Field Museum

The earliest known bird had complex tongue bones and fleshy “teeth” on the roof of its mouth—which might have helped it snag the food it needed for flight

A life reconstruction of Archaeopteryx, including the oral papillae on the roof of its mouth, a bill-tip organ at the end of its beak, and a flexible-yet-sturdy tongue made possible by an extra tongue ...
The Field Museum

Illinois Free Wednesday

Pre-Registered Illinois field trips are FREE everyday of the week! Free Wednesdays are the perfect opportunity for you to explore our general admission exhibitions with your family or a group of ...
The Field Museum

Shared Stories, Shared Future: An Educator Symposium on AANHPI Histories

This educator symposium highlights the Field Museum’s three-year collaboration with AANHPI community partners. This program is made possible with the generous support of The Cyrus Tang Foundation.
The Field Museum

Explore More, All Year

Your stewardship helps the Field Museum connect people with the world we all share. Join today and continue to discover more about the world with us. All memberships are 100% tax-deductible. *Children ...
The Field Museum

Rice Native Gardens

Museum open Daily 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, last entry 4:00 pm Closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day Museum is located at: ...
The Field Museum

Fossil mystery solved: super-long-necked reptiles lived in the ocean, not on land

Twenty-foot-long specimens described as separate species from their cousins, named after mythology’s Hydra A fossil called Tanystropheus was first described in 1852, and it’s been puzzling scientists ...
The Field Museum

Ancient Temple and Theater Discovered in Peru

Field Museum scientist Luis Muro Ynoñán with the carving of a mythological bird creature in La Otra Banda, Cerro Las Animas. Photo by the Ucupe Cultural Landscape Archaeological Project A team of ...
The Field Museum

New research on mummified remains offer scientists rare glimpse behind ancient wrappings

Left: The mummified remains of Chenet-aa under a CT scanner Right: JP Brown analyzes the composite scans of a mummified individual on the computer. Field Museum 2024 Thanks to Halloween tales and ...
The Field Museum

Ancient Mexican city endured for centuries without extremes in wealth and power

Location, location, location—it’s the first rule of real estate. For a long time, it’s been widely assumed that being close to resources drives settlement patterns, with cities generally founded near ...
The Field Museum

UV light and CT scans helped scientists unlock hidden details in a perfectly-preserved fossil Archaeopteryx

Archaeopteryx is the fossil that proved Darwin right. It’s the oldest known fossil bird, and it helps show that all birds— including the ones alive today— are dinosaurs. And while the first ...
The Field Museum

Which Dinosaur Bones Are “Real”?

SUE the T. rex is an incredibly complete fossil, and Máximo the Titanosaur is a cast. Here’s why we have both. “Is that real?” This is a question we often hear from visitors as they roam the Field ...