This robot was constructed in 1987 by Dr. Kenneth Kinzler and his colleagues at the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center's Molecular Genetics Lab run by Dr. Bert Vogelstein. It was used to conduct PCR in research on the p53 gene, which is linked to 50 percent of human cancers. Polymerase chain reaction,

The history of patenting higher-level organisms began in the mid-1980s with a little guy called OncoMouse. In this episode, host Tory Altman joins Mallory Warner of the Museum's Division of Medicine and Science to talk about the first animal patented in the United States, and some of the ethical

This short video is a great lesson opener on the 1950s and 60s and post-WW2 America. "Ken Kesey's Acid Test Signboard" is the third episode in the NMAH webseries "Founding Fragments." Join host Tory Altman for a behind-the-scenes look at some of our most intriguing and little-known objects.  

This online exhibition uses objects to tell the stories of disabled Americans from the 1800s to the present. The exhibition covers many aspects of life, including home, schools, and institutions, as well as how changes in technology and medicine have impacted the disabled. In addition to the exhi

This site, produced by the National Portrait Gallery, was created to accompany the famous portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart. Each of the resources on the site supports learning about George Washington through transcripts of historical news articles, modern articles about Washington,

In this online exhibition, students will learn how Project HOPE (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere), an American medical philanthropic organization, has impacted global health care. Currently, Project HOPE's education programs in southern Africa, Latin America, Central Europe and disadva

This is the type of jacket that would have been worn by a Confederate medical officer.

This sign was purchased by a North Beach second-hand shop from a proprietor in the neighboring Chinatown district of San Francisco. It is said to date from between 1890 and 1910. If that is so, the sign’s survival is quite miraculous: The 1906 earthquake in April of that year caused much damage

In this episode of the History Explorer podcast series, curator Diane Wendt introduces us to one of the stranger objects in the museum's collection and gives an insight into cod liver oil and its ties to the history of brand marketing. Includes accompanying resources for classroom use.

In the early days of electronic computers, memory was not as efficient or inexpensive as it is today. To save memory space, programs stored as few digits as possible for dates. In COBOL, for instance, January 1, 1999, was stored as 010199. As Year 2000, or Y2K for short, approached, it became app