Press Center
November 2016: Programs and Events at the California Academy of Sciences
Celebrate the return of ‘Tis the Season for Science, plus a look at the newly revamped Morrison Planetarium!
‘Tis the Season for Science Opens November 23 Piazza The Academy’s popular seasonal exhibit is back with a bevvy of holiday science fun including snow flurries, jolly holiday performances, a giant “Snowman Theater,” and our famous live reindeer display! This hands-on exhibit features interactive stations that teach visitors about the fascinating adaptations of reindeer as well as other holiday-related science facts. Back by popular demand—the Tap Dancing Christmas Trees make their grand, tap-tastic return to the Piazza! They are part of a packed lineup of live performers, including carolers, musicians, theater groups, and more.
Discover Selam—a new display opening November 2 African Hall In 2006, Dr. Zeray Alemseged made an indelible mark in the field of anthropology when he reported finding the nearly complete fossilized remains of a 3.3 million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis child in his native country of Ethiopia. Known as the “world’s oldest child,” it is the most complete skeleton of a human ancestor discovered to date. Now, visitors to the Academy can learn more about the child named “Selam” (which means “peace” in several Ethiopian languages) in this diorama—and why her remains have unlocked many clues leading to a greater understanding of human and pre-human evolution. Hint: pay a visit to Selam before or after the daily penguin feedings at 10:30 am and 3 pm in African Hall!
Benjamin Dean Astronomy Lecture Who Cares about Particle Physics? Monday, November 7 | 7:30 pm Morrison Planetarium Dr. Pauline Gagnon, Indiana University, and CERN What is dark matter? This discussion will help make sense of the Higgs boson (an elementary particle in the Standard Model of particle physics), the Large Hadron Collider and CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics. Dr. Gagnon explains in simple terms the latest discoveries from CERN and shows how the theoretical model called the Standard Model describes the basic constituents of matter. The discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012 brought in the last missing piece of the model, but it is still incomplete. It only describes visible matter (that is, everything we see in stars and galaxies), but leaves out dark matter, a mysterious type of matter five times more prevalent but still completely unknown. She will show how current experiments at CERN and elsewhere are trying to find out what dark matter is and which theory lies beyond the Standard Model. Reservations required. $12 members and seniors, $15 non-members.
New Exhibit! Gems and Minerals Unearthed Third Floor Gallery Explore the Academy’s extensive, renowned gems and minerals collection in a whole new way. Gems and Minerals Unearthed features nearly 400 dazzling geological specimens in this fresh new display. From amethyst and azurite and silver and jade, marvel at the enormous diversity of colors, textures and chemical properties found in pieces both raw and refined. A number of the specimens are “touchable"—making this exhibit a hands-on learning experience.
Ongoing Events at the California Academy of Sciences
Mystery Skull Theater Piazza 11 am weekdays | 11:30 am Saturday and Sunday Become a skull science sleuth during this exciting, interactive “live” theater program. Follow a colorful character and use clues to investigate the fascinating mystery of a skull.
Morrison Planetarium Showings We asked, you answered! The Morrison Planetarium reopens late October with a brand new facelift, and the Academy polled visitors on which two planetarium shows they would like to see in the newly revamped theater. The winners: Dark Universe and Life: A Cosmic Story.