The entire collection of rare objects at one of the world’s most famous museums, the Smithsonian , may soon be readily available for other museums and organizations around the world, thanks to 3D printing ! Using oversized 3D scans, the Smithsonian Institute is making a effort to recreate their massive collection, from sculptures to fossils , and make 3D models and a 3D digital archive of each. One of the first specimens, a 3D-printed replica that the Institute made of a Thomas Jefferson statue from Monticello, was just installed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. [via Inhabitat ]