Opened in 2012, the 自然研究中心 is the Museum’s new wing. 在这些展览中, 你 can explore not just what we know about the natural world, 但是我们是怎么知道的呢, 技术, and real live scientists that study the past, 现在, 以及我们星球的未来. 从陨石到猛犸象, 从生物多样性到公民科学, the 自然研究中心 brings it all to life, 就在你眼前.
SECU星球日报
On the outside, it’s a scaled-down replica of our planet. But on the inside, the Daily Planet shows all of Earth’s glorious nature in fine detail. This three-story theater boasts a 42-foot-tall screen filled with colorful images, 视频, 自然科学信息, 肯定会淹没你的感官. Here 你 can also participate in 现在ations by guest speakers and scientists from the Museum’s own research labs. SECU每日星球时间表.
Meet Stumpy, the Right Whale whose death made a difference for her species. Right Whales are critically endangered, with fewer than 500 left in the wild. When Stumpy was struck by a ship and died in 2004, researchers used her bones to show that ships need a speed limit within Right Whale protected 栖息地s. New laws meant that fewer whales would die due to ship strikes.
我们的8,000-gallon aquarium exhibit showcases a tropical Caribbean coastal environment, complete with many native species of fish and invertebrates. Here 你 can meet angelfish, butterflyfish, lobsters and balloonfish, to name just a few.
Here is 你r chance to get 你r hands on specimens and artifacts that are usually behind glass or locked away in collections cabinets. The 博物学家中心 houses a large collection of real bones, 皮毛, 宝石, 矿物质, 化石, and preserved specimens that 你 can examine closely. Take one of our special specimens over to the high-tech “magic tables,，以更深入地了解其范围, 自然历史, 栖息地, 和更多的! 自然主义者中心时间表.
什么是生物多样性? 如何区分不同的物种? 为什么这很重要? Learn about how scientists are counting up the diversity of life, 他们在哪里发现新物种, and why preserving species is important—to humanity, 我们的星球.
Have 你 ever seen a snake get a checkup? 或者看树懒洗牙? Our Museum has enough small animals to fill a small zoo, and each one requires high-quality veterinary care. 在动物健康窗口, 你 can watch as our staff of highly-trained vets perform both routine and extraordinary procedures on our animals. And thanks to a two-way intercom, 你 can ask questions and get immediate answers. You’ve never been to a vet quite like this before. 动物健康计划窗口.
What’s the difference between weather and climate? 有什么可以
trees and ice cores tell us about our past? 气象学家如何预测
未来? Learn all this 和更多的 in this interactive exhibit. 你可以查看
current conditions at weather stations across the US and view some of the tools
and 技术 scientists use to research our atmosphere. 你甚至可以预测
the path of a past hurricane and compare 你r prediction to that of local
气象学家.
当然,我们的 T. 雷克斯 is impressive, even though it’s just a juvenile specimen. But paleontology isn’t just about dinosaurs! Here 你 can learn about the microscopic beginnings of life on our planet during the Ediacaran Period. See 化石 of ancient predators from the Triassic Period, millions of years before dinosaurs evolved. And meet some of our Ice Age compatriots, 猛犸象和乳齿象, who rose to dominance after the dinosaurs went extinct. 我们如何以及为什么要研究古代生命? You’ll have to see these exhibits to find out!
Have 你 ever touched a stone that traveled through space for millions of years? 你可以在这个展览中看到! Learn about how different types of meteorites are classified and studied and what they can tell us about life on Earth. 你可以看到火星的碎片, 小行星碎片, and even parts of the Chelyabinsk meteorite that landed in Russia in 2013.
Larger-than-life microbe models greet 你 in this exhibit, a rare opportunity to view life that’s normally too small for our eyes to see. 在我们的星球上, microbes outnumber humans by at least a trillion to one, so it’s good to get to know 你r smallest neighbors. 事实上, we’re still learning how many microbes live on and in the human body, 以及我们如何依赖它们发挥作用.
Discover nature on a microscopic scale in this hands-on laboratory. Use the same tools and 技术 that researchers use—try 你r hand at pipetting, 训练你的眼睛使用显微镜, 甚至分离和分析DNA. Here 你 can learn about cellular processes like photosynthesis and examine molecules that form the foundation of life.
Did 你 know that there is approximately 6½ feet of DNA packed into every human cell? It would take 你 more than 9 years to read aloud every letter in the human genome. 准则是一切生命的基础, a blueprint for how to build proteins and make them work together to create, 好吧, 你. 在这个展览中, 你 will find out how much DNA 你 share with other species, what makes an animal a “model organism” for research, and how DNA barcoding allows scientists to solve 自然历史 mysteries.
How do scientists translate raw data from complex instruments into something they can see and understand? Learn all about it in the Visual World iLab! Use our computer stations to investigate 技术 like augmented reality, GIS地图, 机器人, 和计算机编程. 手里拿着一只虚拟恐龙, watch our 3D printer create models before 你r eyes, or even participate in impromptu electronic experiments.
