Stories

Welcome to Stories, a place to explore—and be inspired by—the wonder of our natural and cultural worlds.

Fire north of Montrose-La Crescenta, November 1933.

Research and Collections

How Los Angeles Moved Uncomfortably Close to Mountain Wildfires

A look at L.A.'s growth toward wildfires through historic images from the Seaver Center

Smilodon, Saber-Tooths, and Tigers…Oh My!

How Smilodon became saber-toothed tigers—and why they're really saber-toothed cats

collage image with Mark Langill and Dodger Bobbleheads

Fandom Springs to Life

Mark Langill | Team Historian, Los Angeles Dodgers

Extinction and Survival at La Brea Tar Pits

Groundbreaking new research from La Brea Tar Pits curators finds that in California, 13,000 years ago, huge Ice Age mammals that had roamed the landscape for many millennia, suddenly ceased to exist. The cause? Humans, catastrophic fires, and an ecosystem made vulnerable by climate change.

Wildfire Smoke and Birds

A Q&A with Dr. Olivia Sanderfoot, Director of Project Phoenix

Life reconstruction of fire at La Brea Tar Pits during the Pleistocene as bison are stuck during a wildfire

Why Did the Ice Age Titans Go Extinct?

A new study reveals that human impacts in an environment made fire-prone by climate change and herbivore loss led to large mammals vanishing from southern California.