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This cake is out of this world!

Inspired by a tour of our @AirandSpaceMuseum with curator Matt Shindell, cake artist Justin Ellen ( @EverythingJustBaked ) turned the “red planet” into a red cake!

In the “Kenneth C. Griffin Exploring the Planets Gallery,” Justin met three generations of Mars rovers. Matt said that the Mars rovers act like robot geologists, surveying territory humans can’t visit in person.Back on Earth, teams of geologists tell rovers what rocks to analyze.

Justin reflected that while designing tools for use in space and baking are very different, they both require patience, creativity, and precision. “This cake became my way of honoring that process and translating the beauty and mystery of our solar system into something tangible.”

Want to see more museum-inspired cakes?Tune in this time next week for a creation that’s got some *hint* *hint* flour power. #CakeArt #SmithsonianCakes #MuseumCakes #MuseumInspo

The seed of coco de mer was nicknamed “butt nut” because...well...we’ll let you guess why.

Today, conservation biologist Gary Krupnick goes behind the scenes at the U.S. National Herbarium in our @SmithsonianNMNH to highlight this endangered species.

Like the coconut, coco de mer is a palm tree. Native only to the Seychelles islands, they produce the largest and heaviest seeds in the world, weighing up to 65 pounds. Unlike coconuts which can float across the ocean, these seeds are not buoyant and cannot naturally disperse to other islands. While there are only 8,000 naturally occurring mature coco de mer trees left in the world, they can live up to 350 years.

The U.S. National Herbarium has over five million plant specimens, which include preserved plants, branches, flowers, fruit, seeds, and other plant parts. Which plant do you want to learn about next?

With a ride around a carousel, young Black children desegregated the Gwynn Oak Amusement Park, just outside of Baltimore, on August 28, 1963. The Smithsonian acquired the historic ride in 1981, and it reopened today on the National Mall after three years of renovation. Its original, groundbreaking riders were the first in line.

🎠❤️

📷:

Slide two: Demonstrators and police officers during a sit-in protest to end segregation at Gwynn Oak Park. Rides at the amusement park are visible (upper right), Baltimore, Maryland, July 4, 1963. (Photo by Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images)

Slide three: Charles Langley guides his 11-month-old daughter, Sharon, onto the Gwynn Oak Amusement Park carousel on August 28, 1963, Baltimore Sun / Courtesy of Amy Nathan from page twoof her book “Round and Round Together: Taking a Merry-Go-Round Ride into the Civil Rights Movement,” Paul Dry Books, 2011

#NationalMall

With a ride around a carousel, young Black children desegregated the Gwynn Oak Amusement Park, just outside of Baltimore, on August 28, 1963. The Smithsonian acquired the historic ride in 1981, and it reopened today on the National Mall after three years of renovation. Its original, groundbreaking riders were the first in line.

🎠❤️

📷:

Slide two: Demonstrators and police officers during a sit-in protest to end segregation at Gwynn Oak Park. Rides at the amusement park are visible (upper right), Baltimore, Maryland, July 4, 1963. (Photo by Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images)

Slide three: Charles Langley guides his 11-month-old daughter, Sharon, onto the Gwynn Oak Amusement Park carousel on August 28, 1963, Baltimore Sun / Courtesy of Amy Nathan from page twoof her book “Round and Round Together: Taking a Merry-Go-Round Ride into the Civil Rights Movement,” Paul Dry Books, 2011

#NationalMall

With a ride around a carousel, young Black children desegregated the Gwynn Oak Amusement Park, just outside of Baltimore, on August 28, 1963. The Smithsonian acquired the historic ride in 1981, and it reopened today on the National Mall after three years of renovation. Its original, groundbreaking riders were the first in line.

🎠❤️

📷:

Slide two: Demonstrators and police officers during a sit-in protest to end segregation at Gwynn Oak Park. Rides at the amusement park are visible (upper right), Baltimore, Maryland, July 4, 1963. (Photo by Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images)

Slide three: Charles Langley guides his 11-month-old daughter, Sharon, onto the Gwynn Oak Amusement Park carousel on August 28, 1963, Baltimore Sun / Courtesy of Amy Nathan from page twoof her book “Round and Round Together: Taking a Merry-Go-Round Ride into the Civil Rights Movement,” Paul Dry Books, 2011

#NationalMall

With a ride around a carousel, young Black children desegregated the Gwynn Oak Amusement Park, just outside of Baltimore, on August 28, 1963. The Smithsonian acquired the historic ride in 1981, and it reopened today on the National Mall after three years of renovation. Its original, groundbreaking riders were the first in line.

🎠❤️

📷:

Slide two: Demonstrators and police officers during a sit-in protest to end segregation at Gwynn Oak Park. Rides at the amusement park are visible (upper right), Baltimore, Maryland, July 4, 1963. (Photo by Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images)

Slide three: Charles Langley guides his 11-month-old daughter, Sharon, onto the Gwynn Oak Amusement Park carousel on August 28, 1963, Baltimore Sun / Courtesy of Amy Nathan from page twoof her book “Round and Round Together: Taking a Merry-Go-Round Ride into the Civil Rights Movement,” Paul Dry Books, 2011

#NationalMall

With a ride around a carousel, young Black children desegregated the Gwynn Oak Amusement Park, just outside of Baltimore, on August 28, 1963. The Smithsonian acquired the historic ride in 1981, and it reopened today on the National Mall after three years of renovation. Its original, groundbreaking riders were the first in line.

🎠❤️

📷:

Slide two: Demonstrators and police officers during a sit-in protest to end segregation at Gwynn Oak Park. Rides at the amusement park are visible (upper right), Baltimore, Maryland, July 4, 1963. (Photo by Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images)

Slide three: Charles Langley guides his 11-month-old daughter, Sharon, onto the Gwynn Oak Amusement Park carousel on August 28, 1963, Baltimore Sun / Courtesy of Amy Nathan from page twoof her book “Round and Round Together: Taking a Merry-Go-Round Ride into the Civil Rights Movement,” Paul Dry Books, 2011

#NationalMall

Farms that make chocolate and great rest stops for migratory birds? That's a win-wing! 🍫🐦

Located in the central region of Panama, Cacao Cerro La Vieja became the first farm in Panama to obtain the Smithsonian Bird Friendly cocoa certification.

"We started with this somewhat romantic idea of proving that you can grow good cocoa in a sustainable, biodiversity- and bird-friendly way," explained the farm’s owner, Panamanian biologist and entomologist Samuel Valdés. "It's the only way we know how to do things, respecting nature."

Farms that make chocolate and great rest stops for migratory birds? That's a win-wing! 🍫🐦

Located in the central region of Panama, Cacao Cerro La Vieja became the first farm in Panama to obtain the Smithsonian Bird Friendly cocoa certification.

"We started with this somewhat romantic idea of proving that you can grow good cocoa in a sustainable, biodiversity- and bird-friendly way," explained the farm’s owner, Panamanian biologist and entomologist Samuel Valdés. "It's the only way we know how to do things, respecting nature."

Farms that make chocolate and great rest stops for migratory birds? That's a win-wing! 🍫🐦

Located in the central region of Panama, Cacao Cerro La Vieja became the first farm in Panama to obtain the Smithsonian Bird Friendly cocoa certification.

"We started with this somewhat romantic idea of proving that you can grow good cocoa in a sustainable, biodiversity- and bird-friendly way," explained the farm’s owner, Panamanian biologist and entomologist Samuel Valdés. "It's the only way we know how to do things, respecting nature."

Farms that make chocolate and great rest stops for migratory birds? That's a win-wing! 🍫🐦

Located in the central region of Panama, Cacao Cerro La Vieja became the first farm in Panama to obtain the Smithsonian Bird Friendly cocoa certification.

"We started with this somewhat romantic idea of proving that you can grow good cocoa in a sustainable, biodiversity- and bird-friendly way," explained the farm’s owner, Panamanian biologist and entomologist Samuel Valdés. "It's the only way we know how to do things, respecting nature."

Farms that make chocolate and great rest stops for migratory birds? That's a win-wing! 🍫🐦

Located in the central region of Panama, Cacao Cerro La Vieja became the first farm in Panama to obtain the Smithsonian Bird Friendly cocoa certification.

"We started with this somewhat romantic idea of proving that you can grow good cocoa in a sustainable, biodiversity- and bird-friendly way," explained the farm’s owner, Panamanian biologist and entomologist Samuel Valdés. "It's the only way we know how to do things, respecting nature."

Baritone saxophone player and composer Fred Ho expressed himself through music AND fashion.

@AmHistoryMuseum curator Theo Gonzalves took us behind the scenes to learn more about the legacy of Fred Ho, who blended his Chinese American culture with his musical influences in both his compositions and his clothes!

“My boots were inspired by my trip to Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom in Cambodia and the Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt,” Ho reflected. “Those have been standing at least for millennia. Still vibrant forever. So I feel like anything that we create should be that.”

Fred Ho’s boots will be one of the 250 objects on view in our National Museum of American History’s exhibition “In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness,” opening May 14 as part of the museum’s United States 250th anniversary celebrations.

📷:
Fred Ho by Jack Mitchell, 1995. In the collection of our National Portrait Gallery. © 1995 Jack Mitchell. @smithsoniannpg

Duke Ellington by William Paul Gottlieb, 1946. In the collection of our National Portrait Gallery. @smithsoniannpg

#SmithsonianAANHPI

Charles Mingus. Duncan P. Schiedt Photograph Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. @amhistorymuseum

Fred Ho Pictures 2 & 3: Jack Vartoogian/Getty Images / Contributor

Venus Williams continues to serve. Last night, Williams made art come to life on the red carpet with her reference to this commissioned portrait from our collection by Robert Pruitt, called “Venus Williams, Double Portrait.”
 
The star of the show—the necklace! Styled after the Wimbledon plate, the necklace references the legacy of other groundbreakers in her sport. It also reflects her accomplishment and advocacy. Williams successfully led the tournament to award women players the same pay as their male counterparts.
 
This portrait was created for the National Portrait Gallery’s collection as part of the 2022 #PortraitOfaNation Awards. #VenusWilliams 
 
🖼: “Venus Williams, Double Portrait” (detail) by Robert Pruitt, conté crayon, charcoal, pastel, and coffee wash paper, 2022. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Acquired in part through the generosity of Mark D. Ein. © 2022 Robert Pruitt @venuswilliams @robertpruitt
 
📸: Venus Williams attends the 2026 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue.

Venus Williams continues to serve. Last night, Williams made art come to life on the red carpet with her reference to this commissioned portrait from our collection by Robert Pruitt, called “Venus Williams, Double Portrait.”
 
The star of the show—the necklace! Styled after the Wimbledon plate, the necklace references the legacy of other groundbreakers in her sport. It also reflects her accomplishment and advocacy. Williams successfully led the tournament to award women players the same pay as their male counterparts.
 
This portrait was created for the National Portrait Gallery’s collection as part of the 2022 #PortraitOfaNation Awards. #VenusWilliams 
 
🖼: “Venus Williams, Double Portrait” (detail) by Robert Pruitt, conté crayon, charcoal, pastel, and coffee wash paper, 2022. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Acquired in part through the generosity of Mark D. Ein. © 2022 Robert Pruitt @venuswilliams @robertpruitt
 
📸: Venus Williams attends the 2026 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue.

Venus Williams continues to serve. Last night, Williams made art come to life on the red carpet with her reference to this commissioned portrait from our collection by Robert Pruitt, called “Venus Williams, Double Portrait.”
 
The star of the show—the necklace! Styled after the Wimbledon plate, the necklace references the legacy of other groundbreakers in her sport. It also reflects her accomplishment and advocacy. Williams successfully led the tournament to award women players the same pay as their male counterparts.
 
This portrait was created for the National Portrait Gallery’s collection as part of the 2022 #PortraitOfaNation Awards. #VenusWilliams 
 
🖼: “Venus Williams, Double Portrait” (detail) by Robert Pruitt, conté crayon, charcoal, pastel, and coffee wash paper, 2022. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Acquired in part through the generosity of Mark D. Ein. © 2022 Robert Pruitt @venuswilliams @robertpruitt
 
📸: Venus Williams attends the 2026 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue.

May the Fourth be with you!
 
Before you watch your favorite Star Wars movie tonight, take a listen to our latest @SidedoorPod episode. This week, host Lizzie Peabody finds the droids you *are* looking for behind the scenes at @AmHistoryMuseum with curators Eric Jentsch and Ryan Lintelman and objects conservator Dawn Wallace.
 
Head to the link in our bio for the full podcast episode, which traces C-3PO’s and R2-D2’s costumes from a galaxy far, far away to our @AmHistoryMuseum.
©Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.

May the Fourth be with you!
 
Before you watch your favorite Star Wars movie tonight, take a listen to our latest @SidedoorPod episode. This week, host Lizzie Peabody finds the droids you *are* looking for behind the scenes at @AmHistoryMuseum with curators Eric Jentsch and Ryan Lintelman and objects conservator Dawn Wallace.
 
Head to the link in our bio for the full podcast episode, which traces C-3PO’s and R2-D2’s costumes from a galaxy far, far away to our @AmHistoryMuseum.
©Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.

Duke Kahanamoku (Native Hawaiian) helped transform the Hawaiian tradition of surfing into a worldwide competitive sport.

Kahanamoku made waves across the country when he won gold medals for the United States at the 1912 and 1920 Olympics. In the aftermath of his victories, Kahanamoku toured the world, giving swimming demonstrations and introducing surfing to fans around the globe.

Kahanamoku developed his own surf clothing line and experimented with smaller, lighter boards, like the one in this early photograph from our @SmithsonianNPG. Swipe to see one of the many surfboards that Kahanamoku worked on and shaped. It will be one of the 250 objects on view in our @AmHistoryMuseum’s exhibition “In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness,” opening May 14 as part of the museum’s United States 250th anniversary celebrations.

Next Thursday, May 7, join our @SmithsonianAPA for a screening and conversation with the makers of “Waterman – Duke: Ambassador of Aloha.” Narrated by Jason Momoa, the film chronicles the life and legacy of surfing’s celebrated ambassador.

#SmithsonianAANHPI

📷 : “Duke Kahanamoku” by an unidentified artist, c. 1915. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.⁣⁣⁣ @SmithsonianNPG

🏄 : “Surfboard shaped by Duke Kahanamoku on the beach at Corona Del Mar, California in 1928.” National Museum of American History. @AmHistoryMuseum

📫: 37c Duke Kahanamoku stamp, 2002. Smithsonian National Postal Museum . ©USPS; all rights reserved. @nationalpostalmuseum

Duke Kahanamoku (Native Hawaiian) helped transform the Hawaiian tradition of surfing into a worldwide competitive sport.

Kahanamoku made waves across the country when he won gold medals for the United States at the 1912 and 1920 Olympics. In the aftermath of his victories, Kahanamoku toured the world, giving swimming demonstrations and introducing surfing to fans around the globe.

Kahanamoku developed his own surf clothing line and experimented with smaller, lighter boards, like the one in this early photograph from our @SmithsonianNPG. Swipe to see one of the many surfboards that Kahanamoku worked on and shaped. It will be one of the 250 objects on view in our @AmHistoryMuseum’s exhibition “In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness,” opening May 14 as part of the museum’s United States 250th anniversary celebrations.

Next Thursday, May 7, join our @SmithsonianAPA for a screening and conversation with the makers of “Waterman – Duke: Ambassador of Aloha.” Narrated by Jason Momoa, the film chronicles the life and legacy of surfing’s celebrated ambassador.

#SmithsonianAANHPI

📷 : “Duke Kahanamoku” by an unidentified artist, c. 1915. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.⁣⁣⁣ @SmithsonianNPG

🏄 : “Surfboard shaped by Duke Kahanamoku on the beach at Corona Del Mar, California in 1928.” National Museum of American History. @AmHistoryMuseum

📫: 37c Duke Kahanamoku stamp, 2002. Smithsonian National Postal Museum . ©USPS; all rights reserved. @nationalpostalmuseum

Duke Kahanamoku (Native Hawaiian) helped transform the Hawaiian tradition of surfing into a worldwide competitive sport.

Kahanamoku made waves across the country when he won gold medals for the United States at the 1912 and 1920 Olympics. In the aftermath of his victories, Kahanamoku toured the world, giving swimming demonstrations and introducing surfing to fans around the globe.

Kahanamoku developed his own surf clothing line and experimented with smaller, lighter boards, like the one in this early photograph from our @SmithsonianNPG. Swipe to see one of the many surfboards that Kahanamoku worked on and shaped. It will be one of the 250 objects on view in our @AmHistoryMuseum’s exhibition “In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness,” opening May 14 as part of the museum’s United States 250th anniversary celebrations.

Next Thursday, May 7, join our @SmithsonianAPA for a screening and conversation with the makers of “Waterman – Duke: Ambassador of Aloha.” Narrated by Jason Momoa, the film chronicles the life and legacy of surfing’s celebrated ambassador.

#SmithsonianAANHPI

📷 : “Duke Kahanamoku” by an unidentified artist, c. 1915. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.⁣⁣⁣ @SmithsonianNPG

🏄 : “Surfboard shaped by Duke Kahanamoku on the beach at Corona Del Mar, California in 1928.” National Museum of American History. @AmHistoryMuseum

📫: 37c Duke Kahanamoku stamp, 2002. Smithsonian National Postal Museum . ©USPS; all rights reserved. @nationalpostalmuseum

Full moon tomorrow. Feeling a lil witchy. 🌙🧹

Nicknamed "queen of bohemian artists," surrealist painter Gertrude Abercrombie was a prominent member of Chicago's Hyde Park arts community in the 1940s and ‘50s. She is best-remembered for her complex self-portraits, sparse interiors, and dreamlike landscapes.

“I am not interested in complicated things nor in the commonplace, I like to paint simple things that are a little strange,” she stated for a 1945 exhibition catalogue. “My work comes directly from my inner consciousness and it must come easily.”

Though loneliness is often a theme associated with Abercrombie’s work, she frequently featured feline friends. Mentions of her pet cats, including Jimmy, Monk, Fancy, and Toddy, are scattered across the artist’s personal papers in our @ArchivesAmerArt.

🎨: Gertrude Abercrombie, “The Stroll,” 1943, oil on fiberboard, 27 1⁄2 x 35 in. (69.8 x 88.9 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum @AmericanArt

📷: Photograph of Gertrude Abercrombie with her cat and There on the Table, 1935. Gertrude Abercrombie papers, circa 1880-1986. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

📷: Gertrude Abercrombie with her cat, ca. 1965. Gertrude Abercrombie papers, circa 1880-1986. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Full moon tomorrow. Feeling a lil witchy. 🌙🧹

Nicknamed "queen of bohemian artists," surrealist painter Gertrude Abercrombie was a prominent member of Chicago's Hyde Park arts community in the 1940s and ‘50s. She is best-remembered for her complex self-portraits, sparse interiors, and dreamlike landscapes.

“I am not interested in complicated things nor in the commonplace, I like to paint simple things that are a little strange,” she stated for a 1945 exhibition catalogue. “My work comes directly from my inner consciousness and it must come easily.”

Though loneliness is often a theme associated with Abercrombie’s work, she frequently featured feline friends. Mentions of her pet cats, including Jimmy, Monk, Fancy, and Toddy, are scattered across the artist’s personal papers in our @ArchivesAmerArt.

🎨: Gertrude Abercrombie, “The Stroll,” 1943, oil on fiberboard, 27 1⁄2 x 35 in. (69.8 x 88.9 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum @AmericanArt

📷: Photograph of Gertrude Abercrombie with her cat and There on the Table, 1935. Gertrude Abercrombie papers, circa 1880-1986. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

📷: Gertrude Abercrombie with her cat, ca. 1965. Gertrude Abercrombie papers, circa 1880-1986. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Death metal—but not the musical kind. Scorpions’ bodies were known to contain metal but less was known about exactly where it is located and how scorpions use it as part of their arsenal. Specimens of 18 scorpion species from @SmithsonianNMNH's large collection were examined by scientists at our Museum Conservation Institute using microanalytical techniques.

This new research revealed striking patterns in where these metals appear and how they are concentrated.

🦂:

1:Mohamed Mousaid, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

2: David Taylor, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)

3: Kian Kaftarbaz, some rights reserved (CC-BY)

4: Sam Campbell/University of Queensland; E.P. Vicenzi/Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute and @NIST; Sam Campbell/University of Queensland; Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute

5: Mohamed Mousaid, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

6: [No rights reserved (CC0)]

7: Paul Bester, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)

Death metal—but not the musical kind. Scorpions’ bodies were known to contain metal but less was known about exactly where it is located and how scorpions use it as part of their arsenal. Specimens of 18 scorpion species from @SmithsonianNMNH's large collection were examined by scientists at our Museum Conservation Institute using microanalytical techniques.

This new research revealed striking patterns in where these metals appear and how they are concentrated.

🦂:

1:Mohamed Mousaid, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

2: David Taylor, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)

3: Kian Kaftarbaz, some rights reserved (CC-BY)

4: Sam Campbell/University of Queensland; E.P. Vicenzi/Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute and @NIST; Sam Campbell/University of Queensland; Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute

5: Mohamed Mousaid, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

6: [No rights reserved (CC0)]

7: Paul Bester, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)

Death metal—but not the musical kind. Scorpions’ bodies were known to contain metal but less was known about exactly where it is located and how scorpions use it as part of their arsenal. Specimens of 18 scorpion species from @SmithsonianNMNH's large collection were examined by scientists at our Museum Conservation Institute using microanalytical techniques.

This new research revealed striking patterns in where these metals appear and how they are concentrated.

🦂:

1:Mohamed Mousaid, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

2: David Taylor, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)

3: Kian Kaftarbaz, some rights reserved (CC-BY)

4: Sam Campbell/University of Queensland; E.P. Vicenzi/Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute and @NIST; Sam Campbell/University of Queensland; Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute

5: Mohamed Mousaid, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

6: [No rights reserved (CC0)]

7: Paul Bester, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)

Death metal—but not the musical kind. Scorpions’ bodies were known to contain metal but less was known about exactly where it is located and how scorpions use it as part of their arsenal. Specimens of 18 scorpion species from @SmithsonianNMNH's large collection were examined by scientists at our Museum Conservation Institute using microanalytical techniques.

This new research revealed striking patterns in where these metals appear and how they are concentrated.

🦂:

1:Mohamed Mousaid, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

2: David Taylor, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)

3: Kian Kaftarbaz, some rights reserved (CC-BY)

4: Sam Campbell/University of Queensland; E.P. Vicenzi/Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute and @NIST; Sam Campbell/University of Queensland; Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute

5: Mohamed Mousaid, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

6: [No rights reserved (CC0)]

7: Paul Bester, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)

Death metal—but not the musical kind. Scorpions’ bodies were known to contain metal but less was known about exactly where it is located and how scorpions use it as part of their arsenal. Specimens of 18 scorpion species from @SmithsonianNMNH's large collection were examined by scientists at our Museum Conservation Institute using microanalytical techniques.

This new research revealed striking patterns in where these metals appear and how they are concentrated.

🦂:

1:Mohamed Mousaid, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

2: David Taylor, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)

3: Kian Kaftarbaz, some rights reserved (CC-BY)

4: Sam Campbell/University of Queensland; E.P. Vicenzi/Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute and @NIST; Sam Campbell/University of Queensland; Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute

5: Mohamed Mousaid, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

6: [No rights reserved (CC0)]

7: Paul Bester, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)

Death metal—but not the musical kind. Scorpions’ bodies were known to contain metal but less was known about exactly where it is located and how scorpions use it as part of their arsenal. Specimens of 18 scorpion species from @SmithsonianNMNH's large collection were examined by scientists at our Museum Conservation Institute using microanalytical techniques.

This new research revealed striking patterns in where these metals appear and how they are concentrated.

🦂:

1:Mohamed Mousaid, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

2: David Taylor, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)

3: Kian Kaftarbaz, some rights reserved (CC-BY)

4: Sam Campbell/University of Queensland; E.P. Vicenzi/Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute and @NIST; Sam Campbell/University of Queensland; Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute

5: Mohamed Mousaid, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

6: [No rights reserved (CC0)]

7: Paul Bester, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)

Death metal—but not the musical kind. Scorpions’ bodies were known to contain metal but less was known about exactly where it is located and how scorpions use it as part of their arsenal. Specimens of 18 scorpion species from @SmithsonianNMNH's large collection were examined by scientists at our Museum Conservation Institute using microanalytical techniques.

This new research revealed striking patterns in where these metals appear and how they are concentrated.

🦂:

1:Mohamed Mousaid, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

2: David Taylor, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)

3: Kian Kaftarbaz, some rights reserved (CC-BY)

4: Sam Campbell/University of Queensland; E.P. Vicenzi/Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute and @NIST; Sam Campbell/University of Queensland; Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute

5: Mohamed Mousaid, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

6: [No rights reserved (CC0)]

7: Paul Bester, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)

🕺 Known as the “Godfather of Salsa,” Dominican-born musician and composer Johnny Pacheco (1935-2021) popularized the Latin music genre.

As the cofounder of salsa’s legendary record label Fania Records in New York City in 1964, Pacheco promoted the term “salsa” as a way of packaging together the different sounds of Afro-Cuban and Afro-Caribbean music. As the label’s musical director and bandleader of the group Fania All Stars, he made music alongside icons like Celia Cruz, Charlie Palmieri, and Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez. While Pacheco’s music often echoed a more traditional Cuban sound, he produced almost 250 albums representing diverse styles within salsa.

See his 1970s outfit on view in “¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa,” presented by the @USLatinoMuseum. Featuring hundreds of objects, the exhibition tells the story of salsa and its family of rhythms.

—

🕺 Conocido como el “Padrino de la Salsa”, el músico y compositor de origen dominicano Johnny Pacheco (1935-2021) popularizó este género musical latino.

Como cofundador del legendario sello discográfico de salsa Fania Records, establecido en la ciudad de Nueva York en 1964, Pacheco promovió el término “salsa” como una forma de englobar los diversos sonidos de la música afrocubana y afrocaribeña. En su rol como director musical del sello y líder de la agrupación Fania All Stars, creó música junto a iconos de la talla de Celia Cruz, Charlie Palmieri y Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez. Si bien la música de Pacheco solía evocar un sonido cubano más tradicional, produjo cerca de 250 álbumes que representaban una gran diversidad de estilos dentro del género de la salsa.

Descubre el atuendo que Pacheco lució en la década de 1970, exhibido en “¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa”, una exposición presentada por el Museo Nacional del Latino Estadounidense. Esta exposición narra, a través de cientos de objetos, la historia de la salsa y su familia de ritmos.

Credit: 1970s,Loan from the Pacheco family.

#NMALPuroRitmo

“You may write me down in history/ With your bitter, twisted lies,/ You may trod me in the very dirt/ But still, like dust, I'll rise.” —Maya Angelou, “Still I Rise,” 1978

Though perhaps best remembered for her first autobiographical bestseller "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" (1969), Maya Angelou was also a prolific poet. In 1971, she published her first collection of poems “Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie,” for which she was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Angelou read her poem “On the Pulse of the Morning” for an audience of millions at the 1993 presidential inauguration, making her the first writer to recite an inaugural poem since Robert Frost in 1961. For her audio recording of the poem, she won her first of three Grammy Awards for “Best Spoken Word” album.

The poem leaves audiences with a message of hope and healing.

“Here, on the pulse of this new day
You may have the grace to look up and out
And into your sister’s eyes, and into
Your brother’s face, your country
And say simply
Very simply
With hope—
Good morning.”

#NationalPoetryMonth

📷 : “Maya Angelou” by Bridgette Lacombe, 1987 (printed 2012). National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. © Brigitte Lacombe @SmithsonianNPG