Current Exhibits
There's always a lot going on in the Exhibit Halls. With new exhibits being added all the time, they're rarely the same place twice. Here's a listing of what's there, right now.
- A Bird's World (Exhibit)
- Take a virtual tour of Acadia National Park in this exhibit, which includes a specimen of every bird found in New England. Interactive exhibits offer insight into bird behavior, and New England birders will also find a useful bird "dictionary." Birds naturally detect predators. Their sounds ... (details).
- Bees (Exhibit)
- This exhibit presents a glassed-in beehive that allows visitors to observe bees in their natural setting. Watch as thousands of bees travel in and out of the colony and perform a variety of jobs, including collecting pollen, making wax, capping honey, and tending to the brood. Look for the queen bee ... (details).
- Beyond the X-ray (Exhibit)
- Medical imaging technologies have come a long way since the discovery of the X-ray in 1895. This exhibit offers lessons on some of the many non-invasive ways doctors look into the human body. At the center of the exhibit is "Five Windows on the Body," offering five panels with large-scale ... (details).
- Butterfly Garden (Exhibit)
- Walk among the free-flying residents of this warm conservatory filled with exotic plants. Overlooking the Charles River, this tropical oasis offers a wonderful opportunity to get close to a variety of living butterflies from New England and across the globe. Upon entering the garden, you'll begin ... (details).
- Cahners ComputerPlace (Exhibit)
- Cahners ComputerPlace — your portal into the digital world: - Control a robot - Peek inside computers - Get involved in cutting-edge research - Communicate with Artificial Intelligence - Be a virtual engineer, investigator, designer Visit Cahners ComputerPlace and chat about your digital world with our human educators ... (details).
- Catching the Wind (Exhibit)
- Wind turbines are appearing more frequently both in the news and along our highways. Observe one type of wind energy technology in this mural depiction, and learn about the advantages and drawbacks of alternative energy sources. A wind turbine is a structure that catches the energy of the wind and ... (details).
- Colossal Fossil: Triceratops Cliff (Exhibit)
- Get an up-close view of this 65-million-year-old fossil, discovered in the Dakota Badlands in 2004. Named for the grandfather of its anonymous donor, Cliff is one of only four nearly complete Triceratops on public display anywhere in the world. At the time of its discovery, the 23-foot-long specimen ... (details).
- Dinosaurs: Modeling the Mesozoic (Exhibit)
- The evidence we collect through the fossil record tells a tantalizingly incomplete and still evolving tale. Here, through fossils and life-size models, visitors get a sense of how paleontologists continue to compile evidence, changing the way we view these extinct animals. Perhaps most emblematic ... (details).
- Discovery Center (Exhibit)
- Designed for children from birth to age eight and their accompanying grownups, the Discovery Center offers an assortment of fun, hands-on activities that are designed to encourage discovery through play. An ideal area for early learners, this educational environment emphasizes the use of real objects ... (details).
- Frontiers of Biotechnology (Exhibit)
- Although we have been shaping the natural world since our first appearance on Earth, we now find ourselves in the midst of a new revolution: biotechnology. Visitors to this exhibit will explore the gene and protein science that's the basis for the latest biotech innovations. Throughout history, ... (details).
- How Your Life Began (Exhibit)
- People of all cultures and traditions share the amazing experience of human reproduction and birth. In this exhibit, learn about one of the great miracles and mysteries of cell biology: how your life began from a single cell. Here, models and displays show the anatomy of the male and female reproductive systems ... (details).
- Human Body Connection (Exhibit)
- What is inside your body? What would it be like to live in a family of cotton-top tamarin monkeys? Do your genes affect the foods you like to eat? Explore the answers to these and many other questions in the Human Body Connection. Investigate human anatomy and physiology, the variations that exist within ... (details).
- Human Evolution (Exhibit)
- Ancient stone tools, poisonous plants, DNA, fossil skulls, and tamarin monkeys all have something in common: they are all clues that help explain why all life on Earth, including humans, evolves over generations. This exhibit encourages visitors to explore the evidence supporting the theory of evolution ... (details).
- Innovative Engineers (Exhibit)
- The end products of engineering are everywhere, from bridges to blow dryers, iPods to plastic wrap. This exhibit brings some long-overdue attention to the engineering leaders who solve everyday challenges both large and small. Its collection of biographical stories shows how the paths to engineering ... (details).
- Investigate! (Exhibit)
- With activities and experiments that are both fun and educational, this highly interactive exhibit gives visitors practice in thinking like a scientist. We provide equipment and materials to do a variety of investigations with some ideas on how to get started. From there, it's up to you to decide where to go ... (details).
- Live Animal Exhibit (Exhibit)
- Visit this viewing area for a peek at some of the stars of the Museum's Live Animal presentations. Located in the Red Wing, Lower Level, the Live Animal Center is home to approximately 120 animals representing more than 50 species. Although the center itself is closed to the public, this large window ... (details).
- Making Models (Exhibit)
- Scientists use models to better understand the real world, and visitors to this exhibit can use a wide variety of models, scientific and otherwise, to learn and practice some of the basic tools from the scientific toolbox. Models are best known as representatives for physical objects, but they also ... (details).
- Mapping the World Around Us (Exhibit)
- The world of maps is one of infinite possibilities. They help us navigate from here to there, but they can also be abstractions, diagrams of relationships or interactions over time. This exhibit shows several samples of different types of maps, and it also invites visitors to create their own. Maps ... (details).
- Mathematica (Exhibit)
- Created by the famous design team of Charles and Ray Eames, this has been a favorite exhibit since it opened at the Museum of Science in 1981. The Eames wanted to provide an opportunity for everyone to enjoy the beauty and wonder of mathematics, and they have also provided us with an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of post-modern design ... (details).
- Messages (Exhibit)
- This interactive exhibit examines the concept of communication in its broadest form, and it actually challenges visitors to communicate with each other. The main focus of the exhibit is animal communication in its many modes, which include humans. The exhibit also features activities revolving around the technology of communication ... (details).
- Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids (Temporary Exhibit)
- How did the Vikings "prove" the existence of the unicorn? How did the legend of the griffin originate? Examine the relationship between real and imaginary creatures, and discover the beliefs, creativity, fear, and fantasy they inspire in cultures around the world. Dragons, sea serpents, even the dreaded ... (details).
On exhibit through Sunday, March 22
- Natural Mysteries (Exhibit)
- Scientists use classification to uncover the natural world's hidden patterns and meanings. With its reference library of interesting objects, enticingly mysterious environments, and hands-on activities, this exhibit inspires you to use this basic skill in brand-new ways. Classifying lets us unlock ... (details).
- New England Habitats (Exhibit)
- Get a feel for New England's natural environment with these classic dioramas. In addition to these windows on wide-ranging landscapes, the exhibit's model birds, casts of feet, antlers, beaks and other touchable elements make this an interactive experience for curious visitors. Observe deciduous ... (details).
- Playing by the Rules: Fish, Fads, and Fireflies (Exhibit)
- Fish in a school, the spread of fads, and fireflies flashing in sync are examples of systems in which there is no leader in charge, but patterns will still emerge from simple interactions among individuals. In this exhibit, you'll explore this idea through computer simulations and other interactive offerings ... (details).
- Science In The Park (Exhibit)
- This park-like setting invites visitors to run, jump, swing, and use familiar objects like playground equipment and bicycle parts to investigate the pushes and pulls of everyday life: the forces that set things in motion, stop their motion, or hold them in place. This permanent exhibit, developed ... (details).
- Seeing Is Deceiving (Exhibit)
- Vision is a complex process, and the human brain has developed some very clever shortcuts to help us sort the useful visual information from the useless. Many of the illusions in this exhibit exploit these shortcuts for an entertaining learning experience. Seeing seems to be the ultimate form of understanding, ... (details).
- Sun Power (Exhibit)
- Sunlight is the world' s largest energy resource, and more energy in the form of sunlight reaches Earth every hour than humans consume in a year. In this exhibit, visitors can learn how we can make use of all of this energy. Photovoltaic cells (also called solar cells) allow us to convert sunlight into electricity ... (details).
- Take A Closer Look (Exhibit)
- Some of history's great scientists did their best work when employing all of their senses to better observe their world. This renovated, updated exhibit (formerly The Observatory: Seeing the Unseen) is packed with interactive components that encourage you to exercise your powers of perception. See what ... (details).
- The Colby Gun and Trophy Room (Exhibit)
- The Colby Room opened at the Museum in 1965 as a re-creation of Colonel Francis T. Colby's den in Hamilton, Massachusetts. Like a snapshot in time, the room contains original artifacts and animals representing both the life travels of Colonel Colby and the mindset of a generation. At the entrance ... (details).
- The Computing Revolution (Exhibit)
- Part of the merger between the Museum of Science and the Computer Museum, this exhibit highlights the history of computing and uses historical artifacts to illustrate how human needs have led to new technologies. The exhibition is divided into several theme areas: computer prehistory, World War ... (details).
- The Draper Prize (Exhibit)
- Each year, the Museum of Science creates a display about the Draper Prize winners and their invention. This year's display honors Sir Timothy Berners-Lee, who created the World Wide Web. In the 1980s, Berners-Lee was working at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, when he developed the proposal for his breakthrough idea ... (details).
- The Light House (Exhibit)
- Ranging from radio waves (larger than a football field) to gamma rays (a billion times smaller than a pinhead), wavelengths are all invisible to the human eye, except for the section of the spectrum known as visible light. In this exhibit, you can explore the science behind light and color. An intriguing ... (details).
- The Rock Garden (Exhibit)
- Petrified wood from Arizona, Egyptian granite, and our own Roxbury puddingstone are just some of the rock stars that can be found in this outdoor exhibit, where visitors can take a tour of the world just by strolling through. Here, you can find a rock that tumbled in an avalanche from the top of Mount ... (details).
- WeatherWise (Exhibit)
- With engaging interactives and stunning images, this exhibit takes you through the scales of weather: global, national, regional, local, and personal. At the focus of the exhibit is a skill called nowcasting. Even if you've heard a local forecast, you can learn to refine that forecast to predict if ... (details).
- Weems Animal Sculptures (Exhibit)
- Katharine Lane Weems (1899-1989), a Boston-born artist, donated her collection to the Museum of Science to demonstrate the many connections between science and art. There are 30 bronze sculptures of animals displayed in this exhibit, and the Museum of Science has the largest Weems collection in the world ... (details).
- Welcome to the Universe (Exhibit)
- This exhibit introduces the exciting adventure of astronomical discovery through hands-on activities, 3-D models, computer activities, and historic artifacts. It is free to the public. People have always searched for patterns in the sky. Here, you can learn about the history of stargazing, the constellations, ... (details).
