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Joined March 2008
Born August 10
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  1. Pinned Tweet
    19 Nov 2020

    Due to rising regional and national cases related to the COVID-19 pandemic, all Smithsonian museums, including the National Zoo, will temporarily close to the public starting Monday, Nov. 23. We are not announcing a reopening date at this time.

    139 replies 236 retweets 460 likes
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  2. 16 hours ago

    1900s health guidance to stop the spread of tuberculosis: please don't spit in the street. TB patients used flasks like this one in our to dispose of coughed up matter or possibly infected saliva.

    Blue glass flask with caps at the top and bottom.
    4 replies 12 retweets 53 likes
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  3. Apr 13

    This 1899 wooden paddle with a nail-studded face was used to perforate mail for fumigation against yellow fever. It didn't work. (Yellow fever, as scientists later verified, is transmitted through mosquito bites.) The paddle is now in our 's collection.

    Wooden paddle with nails sticking out from its face.
    5 replies 28 retweets 120 likes
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  4. Apr 13

    Researchers from have been studying bats in Myanmar. Last year they discovered six new coronaviruses (not closely related to those known to cause disease in humans). Identifying diseases early in animals helps us investigate potential threats.

    2 replies 23 retweets 84 likes
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  5. Retweeted
    Apr 12

    Ramadan mubarak! ✨Wishing a happy to our friends around the world as the holiest month of the Islamic calendar begins. This steel & gold ornament bears the "basmala," which is said before starting any activity, like breaking fast at dusk today.

    23 retweets 79 likes
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  6. Apr 12

    Most new infectious diseases in humans originate in other animals—like this bat. Why are bats effective at spreading pathogens? They: •live in groups •seem to carry viruses without getting very sick •live everywhere people do •fly long distances to new populations

    Large flying fox, a species of bat, hanging upside down from a branch.
    6 replies 18 retweets 81 likes
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  7. Apr 12

    This vial contained some of the first known COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the U.S. Our has added it to their collection. How else can the Smithsonian help us understand our current moment? Follow along for more stories on disease and public health.⤵️

    Small glass vial with text label for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
    13 replies 72 retweets 407 likes
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  8. Apr 7

    For , learn about homebrewing's early history with women and enslaved people from our :

    15 retweets 37 likes
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  9. Apr 7

    Just leaving this here. This very academic photo comes from the Sally L. Steinberg Collection of Doughnut Ephemera (that's its real name) in our 's Archives Center.

    Man pointing at chart with text "size of the donut hole down through the years" and three images of donuts.
    10 replies 90 retweets 381 likes
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  10. Apr 5

    Whale hello, did you know our has a collection of whale earwax? Scientists can analyze the layers of these waxy time capsules to trace pollution and stress levels throughout the animal's life.

    Glass cylinder holding an irregularly shaped brown and tan specimen.
    3 replies 17 retweets 66 likes
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  11. Apr 4

    Happy Easter! Eggs like this one in our are traditional for Easter in Poland, Russia and Ukraine. Many immigrants have brought these traditions with them to the U.S. Learn how these designs are created:

    Egg decorated in a geometric pattern with red, yellow, green and black.
    6 replies 73 retweets 254 likes
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  12. Apr 1

    We have a new kind of cherry blossom in ' Enid A. Haupt Garden. These three sculptures are part of 's project. Sponsored by the Embassy of Japan, they'll be on display near through May 31.

    Three sculptures shaped like cherry blossoms sitting on a brick walkway. They each have a colorful design.
    3 replies 9 retweets 83 likes
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  13. Mar 31

    This , we've shared stories of women who organized their communities to make change, like the Delta Sigma Theta members who distributed books throughout the segregated South. See more in our video playlist:

    2 replies 43 retweets 111 likes
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  14. Retweeted
    Mar 29

    Happy , DC! The Japanese word for cherry blossoms, sakura 桜, is derived from saku 咲, which means to bloom, or alternately to smile or laugh. The 口 in 咲 indicates an open mouth. Learn more: 🌸

    1 reply 38 retweets 109 likes
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  15. Mar 29

    Blanketing ourselves in images of cherry blossoms while D.C.'s are at . 🌸🌸🌸 Kasamatsu Shiro's “Cherry Blossom Flurry at Kambayashi Hot Spring" (1939) is in our 's collection. Celebrate the cherry blossoms with the museum online:

    1 reply 28 retweets 126 likes
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  16. Mar 27

    Tonight is the first night of . A. Nedby—a 10-year-old student at the Educational Alliance Art School in Manhattan—made this textile of a seder in the late 1930s. It's now in our :

    Textile with repeating image of a group sitting at a table set with plates and a candle holder. A girl stands nearby. The illustration is in shades of orange and blue.
    1 reply 35 retweets 134 likes
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  17. Mar 26

    Our saucer magnolias are blooming in the Enid A. Haupt Garden! But don't mistake these pink flowers for cherry blossoms. More about Magnolia x soulangeana and our tree collection:

    9 replies 46 retweets 243 likes
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  18. Mar 24

    In April 2019, you saw the very first image of a black hole. Now scientists at our have helped capture the first image of a black hole's magnetic fields.

    2 replies 49 retweets 186 likes
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  19. Mar 23

    In response to the eight people—seven of them women, six of Asian descent—killed last week in Georgia, we offer educational resources to increase understanding and deconstruct systemic oppression. Our statement and materials from across the Smithsonian:

    10 replies 140 retweets 300 likes
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  20. Mar 22

    Fifty years ago this month, a group of mothers and caregivers—led by activist Ruby Duncan—blocked a quarter-mile section of the Las Vegas Strip to fight against unjust cuts to welfare benefits.

    Stopping Traffic in Vegas
    Mothers and caregivers, led by activist Ruby Duncan, blocked a quarter-mile section of the Las Vegas Strip to fight against unjust cuts to welfare benefits.
    2 replies 53 retweets 138 likes
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  21. Mar 19

    A trailblazer in ceramic art, Takaezu is best known for her closed-vessel sculptures. "Closed Form" (ca. 1980s-1990s) is one of her many works in 's collection. See more by Takaezu:

    Rounded sculpture, glazed in dark blue and orange.
    14 retweets 103 likes
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