Scientific Publications

Scientific Publications offers a window into the exciting discoveries of Academy scientists, whose research forms the basis of knowledge regarding the evolution and dispersal of many different species of plants and animals.

The Scientific Publications Department at the California Academy of Sciences has published a vast amount of scientific literature since 1854, representing an array of natural history disciplines. The Academy’s original focus of exploring and explaining the fauna and flora of the western United States quickly expanded to include discoveries from all over the world—most notably the Galápagos Islands, the Pacific Islands, western North America and Mexico, China, Madagascar, Myanmar, the Philippines, New Guinea, southwest Asia, Africa and the islands of the Gulf of Guinea.

Through research and publication, our scientists are creating integral global relationships with their foreign counterparts and several communities. These collaborations often lead to an exchange of ideas and information, new educational programs and opportunities, the establishment of museums or naturalist centers, and unique conservation projects dedicated to protecting species and habitats that are under threat.