Our Science

We’re making discoveries every day

Science is a tool we use to look at the world and analyze what’s happening in it. Our scientists—who study everything from ancient, truck-sized snakes to microscopic freshwater diatoms—are using science to make new discoveries in Minnesota and around the world.

At two million objects, artifacts, and specimens strong, our collections provide billions of data points that tell stories about the natural world over millennia.

Shark teeth, moccasins, pinned insects, dinosaur bones, pressed leaves, and millions of other objects help our scientists and visiting researchers get to the bottom of questions big and small. What was life like for Indigenous people 10,000 years ago in Minnesota? How does the structure of a bird brain influence its behavior? By observing, analyzing, and experimenting, they’re finding answers one project at a time.

Find out more about their work, dig into the areas of research we cover, and make your own discoveries.