Collections Blog

Explore our museum and library collections and the stories they tell about the history of science.
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Streaming Science History

illustrated microscopic view of an ant
October 24, 2024

The Ants (and Spiders and Roaches) Go Marching

How the creepy crawlies in our collections turned my “Eww” into “Wow!”

2 people sitting at a library information desk
October 10, 2024

Get to Know Phillip Bellizzi, Our New Public Services Librarian

One of Phil’s roles is to answer reference questions. Today’s subject? Himself.

Black and white illustration of hydrologic cycle
September 26, 2024

Refrigeration by Evaporation

How heat can make it cooler.

view of a colorful museum exhibit
September 12, 2024

A Colorful Tour

Explore the histories—and legacies—of textile dyes such as indigo, mauve, and Paris green with BOLD curator Lisa Berry Drago.

old postcard
August 22, 2024

Greetings from the Nobel Institute!

Postcards of travel and science.

open books
August 8, 2024

Thinking Outside the (Search) Box

You say “Walchin,” I say “Wallich.” Let’s call the whole thing off.

illustration of 2 children and a dog
July 25, 2024

Dog Days

Pets aren’t allowed in our museum or library, but you’ll find plenty of them in our collections.

Oral history bound copies, recorder, microphone
July 11, 2024

Stories Untold

Why oral history is critical for the history of science and engineering.

June 27, 2024

The Life and Times of CHEMS

A chemistry curriculum with bonds beyond the molecule.

Origami paper crane made by Yoichiro Ito
June 13, 2024

Lost Stories and Missed Opportunities

What we can no longer learn from Yoichiro Ito.

Extruder at Hercules Parlin plant, 1951
May 23, 2024

A Crushing Task

On the hunt for the historical sources of an underappreciated field: mechanochemistry.

immigration form 576
May 9, 2024

Leaving Limitations Behind

Scientists’ memories of migration.

Family Radiation Measurement Kit cardboard box
April 25, 2024

The Nuclear Family

Two instruments evoke memories of being a child during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

illustration of superheroes including the Hulk and Spiderman
April 11, 2024

Curators Assemble: Behind the Scenes of ‘Superheroes, Science, and the Environment’

Unmasking how a museum exhibition is made.

March 28, 2024

Weaving History

What do Qing dynasty paintings reveal about the secret of degumming ramie?

illustration of the Lodge at Los Alamos on a sheet of stationary
March 7, 2024

Life on ‘The Mesa’

The Manhattan Project forged a city in the desert at Los Alamos.

illustration of a dragon eating its own tail
February 22, 2024

Here Be Dragons

Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with some of the legendary creatures in our collections.

Hit-type subminiture camera
February 8, 2024

I Spy a Tiny Camera Mystery

What happens when an archivist finds film in an old camera?