energy from Death INTERACTIVE Learn how living things get energy from dead ones in this interactive exhibit. TRY IT

Which Embryo is Human? INTERACTIVE Can you tell the difference between human and nonhuman embryos? TRY IT

Microscope Imaging Station: Classroom Explorations HANDS-ON Introduce students to unique life science activities that let them work with our research-quality microscopic images and videos. MAKE IT

Film Canister Farming HANDS-ON Experiment with water, temperature, and light to see what makes a seed come out of its shell. MAKE IT

Exploring the Traits of Life INTERACTIVE Explore the Traits of Life exhibition space using this 360° panorama. TRY IT

Frogs Princely models for science VIEW IT

Hot Pile VIDEO Find out how we build a compost pile WATCH IT

The Sounds of the Rain Forest AUDIO Hear audio clips of the ambient sounds of the rain forest at night near Arecibo, Puerto Rico. HEAR IT

Flipbooks HANDS-ON Use printable images from our time-lapse movies to make flipbooks—handheld animations that you can make at home. MAKE IT

Sea Urchins Insight into genes, reproduction, and cancer VIEW IT

Antarctic Marine Ecosystem ARTICLE The Antarctic food web is the simplest on the planet, and krill are at its hub. READ IT

The Amazing Adaptable Frog ARTICLE A comprehensive tour through the weird and wonderful world of frogs. READ IT

Polar Bears ARTICLE White-coated Arctic icons, these supreme hunters are under threat READ IT

Frog Myths Across Cultures ARTICLE Explore the mythological significance of frogs in cultures around the world. READ IT

Planaria ARTICLE A window on regeneration READ IT

Look Inside a Tooth INTERACTIVE Zoom into a fossil chimp tooth. TRY IT

Inside the Lab & Out in the Field ARTICLE A profile of frog researcher Dr. Tyrone Hayes. READ IT

The Secret Lives of Flowers INTERACTIVE Take a peek at the colorful world of plant sex. TRY IT

Chick Embryo Timelapse VIDEO Watch a chick embryo develop the specialized tissues, organs, and structure of a fully formed chick. WATCH IT

Traits of Life: Related Links See links relevant to the themes presented in the Traits of Life exhibition. VIEW IT

Neurons ARTICLE A fish-eye view of the brain READ IT

Mold Terrarium HANDS-ON Watch tiny blue, green, and white molds grow on leftover food. MAKE IT

Drawing Conclusions ARTICLE Meet David Goodsell, a molecular biologist and artist who finds beauty in the molecules of cells. READ IT

Cancer ARTICLE Cells behaving badly READ IT

Arctic Seals ARTICLE These unique—and uniquely beautiful—seal species spend their lives amid the sea ic READ IT

Antarctic Seals ARTICLE Crabeaters have extraordinary teeth, Weddells are downright cute, and leopards are as fierce as their namesake READ IT

Antarctic Whales ARTICLE Humpbacks, minkes, and orcas are often sighted in the nutrient-rich Antarctic waters. READ IT

Saving Seeds, Saving Culture PHOTO ESSAY Saving seeds helps preserve the culture of Native American farmers in the American Southwest and northern Mexico. VIEW IT

Arctic Birds ARTICLE Summertime in the Arctic is for the birds READ IT

Cold-Blooded Solutions to Warm-Blooded Problems ARTICLE By passing the winter frozen as solid as a holiday fruit cake, the wood frog breaks all rules. Scientists hoping to preserve human organs are paying close attention. READ IT

Zebrafish Embryo VIDEO Watch this timelapse video to see a zebrafish develop from a single cell into an embryo WATCH IT

The Body Farm ARTICLE Human corpses decay alfresco, all in the name of forensic science. READ IT

Census of Marine Life ARTICLE Exploring the diversity, distribution, and abundance of life in the oceans READ IT

Zebrafish ARTICLE A model for heart development READ IT

Subzero Gardening VIDEO Tour a hydroponic greenhouse in frozen Antarctica. WATCH IT

Showing 1 - 12 of 12 Websites

Microscope Imaging Station What do stem cells, fruit flies, and zebrafish look like under a microscope? The Microscope Imaging Station creates high-resolution images and movies of the microscopic world using research-grade microscopes.

Evidence: How Do We Know What We Know? For most of us, science arrives in our lives packaged neatly as fact. But how did it get that way?

Origins Explore the places, people, tools, and ideas behind the origins of matter, the universe, and life itself.

Unwinding DNA: Life at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory The untold stories behind scientific discovery.

Cow's Eye Dissection Learn how eyes work, and watch a cow's eye dissection. Then follow step-by-step instructions to do a cow's eye dissection yourself.

Science of Gardening Dig into the succulent science of making things grow.

From Jungle to Lab: The Study of Life's Complexity Visit Las Cuevas Research Station in Belize and the Natural History Museum in London to learn about the study of biodiversity.

Extremophiles in Kamchatka Follow scientists looking for life in the hot springs of the Russian Far East.

Traits of Life What are the essential elements of life? How can you distinguish between the living and nonliving world? What traits of life do all organisms share?

Frogs Explore articles and interactives and listen to the calls of amazing, adaptable frogs.

Astrobiology: The Search for Life Learn about the search for life elsewhere in the universe.

The DNA Files: Hands-on Workshops Four downloadable workshop guides for teaching introductory genetics in a museum or other informal education setting.