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Promoting scientific discovery & supporting exceptional individuals in an atmosphere of independence. We are headquartered in Washington, D.C. Isaacs.

The Carnegie Institution for Science empowers visionary investigators to challenge conventional ideas, pursue novel research pathways, and define new fields of study. Since its founding, Carnegie has fundamentally changed how we understand the universe, our planet, and the synergy of molecules that make life possible. From genomes to ecosystems and from planets to the cosmos, Carnegie Science is an incubator for cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research that is expanding our knowledge of all that is around us. On a scale encompassing the entire natural world, and operating at a variety of disciplinary intersections, our investigators are tackling the biggest scientific mysteries and greatest human challenges of our time. They seek answers to questions about the structure of the universe; the formation of our Solar System and other planetary systems; the behavior and transformation of matter when subjected to extreme conditions; the origins of life; the effects of climate change on forests, oceans, and other habitats; the function of plant, animal, and microbial genomes; the molecular basis of relationships between organisms within an ecosystem; and the development of single-celled eggs into adults. Andrew Carnegie founded our organization in 1902 as a place for scientific discovery. His intention was for the institution to be home to exceptional individuals—men and women with imagination and extraordinary dedication capable of working at the cutting edge of their fields. and have three scientific divisions split between the coasts, as well as observatories in Chile. We are an endowed, independent, nonprofit institution. Significant additional support comes from federal grants and private donations. A board of trustees, consisting of leaders in business, the sciences, education, and public service, oversees Carnegie’s operations. Each of the divisons has its own scientific director who manages day-to-day operations under the leadership of President Eric D.

10/19/2026

Something is lurking at the dark edges of the Solar System. 👻🔭

Part science talk, part comedy show, part Halloween party: Our spooky social with Hello SciComm takes over Caveat on Thursday, Oct. 29.

Astronomer Scott Sheppard has found some of the most distant known objects in our Solar System—including one nicknamed The Goblin—and leads the hunt for “planet killer” asteroids hiding in the Sun’s glare. Is a hidden Planet X tugging on the orbits of objects past Pluto? How worried should we actually be about asteroids we can’t see? He’ll tell all.

Science comedians Willa Barnett and Sarah Rose Siskind host the night, which includes:
🪐 A Solar System-spanning talk from Sheppard
🧠 Solar System trivia (grab your friends, win prizes)
🎃 A costume contest—spooky, spacey, nerdy, or plain inexplicable (participation optional)
🎤 Q&A with Sheppard and Carnegie Science President John Mulchaey
🍬 A social hour with drinks and an immense amount of space-themed candy

🗓 Thursday, Oct. 29 | Doors 6:30 p.m., show 7 p.m.
📍 Caveat, 21A Clinton St., Lower East Side
🎟 $23.18 advance, $25 at the door | 21+
https://bit.ly/47ukZTW

Join Carnegie for a night of interactive activities and high-energy scientific entertainment with fellow science enthusiasts!

10/19/2026

The trash-cano is back! 🌋

Join us Saturday, Oct. 24, from 1–4 p.m. for the Earth and Planets Laboratory Open House. Enjoy 20+ hands-on science stations, prizes, live music, ask-a-scientist sessions, and more.

It’s free and family-friendly. Will we see you there?

🎁 Special gift for those who RSVP in advance: bit.ly/4dOb8Mg

📍 5241 Broad Branch Road NW, Washington, DC

10/14/2026

It’s Day, and Observatories Librarian and Archivist Kit Whitten is opening the vault! 🔒

Keeping data safe isn’t a new problem. When George Ellery Hale founded the Carnegie Science Observatories, he wanted his astronomers’ data preserved, and in the early 1900s that meant fire safety. The result was a plate vault in the basement of the 1912 Myron Hunt–designed office building in Pasadena. It is sealed by a Mosler Safe Company door, made by the same company that built vaults for Fort Knox and the National Archives.

Inside is the world’s second-largest collection of its kind: more than 200,000 glass plate negatives spanning more than a century of observations.

Got questions for Kit? Leave them in the comments! 👇

The door is object 25 in our series.

Tags: Society of American Archivists Mount Wilson Observatory Palomar Observatory US National Archives

10/09/2026

This , we’re looking back at a discovery that started with one unusual fruit fly.

In 1910, Thomas Hunt Morgan spotted a white-eyed male among thousands of red-eyed flies. Following that difference through generations helped his team establish how genes are carried on chromosomes—and how to map them. Morgan received the 1933 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries about chromosomes’ role in heredity.

Behind that recognition were decades of painstaking work, sustained support from Carnegie Science, and an artist who captured the tiniest details.

Edith Wallace’s illustrations are Object 24 in our series. Explore the crowded “fly room,” the people who worked there, and the drawings that recorded their discoveries.

https://bit.ly/4jvyRVh

For three decades, Carnegie Science supported Thomas Hunt Morgan and his colleagues as they used fruit flies to unravel the mysteries of heredity. Artist Edith Wallace captured their discoveries in exquisite scientific illustrations.

09/29/2026

☃️ Every year, Carnegie Science produces a holiday card featuring original artwork from a staff member. The contest is open to everyone at Carnegie, including scientists, technical staff, and administrative employees. Past winners have ranged from astronomical imagery to intricate cellular art.

Our three 2026 finalists are now open for public vote through October 6:
https://carnegiescience.edu/help-us-choose-our-2026-holiday-card?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=holiday-card-26

Thank you to everyone who submitted, and good luck to our finalists.

We have three spectacular science images and we need your vote to choose the winner! Polls are open from now through October 6.

09/25/2026

Object 23 | The ping-pong table 🏓

Not every rivalry goes through peer review. 👀

Across Carnegie Science, if you give our scientists a patch of grass, a few game pieces, a friendly face-off is not far behind. At the Earth and Planets Laboratory, that often happens around this ping-pong table.

Enjoy our special object for and learn all about the tournament that started it all. 👇
https://carnegiescience.edu/object-23-ping-pong-table?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=carnegie125&utm_content=ping-pong-table

For years, a ping-pong table has been quietly bringing people together at the Earth and Planets Laboratory. This object was specially chosen for Postdoc Appreciation Week.

09/25/2026

"It's our honor and privilege to call you colleagues." - Carnegie President John Mulchaey

As wraps up, we want to say it one more time. Thank you to our postdocs! Your curiosity, drive, and talent energize research and communities across all of Carnegie Science's campuses.

09/23/2026

The telescopes at Las Campanas may stay in the mountains, but this lab is built to move! Meet Object 22 of .

LabMóvil Conciencia Astronomía is a mobile astronomy laboratory that visits schools and communities across northern Chile, bringing hands-on science to students who may live near Las Campanas Observatory (LCO) but have never been inside a professional observatory.

Instead of lectures, students work directly with models and experiments to explore light, eclipses, constellations, and spectroscopy. The program also uses tactile materials, including 3D-printed Magellan Telescope models, to teach astronomy to people who are blind or have low vision.

Operated since 2022 by LCO and the Giant Magellan Telescope, LabMóvil is now one of the main education and outreach initiatives associated with Las Campanas in Chile.

https://carnegiescience.edu/object-22-labmovil-conciencia-astronomia?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=carnegie125&utm_content=lab-movile

Las Campanas Observatory’s LabMóvil takes science out on a roadshow. It is the 22nd object in our campaign.

09/22/2026

Congratulations to astronomer Guillermo Blanc, the new Director of Carnegie Science's Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, home of the twin Magellan telescopes and future site of the Giant Magellan Telescope.

Blanc joined Carnegie in 2011 as a postdoctoral fellow and has held several leadership roles since, including Head of Scientific Technical Development and Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives. He has served as interim director since the start of the year, succeeding Emeritus Director Leopoldo Infante. He holds degrees from The University of Texas at Austin Department of Astronomy and Universidad de Chile, where he is an Adjunct Professor.

"Guillermo has a deep understanding of every facility and instrument at the LCO site, as well as of the observatory's importance to the international astronomical community and the prominence of astronomy in Chile's national identity," said Carnegie Science President John Mulchaey.

09/17/2026

Happy ! If you took a breath this morning, you have ✨microorganisms✨ to thank.

Microorganisms cycle nutrients through and between dynamic ecosystems. And billions of years ago they made Earth’s atmosphere oxygen-rich, reshaping our planet's mineralogy and setting the stage for a biodiversity explosion.

Meet the star of our Microorganism Day logo: Chlamydomonas reinhardtii ("Chlamy" to its friends). This single-celled green alga gets around with two tiny flagella. For decades, Carnegie plant scientists like Arthur Grossman and Adrien Burlacot have used it to probe big questions about photosynthesis that could help farmers feed more people, grow efficient biofuel crops, and pull more carbon pollution out of the atmosphere to fight climate change.

Chlamy has plenty of company. Across Carnegie, researchers study microbes in the ocean, microbes living in partnership with animals, and microbes thriving in Yellowstone's scalding hot springs and seafloor vents. That work helps reveal how life shapes a planet, and what signs of life we might someday spot on worlds beyond Earth. 👾 🦠 🔬 🌍

Your turn: What's your favorite microorganism? Lab workhorse, hot spring extremophile, the yeast in your sourdough: all answers welcome!

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