Exhibition of rarely seen fossils now on display at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History
A huge dinosaur sits outside the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 26, 2016. (Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
(PITTSBURGH) — The Carnegie Museum of Natural History has made the behind-the-scenes inventory of rare fossils and other ancient artifacts available for public viewing for the first time.
The exhibition, dubbed “The Stories We Keep,” features items from the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, museum’s inventory that are typically not displayed, chosen by the researchers and curators who work to preserve them.
Museum curators were inspired to create the exhibition in an effort to display items that wouldn’t otherwise be seen, Sarah Crawford, director of museum experience at Carnegie Museum of Natural History, told ABC News.
Museum staff cares for more than 22 million objects and specimens, less than 1% of which are on view at any given time, similar to other natural history museums around the country, Crawford said. The exhibition was designed in part by asking collection managers to choose objects and specimens to highlight.
“Every fossil, every animal and every object has a story that it can tell about our planet and the universe and our place in it,” Crawford said.
One of the most unique aspects of the exhibition is its Visible Collections display, which features a care lab in which visitors can watch as conservation staff work with fossils and other items in real time.
Guests even have the opportunity to speak with the scientists as they preserve and maintain the items, Crawford said.
When visitors walk in, the first thing they see behind the window is a 40-foot Egyptian funerary boat — the planks of which were all taken apart and individually restored, Crawford said.
Also within the Visible Collections are a cuneiform cylinder from King Nebuchadnezzar II that was made over 2,500 years ago, a fossilized bird feather that was found in Utah from about 48.5 million years ago and the lower jaw of a pygmy hippopotamus.
Currently on display within the Minerals and Earth Science Collection are toxic, radioactive specimens that could potentially kill people, as well as a meteorite that fell in Pennsylvania several years ago.
And a display named “Collecting So Many Bugs” features many of the museum’s 13 million invertebrate specimens, many of which are rare or from habitats that were previously lost.
Museums often do not have the space to display all of their items, or they are still in the process of being prepared and conserved, Crawford said.
The exhibition was unveiled in November and has since struck the curiosity and awe of new and repeat visitors alike.
“Because we have that visible lab, it means that the exhibition could be new every time you come,” Crawford said.
(NEW YORK) — The South is bracing for a potentially major winter storm this weekend, impacting Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee.
The storm is still several days away, so exact timing and locations are not yet clear. But as of now, more than 30 million people are under a winter storm watch, from Dallas to Little Rock, Arkansas, to Huntsville, Alabama, to Nashville, Tennessee.
Snow is expected to develop over the Plains on Friday and a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain is forecast to the south. The storm will become more widespread Saturday morning.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on Tuesday he was activating state emergency response resources ahead of the storm, saying the freezing rain, sleet and snow “could create hazardous travel conditions into the weekend and cause impacts to infrastructure.”
The system will reach the East Coast by Sunday and impacts could linger there into Monday. But the specific timing and what to expect is still unclear.
Debris is wrapped around a tree following a tornado that hit several cities in rural southwest Michigan on March 7, 2026 in Union City, Michigan. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The threat for severe storms continues Saturday for much of the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys.
At least eight people have been confirmed dead this week as severe weather hit Michigan and Oklahoma.
The severe weather threat continues Saturday, with two areas of severe weather (level 2 of 5 severe risk), from Texas to Mississippi, including Houston, Austin, San Antonio and Jackson, where large hail and damaging winds are the main threats. While the tornado threat is low here, a brief tornado cannot be ruled out.
The main threats across the South are large hail and damaging winds, but tornadoes cannot be ruled out.
This severe weather is feeding on well above-average temperatures that are spreading east, some of which may break more daily high temperature records.
This week in Michigan, a large and extremely powerful tornado tore through the city of Three Rivers.
Meanwhile in Oklahoma, a tornado tore through Beggs — a city about 21 miles south of Tulsa — killing two people and injuring two others. The National Weather Service reported that debris being lofted by the tornado was being picked up on weather radar as it was tracking through the city.
A state of emergency has been issued for eight Oklahoma counties “to ensure Oklahomans have the support and resources they need after last night’s storms,” Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a post on X.
Two were injured by a likely tornado just southwest of the Prospect community in Marrion County, Texas.
One was injured after a trailer was reported to be lifted from a likely tornado near Willisville in Nevada County, Arkansas. The local National Weather Service office in Shreveport, Louisiana reported that a tornado debris signature was associated with the storm near Willisville, Arkansas.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was issued until 2:00 p.m. CT for central and eastern Arkansas, the Missouri Bootheel, northern Mississippi and western Tennessee. This includes Little Rock, Arkansas; Greenville, Mississippi; and Memphis, Tennessee.
Multiple confirmed tornadoes On Friday, a 12-year-old boy was killed by a possible tornado in Michigan, according to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office. The boy died of his injuries after being taken to South Bend Memorial Hospital.
At least three injuries were reported from these storms, according to the National Weather Service.
Multiple large structures — including homes and pole barns — sustained damage ranging from major structural impacts to complete destruction in southwest Michigan.
The National Weather Service confirmed 6 tornadoes so far from Thursday night — two in Kansas and four in Oklahoma. The tornado that killed two Thursday night on U.S. Highway 60 near Fairview, Oklahoma — mother and daughter, Jodie and Lexie Owens — was confirmed to be an EF2 tornado with estimated peak winds of 115 to 120 mph.
On Friday, at least three people were confirmed dead and 12 were injured in Branch County, Michigan, and one person was confirmed dead and several others were injured in Cass County, Michigan, according to county officials.
There were also two reported injuries from damaging winds with some storms overnight — one in Columbus, Kansas, when the side of a house was blown away — and one near Lamar Heights, Missouri, when strong winds turned over a semi-truck.
Jeffrey Epstein is seen in this image released by the Department of Justice in Washington, December 19, 2025. (U.S. Justice Department)
(WASHINGTON) — Authorities on Monday began searching a sprawling ranch in New Mexico formerly owned by the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, renewing questions about the steps taken by the U.S. Department of Justice nearly a decade ago.
While the New Mexico Department of Justice has released few details about the new investigation, here is what we know about the ranch and what prompted the renewed scrutiny:
Did the Department of Justice ever search the ranch?
When Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges, the investigation into his alleged illicit activity swept across many of his opulent properties. However, investigators apparently never searched his New Mexico ranch, formerly known as “Zorro Ranch,” according to emails released by the U.S. DOJ earlier this year.
When Epstein was found dead by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019, investigators’ scope broadened, but authorities appear to have never returned to raid the property for potential evidence.
While New Mexico initiated its own investigation into the property, the probe was paused in 2019 at the request of the U.S. DOJ, according to New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez.
What prompted state authorities to re-open their investigation?
In a statement issued last month, the New Mexico DOJ said the investigation was re-opened because “revelations outlined in the previously sealed FBI files warrant further examination.”
The statement did not provide further details about the “revelations,” and state Attorney General Torrez has not publicly commented on which files prompted the investigation. The New Mexico DOJ has not responded to inquiries from ABC News about the scope of the investigation.
However, approximately a week before the New Mexico DOJ opened their investigation, the office received a request from the New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands to investigate an unsubstantiated allegation included in files released by the U.S. DOJ that two bodies were buried in the hills around the ranch.
“On behalf of the New Mexico State Land Office, I am requesting that both the U.S. Department of Justice and the New Mexico Department of Justice thoroughly investigate this disturbing allegation,” New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard said on Feb. 10 in a letter obtained by ABC News.
According to documents released by the U.S. DOJ, a local radio host received an email in November 2019 from an anonymous individual who claimed to have worked at the ranch and alleged that two “foreign girls” were buried on the grounds of the ranch after being strangulated.
The radio host told the FBI that he originally received a demand for one bitcoin in exchange for the location of the bodies and seven videos of sexual abuse.
According to an FBI report memorializing the tip, the host promptly shared the information with the FBI. The report suggested that the tip was received by the FBI and that the radio host spoke with investigators, though it does not appear the claim was investigated further, in part because the email account that sent the tip was deactivated.
The report and materials released by the U.S. DOJ did not include any evidence to corroborate the claims beyond the initial email. The documents and concern from the New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands appear to be part of the reason investigators have re-opened the investigation.
Who owns the ranch now?
Zorro Ranch was sold in 2023 to Texas businessman and politician Don Huffines, who is currently the Republican nominee for Texas’s state comptroller. He was endorsed by President Donald Trump in an upset victory against the incumbent.
In a post on social media, Huffines explained that he was aware of the history of the property when he purchased it in 2023 and that “at the time of the sale, it was marketed that the proceeds would go to the victims.”
He said in the post that he has renamed the ranch “San Rafael” and intends to “to remake it as a Christian retreat, reclaiming it for Jesus.”
The New Mexico DOJ this week said it “appreciates the cooperation of the current property owners in granting access for the search and extends its thanks to the ranch staff for their professionalism.”
It is unclear if the New Mexico DOJ obtained a search warrant for the property or is just operating with the consent of the property owner.
What is the goal of the investigation?
The investigation comes as New Mexico lawmakers are seeking to better understand how Epstein was able to avoid legal scrutiny for years. Last month, the New Mexico House voted unanimously to create an Epstein “Truth Commission” to better understand Epstein’s activities in the state. The commission has subpoena power and a budget of $2 million to carry out its investigation.
In a column last week, Attorney General Torres acknowledged that the state’s investigation faces obstacles but vowed to issue a public report about his findings.
“Epstein has been dead for years. Zorro Ranch has changed ownership. Physical evidence may no longer exist, and the statute of limitations has likely run on many potential offenses. These are real obstacles, and survivors deserve to hear them stated plainly. But we will follow the evidence wherever it leads and leave no credible question unexplored,” Torres said.
