Arctic Studies Center

Smithsonian Museums and the National Zoo To Close March 14 As a public health precaution due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), all Smithsonian museums in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and New York City, including the National Zoo, will temporarily close to the public starting Saturday, March 14. The health and safety of Smithsonian visitors, staff and vo...

Can Scientists Protect North Atlantic Right Whales by Counting Them From Space?

Can Scientists Protect North Atlantic Right Whales by Counting Them From Space? A new collaboration between the New England Aquarium and the engineering firm Draper seeks to use satellite sonar and radar data to create a global watch

Did Over-Hunting Walruses Fuel the Collapse of Norse Greenland?

Did Over-Hunting Walruses Fuel the Collapse of Norse Greenland? A new study has found that Norse hunters began pursuing smaller animals at increasingly risky distances in "a classic pattern of resource depletion"

Join us next week for the Mongolian Studies Conference!

14th Annual Mongolian Studies Conference The 14th Annual Mongolian Studies Conference, co-hosted by the Mongolian Cultural Center, the Embassy of Mongolia to the U.S., the Mongolian National University of Arts and Culture, and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, is being held on February 7-9, 2020, at the Smithsonian Natura...

An incredibly well preserved foal from the Siberian permafrost may help scientists understand more about the extinct Lenskaya horse.

Scientists Extracted Liquid Blood From 42,000-Year-Old Foal Found in Siberian Permafrost The team hopes to grow viable cells out of the foal’s tissue, paving the way for further experimentation aimed at cloning the extinct horse

Deep inside the Arctic Circle, Inuit hunters embrace modern technology but preserve a traditional way of life.

At the Edge of the Ice Deep inside the Arctic Circle, Inuit hunters embrace modern technology but preserve a traditional way of life

Here at the Arctic Studies Center we explore the history of northern people, cultures and environments as well as the issues that matter to northern residents today. This infographic gives a good overview of where we work and what we do. We hope you’ll join us as we excavate arctic sites, support indigenous efforts to preserve cultural heritage, and work with communities and scholars to share the knowledge preserved in museum collections and archives.

Excited about the upcoming Deep Time exhibit at the National Museum of Natural History? Before opening day (June 8th) catch up on the newest dinosaur find from Alaska.

New Type of Arctic Dinosaur Discovered in Alaska The duck-billed, crested lambeosaurine shows that a diverse array of dinos lived in the warmer but still harsh Arctic 70 million years ago

We mourn the loss of our beloved friend and colleague, Dennis Stanford, Curator of North American Archaeology and Director of the Paleoindian Program.

Dennis joined the Department of Anthropology in 1972, launching a 47-year career at the museum. He became one of the best-known archaeologists in North America, with a gift for communicating research to both scholarly and public audiences. At a time when Paleoindian archaeology was still in its formative stages, Dennis helped advance the field through his studies of lithic materials, especially the distinctive stone tools known as Clovis points.

The last few decades of his research focused on the origins of the first inhabitants of North America, along with human adaptations to the changing environment as the last Ice Age was ending.

During his career Dennis authored 136 publications, including several books. "Across Atlantic Ice," which described his theory for an Atlantic route taken by the earliest Americans, was his most recent book.

Today we want to celebrate our wonderful volunteer, Gina. So much of what we do is possible because of our volunteers and we truly appreciate all the work they do.

Volunteer Appreciation: Gina Reitenauer Here at the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center, our volunteers do some amazing work. For Volunteer appreciation month, we’d like to highlight Gina Reitenauer who has been working with us on preparing materials for publication. She has assisted with bibliographic formatting, acquiring image permissi...

Judge strikes down oil drilling in Arctic Ocean, reinstating restrictions put in place in 2015 and 2016.

Judge Blocks Oil Drilling in Arctic Ocean The ruling says only Congress—not presidential executive orders—has the authority to reverse bans on oil drilling leases

Have you ever wondered how people lit their houses before electricity? This Inuit stone lamp was very effective at providing both light and heat during the winter months.

Collections Highlight E29966: Stone Lamp By Mary Gay This qulliq/kudlik (oil lamp) affiliated with the Inuit Native group from Baffin Island, Nunavut was collected and donated by Lt. William A. Mintzer, and accessioned into the museum in 1876. Blubber would be pounded up in the concave part of the stone to access the oil and...