Harvard Museums of Science & Culture

10/16/2026

Gather the family this Sunday and join Harvard Museums of Science & Culture volunteers for these hands-on activities, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm:

✵ Create a bookmark with your name in Egyptian hieroglyphs
✵ Color and decorate Egyptian collars (usekh)
✵ Design Personal or Family Coins
✵ Play the Ancient Mesopotamian Game of Ur

A live story reading starts at 3:00 pm. Recommended for ages 5–12. Admission to the museum is free. Can’t make it this Sunday? Save the date for our 12/13 session!
https://tinyurl.com/HMANEFamily

10/09/2026

Indigenous to the Americas and cultivated by Native peoples, to***co was introduced to Europeans in the 16th century. In Puritan New England, religious leaders condemned to***co as sinful, yet pipes found at archaeological sites reveal widespread use.

On October 13th Diana DiPaolo Loren, Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs and Senior Curator, Peabody Museum, Harvard, will give a free hybrid talk drawing on her new book, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴: 𝘗𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮, 𝘚𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘦 (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2026). Copies of The To***co Takers will be available for purchase after the program.

In conversation with archaeologist Stephen W. Silliman, Department of Anthropology, UMASS Boston, DiPaolo Loren will share the archaeological, archival, and visual evidence that recasts to***co and pipes as tools of bodily care for both physical and metaphysical ailments.

Register and see details about parking:

Free Hybrid Lecture Location: Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 Speakers: Diana DiPaolo Loren, Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs and Senior Curator, Peabody Museum, Harvard University Stephen W. Silliman, Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Massachu...

10/08/2026

Thanks to The Boston Globe for mentioning that we are offering free admission on Indigenous Peoples' Day at both the Harvard Museum of Natural History and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. See you on Monday!

Welcome to The Ticket, our guide highlighting the top things to do in and around Boston each weekend, as curated by Globe critics, editors, and writers.

10/08/2026

Save the date for a new Teen Saturdays workshop on October 17! Leer en español, see fees and benefits, and register:
https://tinyurl.com/KnappingTeenSaturdays

Knapping, or chipping sharp edges into stone, is one of the earliest known technologies. On October 17, Dylan Flicker, a PhD student in the Harvard Archaeology Department, will lead a demonstration to show how striking a rock in just the right way can turn it into a useful tool. Teens will safely shape and use stone tools to understand the skill, precision, and problem-solving behind this ancient technology.

Teen Saturdays Workshops are offered bilingually in Spanish and English for teens ages 13-18.

10/01/2026

Raising a bilingual or multilingual child is one of the greatest gifts you can give, but it also comes with questions. Join us this Saturday for a research-backed workshop for parents and caregivers focused on these important questions. Hear from experts from Harvard and Tufts University as they share the latest findings on bilingualism, heritage language development, and practical strategies for supporting children’s language growth at home. Each short talk will be followed by opportunities for questions.

October 3, 10:00 am - 12:30 pm. $30/person for members. $35/person for nonmembers; advance registration required. Price includes museum admission and free parking; childcare for ages 3-12 is available for $15 per child. See more details and register: https://tinyurl.com/HMSCRaisingBilingualChildren

09/30/2026

If you are a Cambridge resident, you can get free admission with a Cambridge Public Library museum pass. Sign up for a library card and reserve! 🎟️ 📚

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month!
No matter what your tastes are, a library card hits all the right notes! This year’s National Library Card Sign-Up Month theme is inspired by musician Laufey, the honorary chair of the celebration. But you don’t have to be a music lover to find your rhythm at the library.

Whether you’re into novels, technology, movies, arts and crafts, music, cooking, wellness, or learning something new, there’s something waiting for you at your library!

A library card is your passport to all these programs and lots more. Sign up for a library card and discover everything your library has to offer.

09/25/2026

09/24/2026

We are pleased to announce that on November 12, a new exhibit spotlight opens in the Earth & Planetary Sciences gallery. 𝑨𝒖: 𝑶𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝑼𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒅 is curated by Dr. Raquel Alonso-Perez, Curator and Researcher, Mineralogical and Geological Museum, Harvard University, and Writer, Curator, and Author Melanie Grant.

The exhibit follows gold from the geological forces that formed it, through the scientific research that decodes its origins, to the studios of six visionary jewelers working today.
https://tinyurl.com/AuOriginsUnearthed

A related free hybrid event will take place the evening of November 12 when guest speakers and artists spanning disciplines such as earth science, contemporary design, and forensic chemistry will share perspectives on their respective work. Learn more about the program and register:
https://tinyurl.com/AuEventNov12

Shown: Gold crystal MGMH #98459, Garden Valley, Mother Lode Belt, California, USA. Mineralogical & Geological Museum, Harvard University.

09/23/2026

Do you have what it takes to be admitted into a prestigious program? Put your puzzle skills to the test tomorrow at Harvard Museums of Science & Culture’s Puzzle Party designed with FableVision Studios and Green Door Labs!

“Apply” for the new AI-nimal Science program, where you’ll explore emerging technologies and complete a series of museum-based puzzles. AI-nimal Science not your speed? You can “apply” to the CRYPTOzoology program from January’s Puzzle Party instead 🧩

RSVP for this FREE event: https://hmsc.harvard.edu/calendar_event/artsthursdays-puzzle-party

09/23/2026

🍄‍🟫 From mushroom tattoos to fungal-infused coffee, fungi are having a cultural moment. On October 1, we will present a free hybrid lecture in collaboration with the Boston Mycological Club. David S. Hibbett, Professor of Biology, Clark University, and author of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘪: 𝘌𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 (Princeton University Press, 2026), will share his fascinating research on the diversity of fungi, their impacts on human affairs, and their roles in the evolution of life on Earth. Copies of Hibbett's book will be available for purchase after the program.

Advance registration is recommended:
https://tinyurl.com/FascinatingFungi

𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘰𝘢𝘯 𝘚𝘶𝘪𝘵 𝘓𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥.