Mauyak, one of eight beluga whales at Shedd Aquarium (Brenna Hernandez / Shedd Aquarium)

Mauyak, a 38-year-old beluga whale, is already mother to 6-year-old Kimalu and is expected to give birth again this summer. 

To monitor the development of penguin eggs, Shedd Aquarium staff use a process known as candling, which involves holding a strong light to the egg to observe inside. (Brenna Hernandez / Shedd Aquarium)

In a process known as egg candling, the aquarium’s animal care staff use a high-powered light to observe the inside of growing penguin eggs to determine whether they are fertile and monitor their development. 

A new exhibit at the Field Museum showcases “The Birds of America,” a groundbreaking book published by painter and ornithologist John James Audubon. (Michelle Kuo / Field Museum)

The groundbreaking book “Birds of America” by painter and ornithologist John James Audubon features intricate watercolor paintings of nearly every bird on the continent. It’s now on display at the Field Museum.

Eric Elshtain, the Field Museum’s first-ever poet-in-residence, interacts with a group of children in the museum’s Stanley Field Hall. (John Weinstein / The Field Museum)

Poet Eric Elshtain is one of the museum’s newest additions, and he represents the institution’s latest effort at using art to change the way visitors interact with nature.

Field Museum scientists remove several bones from Sue the T. Rex on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019. (Eric Manabat / The Field Museum)

What can CT scans tell us about the diseases or injuries Sue the T. Rex might have had? Scientists are hoping to determine just that, but needed to remove several bones Tuesday for testing.

A lioness drinks from a waterhole in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park. (© Isak Pretorius, South Africa)

“Wildlife Photographer of the Year,” based on the prestigious photography competition of the same name, will feature 100 winning photos selected among 45,000 submissions from 95 countries. We preview the show.

(Brenna Hernandez / Shedd Aquarium)

A handful of museums and cultural institutions in and around Chicago are offering free admission to workers affected by the ongoing federal government shutdown. 

Remains of a freshwater shark with teeth shaped like spaceships from the 1980s video game Galaga was discovered in sediment surrounding Sue the T. Rex’s bones. (Velizar Simeonovski / Field Museum)

Tiny fossilized teeth found in sediment that surrounded Sue the T. Rex have led to the classification of a new shark species. 

Sue the T. Rex inside a new “private suite” at the Field Museum (Photos by Alex Ruppenthal / WTTW)

Sue’s new digs present the dinosaur in a more authentic light using technology that has come a long way since the T. Rex skeleton arrived in Chicago more than 20 years ago.

Sue the T. Rex (Courtesy The Field Museum)

Sue’s move to a new 5,100-square-foot home is part of a decadeslong plan to display the dinosaur in a proper scientific context that helps demonstrate why the T. Rex “is widely considered the greatest dinosaur fossil in the world.”

Field Museum conservation technicians Ellen Jordan and J. Kae Good Bear work on the care of cultural materials in the Regenstein Lab. (© Field Museum, photo by John Weinstein)

Many of the displays in the museum’s Native American Hall have gone unchanged since the 1950s. Now, Native American scholars and tribal members will work with the museum to better represent these stories.

A taxidermy mount of the foot of a Cooper’s hawk at the Field Museum (Courtesy The Field Museum)

From Thursday through Sunday, volunteers who help transcribe labels from the museum’s massive collection of physical specimens get free admission for the day and a behind-the-scenes tour.

Interior of a Chicago saloon, 1905 (Chicago Daily News negatives collection / Chicago History Museum)

Visitors to the Field Museum this fall will have a chance to soak up Chicago’s rich beer history, with a focus on the immigrant communities that established the city’s first breweries.

A mother and daughter explore Shedd’s Sensory-Friendly App, designed for guests with autism or a sensory processing disorder, in front of the aquarium’s Caribbean Reef exhibit. (Brenna Hernandez / Shedd Aquarium)

On Oct. 16 and Nov. 14, registered guests will be able to explore all of Shedd’s exhibits in a “comfortable and accepting environment” as part of a new “Calm Waters” program.

(Courtesy of Shatterproof)

“People with this disease are ashamed,” said Gary Mendell, whose son struggled with addiction. He hopes Saturday’s race shows people struggling with addiction they are not alone. “We care about you.”

The Field Museum and Journeyman Distillery are partnering on a gin made with 27 botanicals introduced at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. (Courtesy The Field Museum)

To help mark its 125th anniversary, the Field Museum is preparing to release a gin made in the spirit of one of the biggest events in Chicago history.