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Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Geologist Elizabeth Cottrell gestures with her hands while sitting at a table talking to two students.

Teaching Resources

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Juan Rodriguez holding a Giant panda.
Scientist Spotlight Videos
A large poster coming out of a printer being grabbed by two hands
Do-It-Yourself Exhibits: Free, Print-On-Demand Exhibition Toolkits
Drawing of skeleton of Megatherium cuvieri
Smithsonian Libraries: Natural History & Physical Sciences Subject Guides

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Showing results for fossils
Natural objects, including whitish piece of bone and brown rocks, on cracked, gray substrate.

Fossilization - How Fossils Form

Subject Guides
Emmanuel Kyei-Baffour, Maggy Benson and Dr. Lucy Chang in Q?rius standing behind a table with a number of specimens.

Fossil Ammonites

Videos and Webcasts
Two fan-shaped ginkgo leaves resting on a fossilized ginkgo leaf.

Fossil Atmospheres

Climate change research done by scientists and citizens
Hands-On Activities
A hand holding a pen and drawing a trilobite fossil on white paper.

Webinar: Drawing Fossils

Hands-On ActivitiesVideos and Webcasts
Smithsonian Science How

Worksheet: Fossil Ammonites

Posters and Worksheets
Maggy Benson and Dr. Nick Pyenson at a table. Dr. Pyenson is holding up part of a skull.

Paleobiology - Unearthing Fossil Whales

Videos and Webcasts
Carlos Mauricio Peredo standing behind a table with a 33 million-year-old early baleen whale fossil on it.

Fossil Whales and Whale Evolution

Subject Guides
Fossil Preparator Michelle Pinsdorf and host Maggy Benson talk during a Zoom video webinar

Webinar: Fossil Discovery and Preparation

Videos and Webcasts
Scientist cleaning bones in dinosaur. He is wearing a respirator mask, earphones, and glasses to protect himself from the dust and noise that this process generates

Fossil Preparation from Field to Museum

Subject Guides
Maggy Benson and Dr. Brian Huber are seated at a table with several rocks of various sizes, a book, and several tools.

Global Change - Reading Ocean Fossils

Videos and Webcasts
Maggy Benson and Dr. Hans Sues are sitting at a table with a variety of rocks and tools in front of them.

How Fossils Explain the Rise of Dinosaurs

Videos and Webcasts
Old, lined notebook open to script-style notes and prints of brownish fruit-like shapes outlined in pen

Digitizing Nature – Field Books to Fossils

Science Literacy Resources