150th Traveling Exhibition

Discovery Gallery

The Smithsonian Institution has always been a center for scientific research. James Smithson'scollections and those gathered by 19th-century United States exploratory expeditions providedthe foundations of its vast scientific collections. Today the Smithsonian holds more than 63 million scientific specimens. Paleontologists, zoologists, and botanists study fossils, animals, and plants to reveal the origins, structures, andrelationships of living things. Geologists and other specialists in the earth sciences analyze rocks and minerals to unravel the history of the Solar System and to learn about the physical structureof our planet. Our pursuit of scientific knowledge has intensified during the 20th century as new technologies have expanded the frontiers of discovery. We can now delve deeper into the earth and its oceans,examine more acutely the microscopic and subatomic worlds, and travel further into space. The Institution's collections continue to grow in order to reflect these new avenues of discovery.

• Imprints of the Past
• The Evolving Earth
• Discovering Life on a Living Planet
• The Active Pursuit of Discovery
• Air Exploration
• Space Exploration

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