Smithsonian Institution

Researchers spied on bats for 300 hours to find out how they handle the salad course. We couldn't beleaf it but they don't just gnaw-and-spit! ?? https://bit.ly/3XzDwtf

Before she was a “Golden Girl,” Betty White served in the American Women’s Voluntary Service (AWVS) during World War II. She drove a post exchange truck, dispensing goods like candy, soda, and toiletries, to various military positions in the hills of Hollywood and Santa Monica, California. Wearing her blue AWVS uniform, White attended recreational hall dances and social gatherings during the evenings. She danced with servicemembers, played cards and board games, or simply conversed with “the young men who were so far from home.” Founded by Alice T. McLean in 1940, the AWVS trained volunteers to drive ambulances and provide emergency aid in the case that American cities were bombed. As the organization evolved, volunteers also worked with the Red Cross and Civilian Defense to provide support on the home front. In 2022, White’s estate donated the actor’s AWVS uniform and accompanying shoulder bag to our Smithsonian National Museum of American History. #SmithsonianWHM #WomensHistoryMonth #BettyWhite #WorldWarII

Smaller than a pet cat, the swift fox is the smallest wild canine in mainland North America. They're culturally important to the Ford Belknap Indian Community, home of the Nakoda and Aaniiih Nations. In collaboration with the Fort Belknap Fish and Wildlife Department in Montana, Smithsonian scientists are working on a reintroduction project to bring swift foxes, known as Nóouhàh/Toka’na in the respective languages of the Aaniih and Nakoda peoples, back to tribal lands. In this 15-minute documentary, our Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute shares what re-introduction actually entails—and the important role of prairie dog burrows. https://s.si.edu/43sRGjw

Making the magnificent miniature. Celebrity nail artist, business owner, and interior designer Celeste Hampton created nails based on Mickalene Thomas’s “Portrait of Mnonja.” Celeste was one of three nail artists invited to the Smithsonian to find inspiration. Part of the day was spent in the contemporary art gallery at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. There, she came across "Portrait of Mnonja” and was moved by how the work captures the beauty and essence of Black women through bold colors, patterns, sparkling rhinestones, and textures. “When I saw the ‘Portrait of Mnonja,’ it stopped me in my tracks,” Celeste remembered. “[Thomas] took time to think about the depth and the beautiful complexity of the Black woman and put it in a painting.” Learn more about Celeste’s journey on our website, si.edu/nail-art. ??: Mickalene Thomas, “Portrait of Mnonja,” 2010, rhinestones, acrylic, and enamel on wood panel, Smithsonian American Art Museum

These bats shriek when it’s snack time. And we get it, because same. ?? Gloriana Chaverri is one of the scientists at our Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI)’s Bat Lab who is studying Spix’s disc-winged bats (Thyroptera tricolor)—one of the smallest bats in the American tropics. They live in tightly knit groups of two or three individuals that sleep together inside rolled-up leaves of plants in the ginger family. The ginger leaves unroll as they grow, so the bats are forced to find new leaf tubes to sleep in almost every night. Chaverri, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI)‘s Latin American scholar and research associate from the University of Costa Rica, noticed that when the team gave captive bats a snack of mealworms, a food that they hadn’t tried before, they shrieked! After a couple of experiments, they determined that these shrieks are food calls, which may be important to alert other members of their group when there is food.

From the desk of Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III: Understanding one's family history is a major step towards understanding oneself. For many African Americans, our family history is challenging to trace until after the Civil War when newly freed people begin to appear in the historical record by name—owning property, signing marriage licenses, pursuing education, conducting the business of rebuilding their lives, and attempting to reconnect with long-lost relations. ?? I have found traces of my family's story in the?National Archives and seen the power of the detective work conducted by Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Robert Frederick Smith Explore Your Family History Center. But there is only so much my own research could uncover. ? Being on "Finding Your Roots" was a unique opportunity for me?to discover pieces of my family's journey that have been unknown for generations. I am grateful to be able to share this story with my mother, wife, daughters, and all of our relations—and I hope it illustrates for PBS viewers the power of American history to teach us about ourselves. ? Thank you to historian Henry Louis Gates Jr., who I am honored to call a long-time friend. https://lnkd.in/en6qMzrU

Charismatic and eye-catching, flowers of the genus Heliconia are famed for their variety of vivid hues, including intense yellows, fiery oranges and rosy reds. Some resemble the striking plumage of birds-of paradise, while others evoke lobster claws or toucan beaks. Research botanist and emeritus curator John Kress (image 1) has been working with Heliconia since 1972. Recently, Kress collaborated with Gary Krupnick, head of the museum's Plant Conservation Unit, to complete a conservation assessment of the genus, which is primarily found in rainforests throughout tropical Central and South America. In a new paper out today, using nearly 10,000 specimens collected over the past decades, they found that that 87 Heliconia species, or about 47% of the genus, are threatened with extinction. The paper list 45 Heliconia species that they consider top priorities for additional protection, including species that reside outside of protected areas and are not well represented in botanical gardens. “This study provides a blueprint for how to save this group of plants, starting with this list of priority species,” Krupnick said. To date, less than 20% of all plant species have undergone conservation assessments, so the researchers hope this project will inspire similar efforts to study other botanical groups. Without understanding the threatened statuses of certain groups, it remains difficult to chart a path forward. “Now that we know the conservation status of every one of the 187 species of Heliconia, we can construct a coherent plan of how to protect them,” Kress said. “That does give me a tidbit of hope.”

Look at that detail! Entrepreneur and nail artist Santana Walker (Squamish Nation) was one of three nail artists invited to the Smithsonian to find inspiration. Part of her day was spent at the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery where she saw Preston Singletary's glass sculpture, “Safe Journey.” Santana was captivated by the artwork's transcendent blue color and Singletary’s use of formline, a style using a continuous line to delineate figures in Pacific Northwest Coast Indigenous art, which is the same art form she practices in her nail designs. She grew up seeing the traditional bentwood boxes of Northwest Native communities, which are passed down through families and sometimes used as burial boxes. But the colors and materials used in Singletary's artwork were something Santana had never seen before, making this the perfect piece to inspire her. But it was hard for her to choose only one idea! “This visit has been incredible, I have so many ideas already [...] I might be doing Smithsonian nails for the foreseeable future.” Learn more about Santana’s visit on our website, si.edu/nail-art. ??: Preston Singletary, “Safe Journey,” 2021, cast and sand-carved glass on wooden pedestal, Smithsonian American Art Museum

Drawing on experiences from her childhood in rural South Carolina, Beverly Buchanan (1940-2015) created sculptures, paintings, and drawings depicting a common type of housing in her community—shacks. Where some may have seen only poverty in the modest, self-built homes that characterized some Black communities in the South, Buchanan found creativity, beauty, and inspiration. “I consider my shacks portraits,” she reflected. “It’s the spirit that comes through the forms.” Beverly Buchanan's papers, which include correspondence, exhibition records, photographs, and other materials related to her life and work, are available to researchers at our Archives of American Art. #SmithsonianWHM #WomensHistoryMonth

From the desk of Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III: Recently, I joined ASALH: Association for the Study of African American Life and History and over a dozen talented authors and scholars to mark the 99th Black History Month. It was a joy to meet readers of American history during the book signing. We reflected on the importance of continuing to study and share our stories. Carter G. Woodson, recognized as the father of Black History Month, said, “The only reason I do history is to make America better.” For me, this is a guiding principle. My book, "A Fool’s Errand: Creating the National Museum of African American History and Culture in the Age of Bush, Obama and Trump," references Albion Tourgee's 1879 novel entitled “A Fool’s Errand: A Novel of the South During Reconstruction." Tourgee shares his disappointment after his own journey to help communities in the South after the Civil War. In his eyes, Reconstruction had been a failed experiment—but he didn't lose hope that one day we would have a fairer and freer South. To Tourgee, a “fool’s errand” was worth the risk because it was a noble cause that could help a nation heal. That turn of phrase seemed fitting to me as I worked to build and open the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. Since the book's publication in 2019, that phrase continues to echo true for me. To those who help us understand our histories this Black History Month, I appreciate you and cherish the value of the work we do together. Photo by Mark Ranslem