Operating as usual
Join this celebration of Black microbiologists!
🔬 https://bit.ly/3jjpOVd 👈 (Register)
Did you know @BlackInMicro finished Day 3 of #BlackInMicro Week's programming, covering virology today? Other events ahead celebrating Black microbiologists, with talks and panels featuring microbiologists across career stages and subdisciplines.
🔬 https://bit.ly/3jjpOVd 👈 (Register)
(4 more days to go covering parasitology & mycology tomorrow!)
Image: blackinmicro
Purchase tickets by noon TODAY, students receive a discount.
Join Neil deGrasse Tyson, the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium, and a panel of experts as they discuss how life may have formed on Earth and explore what alien life might look like elsewhere in the universe. What criteria do we use to classify life as we know it? Should the criteria be revised as we look for life on other worlds?
The debate will bring scientists from different fields together to share their creative ideas for what forms life might take in an extraterrestrial environment and what these predictions can teach us about life on our own planet.
This year's debate will be presented as a livestream, with a question-and-answer session to follow.
Buy tickets here, students get a discount: https://www.amnh.org/calendar/alien-life-asimov-debate
Tickets:
$25
$22 seniors, students
$20 Members
Ticket sales close at noon on Tuesday, September 8.
What forms life might take in an extraterrestrial environment?
Very exciting news about the Museum recently received a grant from the National Science Foundation to study COVID-19’s impact on STEM students. Read more about the RAPID grant in our latest blog post: https://bit.ly/2QrAt3s
Find out about a new study to track STEM-focused students as they navigate disruptions due to COVID-19.
T-riffic news! 🦖⠀
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The Museum is preparing to open on September 2 for Members and on September 9 for the general public, pending approval from New York State & New York City for indoor museums to open.⠀
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There will be some changes for your health + safety! Learn all the details here 👉 bit.ly/3g9wKml
Start here: find out how to get to the Museum, buy advance tickets, and map out your must-see exhibits.
Register for virtual camps, here: https://bit.ly/2NSkYQL
Adventures in Science (AIS) and Middle School Institutes (MSI) Online Camps for Grades 2–6, 6-8, and 7-9 will include connected time for online learning, thought-provoking hands-on investigations, and virtual tours of Museum exhibits. Some of the activities will take place during our live sessions, and others will allow your camper to engage at their own pace.
Each day of camp will include:
* Educator-led discussions and community building
Online activities, including virtual hall visits, guest scientist talks, behind-the-scenes tours, and live-animal encounters (some of these may be pre-recorded)
*Offline hands-on science projects, games, and crafts
During offline activity times, educators will remain available to chat and assist your child
*A lunch or snack break
*To help you and your camper get the most out of Online Camps, we will email you an overview of the week’s activities and a material and tech needs list.
Register for virtual camps, here: https://bit.ly/2NSkYQL
Give your kid the chance to explore exhibits, meet with scientists, and engage in interactive science activities.
🚨 New blog alert! 🚨 Congratulations to Johanna and Xavier, two teens who are part of the Museum’s Science Research Mentoring Program (SRMP). They’re featured in a new blog post read here:(bit.ly/3hHY8ZK) that discusses their work with Phillip “Skip” Skipwith, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Herpetology. SRMP matches high school students with Museum scientists for a year-long research project—read about this team’s work with Malagasy gemsnakes.
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The images included are from Rotunda, a magazine for Members of the Museum.⠀
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Photos: R. Mickens/© AMNH
Join us today at 2 pm along with Museum Research Associate Mandë Holford, a chemical marine biologist, as she discusses her research on the evolution of venom in marine snails.
*Link to watch this at 2 pm on 6/18*
https://bit.ly/3fpZvKB
Join us today at noon for this is part one of a two-part series for a discussion with experts on COVID-19.
*Link to watch this online discussion at noon on 6/17* https://bit.ly/3e4U2J5
Join us today at 2 PM for a pre-recorded tour of the Cullman Hall of the Universe with Museum tour guide Christian Waters and an American Sign Language interpreter. >>> https://bit.ly/3fvYtN9
Find out about galaxies, nebulas, the iconic Willamette Meteorite, and the Museum’s self-sustaining ecosphere, which was sealed in 1999—and hasn’t been opened since.
This is part one of a two-part series starting this Wednesday.
*Link to watch this online discussion at noon on 6/17* www.facebook.com/naturalhistory/videos/708081639984731
How does a virus that may have originated in bats jump to humans? How do we model the spread of infection? And how do racial inequities in health and healthcare affect how a pandemic unfolds?
Join us for an online discussion with Museum curator and evolutionary biologist Nancy Simmons, public health and policy expert Joshua Sharfstein, and social epidemiologist Lisa Cooper to explore the basic biology and social context of COVID-19 and what these mean for how we anticipate and mitigate the spread of the virus. Moderated by The New York Times science writer Apoorva Mandavilli.
To submit questions for our panelists in advance of the program, email [email protected].
How does a virus infect humans? How do we model the spread of infection? And how do racial inequities in health and healthcare affect how a pandemic unfolds?
Join us for an online discussion with experts on COVID-19. To submit questions, email [email protected].
Did you know T. rex’s arms were so tiny that they couldn't touch each other—or even reach its mouth? Learn more about T. rex and beyond on OLogy, the Museum's new iPad app for kids! Play games, watch videos, and read articles that provide engaging interactivity and terrific nuggets of natural history knowledge. Check it out here! >> https://apple.co/2zzE9vf
Tomorrow, during the Intrepid Museum’s virtual Youth Summit where students hear from experts in the fields of STEM and social advocacy. Our very own Saltz Interns, Amit Sewnauth, and Jin Kyle Watanabe will give virtual diorama tours of the Komodo dragon and the leatherback sea turtle in the Museum’s Reptiles and Amphibians Hall. Way to go!⠀
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Amit is a rising junior at Townsend Harris High School and enjoys learning about biology and astronomy. Specifically, drawn to conservation biology and the study of black holes. In his free time, he creates stop motion animations, writing, and practices the trumpet.⠀
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Jin Kyle Watanabe is a freshman at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, and his favorite subjects are history and biology. He often plays guitar, baseball, and participates in Model United Nations. ⠀
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#amnhteens
Today, many science institutions will be observing #ShutDownSTEM. This national day of education and action for STEM professionals is dedicated to the shared goal of eradicating systemic racism in our fields and institutions. More: https://shutdownstem.com
The Museum endorses this important effort as part of ongoing work, and we encourage all to use and share resources on the #ShutDownSTEM website: https://shutdownstem.com/resources
Resources As scientists and academics, we know that in order to solve a problem, we first need to understand it. This is just as true for structural racism and anti-Blackness! It’s also important for non-Black folks to not rely on Black folks for this education. Select your track below!I am…......
Exhibit of the Day: Let’s check out the jaguar diorama in the Hall of North American Mammals! Did you know that the jaguar is the largest cat in the Americas? Its muscular, compact frame is built for strength and stealth rather than extended pursuit. This scene takes place in Sonora, Mexico, and depicts a male jaguar studying a livestock corral in the shrubland below. Another fun fact about the wild cat: Unlike most felines—especially the ones in our homes—jaguars seem to like the water. They swim, fish, and even play in it!
Photo: R. Mickens/© AMNH
Exhibit of the Day: Triceratops! This dinosaur's horns and frill look heavy, and its skull is about 8 feet (2.4 meters) long—almost a third of its body length—yet it was much lighter than it appears. And its brain, which was smaller than that of a German shepherd, certainly didn’t weigh it down. It lived during the Cretaceous, the same time as Tyrannosaurus rex. And while it’s tempting to imagine a battle scene complete with clashing teeth and horns, Triceratops probably used its horns and frill more for recognizing others of its species and for attracting mates, rather than for combat. Some Triceratops may have survived encounters with Tyrannosaurus rex, but many more probably ended up eaten.
Photo: © AMNH
Exhibit of the Day: the African lion! Did you know that mane growth in male lions is linked to testosterone? So lions with full manes tend to be the best fighters—and most popular with lionesses. While most animals have triangular vocal cords, lions have square-shaped ones. Their uniquely-shaped pipes result in the deep and loud roar that lions are known for, which can reach up to 114 decibels (as loud as a jet engine!). You can spot this diorama in the Hall of African Mammals.
Photo: R. Mickens/ © AMNH
For today’s Exhibit of the Day, meet Smilodon! This saber-tooth cat roamed the Americas during the Pleistocene, 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago, pouncing on hapless herbivores. Smilodon could open its jaw twice as wide as today’s big cats! Why the wide gape? To unsheath knifelike canines up to 11 inches (28 centimeters) long.
Photo: D. Finnin/ © AMNH
Our community has been asking us about the problematic statue on our front steps. We would like to share some of the work that we began doing last year about the statue and the Museum’s own history.
We wish we could invite you inside to see our exhibit but for now visit it virtually and watch this video: https://bit.ly/2AJd60s
Then, please tell us what you think on our website: https://bit.ly/2Y1h2lh
Exhibit of the Day: the Osprey! This bird has a singular skill: catching fish, feet first. The Osprey is the only North American raptor that plunges into water for its prey. Osprey populations plummeted for decades beginning in the 1940s because of DDT. The pesticide caused their eggshells to thin and resulted in birds that didn't hatch. After DDT was banned in the United States in 1972 and nesting platforms were built, their population bounced back. This exhibit can be found in the Museum’s Hall of New York City Birds.
Photo: © AMNH
If you’ve visited the Museum, you’re certainly familiar with today’s Exhibit of the Day: the Barosaurus and Allosaurus in the Rotunda! In the world’s tallest freestanding dinosaur mount, a Barosaurus rears up to defend her young from an Allosaurus. How does the huge skeleton of Barosaurus—whose name means “heavy reptile”—stay up? Faux bones! The Barosaurus is built from casts of the real bones, which are housed in the Museum’s collections.
Photo: D. FInnin/ ©AMNH
Exhibit of the Day: Lyle’s flying fox from the Museum’s Hall of Advanced Mammals. This fruit eater is among the world’s biggest bats. This South Asian species boasts wingspans of up to 2.9 feet (90 centimeters). These bats don’t echolocate. Instead, they use their sharp vision to navigate! Did you know? There are more than 1,300 known bat species. Their skulls come in many shapes; the differences are driven largely by adaptations for echolocation.
Photo: R. Mickens/© AMNH
For all who are personally affected and all who are morally outraged by racial injustice, the Museum community stands with you and grieves with you. ⠀
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As part of the effort to create a foundation for honest, respectful, open dialogue, we also acknowledge the Museum’s own problematic history.⠀
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On June 2, our social media will pause in solidarity and respect.
Today’s Exhibit of the Day swims fast, dives deep, and goes far. The leatherback sea turtle has a flexible carapace, which is fitted together from small bony plates and covered with rubbery skin. It can dive deeper than other turtles and its hydrodynamic ridges help make it a faster swimmer, too. Leatherbacks feed on jellyfish, and they’re well adapted to their diet, with spiny throats to keep the slippery jellies down, and glands to remove excess salt. Unfortunately, bags, balloons, and other plastic trash look just like their favorite meal and can kill them by blocking their intestines. See this exhibit in the Museum’s Hall of Reptiles and Amphibians!
Photo: M. Shanley/© AMNH
Exhibit of the Day: have you ever seen the giant mosquito in our Hall of North American Forests? The Museum built this model in 1917 as part of an effort to educate the public about mosquito-borne illnesses. This mosquito is enlarged 47 times and is modeled after a male mosquito. Did you know? Males feed on pollen and couldn’t harm a fly! Only female mosquitoes have mouthparts through which they suck blood—so only they can transmit diseases.
Photo: D. Finnin/© AMNH
Today’s Exhibit of the Day: one of the longest animals, period. The lion’s mane jellyfish trails a “mane” of more than 800 stinging tentacles behind it, which can grow more than 100 feet (30 meters) long! In fact, the longest of these jellies—which inhabit the Arctic Ocean—are longer than the longest known blue whale. Their tentacles are covered in cells with venom that stuns prey such as other jellyfish, small crustaceans, and zooplankton. Many organisms depend on the lion’s mane, too: Some critters seek shelter under its umbrella while cleaning it of arthropods in return. Juvenile walleye pollock hide from danger in its tentacles!
Photo: R. Mickens/© AMNH
Long may today’s Exhibit of the Day reign. Say “hi” to the King Penguins from the Museum’s Hall of Birds of the World! King Penguins form vast colonies when they come ashore to mate. But satellite images suggest that the largest colony dropped 90 percent since 1982, from 500,000 breeding pairs to just 60,000 in 2018. King Penguins pair off twice every three years. The female lays a single egg, which parents take turns keeping warm by holding it on top of their feet and covering it with a flap of skin. Meanwhile, the other parent hunts for food.
Photo: D. Finnin/© AMNH
American Museum of Natural History
Join Museum Curator Ruth Angus as she examines the awe-inspiring leap from imagination to scientific achievement in space exploration. From novelist Jules Verne to astronaut Neil Armstrong, learn about how some of the most creative minds spurred unique scientific accomplishments, including human missions to space.
It's time for SpaceFest! Here's what we are up to today leading up to the 🚀 SpaceX Crew Dragon launch live from NASA's Kennedy Space Center! With commentary from Hayden Planetarium Director Neil deGrasse Tyson, Museum astrophysicist Jackie Faherty, and Museum Curator Michael Shara as they discuss the future for human missions to space.
SpaceFest schedule and links:
https://www.amnh.org/calendar/spacefest
BONUS: Suit up in your best space gear and tag @AMNH Instagram or Twitter! We'll be sharing your photos all day.
twitter.com/amnh
instagram.com/amnh
instagram.com/amnhteens
Tune in to this online festival to celebrate the first US human mission to space in almost a decade.
In this Exhibit of the Day, hear the sad tale of the Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius). These birds—not to be confused with carrier pigeons, domestic birds trained to carry messages—were once the most abundant bird in North America. Now extinct, they are only found in exhibits like this one and in scientific collections. Passenger Pigeons went from more than 3 billion to zero in mere decades. What contributed to their extinction by 1914? A mix of habitat destruction, hunting, and advancing technologies (like the railroad and the telegraph), which made the slaughter of birds easier and more profitable. You can find our Passenger Pigeon exhibit on the Museum’s third floor.
Photo: C. Chesek/ © AMNH
200 Central Park West
New York, NY
10024
By Subway: Take the B (weekdays only) or C to 81st Street. Two blocks west of the Museum, the 1 train stops at Broadway and West 79th Street. By Bus: The M79 bus travels east/west on W. 79th Street across Central Park, with a stop next to the Museum on W. 81st Street. Other buses also stop at or near the Museum, including the M7, M10, M11, M86 and M104 buses.
| Monday | 10:00 - 17:45 |
| Tuesday | 10:00 - 17:45 |
| Wednesday | 10:00 - 17:45 |
| Thursday | 10:00 - 17:45 |
| Friday | 10:00 - 17:45 |
| Saturday | 10:00 - 17:45 |
| Sunday | 10:00 - 17:45 |
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Tomorrow, during the Intrepid Museum’s virtual Youth Summit where students hear from experts in the fields of STEM and social advocacy. Our very own Saltz Interns, Amit Sewnauth, and Jin Kyle Watanabe will give virtual diorama tours of the Komodo dragon and the leatherback sea turtle in the Museum’s Reptiles and Amphibians Hall. Way to go!⠀ ⠀ Amit is a rising junior at Townsend Harris High School and enjoys learning about biology and astronomy. Specifically, drawn to conservation biology and the study of black holes. In his free time, he creates stop motion animations, writing, and practices the trumpet.⠀ ⠀ Jin Kyle Watanabe is a freshman at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, and his favorite subjects are history and biology. He often plays guitar, baseball, and participates in Model United Nations. ⠀ ⠀ #amnhteens
AMNH Microbiome Science Visualization Course For their last day of class, they presented their final projects on how the purpose, scope, and data collection methods of the American Gut Project allows researchers to learn how diet influences the human microbiome, lifestyle, and disease. We learned how the human microbiome becomes threatened, and the consequences it has overall on human health.
AMNH Microbiome Science Visualization Course Last week students performed lab tasks: they used micropipettes, counted bacterial colonies on agar plates, and classified bacterial colonies based on physical characteristics. They analyzed amplified genetic material through agarose gel electrophoresis, which helped conclude patterns, correlations, and trends in the visualization of large data sets that are likely to go unnoticed in text-based data.
In the previous #AMNHLang post, we introduced the nature data collection app the Lang Program used to record the number of insects they spot in NYC. With a total of 269 observations cataloged from their excursion to Central Park, they then embarked on content creation for social media in hopes that like-minded citizen scientists (like you!) would participate in the #CityNatureChallange2020 🏙️🐝🔍an international project led by iNaturalist happening on April 24-27 this year. The City Nature Challenge is an event where people find and document plants and wildlife in cities across the globe. It’s a competition where metro areas are in a contest against each other to see who can make the most observations of nature, who can find the most species, and who can engage the most people. We hope you will participate this year–there is a link in our bio to see the results from the 2019 challenge. With the app, you can identify species in under 30 seconds—as demonstrated here by a student observing a Morpho butterfly 🦋 in The Butterfly Conservatory at the Museum. If you would like to participate in the challenge, start practicing! We look forward to sharing more student-curated science content with you.
At today's Teen SciCafe Harvard's Rachel Carmody spoke about how all human cultures use cooking and other means to process food. Here we see three student volunteers partaking in a taste test between a raw sweet potato and a cooked one! 🍠🍠🍠 Listen to their observations. ___ We learned that cooking increases the calories we extract from food and gained insight as to how it gives humans an evolutionary edge and why it may present challenges for our present and future. #amnhTeenSciCafe The Leakey Foundation
The Youth & Alumni Committee (YAC) and Staff at the American Museum of Natural History helped create a jungle tree with pools noodles, a camera tripod, recycled butcher paper, and even repurposed the use of faux leaves from a prior project. Check out our Instagram page to see the Orangutan bean bag activity, also curated by YAC.
Here is a timelapse of our Youth & Alumni Committee members and Staff creating a jungle tree for the Teen SciCafe! #AMNHTeens #AMNHTeenSciCafe
Happy Valentine's Day! 💝 Check out these featured "sweethearts" from @AMNHTeens Instagram story. Instagram.com/amnhteens
Whoa. Dancing while conducting an atmospheric experiment!
The Discovery Room at the American Museum of
200 Central Park WCentro Rose para a Terra e o Espaço
200 Central Park WАмериканский музей естественной истории
200 Central Park WCalle 81–Museo de Historia Natural
1 W 81st StMuseo di storia naturale (New York)
Central Park West at 79th StreetAmerican Museum of Natural History
200 Central Park WMuseu Americano de História Natural
200 Central Park W81st Street – Museum of Natural History (IND
West 81st St & Central Park West, New York, NY 10024The Museum of American Natural History
Central Park West and 77th St,
Ripley's Believe It or Not - Times Square
234 W 42nd St
Feature Inc. 131 Allen Street New York NY 100
131 Allen St
