Celebrate Earth Science Week at the Harvard Museum of Natural History!  Explore how minerals can be clues to Earth processes. Discover what earthquakes can teach us about the interior of the earth. Learn about our planet’s atmosphere and climate. Meet Harvard scientists and find out how their research is helping us understand Earth’s past and its place in our solar system. 

Special Event

Regular museum admission rates apply.

Free parking is available at the ...

Despite major scientific advances in sequencing the genomes of species through the animal kingdom, it has been remarkably difficult to identify the genes that enable the unique cultural, aesthetic, and reasoning capabilities of humans. Christopher Walsh will discuss how research on specific genes associated with animal and human brain disorders is helping to clarify the genetic and evolutionary underpinnings of cognitive and social behavior.

Evolution Matters Lecture Series

Free and open to the public.

Free parking at the ...

The makers of the earliest fermented beverages must have marveled at the “magical” process by which mixtures of wild fruits, honey, and cereals produced mind-altering drinks. In this special event, Patrick McGovern will venture back to the origins of brewing in the ancient world. Drawing on archaeology, chemistry, and other sciences, he will explore the earliest known fermented beverages and discuss how his research and travels have informed the making of the Ancient Ales and Spirits of Dogfish Head Brewery. Following the lecture, enjoy a tasting of “ancient” beer paired with...

Biodiversity is the sum total of life on Earth and a living legacy to future generations. Sadly, it is declining almost everywhere on the planet. Russell A. Mittermeier, recipient of the 2018 Indianapolis Prize, is a biologist and lifelong conservationist who has traveled across 169 countries and discovered more than 20 species in his quest to save biodiversity hotspots. Focusing on nonhuman primates—our closest living relatives—Mittermeier will examine strategies for setting conservation priorities, highlight successful initiatives from around the world, and demonstrate why...

Four Saturdays: October 6, 13, 20, and 27
9:30–11:30 am

Through observational drawing, students will learn basic drawing skills they can continue to improve on their own. Participants will practice techniques in the classroom followed by sketching animal specimens in the galleries, with support and feedback from the course instructor. 

Instructor: Erica Beade

Fees: $110 members/$130 nonmembers.

Advance registration required.

This two-part workshop series allows participants to experience firsthand the tradition of making ceramic drinking vessels similar to the ancient Greek vessels featured in our special exhibition Animal-Shaped Vessels from the Ancient World: Feasting with Gods, Heroes, and Kings.

The exhibition brings together nearly 60 elaborate vessels of animal shape and offers a glimpse into the rich symbolism and communal...

In connection with her public installation in Harvard Yard this fall, Autumn (. . . Nothing Personal), artist Teresita Fernández will discuss her practice and ongoing research for this major commission by the Harvard University Committee on the Arts.

On view August 27 through October 1, 2018, Autumn (. . . Nothing Personal) is a site-specific work built for Tercentenary Theatre in Harvard Yard. The title references James Baldwin’s 1964 text Nothing Personal, which was published as a...

Come investigate the Ice Age! Learn together with hands-on glacier demonstrations and activities, as well as real geologic clues about New England’s icy past. Examine the world of ice age animals by handling real fossils and exploring our collection of enormous Cenozoic Mammals. Step into the world of ice age man by creating your own Paleolithic cave art. All activities are designed to be a fun and interactive experience for elementary age students and their families to participate in together. 

Fees: $15 members/$25 nonmembers, per person includes admission to...

Through close observation of museum specimens, learn how the university’s herpetological collections are used for forensic investigations, embryological and natural history research, and the discovery of new species. Then try your hand at data collection and analysis in a hands-on investigation of the evolution of anolis lizards, based on current research by evolutionary biologist Sofia Prado-Irwin, who will lead this activity.

Instructors: Joe Martinez, Curatorial Assistant, Herpetology Department Museum of Comparative Zoology and Sofia Prado-Irwin, Doctoral student...

Detection and control of emerging infections in conflict zones is a major public health challenge. The breakdown of civil society often leads to the collapse of health systems and sanitation, food insecurity, poor coordination among humanitarian agencies, and the subsequent emergence of diseases that can proliferate into global pandemics. Michele Barry will discuss how Ebola, polio, yellow fever, cholera, and Lassa fever have emerged during conflict in fragile states and what has been learned from the outbreaks to better predict and control other potential epidemics.

...

The Museum Day Live! ticket provides free admission for two people. 

Museum Day Live! is an annual celebration of boundless curiosity hosted by Smithsonian magazine. Participating museums and cultural institutions across the country provide entry to anyone presenting a Museum Day Live! ticket. 

Where will your curiosity lead you on Museum Day Live!?

To download a ticket, ...

Learn traditional taxidermy by mounting the head and shoulders of a small game animal on a plaque to hang on your wall. Students will prepare a commercially-made form and set the eyes, ears, and mouth of a tanned hide in anatomically correct positions, then attach the bust to an unfinished wooden plaque. Choices will include raccoons and skunks, with potential for foxes and badgers if any become available. All specimens are sustainably sourced from Indiana, where pest animals legally must be euthanized and cannot be re-released into the wild. Open to adults 18 and over.

$...

Discover three ways that scientists preserve specimens for study! Each student will receive one butterfly and one stag beetle to spread, one owl pellet to dissect, and one small animal to preserve as a wet specimen in a jar. Each student will get to keep their finished specimens as well as their tools to repeat the process at home. All specimens are responsibly sourced. Open to adults 18 and over.

$140 members /$150 nonmembers

Advance registration required.

Coral reefs support more than a quarter of all marine life, yet many are critically endangered. In the Florida Keys, the once common elk horn coral (Acropora palmata) has experienced steep declines since the 1970s. Preliminary blame was attributed to  global warming and coral bleaching, but in fact, a human bacterial pathogen associated with a wide range of serious infections was the culprit. James Porter will discuss how Key West residents are saving these reefs and he will highlight the intricate links among conservation, medicine, public health, economics, and politics....