Desert meteorites. A collection of 921 meteorites recovered from the Sahara Desert in Algeria and Libya and from the Oman desert were recently acquired by the Department of Mineral Sciences in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. The collection includes a rare lunar breccia and a remarkable carbonaceous chondrite that may be the best known record to date of the materials and processes that operated in the Solar Nebula before the formation of planets.The acquisition of these rare meteorites from a private collector ensures that they are now permanently available to researchers.

Leading ladies. At a January ceremony in the historic El Portal Theater in North Hollywood, Calif., nine legendary leading ladies of American motion pictures, television and Broadway gathered to donate objects from their award-winning careers to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center. The items included Carol Channing’s diamond dress from the Broadway production “Lorelei”; Tippi Hedren’s script from the movie “The Birds”; Florence Henderson’s People’s Choice Award; Angela Lansbury’s costume from the Broadway hit “Mame”; June Lockhart’s 1947 Tony Award; Julie Newmar’s original Catwoman suit from the TV show “Batman”; and a bequest of Esther William’s scrapbooks from her days as an MGM star.

Museum study. Freelon Bond, an architectural and design association, has been hired by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture to conduct an 18-month study to examine the various needs of the new museum—technology, acoustics, fire protection and security—which is expected to open in 2015 in Washington, D.C. The study team is holding a series of meetings and focus groups across the country to gather ideas about what type of visitor-oriented features should be included in the museum.

Portrait Gallery. Martin Sullivan, chief executive officer of the Historic St. Mary’s City Commission in Maryland, was named director of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, effective April 28. Sullivan also has served as director of the Heard Museum, an internationally renowned museum of American Indian cultures and art in Phoenix; director of the New York State Museum in Albany; and as assistant commissioner for museums in the New York State Education Department. Sullivan succeeds Marc Pachter, who retired as director of the Portrait Gallery on Jan. 25.

New lizard. A distinctive new species of Anolis lizard was recently discovered in Panama by a team of scientists that included Roberto Ibánez, a researcher at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Named Anolis kunayalae, the male lizard of this species has an aqua color on its neck and a distinctive orange border on its dewlap—the fold of loose skin under its throat. A unique fourth toe found on A. kunayalae lizards, which average just under 12 inches in length, indicate they may be closely related to two other Panamanian lizards, A. mirus and A. parilis.