Left: wide open plaza and avenues in the ancient Mexican city of Teotihuacan, a society in which people had more voice. Right: a carved stone stela with a depiction of a ruler at Copán (a Maya city in what is now Honduras), which had a more autocratic form of governance.

New study shows democracy has deep global roots—not just Greece and Rome

Lead author Matt von Konrat in his laboratory at the Field Museum on February 26, 2026, examining the tiny bits of moss found with the re-buried bodies at Burr Oak Cemetery in 2009. Photo © Field Museum.

How moss helped solve a grave-robbing mystery

Illustration showing Tanyka amnicola in life, eating underwater plants. By Vitor Silva

This ancient plant-eater had a twisted jaw and sideways-facing teeth

(Left) A community-made siapo (painted cloth) will be featured in the exhibition. (Right) Co-curator, Reggie Meredith Fitiao works on the siapo.

New exhibition sheds light on thriving traditional Samoan art in American Samoa

Left: A reconstruction of Tyrannoroter heberti, eating a fern. Illustration by Hannah Fredd. Right: Arjan Mann with a 3D-printed replica of Tyrannoroter’s skull in the Carboniferous coal forest display at Chicago’s Field Museum. © Field Museum.

Football-sized fossil creature may have been one of the first land animals to eat its veggies

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 bone. Illustration by Ville Sinkkonen.

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

White - eared Sibia (Heterophasia auricularis) visiting the shorter and wider flowers of Aeschynanthus acuminatus in Xitou, central Taiwan. Pollen deposited during the visit is visible on the Sibia's forehead. Photo by Jing - Yi Lu

This flower evolved a new shape so that different birds could pollinate it. Then, it spread.

These fossils were the perfect home for ancient baby bees

The unlucky fossil bird, preserved with over 800 tiny rocks in its throat (visible as the gray mass next to the left of its neck bones).

This fossil bird choked to death on rocks, and no one knows why

Field Museum scientist Matt von Konrat examining dried moss collected in 2013 in a botanical survey as part of a  homicide investigation. Photo courtesy of Field Museum.

Solving mysteries with moss

Thorsten Lumbsch Vice President, Science and Education; Curator, Lichenized Fungi Science and Education

Field Museum’s VP of Science joins prestigious Royal Academy of Sciences academic staff, lauded for transformative work on lichens

Entrance to the Africa Hall  permenant exhibition

Renovations to the Field Museum’s Africa Hall, opening in 2028, will celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of African cultures, while highlighting complex innovations and new research on the world’s longest record of the human story

Most rodents have thumbnails instead of claws. It might help explain how they took over the world.

Left: Skull and skin from a vole, collected in 1898 in Chicago. Right: Authors Stephanie Smith and Anderson Feijó examining chipmunk specimens in the Field Museum’s collections.

Chicago’s rodents are evolving to handle city living

Left: An aerial shot of the Medio Putumayo-Algodón region, which is newly protected. Right: a woolly monkey, which is classified as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Photo credit: Álvaro del Campo/Field Museum.

Newly-declared conservation area in Peru is home to pink dolphins, giant armadillos, and woolly monkeys

Reptiles Alive! opens June 20, 2025, at the Field Museum.

New exhibition journeys through the world of reptiles, while uncovering their extraordinary adaptations

The Chicago Archaeopteryx, under UV light to expose soft tissues.

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

“Excavator Pikachu” helps visitors explore the Pokémon Fossil Museum special exhibition. (Credit: The Pokémon Company group/Field Museum)

Pokémon Fossil Museum Special Exhibition to Make North American Debut at Chicago's Field Museum

A woman, standing waist deep in water, tags an arapaima, a large freshwater fish. A man helps to hold the fish while several people in the background watch.

Women in Science: Lesley de Souza, Conservation Biologist

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The newest edition of The Changing Face of Science highlights the life and work of Lesley de Souza, Ph.D.  © Field Museum

New Changing Face of Science exhibition features conservation ecologist, uncovers the mysteries of freshwater ecosystems and the need for urgent action

Field Museum announces complete renovation of Africa and Ancient Egypt galleries

Three excavated Classic period (ca. 550–750 CE) houses at El Palmillo (Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico). Bottom: the largest and most elaborate residential structure (Platform 11). Top right: a less elaborate residence (Structure 35). Top Left: a smaller residence (Terrace 925). Image credit: Linda Nicholas and Gary Feinman.

Archaeologists measured and compared the size of 50,000 ancient houses to learn about the history of inequality. They found that it’s not inevitable.

The newest edition of The Changing Face of Science features the life and work of Dr. Sara Ruane.

New Changing Face of Science exhibition highlights multifaceted snake scientist

Left: Prehistoric stone tools, specifically the “cores” used to create smaller blades. Photo by Sara Watson. Right: Archaeological team excavating in the seaside cave. Photo by Sara Watson.

Ancient tools from a South African cave reveal connections between prehistoric people

Evan Saitta, the paper’s lead author, with an emperor penguin in the Field Museum’s bird collections.

When birds lose the ability to fly, their bodies change faster than their feathers

Mbeuk Idourrou collection, Imane Ayissi, Paris, France, Autumn/Winter 2019. Photo by Fabrice Malard / Courtesy of Imane Ayissi

Haute couture and cultural renaissance take center stage in Africa Fashion

Community scientists at the Field Museum have digitized more than a quarter-million items and records

Fossil predator is the oldest known animal with “saber teeth”

Person by a river in Guyana

Largest-ever scientific expedition to Guyana’s rainforest returns 

New Field Museum exhibition explores the curious world of cats

Field Museum launches photo contest for Cats: Predators to Pets

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

Predatory birds from the same fossil formation as SUE the T. rex

Zeroing in on the genes that snakes use to produce venom

Don’t judge a fossil by its teeth: despite its toothy beak, this ancient bird ate fruit, not fish

Left: Monarch butterfly on a milkweed flower. Photo by Mark and Michelle Rogovin. Right: Milkweed garden in an alley behind a garage. Photo by Imeña Valdes.

Monarch butterflies need help, and a little bit of milkweed goes a long way

Birds-of-paradise in the Field Museum’s collections: an example of a tropical bird with brightly-colored, iridescent feathers. © Kate Golembiewski, Field Museum.

The ancestor of all modern birds probably had iridescent feathers

Ancient Temple and Theater Discovered in Peru

Giant salamander-like creature was a top predator in the ice age before the dinosaurs

Fossil Grapes

Sixty-million-year-old grape seeds reveal how the death of the dinosaurs may have paved the way for grapes to spread

Rewriting the armadillo family tree: a new species, plus a name change for the state mammal of Texas

Field Museum Women's Board Elects First African American President

One in a million” blue-eyed cicada joins the Field Museum’s research collections

Left: A Cicada Parade-a is emerging at the Field Museum, part of a public art project done in collaboration with the Insect Asylum to celebrate this year's emergence. © Field Museum Right: Two of the tasty dishes featuring edible insects that will be available at Bug Bites on June 11th in collaboration with Big Star. © Big Star

Field Museum celebrates the cicada emergence with insect-pinning classes, Meet a Scientist events, and a bug-inspired meal at Big Star

This is the Chicago Archaeopteryx—one of only a dozen fossils of this animal ever found.  Scientists will be studying this fossil for years to come.

Field Museum acquires fossil of Archaeopteryx, the earliest known bird

Field Museum’s Thorsten Lumbsch Elected as AAAS Fellow for Scientific Achievements

Illustration showing the fossil skeleton of Imparavis attenboroughi, alongside a reconstruction of the bird in life. © Ville Sinkkonen.

Fossil named “Attenborough’s strange bird” was the first of its kind without teeth

Visitors can standside-by-side with some of the largest animals that inhabit our planet today in this section featuring a 180-degree, high-resolution screen where animations of blue whales, giant squid, and manta rays swim by at true-to-life scales.

Field Museum devela los misterios de las profundidades del océano en su nueva exhibición Océanos nunca antes vistos

Field Museum unveils mysteries of the deep sea in new Unseen Oceans exhibition

Blood is the main ingredient in new Field Museum partnership with local chefs

Left: The flight feathers of Temminck's Lark. Right: The wing of a fossil bird, Confuciusornis. Photos by Yosef Kiat.

The hidden rule for flight feathers— and how it could reveal which dinosaurs could fly

Art and science intersect in display of Audubon’s Birds of America

Field Museum Announces Black History Month Programs

El Field Museum modifica las galerías culturales en respuesta a la actualización de las regulaciones federales

Field Museum Alters Cultural Galleries in Response to Updated Federal Regulations

Field Museum Announces Free Admission Wednesdays for Illinois Residents

World’s smallest “fanged” frogs found in Indonesia

It turns out, this fossil plant is really a fossil baby turtle

Field Museum Receives $20 Million Gift in Memory of Sue Ling Gin, Pioneering Business Leader and Longtime Trustee 

Finding the genes that help kingfishers dive without hurting their brains

Crystals brought back by astronauts show that the Moon is 40 million years older than scientists thought

Newly-discovered “margarita snails” from the Florida Keys are bright lemon-yellow

Survival of the newest: the mammals that survive mass extinctions aren’t as “boring” as scientists thought

3D models of the Mosquito, Leech, and Black Fly will be featured in the Bloodsuckers: Legends to Leeches exhibition opening at Field Museum on Oct. 27. © Royal Ontario Museum, 2020

New Field Museum Exhibition Allows Visitors to Get Close Look at Bloodfeeding Creatures

Una nueva exposición en el Museo Field permite a los visitantes observar de cerca a criaturas que se alimentan de la sangre

La Escuelita Bombera de Corazon (pictured above during a 2022 event) will return to the Field Museum to perform during Latinx Heritage Month.

Field Museum Hosts Performances, Highlights Scientists for Latinx Heritage Month

Get Your Mystery Objects Identified at the Field Museum

Inflatable Sobek the Spinosaurus, and the Sobek fossil cast, at the Field Museum.

Field Museum Introduces “Sobek” the Spinosaurus after public vote— come celebrate on a river boat tour

Rocky Wirtz, owner of the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team with the Stanley Cup

Statement in Tribute to Rocky Wirtz

“Mind controlling” parasitic worms are missing genes found in every other animal

Field Museum Announces Vote to Name New Spinosaurus

Changing Face of Science exhibition highlights ‘Punk Rock Paleontologist’ at Field Museum

Fossils reveal how ancient birds molted their feathers— 

Exhibit Showcasing How Animals Run, Jump, and Fly Finds Permanent Home at Field Museum

Field Museum Statement on North American Hair Collection

Weevils, long-nosed beetles, are unsung heroes of pollination

The world’s largest predatory dinosaur, and a Dino Fest to celebrate it, are coming to the Field Museum

Fossils of a saber-toothed top predator reveal a scramble for dominance leading up to “the Great Dying”

On the city's lakefront to perform a chant to greet the sunrise, Chicago-based Hula practitioners gather around an `ipu heke, a traditional Hawaiian percussion implement made of two gourds.

Field Museum debuts Chicago’s Legacy Hula the first exhibition to explore the migration of Native Hawaiians to Chicago

Cyrus Tang Foundation awards major grant to Field Museum for creation of Asian history curriculum

New Field Museum exhibition Chicago’s Legacy Hula anchors inaugural  Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Field Museum Hosts Inaugural Arab American Heritage Month Events in Partnership with UIC Arab American Cultural Center

Field Museum joins global effort to inventory natural history collections to spur science and fight climate change

Ants took over the world by following flowering plants out of prehistoric forests

A final present from birds killed in window collisions: poop that reveals their microbiomes

New Field Museum Exhibition Explores Rise of Power in Ancient Europe 

Women’s History Month at Field Museum Highlights Variety of Research

Lasers and chemistry reveal how ancient pottery was made — and how an empire functioned

Field gives conservation award to Guyanese group preserving nature, cultural heritage

Field Museum Statement on Unionization

The colors on these ancient pots hint at the power of an empire

The gold-throated hybrid, center, with its parent species H. branickii (left) and H. gularis (right), in the Field Museum’s collections

Pink + pink = gold: hybrid hummingbird’s feathers don’t match its parents

Left to Right: Aimee Davis, Sr. Director of Learning at Field Museum, Kelli Easterly, Executive Director of STEM at CPS, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 2023 DAYTONA 500 Champion, Mary Beck, Acting Chief of Teaching and Learning at CPS, Julian Siggers, President and CEO of Field Museum, Pete Stuart, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications at NASCAR © Field Museum

CPS, NASCAR Announce STEAM Fest Coming to Field Museum

The large, open central plaza of Monte Alban, a city that lasted for 1,300 years. Photo by Linda M. Nicholas, Field Museum.

Archaeological study of 24 ancient Mexican cities reveals that collective forms of governance, infrastructural investments, and collaboration all help societies last longer

The researchers with their 16.7-pound find. White helmet: Maria Schönbächler. Green helmet: Maria Valdes. Black helmet: Ryoga Maeda. Orange helmet: Vinciane Debaille. Photo courtesy of Maria Valdes.

17-pound meteorite discovered in Antarctica

Field Museum Welcomes Green Activist Naomi Davis to Kick off Black History Month Events

Authentic 3,000-Year-Old Bronze Age sword put on display at Field Museum

It would take 23 million years for evolution to replace Madagascar’s endangered mammals “Now or never” for preventing extinction

Field Museum 'Comes Alive' in Beloved ABC 7 Chicago New Year’s Eve Production

“Virgin birth” in aquarium sharks—even when potential mates are nearby

These boreholes were created by a wood-boring clam that fills its boreholes with poop. Photo by Meg Daly.

Wood-eating clams use their poop to dominate their habitat

I'm a teacher, what should I expect in the exhibit?

What happens if I need to reschedule my group's visit? 

Can I purchase tickets for the exhibit on the day of my group’s visit? 

Can I receive a refund for students who missed the field trip?

 How long should my group plan to spend in the exhibition? 

Is there any special programming for my students?

I missed my group’s entry time. What should we do? 

In order to ensure that groups have a great visit, pre-K through 5th-grade students must be accompanied by a minimum of one adult for every five students and a maximum of one adult for every child. Students in 6th through 12th grade must be accompanied by a minimum of one adult for every ten students and a maximum of one adult for every child.

How many chaperones can my Illinois School Group bring?

After you submit your registration form, you will receive an email with an invoice PDF. You can submit that payment amount by mailing a check before the trip or calling our office at (312) 665-7500 with a credit card.

Payment must be received 2 weeks prior to your trip date. If payment is not received 2 weeks prior to the field trip date, tickets will be released to the general public.

How do I submit payment?

Illinois groups registered at least 2 weeks in advance are allotted a discounted price of $7 per person to enter the &nbsp;Pok&eacute;mon Fossil Museum exhibition. Every person entering the exhibit will need a ticket.

Your group will still be able to enter all General Admission exhibits on your trip.Limited tickets are reserved for Illinois field trip groups each day.

How much are tickets for the Pokémon Fossil Museum exhibition for Illinois field trip groups?

Starting March 3, Illinois field trip groups may register using our <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/page/register-your-field-trip-group">field trip registration form</a>. &nbsp;All field trips should be booked at least 2 weeks in advance. Limited tickets are reserved for Illinois field trip groups each day.&nbsp;

How can my group register for a field trip to see the Pokémon Fossil Museum exhibition?

When will tickets be available for Illinois school groups?

Unfortunately, there are no scholarships available for this special exhibition. All Illinois students, chaperones, and teachers on the field trip who are visiting the exhibit must pay $7 to enter. You can still book your <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/landing/field-trips">General Admission field trip</a> for free, and visit the Evolving Planet exhibition to learn about fossils.

My group can not pay the $7 per person fee to see the Pokémon Fossil Museum exhibition. Are there any scholarships or free programming?

How do I purchase a ticket to the Pokémon Fossil Museum exhibition? 

What happens if I need to reschedule my visit? 

Are tickets to the exhibition timed?

Are tickets transferable?

Tickets for the date I want to visit are not yet available. When will I be able to access those?

How long will tickets be available for the Pokémon Fossil Museum? 

I’m a member—how can I redeem my member benefits for Pokémon Fossil Museum?

I have a Chicago CityPASS, Go City pass, or am eligible for discounted admission that I cannot reserve online—how can I secure tickets to the Pokémon Fossil Museum?

Are there any other websites that sell Pokémon Fossil Museum special exhibition tickets?

I didn’t receive an email confirmation for my tickets—who can help me? 

I have another question about visit Pokémon Fossil Museum—who can I reach out to? 

When can I make reservations for Pokémon Fossil Museum?

What’s the best way to stay up-to-date on Pokémon Fossil Museum?

How will I be able to make reservations for Pokémon Fossil Museum?

 How many Pokemon Fossil Museum special exhibition tickets are included with my membership?

 What does my membership include?

Do the tickets required for the Member Preview Days count against my allotment of Pokémon Fossil Museum tickets?

Press Releases

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New study shows democracy has deep global roots—not just Greece and Rome

How moss helped solve a grave-robbing mystery

This ancient plant-eater had a twisted jaw and sideways-facing teeth

New exhibition sheds light on thriving traditional Samoan art in American Samoa

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New study shows democracy has deep global roots—not just Greece and Rome

How moss helped solve a grave-robbing mystery

This ancient plant-eater had a twisted jaw and sideways-facing teeth

New exhibition sheds light on thriving traditional Samoan art in American Samoa