The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D. C. United States, it is open 364 days a year. In 2016, with 7.1 million visitors, it was the eleventh most visited museum in the world and the most visited natural history museum in the world. Opened in 1910, the museum on the National Mall was one of the first Smithsonian buildings constructed to hold the national collections and research facilities; the main building has an overall area of 1,500,000 square feet with 325,000 square feet of exhibition and public space and houses over 1,000 employees. The museum's collections contain over 145 million specimens of plants, fossils, rocks, human remains, human cultural artifacts, the largest natural history collection in the world, it is home to about 185 professional natural history scientists—the largest group of scientists dedicated to the study of natural and cultural history in the world.

The United States National Museum was founded in 1846 as part of the Smithsonian Institution. The museum was housed in the Smithsonian Institution Building, better known today as the Smithsonian Castle. A formal exhibit hall opened in 1858; the growing collection led to the construction of the National Museum Building. Covering a then-enormous 2.25 acres, it was built in just 15 months at a cost of $310,000. It opened in March 1881. Congress authorized construction of a new building on June 28, 1902. On January 29, 1903, a special committee composed of members of Congress and representatives from the Smithsonian's board of regents published a report asking Congress to fund a much larger structure than planned; the regents began considering sites for the new building in March, by April 12 settled on a site on the north side of B Street NW between 9th and 12th Streets. The D. C. architectural firm of Hornblower & Marshall was chosen to design the structure. Testing of the soil for the foundations was set for July 1903, with construction expected to take three years.

The Natural History Building opened its doors to the public on March 17, 1910, in order to provide the Smithsonian Institution with more space for collections and research. The building was not completed until June 1911; the structure cost $3.5 million dollars. The Neoclassical style building was the first structure constructed on the north side of the National Mall as part of the 1901 McMillan Commission plan. In addition to the Smithsonian's natural history collection, it housed the American history and cultural collections. Between 1981 and 2003, the National Museum of Natural History had 11 acting directors. There were six directors alone between 1990 and 2002. Turnover was high as the museum's directors were disenchanted by low levels of funding and the Smithsonian's inability to define the museum's mission. Robert W. Fri was named the museum's director in 1996. One of the largest donations in Smithsonian history was made during Fri's tenure. Kenneth E. Behring donated $20 million in 1997 to modernize the museum.

Fri resigned in 2001 after disagreeing with Smithsonian leadership over the reorganization of the museum's scientific research programs. J. Dennis O'Connor, Provost of the Smithsonian Institution was named acting director of the museum on July 25, 2001. Eight months O'Conner resigned to become the vice president of research and dean of the graduate school at the University of Maryland. Douglas Erwin, a paleontologist at the National Museum of Natural History, was appointed interim director in June 2002. In January 2003, the Smithsonian announced that Cristián Samper, a Colombian with an M. Sc. and Ph. D. from Harvard University, would become the museum's permanent director on March 31, 2003. Samper founded the Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute and ran the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute after 2001. Smithsonian officials said. Under Samper's direction, the museum opened the $100 million Behring Hall of Mammals in November 2003, received $60 million in 2004 for the Sant Hall of Oceans, received a $1 million gift from Tiffany & Co. for the purchase of precious gems for the National Gem Collection.

On March 25, 2007, Lawrence M. Small, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and the organization's highest-ranking appointed official, resigned abruptly after public reports of lavish spending. On March 27, 2007 Samper was appointed Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian. Paul G. Risser, former chancellor of the University of Oklahoma, was named Acting Director of the Museum of Natural History on March 29. Samper's tenure at the museum was not without controversy. In May 2007, Robert Sullivan, the former associate director in charge of exhibitions at the National Museum of Natural History, charged that Samper and Smithsonian Undersecretary for Science David Evans ordered "last minute" changes in the exhibit "Arctic: A Friend Acting Strangely" to tone down the role of human beings in the discussion of global warming, to make global warming seem more uncertain than depicted. Samper denied that he knew of any scientific objections to the changes, said that no political pressure had been applied to the Smithsonian to make the changes.

In November 2007, The Washington Post reported that an interagency group of sci

"The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification" is the second episode of the fourth season of The Big Bang Theory that first aired on CBS on September 30, 2010. It is the 65th episode overall; the episode features a guest appearance by co-founder of Apple Inc.. Sheldon attempts to work out when he is going to die, estimates that he has 60 years to live at most, he concludes that he will miss "the singularity", a point in time in which technology will be advanced enough for him to transfer his brain into a machine and live forever. Based on this, he alters his diet, replacing pizza with cruciferous vegetables on Thursdays, beginning with brussel sprouts, he makes the decision to start exercising and after Raj points out that Penny jogs, the two decide to go jogging together. At nighttime, Sheldon knocks on Leonard's bedroom in distress, claiming to have cholera; when Leonard dismisses this, he suggests some unlikely alternatives, while Leonard thinks he may have appendicitis. Before they can go to the hospital, Sheldon farts loudly.

Sheldon suggests. Sheldon meets up with Penny to go jogging and she attempts to get him to warm up. After he fails to touch his toes, she says. Sheldon falls; as a result of his failed attempts to have a healthier lifestyle, Sheldon creates a "mobile virtual presence device": a robot which will replace him, performing his normal tasks while controlled by Sheldon from his bedroom. Leonard tries to convince him that the robot is crazy, but Sheldon refuses to listen to him as he believes it will increase his lifespan. Sheldon cites Section 74C of the Roommate Agreement, which requires Leonard to assist him in the event that he becomes a robot. Leonard is irritated by the robot. Leonard, taken by surprise, nearly crashes and is furious that he "almost died", while Sheldon is home "...safe and sound in bed". Sheldon asks Leonard "Who's crazy now?". At the Cheesecake Factory, the gang spot Steve Wozniak and Sheldon converses with him through the robot. Sheldon says he has a 1977 Apple II, Wozniak says that he would sign it if he had it there.

Sheldon rushes to meet him but trips and falls down the stairs again, breaking the Apple II. Penny is forced to sing "Soft Kitty" to Sheldon's presence device. On the night of its first broadcast on September 30, 2010, the episode was watched by 13.06 million households in the U. S. Based on Nielsen ratings, the episode received a 7.6 rating/13 share. Between viewers aged between 18 and 49, it received a 4.4 rating/14 share. In Canada, the episode had 2.96 million viewers and a weekly rating of 1. In the UK, the episode first aired on November 11, 2010. Watched on E4 by 0.88 million viewers and 0.26 million households on E4 +1, the episode had ranks of 1 and 6 on each channel, respectively. It had a total of 1.06 million viewers on the channels combined. In Australia, the episode was watched by 1.18 million on October 27, 2010. It had a nightly ranking of 5; the TV Critic rated the episode 56 out of 100, stating that "the story is a solid idea" but that the writers were "overloading on Sheldon jokes".

Emily VanDerWerff of The A. V. Club complimented the scene in the car, saying that Parson and Galecki's "chemistry was used to its fullest extent" and praising the inventive uses of the presence device, she gave it a B. Jenna Busch of IGN enjoyed the episode, rating it 8.5 out of 10. "The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification" at CBS.com "The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification" on IMDb "The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification" at TV.com

"Warning Signs" is the third episode of the ninth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on October 21, 2018. It was directed by Dan Liu. Construction on the bridge continues; as she promised to Michonne, Maggie brings a wagon load of supplies from the Hilltop to the Sanctuary when she is stopped by a group of Saviors who are looking for their missing member, Justin. Some of the Saviors start calling Maggie "the Widow", the name Negan had used demeaningly, but Arat and Laura, two of the lead Saviors put a stop to it; as they discuss this, the re-animated body of Justin appears from the woods. After they put it down, it is clear; as word of Justin's murder spreads, tempers start to flare at the construction camp between the Saviors and the other groups. Rick promises the Saviors they will investigate. Rick starts talking to his own people to see. Fr. Gabriel, to be on watch with Anne but had secretly stepped away, reports seeing nothing. Daryl is somewhat affronted.

Gabriel speaks to Anne but she affirms she saw nothing, though in reality she had seen a helicopter pass over. Anne expresses concern that she feels she is distrusted by the Saviors, having been called "the Garbage Lady". Rick decides to pair off several teams to look for clues in the area for Justin's killer. One team includes Maggie and Cyndie, who find walkers being drawn towards a house where a piece of sheet metal hangs off its roof, making noise; as they approach the house to clear it out and stop the noise, Cyndie explains this is where some of her Oceanside members used to live before Simon and the Saviors came and killed all their men. Maggie and Cyndie work to clear the house but get into a bit of trouble just before Rick and other pairs arrive, dispatching the walkers, they find one team and Beatrice, that should have been closer to help not present, out of radio contact. They go looking for the two, find Beatrice knocked unconscious, while Arat's things have been left on the ground nearby.

Regrouping at camp and his most trusted allies decide to break off and search again, but without any Savior help, in case they are at fault. Rick and Carol go off as one group, they run into some of the Saviors led by Jed. Jed holds Carol under a knife, demanding Rick drop his weapon so they can safely return to Sanctuary, but Carol manages to overpower Jed and stab him in the shoulder. Daryl and Maggie find a few walker bodies, one with a harpoon through it, follow them back to a recover center building where several Oceanside members, including Cyndie and Beatrice, are holding Arat. Cyndie reveals they have been the ones behind some of the Savior deaths, getting back at those that had murdered their husbands and brothers, justified by Maggie's decision to hang Gregory. Arat was responsible for Cyndie's brother's death, Cyndie remembers what Arat had said when they executed their men: "No exceptions". After hearing this and Daryl turn away, while Cyndie executes Arat. Anne returns to the Scavengers' junk yard.

She locates a hidden cache and recovers a radio with which she makes a call requesting a pickup by helicopter. The male voice on the other end asks if she has an "A" or a "B"; the man tells her to be ready the next day but only if she has an "A". As the call ends, Anne sees that Gabriel had overheard the call. Gabriel deduces that Anne had traded people to this unknown agent for supplies, had planned to do that with both Rick and him earlier. Anne suggests that if he helps her, he could possibly join them. Gabriel refuses and plans to tell Rick, she tells him she once thought of him as a "B" but he might be the "A" she needs. The next day, the bulk of the Saviors leave the construction camp to return to Sanctuary. Maggie and Daryl walk along a different path; the cabin which Maggie and Cyndie clear out of walkers was arranged to be a homage to George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead; the setting around the cabin includes a burnt-out gas pump and a pickup truck, the latter with the charred remains of a passenger, an Easter egg to events from the film.

Anne's "A" and "B" were elements that the production team had laid in before in earlier episodes in Season 8, where Rick, having being taken prisoner by Anne, kept him locked up in a storage container labeled "A". This episode marks the departure of the recurring characters Arat and Justin, due to their characters being killed by Beatrice. Elizabeth Ludlow first appeared in the seventh season episode "The Cell". "Warning Signs" received critical acclaim from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the episode has an approval rating of 100% with an average score of 8.43 out of 10 based on 17 reviews. The critical consensus reads:'"Warning Signs" balances skillfully built suspense with rare moments of respite to create one of the best installments of The Walking Dead in years.' "Warning Signs" received a total viewership of 5.04 million with a 1.9 rating in adults aged 18–49. It was the highest-rated cable program of the night, the episode marked a slight increase in viewership from the previous week, which had 4.95 million viewers.

"Warning Signs" at AMC "Warning Signs" on IMDb "Warning Signs" at TV.com