A New Natural History
We are not separate from nature; we are nature.
Carnegie Museum of Natural History follows up its groundbreaking 2017 exhibition We Are Nature: Living in the Anthropocene with an original visitor experience that weaves stories across the entire museum into an interactive journey spanning from deep time to our own times.
Fifteen focal points, interspersed throughout museum galleries, highlight the connections between humans and the rest of nature, culminating in a new interactive exhibition space that invites visitors to share their hopes and fears for the future, contribute to time capsules, and learn how they can work for a healthier, more equitable planet. Incorporating the interdisciplinary work of scientists, artists, educators, activists, and community leaders, We Are Nature inspires visitors from Pittsburgh and beyond to transform our relationships with the rest of the living world.
New Stories throughout the Museum
Towering dinosaurs, glittering gems and minerals, handmade vessels from ancient Egypt: your favorite exhibitions at Carnegie Museum of Natural History have many unseen connections.
New labels for this exhibit highlight research happening right here at the museum as we learn about the ways humans are shaping life on Earth and imagine together what the future could hold.
Time Capsules for 2027, 2035, and 2095
We Are Nature includes three time capsules created by artist and Science Communications Fellow Asia Ward, sculpted to represent tardigrades (also known as water bears), the tiny animals best known for their ability to survive in the harshest conditions. Visitors are invited to write messages to include in the time capsules that will be opened at three significant future dates.
2027 Time Capsule
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change suggests we have until 2027 to take bold action to avoid climate disaster.
2035 Time Capsule
The United States set a goal to have 100% carbon-free power sector by 2035.
2095 Time Capsule
Seven decades separate us from the 1950s, a time known as the Great Acceleration. What will the world look like seven decades from now?
Community Partners
“If we don’t care about the earth, which is our home, then we’re going to be miserable.”
Hadassa, Braddock Farms
Hear from people working throughout the local community to make change including organizations you can join.
Current Community Partners include
- Braddock Farms: A Grow Pittsburgh location on the corner of Braddock and 10th Street that grows fresh produce
- Summer Lee, State Rep for the 34th Legislative District: Summer Lee is from Mon Valley and part of her message is fighting against environmental injustice for the community
- Western PA Conservancy: Protects and restores our region, providing us with clean water, healthy forests and wildlife
- Garfield Community Farm: Provides fresh produce and educational opportunities for neighbors and volunteers
Share your voice & Participate
Vote on topics you’d like to see explored in future museum exhibitions, share your thoughts on We Are Nature, and bring your old cell phones to our recycling center.
Listen to the We Are Nature podcasts.
Coal Goals, Part 1: Coal, Climate, & Community
Featuring interviews with organizers from the Mountain Watershed Association, who are building community and fighting fossil fuel extraction in Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands.
Transcript for Coal Goals, Part 1: Coal, Climate, & Community
Coal Goals, Part 2: Microbes & Mining
Featuring an interview with Assistant Curator of Earth Sciences Carla Rosenfeld about mine land remediation and interspecies collaboration.
Transcript for Coal Goals, Part 2: Microbes & Mining
Meet the Researchers
We Are Nature Blogs
Chimney Swift Conservation
by Patrick McShea In urban, suburban, and even rural areas of southwestern Pennsylvania, the high-pitched twittering cries of circling Chimney Swifts create …Messages in Tardigrade Plastic Time Capsules
by Asia Ward Have you seen the Tardigrade-shaped time capsule installation titled Messengers on the third-floor balcony in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History? …Reckoning with Indigenous sovereignty and US public lands through place names in national parks
by Dr. Bonnie McGill US Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (a member of the Laguna Pueblo) recently initiated a task force to address …For the Love of Dead Plants
by Koa Reitz Reposted from Plant Love Stories. One of my earliest memories as a child is my friend finding a big …Antarctica and the Anthropocene: Novel Species to the Polar South and Their Ecological Impact
by Nicholas Sauer For better or worse, humans have left an impact on every corner of the globe, and Antarctica is no …Fall 2021 Lights Out Pittsburgh Overview
by Jon Rice Why Lights Out Pittsburgh? Over the past eight years, scientists from Powdermill Nature Reserve have conducted research in Downtown …World Pangolin Day: February 19, 2022
by Dr. John Wible The third Saturday in February is celebrated as World Pangolin Day, a day to raise awareness of this …Climate Change Myth Busting at the Museum
by Dr. Bonnie McGill If you’ve visited the museum recently you may have noticed some new orange labels throughout the exhibit halls. …“Mush-room” for Exploration
by Sara Klingensmith Mushrooms are becoming popular! Visitors to Powdermill Nature Reserve often bring photos of colorful mushrooms in hopes of learning …Don’t Hang Up On Gorillas
by Jo Tauber As you pass under the acacia tree in the Hall of African Wildlife, keeping wary of the leopard perched …Paradise Found: The Real-Life Residents of Shangri-La
by Shelby Wyzykowski In 1933, when British author James Hilton published the novel Lost Horizon, much of the world was in the midst …Collected on this Day in 1951: Bittersweet
by Mason Heberling Leaves are gone, but fruits hang on This specimen of bittersweet (Solanum dulcamara) was collected by Bayard Long on …
