Indulge and educate yourself at the Power of Chocolate Festival this weekend. Image courtesy of the American Indian Museum

Friday, February 10 Mourning

Before the Iranian Film Festival draws to a close next week, be sure to catch Morteza Fashbaf’s debut film, “Mourning,” which won the top prize at South Korea’s 2011 Busan International Film Festival. The film follows a road trip with two characters who are deaf and dumb, spending most of their time bickering almost entirely in sign language. The breakout feature led the Institute of Contemporary Art in London to speculate that it “may herald the arrival of a major new Iranian talent.” Free. 7:00 p.m. Meyer Auditorium, Freer Gallery.

Saturday, February 11 The Power of Chocolate Festival

Start getting your sweet tooth in shape now, because this weekend the American Indian Museum is chock full of chocolate. Considered a “food of the gods” by the Mayan and Aztec peoples, chocolate has a rich and complicated cultural history that will be on full display. Grind your own cacao beans and froth your own drink, or learn from the renowned chef Richard Hetzler of the museum’s Mitsitam Cafe about the many different ways you can cook with chocolate. And this just in—sample tastings will be offered. See the full schedule here. Free. 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. American Indian Museum.

Sunday, February 12 The Emerson String Quartet

Join the acclaimed Emerson String Quartet for an evening of diverse global music ranging from Bach to jazz to Brazilian Choro. Fresh off their induction into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame last year, the Emerson String Quartet has nine Grammy Awards and the Avery Fisher Prize under their belt. Buy tickets through the Resident Associates Program. $51 for members, $63 for general admission. 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Baird Auditorium, Natural History Museum.

How much is the Hope Diamond worth? Ask Smithsonian.

Our inquisitive readers are rising to the challenge we gave them last month. The questions are pouring in and we’re ready for more. Do you have any questions for our curators? Submit your questions here.

How much is the Hope Diamond worth? — Marjorie Mathews, Silver Spring, Maryland

That’s the most popular question we get, but we don’t really satisfy people by giving them a number. There are a number of answers, but the best one is that we honestly don’t know. It’s a little bit like Liz Taylor’s jewels being sold in December—all kinds of people guessed at what they would sell for, but everybody I know was way off. Only when those pieces were opened up to bidding at a public auction could you find out what their values were. When they were sold, then at least for that day and that night you could say, well, they were worth that much. The Hope Diamond is kind of the same way, but more so. There’s simply nothing else like it. So how do you put a value on the history, on the fact it’s been here on display for over 50 years and a few hundred million people have seen it, and on that fact it’s a rare blue diamond on top of everything else? You don’t. – Jeffrey E. Post, mineralogist, National Museum of Natural History

What’s the worst impact of ocean acidification so far?- Nancy Schaefer, Virginia Beach, Virginia

The impacts of ocean acidification are really just starting to be felt, but two big reports that came out in 2011 show that it could have very serious effects on coral reefs. These studies did not measure the warming effect of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but rather its effect of making the ocean more acidic when it dissolves in the ocean. Places where large amounts of carbon dioxide seep into the water from the sea floor provide a natural experiment and show us how ocean waters might look, say, 50 or 100 years from now. Both studies showed branching, lacy, delicate coral forms are likely to disappear, and with them that kind of three-dimensional complexity so many species depend on. Also, other species that build a stony skeleton or shell, such as oysters or mussels, are likely to be affected. This happens because acidification makes carbonate ions, which these species need for their skeletons, less abundant.

Nancy Knowlton, marine biologist
National Museum of Natural History

Art and artifacts from ancient South Pacific and Pacific Northwest tribes have similarities in form and function. Is it possible that early Hawaiians caught part of the Kuroshio Current of the North Pacific Gyre to end up along the northwest coast of America from northern California to Alaska? — April Croan, Maple Valley, Washington

Those similarities have given rise to various theories, including trans-Pacific navigation, independent drifts of floating artifacts, inadvertent crossings by ships that have lost their rudders or rigging, or whales harpooned in one area that died or were captured in a distant place. Some connections are well-known, like feather garment fragments found in an archaeological site in Southeast Alaska that appear to have been brought there by whaling ships that had stopped in the Hawaiian Islands, a regular route for 19th-century whalers. Before the period of European contact, the greatest similarities are with the southwest Pacific, not Hawaii. The Kushiro current would have facilitated Asian coastal contacts with northwestern North America, but would not have helped Hawaiians. The problem of identification is one of context, form and dating. Most of the reported similarities are either out of their original context (which can’t be reconstructed), or their form is not specific enough to relate to another area’s style, or the date of creation cannot be established. To date there is no acceptable proof for South Pacific-Northwest Coast historical connections that predates the European whaling era, except for links that follow the coastal region of the North Pacific into Alaska.

William Fitzhugh, archeologist
Natural History Museum

The Black List features portraits of fifty African Americans who are influential in their fields, such as Chris Rock, above. Image courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery.

February is Black History Month, and if you’re wondering how to properly commemorate the holiday, look no further. There are lots of (mostly free) events around the Mall this month celebrating African American heritage.

Black History Month Family Day: On Saturday, February 4, kick off the month with a full afternoon of music, performances and crafts at the National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum. Enjoy the blues stylings of “Guitar Man” Warner Williams and a puppet show, Can You Spell Harlem? Plus, learn the art of step in a workshop by the Taratibu Youth Association step performers. After the festivities end, head over to the McEvoy Auditorium for a screening of Chris Rock’s documentary, Good Hair. Free. 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Film screening at 3:30 p.m.

Tales from Mother Africa: Kenyan poet, singer, storyteller and dancer Anna Mwalagho weaves traditional tales from “Mama Africa” into an interactive performance at S. Dillon Ripley Center’s Discovery Theater on February 2 and 3. The program is geared toward young children, but a little singing and dancing is good for adults, too. Tickets required: $8 for adults, $6 for children, $5 for Resident Associate Members, $3 for children under 2. 10:15 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

Enslavement to Emancipation: Celebrate the 150th anniversary of the passage of the District of Columbia’s Emancipation Act in 1862 with a video and discussion at the Anacostia Community Museum. The talk will touch on a wide range of subjects, including the Civil War, laws governing slavery, the abolitionist movement, and civil rights. Free. Reserve a spot at 202-633-4844. February 5 at 2:00 p.m. and and February 24 at 10:30 a.m.

Monticello, Slavery, and the Hemingses: Join NPR host Michel Martin and Harvard Law professor Annette Gordon-Reed for a discussion about the six Monticello slave families featured in the exhibition “Paradox of Liberty: Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello” at the American History Museum. Hosted by the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Martin and Gordon-Reed will challenge conventional wisdom about slavery and the political reality of the era. Professor Gordon-Reed’s book, The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family will also be discussed. Free. February 6 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Baird Auditorium, Natural History Museum.

Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975: The Black Power movement has been both venerated and vilified, but what exactly did it mean? Test your knowledge at the National Portrait Gallery’s screening of The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975, which documents this tumultuous period and features interviews with activists Angela Davis, Bobby Seale and Stokely Carmichael. Free. February 18 at 1:00 p.m.

The Black List: Reinterpreting the exclusionary definition of a “blacklist,” photographer/filmmaker Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and NPR’s Elvis Mitchell compiled a list of people who represent the African American experience in the 20th century. The result is an inspiring exhibition of large-format photographic portraits and film interviews of artists, politicians, writers, athletes and civil rights activists who have made a difference in their fields. The 50 portraits on display include musician John Legend, artist Kara Walker and political activist Angela Davis. On view at the National Portrait Gallery until April 22.

Groundbreaking for the National Museum of African American History and Culture: Almost a decade after the establishment of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, construction on the museum site breaks ground on February 22. Catch the webcast of the groundbreaking ceremony, which will feature speeches and musical performances starting at 9:00 a.m. The museum construction should be finished in 2015, so you’ll have plenty of time to head down to the new site between the Washington Monument and the American History Museum and check its progress.

For the full schedule of Black History Month events, click here.

A recent study indicates that ancient peoples in Peru were eating popcorn. Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Popcorn dates pretty far back—way earlier than Orville Redenbacher—according to a study published last week. The paper, which appeared in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and was co-authored by Dolores Piperno, curator of New World archaeology at the Museum of Natural History, reveals that archaeologists have unearthed a number of corn samples from a pair of Peruvian excavation sites. Several of the specimens indicate that among many uses the ancient Peruvians found for the maize was one we still know well today: popcorn.

The samples include corncobs, husks and stalks, and date to 6,700 to 3,000 years ago, making the discovery the oldest corn sample ever found in South America, says Piperno. “Corn was first domesticated in Mexico nearly 9,000 years ago from a wild grass called teosinte,” she says. “Our results show that only a few thousand years later corn arrived in South America, where its evolution into different varieties that are now common in the Andean region began.”

The excavation sites, Paredones and Huaca Prieta, are located in a climate that allows such samples to be preserved for a long time. “The sites occur in a very, very arid climate, the coast of Peru, where it almost never rains,” Piperno says. “Those kinds of conditions are particularly good for preserving things, because it’s humidity that affects the preservation of plant remains over time.”

Some of the ancient corn cobs discovered in Peru. Photo courtesy of the Natural History Museum

Although there had been previous discoveries of microfossils—such as starch grains—finding entire cobs provides valuable information. “Microfossils give an excellent picture of if they’re eating corn, if corn is present, but what was missing was the morphological detail,” says Piperno. “This site provided actual cobs, information on the sizes of the cobs, and what they look like.” These findings will help researchers trace the early domestication of corn from teosinte, a complicated transformation that occurred thousands of years ago.

The samples indicate that the inhabitants of the site consumed the maize in several different ways—apart from popcorn, they consumed corn flour—but that it was still not a common food at the time. “It was probably a fairly minor component of the diet, because despite the very good preservation, not many cobs were found,” Piperno says.

How did the corn travel all the way from Mexico, its birthplace, to Peru, thousands of miles away? “People just passed it along,” says Piperno. “Farmers like to exchange goods and ideas, so it was probably just passed from person to person, from farmer to farmer.”

Got a burning question about popcorn or some other zany topic? We invite you to submit questions to our new reader forum, Ask Smithsonian. Each month, we’ll select a handful of reader-submitted questions to publish in Smithsonian magazine with answers from the Institution’s experts.

Congolese artist Sammy Baloji combines images of past industry with modern photographs in a patchwork of memory and regret. Image courtesy of the Natural History Museum.

In Sammy Baloji’s native Congo, the mid-20th century is wistfully remembered as la belle époque, or the beautiful time. During the colonial era of the 1930s and 1940s, skilled Congolese laborers built a thriving copper mining industry that turned the city of Lubumbashi into a modernized center of wealth and cosmopolitan culture. This period saw unusual prosperity that permeated all levels of colonial society, from the Dutch colonial industrialists to the black Congolese workers.

This brief moment of universal prosperity is memorialized in “The Beautiful Time: Photography by Sammy Baloji,” now on view at the Natural History Museum. Baloji’s photographic collages superimpose this heyday of the past with the desolation of the present. The copper mines of today, abandoned and dormant, become backdrops for archival black-and-white photographs of mine workers and colonial officials.

What happened in the gap between these two realities? The invisible step—30 years of civil war, the assassination of the first legally elected Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba, and rampant government corruption—haunts every photograph. “The archival photograph is always in the front plane and the desolation is in the back,” curator Mary Jo Arnoldi says. “What’s missing is the memory of those 30 years. He’s celebrating the work of his grandfathers who built this great modern colony, and then he’s indicting his father’s generation who squandered it through the government’s corruption.”

A rare archival photo of Lubumbashi women is juxtaposed with the barrenness of the modern mines.

“The Beautiful Time” came to the Natural History Museum from the Museum of African Art in New York City. “I was very interested in it because the permanent exhibit here, “African Voices,” is focused on giving voice to Africans themselves to tell their stories about contemporary Africa and their history, as opposed to the museum always being the voice,” Arnoldi says. She plans to use volunteer facilitators to help direct visitors and explain the links between Baloji’s work and the rest of the African Voices exhibit. “In the permanent exhibit, our main topics are the value of work, how wealth is created, the colonial experience,” Arnoldi says. “And [Baloji's] photographs speak to all of these things in a really compelling way. It gives it a visual voice as opposed to just text.”

The colonial industry of Lubumbashi in many ways adds nuance to the conventional history of colonized Africa. “The Belgians invested, but the people who actually did the work were Congolese,” Arnoldi points out. “They became a very skilled group of people. They sent their kids to school and built this very modern city. We’re talking about a very modern population of people with technological skills who are running a pretty sophisticated industry.”

Arnoldi brings a new element to the previous show at the Museum of African Art. She added commentary from Baloji’s fellow Congolese artist and collaborator, poet Patrick Mudekereza, to flesh out the story beyond the cold historical facts. According to Mudekereza, Baloji is challenging the romantic narrative of the period.  “Sammy’s photographs are not nostalgic celebrations of the beautiful time, which is a phrase we often hear the older generation use when referring to the golden age of the colonial mining industry,” Mudekereza writes in one of the show’s inscriptions. “Rather, his pictures speak to today, implying a failure by our leaders to provide our people with a means to create a more beautiful time than before.”

Noticeably, there are no contemporary Congolese people in the photographs. Baloji avoids the use of city’s current inhabitants because he wants them to be active viewers of the history he depicts. As Arnoldi says, “These are directed to a global art audience, but also directed very specifically to a young Congolese audience, to his generation.”

Inscribed on the wall outside the African Voices exhibit is a Sierra Leonean proverb: “Know the road you’ve come down or you can’t know where you’re going.” Arnoldi sees this proverb as central to Baloji’s work. “He’s saying you have to understand your past. You have to understand the past of who built these mines. You have to understand what happened to them,” she says. “In order to move forward, you have to own your history.”

The Beautiful Time: Photography by Sammy Baloji opened on January 7th and runs through 2012 at the Natural History Museum.

Now that you’ve probably burned through the lists of historians, innovators, and food-writers to follow this year, we’re bringing it back home to the Smithsonian. As always, the Mall is cooking up some fascinating, crazy, and sometimes grotesque stuff for 2012. Bookmark these people and projects to keep up with this year:

Nicholas Pyenson: Pyenson studies and curates fossils of marine mammals. Get a feel for what is going on inside his lab and follow his team into the field—fresh from an expedition in Chile—at his blog, Pyenson Lab.

Postal Museum: Time for a pop quiz: A “hamper dumper” is:

a) machine in postal processing

b) bin of misprint stamps

c) failed mail vehicle

d) philatelic tool.

If you know the answer, you should be following the Postal Museum (@postalmuseum) for their daily #PostalQuiz and other philatelic factoids.

Biodiversity Heritage Library: As part of the Biodiversity Heritage Library consortium, the Smithsonian Libraries collects and digitizes biodiversity research for open online access—essentially, a bio-wiki. Check out @biodivlibrary for the species of the day: plants that eat worms, albino penguins and other bizarre creatures you never knew existed.

Archives of American Art Pinterest: The American Art Pinterest lets you browse the archives and “pin” the images you like to your virtual board. Mix and match from collections like “facial hair of note” and “ain’t no party like an artist’s party.”

Book Dragon: The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program’s Book Dragon is the pet project of former APA Media Arts Consultant Terry Hong, featuring reviews of “books for the multi-cultural reader.” Hong highlights literature for kids and adults alike that speaks to the Asian American experience. Follow her at @SIBookDragon.

Smithsonian Vids: For a moving view of the Institution, follow @SmithsonianVids. Meet a scientist studying frog-eating bats, or get a video tour of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings from Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart.

Smithsonian Marine Station: This Natural History Museum field station, located in Fort Pierce, Florida, tweets news updates and photos from the field (er, coral reef) @SmithsonianSMS. Plus, there’s #followfriday trivia every week.

Field Book Project: Also, from the Natural History Museum and the Smithsonian Institution Archives check out this blog, where researchers post updates on their initiative to compile an online database of field books and journals documenting biodiversity research. Besides progress updates, you’ll also find excerpts of century-old field notes from explorers, birdwatchers and scientists (including lots of fun, old-timey sketches) and learn a lot more than you ever thought there was to know about indices.

Encyclopedia of Life: Take your best shot and enter the picture in the Smithsonian’s Encyclopedia of Life Flickr photo contest. The bi-weekly contest could be (and has been) any theme from “backyard life” to “sexual dimorphism.” Even if you don’t enter, be sure to browse the entries for gems like this.

And of course, if you’re not following them already, the museums are always Tweeting up a storm. Here’s the checklist:

American Indian Museum: @SmithsonianNMAI

National Portrait Gallery: @npg

American Art Museum: @americanart

Anacostia Community Museum: @anacostiamuseum

American History Museum: @amhistorymuseum

Air and Space Museum: @airandspace

Museum of Natural History: @NMNH

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden: @hirshhorn

Freer and Sackler Galleries: @FreerSackler

Museum of African Art: @NMAfA

National Zoo: @NationalZoo

Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum: @cooperhewitt

Smithsonian: @Smithsonian

Honor Martin Luther King, Jr. this weekend. Image courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery.

Friday, January 13 Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King Jr.

Celebrate the birthday of the civil rights leader at the Anacostia Community Museum’s 27th annual event, featuring keynote speaker Harry E. Johnson Sr., President and CEO of the Washington, D.C., Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation and a step performance by the Omicron Eta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Free. 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Baird Auditorium, Natural History Museum.

Saturday, January 14 To the Mountaintop
The timeless words that stirred a nation come alive as actor Xavier Carnegie presents selections from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s most powerful speeches and sermons. The combination of live performance, historic photographs and audio recordings goes a step beyond “I have a dream” to honor the legacy of all who struggled for a more perfect union. Free. 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. repeats Sunday and Monday. Flag Hall, American History Museum.

Sunday, January 15 Native Dance

As the Native Storytelling Festival wraps up, enjoy a final performance by the singers, dancers and drummers from St. Labre Indian School in Montana. The group, under the guidance of Benjamin Headswift, draws on a rich cultural heritage that includes Crow and Northern Cheyenne cultures. They will perform the Grass Dance, the Crow Hop, and several other pow-wow style dances. Stick around afterwards to meet the students. Free. 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. National Museum of the American Indian.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.

Theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss. Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Residents Associates.

Renowned theoretical physicist, author and professor Lawrence Krauss is visiting the Natural History Museum tomorrow to present a lecture titled “On the Universe and Nothingness.” Although tickets for this fascinating and thought-provoking talk are sold out (call the Residents Associates box office at 202-633-3030 to be placed on the wait list), we took the opportunity to speak with Dr. Krauss about his insights in physics, his role as a public intellectual and the wonder he sees in the universe.

Your book, A Universe From Nothing, attempts to explain where the universe came from and why it exists. What’s it like trying to explain these complex theoretical physics concepts to a general audience?

It’s always a challenge to do that, but it’s an exciting challenge. Because—it sounds trite, but it’s true—if you can’t explain something, you don’t really understand it. And I’ve often found in my writing that in the process of trying to write something to explain it to people, in a way, I’ve actually had new insights into the material, and it’s actually taught me things.

The other part about it is, I think that we hesitate to do this at our peril. Because one of the things that makes science so wonderful is that some of the most exciting ideas that humans have ever come up with—some of the most intriguing and beautiful ones—have come up in science. And we owe it to people to try to explain it. I think there’s that ‘aha’ experience that’s almost sort of orgasmic. If this really is the pinnacle of human creative thought, then we owe it to people—just like we do in art and literature—to expose them to the very best about what it means to be human.

The main point of the book is trying to explain why indeed there is something—why there is matter—rather than nothing. If you were to explain that to a layperson in the most basic way possible, what would you say?

If you ask people what ‘nothing’ is, a lot of people might say, for example, ‘well, just emptiness, empty space.’ But we now realize that that kind of nothing—namely, empty space—not only creates something every second, but that kind of ‘nothing’ is unstable. Quantum mechanics says that out of empty space, because of quantum mechanical fluctuations, things appear all the time. If you wait long enough, something will always arise from that kind of nothing.

Now when I say that, then people say, ‘well, but that’s not really nothing, because space is already there.’ But if you apply the laws of quantum mechanics to space itself, the ideas of quantum gravity—which we have to do if we apply quantum mechanics to general relativity—then even space itself can arise from nothing. There can literally be no space, and suddenly a universe can pop into existence. That, again, is required—it’ll happen all the time.

And then people say, that’s not nothing, because the laws for physics were there. But I point out that our theories have driven us to the notion that our universe is not unique, that there may be many universes with different laws of physics, and we can understand that even the laws themselves may arise spontaneously. There may be different laws in each universe, and we may find ourselves in this universe simply because the laws of physics allow us to exist.

I don’t think this makes the universe any less mysterious, or awesome, or inspiring. In fact, in some sense, it makes it more inspiring to imagine the remarkable set of circumstances and properties that led to our existence here today. Knowing how it actually happened is like what Richard Dawkins used to say about a rainbow: knowing how a rainbow works doesn’t make it any less beautiful.

You’re widely identified as a public intellectual, and have been involved in the debate over teaching intelligent design in schools. What motivates you to take on this role?

Science is the basis of our modern world. And if you want to make sensible decisions, especially policy decisions—about not only education but about the world—they should be based in reality. I don’t want everyone to become a physics expert, but I want people to have enough perspective to know the difference between sense and nonsense.

That aside, I get angry when people are lying to the public, and I usually write when I get angry. And I’m particularly interested in education—I think we owe it to our children to give them the best science education they can get, especially if they want to be competitive in the 21st century. The countries that will be competitive, economically, are the ones who have an educated workforce that’s capable of dealing with the scientific and technological advances that are going to drive the 21st century.

And I get really upset when I see people not only not trying to educate students better, but in fact trying to do the exact opposite. We don’t educate them well enough about biology or physics, for example, and for people to try knowingly to keep our students ignorant, it made me very upset, and I felt it was very important for me to enter the discussion.

This past year’s big news in physics came out of the Large Hadron Collider in Europe, where some evidence has suggested the existence of the long-sought Higgs Boson particle. What is exciting about this?

For New Scientist I wrote a piece explaining the Higgs Boson, what’s it all about, what makes it exciting, and what the good and bad is. It really means something remarkable—it means that our mass, and the mass of everything we see, the reason we exist—is all an accident. It says that empty space is endowed with these weird properties, so when particles travel through it, they interact with this field that permeates space. It’s like walking through molasses. Some particles interact with it more strongly, and they act like they’re more massive, and other particles interact with it less strongly. They can move through it more easily and can act like they’re less massive. But at a fundamental level, without that molasses, it’d all be massless. So it says that basically, our entire perception of the universe in which we live—indeed our own existence—is an accident of circumstances of the existence of this field permeating empty space.

If it’s really true, it’s an amazing vindication of 40 years of the most remarkable theoretical edifice that was built to describe nature. It would be remarkable if it were true, because most often, nature surprises us, and proves us wrong. In some sense, I was kind of hoping the Higgs wouldn’t be discovered at CERN, because if you’re a theoretical physicist, the two most exciting states to be in are wrong and confused.

See Warhol through an artist's eyes in Talking With Andy on January 11. Image courtesy of the Hirshhorn .

January 10 Mission: Impossible in IMAX

Some Hollywood action is taking shape at Smithsonian’s IMAX theaters with the arrival of the new thriller Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol starring Tom Cruise. When the IMF is shut down after being implicated in a global terrorist plot, agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) takes his new team undercover to clear the organization’s name and stop the attack. Rated PG 13. $15/adult; $12/members; $14/senior; $13.50/under 12. 5:30 p.m., 8:10 p.m. and Friday/Saturday nights 10:40 p.m. in the Johnson Theater at the Natural History Museum; 5:40 p.m., 8:10 p.m. and 10:40 p.m. in the Airbus Theater at Udvar-Hazy Center.

Wednesday, January 11 Talking about Andy

Explore the iconic legacy of Andy Warhol with acclaimed contemporary artist Kara Walker. Among the youngest people ever to win a MacArthur Genius Grant, Walker is known for her unblinking treatment of race and oppression. Join her in a discussion of one of her earliest influences, and learn more about Warhol’s role in the melding of pop culture and fine art. Free. 7:00 p.m. Ring Auditorium, Hirshhorn Museum.

Thursday, January 12 Webby Talk

Stay on the cutting edge of today’s digital trends with David-Michel Davies, executive director of the Webby Awards, in a discussion of the most innovative work happening on the Web. Every year, the Webby Awards highlights work from more than 10,000 entries from around the world. Based on these entries, Webby Talks present questions on the newest developments in social media, interactive advertising, content creation, and more. Free. 3 p.m. Ring Auditorium, Hirshhorn Museum.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.

Tuesday, January 3 Discovery Room

Bring children and students to the Discovery Room for a chance to do hands-on activities with real museum objects and artifacts. Visitors are able to use scientific equipment to examine fossils, skulls and shells, and museum docents are available to answer questions. Come to learn about everything from dinosaurs to ancient Egypt. Free. Open Tuesday through Thursday 12 to 2:30 p.m. and weekends 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For school groups, reservation required. Natural History Museum, 1st floor, East wing.

Wednesday, January 4 Creating A Totem Pole

Master carvers David Boxley and his son, David Boxley Jr., of the Tsimshian nation of Washington State, are building a specially-commissioned 22-foot totem pole for the American Indian Museum’s main Potomac Atrium.  Watch these artists-in-residence complete and paint the totem pole, and learn about the carving tradition and stories expressed in these items. Free. Daily 10 a..m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. through January 11. American Indian Museum, Potomac Atrium.

Thursday, January 5 Tarantula Feedings

Come see the Natural History Museum’s resident tarantula population enjoy mealtime. Museum volunteers put on feeding demonstrations daily, where you can touch and hold the Insect Zoo’s creatures while watching them chow down on crickets and other tasty treats. Tarantula feedings take place year-round from Tuesday to Friday at 10:30, 11:30 and 1:30,  and at 11:30, 12:30 and 1:30 on Saturday and Sunday. Free. Natural History Museum, O. Orkin Insect Zoo.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.

A budding star spits out jets of superheated gas and dust in the Carina Nebula. Photo courtesy of NASA/ESA/M.Livio/STScI

A tour of the Natural History Museum might lead you from an exhibition on dinosaurs to one about ocean creatures. You might read about how hominids evolved millions of years ago, how our planet’s continents have moved, or how early creatures evolved when the atmosphere was practically devoid of oxygen. The time scale of natural history, you realize, is almost unimaginably large.

But if you enter the museum’s new exhibition, “The Evolving Universe“—a show featuring photography from some of the most powerful telescopes ever created—you’ll find yourself even more astounded. Set against the backdrop of the known universe, the history of our dear planet seems nearly irrelevant. Hundreds of billions of stars like our sun are born out of supernovae several light years wide (each light year is longer than five trillion miles) and are destined to die, once again exploding into supernovas, billions of years later. Thousands of galaxies, some containing trillions of stars like our sun, are continuously being born and evolving.

Although these concepts can be difficult to comprehend and even harder to visualize, the stunning photos that make up the exhibition show the visitor just how awe-inspiring these astronomical events can be. They put the latest CGI graphics from 3-D blockbuster films to shame. “Part of our mission is sharing science with the public, and so we felt that doing this exhibit and showing these images is a great way to do that,” says Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, which partnered with the museum in creating the exhibition. The large-scale photographs in the show were produced by a number of telescopes, both Earth and space-based, including the Hubble Space Telescope.

A black hole at the center of the Centaurus A galaxy spews jets of gas outward. Photo courtesy of NASA/CFX/CfA,MPiFR/ESO/APEX

“We’ve all seen the amazing pictures from NASA’s probes in our own solar system,” says McDowell. “I’m excited about bringing to the public the remarkable images of the broader universe that we astronomers have been exploring with our telescopes. I hope that with this exhibition visitors will take away an appreciation for our larger cosmic neighborhood.”

The show—and accompanying website—use these images to tell the story of our universe, from start to present. The Big Bang, the creation of galaxies, the birth of the Milky Way and the formation of our own solar system are represented in rich images so full of detail that they need to be observed for minutes at a time, like pieces of art hung on the wall.

What might be most remarkable is that the actual images created by the telescopes are themselves ancient history. Because light takes so long to travel from the far-flung reaches of space, when we photograph distant galaxies, the light that hits the camera’s lens to produce the image left its home galaxy billions of years ago. These pictures show some of the celestial objects as they were before humans even existed. And so we have a font-row seat to watch the earliest stages of the universe’s creation, if we look deep enough into space, more than 13 billion years later.

When wandering the exhibition, one might be overwhelmed by the torrent of information presented on scales that are downright otherworldly. How does our planet, so tiny and new, fit into all of this?

The best metaphor to understand earth’s place in the universe might be that of astrophysicist, author and recent Around the Mall blog subject Carl Sagan. In his book Pale Blue Dot, he describes a far-off view of the Earth from the outer reaches of the solar system:

From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of any particular interest. But for us, it’s different. Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

In the scheme of the known universe—of supernovae and galaxies and nebulas and black holes—our whole planet starts to look like a speck of dust, floating in the sunlight.

The Evolving Universe is on view at the Natural History Museum through July 7, 2013

With the holiday season upon us, here’s a different sort of gift list: some of the most interesting, important and surprising diplomatic gifts given the U.S. over the past two centuries. The Natural History Museum‘s Department of Anthropology is home to hundreds of ceremonial items bestowed upon U.S. presidents and officials. Anthropologist Deborah Hull-Walski spoke with us about some of the most notable gifts in the collection.

1. Omani Cashmere Shawl: “The earliest presidential gifts in the Department of Anthropology were presented by the Sultan of Muskat and Oman, to President Martin Van Buren,” Hull-Walksi says. After Van Buren established the first U.S. consulate in an Arab Gulf State, the Sultan responded generously. Among his 1840 gifts were a number of luxurious cashmere shawls, some of the earliest diplomatic gifts held in the collection, along with pearls, carpet, perfumes and Arabian horses. Legend has it that he even presented several lions to honor America, which were briefly held at the American consulate.

2. Japanese Saddle: In 1858, Japan signed the Treaty of Commerce and Friendship with the U.S., its first treaty with any Western nation. As a result, in 1860, the Emperor sent a delegation to the U.S. for the first time, which came bearing gifts for President James Buchanan. The items included a traditional saddle, made of wood and leather, and embellished with gold lacquer and pearls. “The gifts given to President James Buchanan from the Emperor of Japan conveyed the hopes of continuing diplomatic relations between the Japanese and the American people,” says Hull-Walski.

A bronze Buddha sculpture presented by Nepal to President Truman. Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Dept. of Anthropology

3. Zuni Bear Claw Necklace: During an era of increased U.S. involvement overseas, Theodore Roosevelt received gifts from a number of countries, but one of the most unusual came from a sovereign American Indian nation: the Zuni people of New Mexico. Along with a prayer stick and ritual figurines was a necklace made out of the paws of a bear killed over 50 years earlier. “This item was given specifically to Roosevelt as a mark of high esteem for him as a great hunter of the cougar and bear,” Hull-Walski says.

4. Nepali Buddha Figurine: In 1945, after completing a round of postwar trade negotiations, President Harry Truman received a number of gifts from Nepal. His Highness the Maharaja Rana of Nepal said that the items were to help “remind him of far-off Nepal” in future years. This intricate Buddha sculpture, cast in brass, was among the items that Truman passed along to the Smithsonian Institution.

5. Hopi Kachina Doll: This doll, created by Hopi artist Joe Gash, was presented to then-Vice President George H. W. Bush in 1981. The Hopis create the cottonwood dolls as effigies to represent the ceremonial Kachina spirit. The doll is the most recent diplomatic gift to make it to the Smithsonian archives, as more recent gifts have been donated to Presidential libraries across the country.

Join curators to learn about "Pair of Prickly Pairs" as part of a gallery talk. Photo courtesy of the Renwick Gallery

Monday, December 19 Fly Me To Mars

Author and illustrator Catherine Weitz’ award-winning children’s book Fly Me To Mars tells the story of wayward planet on a fantasy journey. Weitz, a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, focuses on Mars geology in her research. Come meet Dr. Weitz and have your copy of the book signed in time for the holidays. Free. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Air and Space Museum, at the entrance to the museum store.

Tuesday, December 20 Holiday Arts and Crafts

Join museum staff for a morning of arts and craft making with a holiday theme. Participants will have their own chance to create memorable ornaments with materials provided by the museum. Free; please call 202 633 4844 to make reservations. 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Anacostia Community Museum, program room.

Wednesday, December 21 American Craft Masterpieces

As part of the Renwick’s monthly gallery talks series, experts discuss the masterpieces in small, intimate groups. This month, join Rebecca Robinson as she provides insight into Jon Eric Riis’ Pair of Prickly Pairs. Riis is an internationally-known tapestry artist whose intricate works often incorporate precious materials such as metallic and silk threads. Pair of Prickly Pairs was acquired by the museum in 2001 and features an unusual cactus-like roughness on the surface of the fruits that was produced with the incorporation of glass seed beads into the work. Free. 12 p.m. Renwick Gallery, first floor lobby.

Thursday, December 22 Butterfly Pavilion

Come out of the chill of winter and discover a tropical oasis in the middle of the Mall. Located next to the “Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution” exhibit at the Natural History Museum, the Butterfly Pavilion is home to hundreds of rare butterflies and exotic plants from all over the world. Tickets are required, and can be purchased in person at the Butterfly Pavilion Box Office or online. $6 for adults, $5.50 for seniors (60+), $5 for children (2 to 12), and $5 for members. Natural History Museum, 2nd Floor West, open 10:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.

Enjoy an acoustic performance by John Davis of the DC-based group Title Tracks. Photo courtesy of the American Art Museum

Friday, December 16 Happy Feet Two

See the sequel to the wildly popular 2006 hit Happy Feet in full IMAX 3D. In Happy Feet Two, the emperor penguin Mumble must confront a new challenge as his son runs away and joins a rival group. The film is voiced by a star-studded cast including Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon. Tickets are $15, and are available online. Showings at 5:40 p.m. daily, from Dec. 16 through Jan. 10. Natural History Museum, Samuel C. Johnson IMAX Theater.

Saturday, December 17 All About Me in D.C.

Come meet children’s author and illustrator Corkey Hay DeSimone, author of All About Me in D.C. The book is a unique kid-friendly guide to the nation’s capital, featuring trivia, fun facts, maps, polls, full color graphics and spots to jot down your own thoughts and draw what you see during your visit. Take this chance to have your copy of the book, available for sale in the museum store, autographed by the author. Free. 12 to 3 p.m. Natural History Museum, outside museum store.

Sunday, December 18 Title Tracks Unplugged

As part of the Luce Foundation Center‘s “Unplugged” series of intimate acoustic concerts with emerging artists, enjoy a performance by John Davis, frontman of the local D.C. group Title Tracks. Davis’ work draws influence from power pop, rock, and indie music. Get there early because a staff-led art talk through the museum kicks off the event. Free. Art talk meets in F St. lobby at 1:30 p.m., followed by concert in Luce Foundation Center, 3rd floor, at 2 p.m. American Art Museum.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.

Meet Oglala Lakota Angela Babby, the creator of "Mountain Chief" and other enameled mosaic works. Photo courtesy of the American Indian Museum.

Monday, December 12 Discovery Theater: Seasons of Light

This popular annual event captures the warmth of the holidays and provides a great interactive experience for children, ages 5 to 10. In this theater performance, audience members will have the chance to explore the customs and history of Diwali, Ramadan, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and more. Bring the whole family for a educational event. Tickets are $5 for Residents Associates members, $6 for children non-members, and $8 for the general public. 10:15, with a repeat performance at 11:30 daily, weekdays through Dec. 23. Ripley Center.

Tuesday, December 13 The Expert is In

As part of the Natural History Museum’s “The Expert Is In” series, where  curators are stationed within exhibitions to provide visitors with fascinating background information, bird specialist Carla Dove will speak about bird identification. When birds collide with aircraft, highly trained scientists are able to identify species and other information from feathers and small fragments. Listen to Dove’s expert perspective and ask your own questions. Free. 1 to 3 p.m. Natural History Museum, “More Than Meets the Eye” exhibition, 1st floor.

Wednesday, December 14 Day With the Artists

The American Indian Museum’s Artist Leadership Program enables Native artists to build their skills in various contemporary mediums and return to their communities to share their knowledge through art. Take this chance to meet two recipients of the program: Angela Babby, an Oglala Lakota who works with enameled glass mosaics, and Leah White Horse-Mata, from Northern California’s Northern Chumash area, who researches traditional regalia and jewelry. Free. 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. American Indian Museum, Room 4018/4019.

Thursday, December 15 Holiday Jazz

Come for a festive holiday-themed jazz concert with the local DC group “The Minor Thoughts Quartet.” The group, according to its website, plays a “repertoire of straight ahead jazz standards, post-bop, and Lain-influenced jazz.” Attend this performance of the “Take 5!” series to hear their take on the seasonal classics and put a little pizzazz in your holidays. Free. 5 to 7 p.m. American Art Museum, Kogod Courtyard.

For a complete listing of Smithsonian events and exhibitions visit the goSmithsonian Visitors Guide. Additional reporting by Michelle Strange.