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).
- A Day in Pompeii (Temporary Exhibit)
- Get a glimpse of daily life in Pompeii, one of Imperial Rome's most cosmopolitan cities. Hundreds of artifacts — including body casts of the volcano's victims — bring to light the vibrancy of this bustling resort town, but the darkening skies ahead and violent sounds of Vesuvius spewing ash and debris signal imminent danger ... (details).
On exhibit through Sunday, February 12
- 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).
- Bradford Washburn: The Man Behind the Lens (Exhibit)
- Originally a companion piece to the traveling exhibit Colossal: Aerial Photographs by Bradford Washburn, this exhibit tells the story of the renowned mountaineer and Museum of Science founder through artifacts such as his K-22 camera and hand-drawn trail maps. (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: Bytes! - Build your own computer model at the "Computer Build Bench." - Chat with Ada and Grace, our new virtual human guides, and go behind the scenes at "InterFaces" (follow link above to enter the virtual exhibit). This is a collaboration ... (details).
- Catching the Wind (Exhibit)
- Learn about how turbines transform wind into green energy, and track energy production in the Museum's own Wind Lab, a group of nine wind turbines mounted on the Museum roof. In Catching the Wind, visitors can dive into the world of wind turbines, learning how they generate electricity from the power ... (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).
- Cosmic Light (Exhibit)
- Almost everything we know about the universe comes from studying light. In this exhibit, visitors explore the Milky Way Galaxy to discover how different wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum can offer a range of information about our universe. Large-scale color photographs of celestial objects ... (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).
- Energized! (Exhibit)
- We need energy for our everyday lives — to power our buildings and personal devices, to transport goods, to travel. Yet, the energy sources we've come to rely upon, like oil, gas, and coal, will eventually run out. Energized! focuses on sunlight, wind, moving water, and other self-replenishing ... (details).
- Geckos: Tails to Toepads (Temporary Exhibit)
- Enter the world of geckos — bulging eyes, night vision, sticky toepads, squawking voices, and disposable body parts. More than 60 exotic geckos have arrived at the Museum of Science! (details).
On exhibit through Sunday, May 06
- Gordon Current Science & Technology Center (Exhibit)
- Find out about current topics through a number of electronic story kiosks and small curatorial exhibits that illustrate broad areas of research. Currently on display: Fuel Our Future: As our energy needs expand in the United States, so too do those from developing countries and a growing worldwide population ... (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)
- This highly interactive exhibit allows visitors to practice thinking like a scientist. In this space designed to look like a house, you'll find that you don't need a lab; you just need a question to answer and an idea of how to test it. Each room features exhibits that let you investigate different ... (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).
- Made in Greece + (Temporary Exhibit)
- See contemporary work by young Greek architects, and learn how design thinking, technological innovation, and scientific research play important roles in the creation of the human-made environment. Sixteen architectural projects, selected for the clarity of their objectives and the experimental character ... (details).
On exhibit through Friday, June 15
- 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).
- Math Moves! Experiencing Ratio and Proportion (Exhibit)
- Bigger/smaller, faster/slower, heavier/lighter — use your body to explore ratios in our newest math exhibit! Immerse yourself in a world of shadows, shapes, motion, and sound. Use your body as a unit of measurement by climbing into a huge chair then squeezing in a tiny one to compare your size. ... (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).
- Museum of Science: Then and Now (Exhibit)
- Chronicling how the Museum of Science has evolved over the last 180 years to meet the changing needs of society, this exhibit tells our story through artifacts and interactive displays — from the "Chamber of Curiosities" to visions of the future. Journey back to 1830, when a like-minded group ... (details).
- Nanotechnology (Exhibit)
- Explore the science of the super small in this exhibit developed by Museum-led NISE® Net (Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network). Learn how scientists can manipulate matter on a very tiny scale to build materials and devices used in computing, engineering, medicine, and other fields. Interactive ... (details).
- 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).
- 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 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).