Harvard Museums of Science & Culture

04/11/2025

On National Pet Day, meet Phoebe, a 9-month-old bundle of high energy. She is a “working” breed, according to her DNA test. Her favorite things are the mailman, sticks, and licking everything in sight. Her owner Associate Curator Diana Zlatanovski sends “a huge thank you to Shultz's Guest House for rescuing her (and so many others!)

04/05/2025

Happy National Handmade Day! Centuries before the Incas, Chimú fishers on Peru’s north coast made clay vessels shaped like fish. The stirrup spout design prevented liquid evaporation, showcasing their advanced understanding of water storage in an arid climate.

Come see this beautiful item in the new exhibition Measuring Difference in the Harvard Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments , 1 Oxford St, Science Center. Open 11am-4pm Sunday through Friday.
https://tinyurl.com MeasuringDifferenceExhibit

#968-14-30/8514 On Loan from the Peabody

04/04/2025

04/04/2025

Plus, an archaeology fair and a conversation with artist Hugh Hayden.

04/03/2025

Make the most of April vacation in Cambridge ☀️ From hotel pools and hands-on museums to outdoor adventures and sweet treats, there’s fun for the whole family around every corner! Plan your spring break getaway now: lnk.to/cmspr

📍 Harvard Museums of Science & Culture, Harvard Square
📷: © EJSP Visual | Julieta Sarmiento

03/27/2025

Teotihuacan stands today as a powerful symbol of Mexico’s precolonial heritage, but much remains misunderstood about the Teotihuacanos who built and inhabited this extraordinary city.

In the 2025 Gordon R. Willey Lecture on Wednesday, April 2 David M. Carballo, Professor of Anthropology, Archaeology, Boston University, and Latin American Studies, Boston University, will connect the iconic pyramids to the daily lives of the city’s inhabitants, and offer a deeper understanding of one of the ancient world’s most fascinating urban centers.

Free event parking at the 52 Oxford St Garage. Register for in-person or online attendance:
https://tinyurl.com/TeotihuacanOrigins

03/24/2025

Free things to do in Boston for the week of March 24-30.

03/20/2025

Our Summer Science Weeks are back! Dive into a week of discovery at the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture. Explore the ins and outs of skeletons, become a fearless earth explorer, and uncover the secrets behind the pages that bring life to science.

Delve into geological mysteries, marvel at the wonders of amazing animals, explore the hidden world of spineless creatures, and plunge into the blue planet to witness life in the sea like never before.

Hands-on activities, interactive exhibits, and engaging demonstrations for children entering grades 1-8; July 7 to August 15th. $210 for members and $235 for nonmembers. Advance registration is required:
https://tinyurl.com/SummerSciWeeks25

03/19/2025

Exhibit at the Harvard Museum of Natural History contains more than 4,000 life-like pieces

03/18/2025

Drop by the museum on Saturday, March 29 to listen to talks on the movement of neurons and how individual “personality” traits are revealed in the animal kingdom. 20-minute talks followed by 10-minute Q&A session. Recommended for ages 10 and up. Regular museum admission rates apply.
https://tinyurl.com/SciSpotlightsMarch25

2:00–2:30 pm
𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻
Join Biophysics PhD candidate Mara Casebeer (Needleman Lab, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences), to explore the dynamic transport system inside neurons, where microtubules act as highways and motor proteins as tiny cars, keeping your brain running smoothly.

3:00–3:30 pm
𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗛𝗼𝘁 … 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗪𝗵𝘆?
Just like us, animals have different personalities, but why do these differences exist? Join Harvard graduate student Shraddha Lall of the de Bivort Lab, Harvard Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, as she delves into the world of animal behavior.

03/14/2025

03/13/2025

03/12/2025

Our Summer Science Weeks are back! Dive into a week of discovery at the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture. Explore the ins and outs of skeletons, become a fearless earth explorer, and uncover the secrets behind the pages that bring life to science.

Delve into geological mysteries, marvel at the wonders of amazing animals, explore the hidden world of spineless creatures, and plunge into the blue planet to witness life in the sea like never before.

Hands-on activities, interactive exhibits, and engaging demonstrations for children entering grades 1-8; July 7 to August 15th. $210 for members and $235 for nonmembers. Advance registration is required: https://tinyurl.com/SummerSciWeeks25

03/11/2025

You may sometimes wonder, ‘how much do we know about the brain’? Get some of your questions answered during this special free event on March 13. Register:
https://tinyurl.com/BrainMysteriesRegister

The evening will kick off with short talks by bestselling author and cartoonist Jorge Cham and neuroscientist Dwayne Godwin, coauthors of 𝙊𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙙: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙈𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣 (Pantheon Books). A signing with the authors and opportunities to meet with Harvard brain scientists in the museum galleries will follow!

Presented by the Harvard Museum of Natural History and the Harvard Brain Science Initiative.

03/07/2025

Happy National Employee Appreciation Day! Visitor Services extraordinaire and “pretty chill guy” Ryan Wieboldt can often be seen cruising through the galleries greeting visitors. He shared his favorite spots in the museums with us.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙪𝙢𝙨?
The Tarpon in Marine life. I have done animal husbandry with this fish and had the opportunity to dive with a school of them. They can be a bit scary when you first see them underwater because of their size, but they are a pretty chill fish.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙝𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙮?
New England Forests. It mimics the actual environment, complete with bird and animal calls. Of course, just like in the real forest. You have to keep your eyes open. There are things hiding all over the place!

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 𝙃𝙈𝙎𝘾?
Interacting with the visitors, especially kids!

Find out more about members of the HMSC community in our annual report: https://tinyurl.com/HMSC2024AR

03/05/2025

We are looking forward to this talk with Christina Warinner, Professor of Anthropology and Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard tomorrow night! https://tinyurl.com/MongoliaMilk

Milk was first transformed into dairy products over 9,000 years ago in the Near East. In this free hybrid talk on March 6 Christina Warinner, Professor of Anthropology and Human Evolutionary Biology, at Harvard, examines the surprising history of milk in Mongolia, and unexpected ethnographic and archaeological paradoxes.

Far from familiar, milk is an ancient food with a modern scientific mystery at its heart.

Register: https://tinyurl.com/MakingMilkMongolia.

Free parking at the 52 Oxford St garage.