Free admission this afternoon from 3-5pm at the Harvard Museums of Natural History.

Free admission this afternoon from 3-5pm at
the Harvard Museums of Natural History
http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/on_exhibit/on_exhibit....
the Museum of Comparative Zoology
the Harvard University Herbaria, and
the Mineralogical and Geological Museum including
the Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology and
http://peabody.harvard.edu/on_line.html
the Semitic Museum
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~semitic/

March-April events

· March 8, Fossil Fest: A Window into Prehistoric Life. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Travel back in time to learn about the world of dinosaurs, Ice Age mammals, and other prehistoric creatures. Discover how fossils form and investigate bones, skulls, teeth, claws and fossilized footprints, looking for clues about prehistoric life. Learn about dinosaur relatives, meet some “living fossils,” and chat with a trained paleontologist. Special programs include a screening of the new NOVA documentary, The Four Winged Dinosaur (12 noon) and “The Lives and Death of the Dinosaurs”, a presentation by Harvard paleontologist Charles Marshall (2 PM).

o 12 Noon – DVD screening of the NOVA documentary The Four Winged Dinosaur (2008) In recent years, paleontologists have made the remarkable discovery of tiny , four-winged microraptors in China. With state-of-the-art animation to bring this lost world to life, NOVA investigates the mysterious feathered dinosaurs that are challenging theories about the origin of bird flight. Q& A with Professor Farish Jenkins, who is featured in the film.

· 2:00 PM - The Lives and Death of the Dinosaurs – Family Program with Charles Marshall. From giant sauropods to tiny theropods and their close relatives, the flying pterosaurs, dinosaurs are one of the most awesome animal groups to ever live. But with only fossils to study, how do scientists know what they looked like, what allowed them to rule the Earth for 160 million years, and why they suddenly became extinct? Come hear Harvard paleontologist Charles Marshall discuss how we solve these dino-riddles.

Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge. 617-495-3045
Free parking 9 am to 5 pm for Fossil Fest at the 52 Oxford Street underground garage next door to the museum.

· March 13, Evolution Matters lectures series “Maternal-Fetal Conflicts in Human Pregnancy.” Public Lecture by David Haig. Evolutionary biologist David Haig will discuss the various genetic conflicts that transpire within the human womb, and visit the assumption that what's good for the mother is also good for the fetus.

Pregnancy is the most intimate of human relationships and, just like any other relationship, there is potential for both cooperation and conflict during pregnancy. In this lecture, Dr. Haig, Professor of Biology at Harvard, will discuss the various genetic conflicts that transpire within the human womb, and visit the assumption that what's good for the mother is also good for the fetus. Haig will consider evolutionary conflicts over the amount of maternal blood flowing to the placenta, and use this perspective to consider the causes of preeclampsia. 6 PM. Free and open to the public. Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge. 617-495-3045 (More on Dr. Haig's research: http://www.oeb.harvard.edu/faculty/haig/Home.html)

· March 29th – The Race to Save the World's Rarest Bird – Author’s talk by Al Powell. Harvard journalist Al Powell’s new book tells the story of the po'ouli, a small Hawaiian forest bird that went extinct in 2004, just 30 years after it was first discovered. Powell examines the broader issue of environmental devastation that has visited the Hawaiian Islands unique ecosystem and why we failed to save this bird. 2 PM, free with Museum Admission. Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge. 617-495-3045
(more at http://www.stackpolebooks.com/cgi-bin/stackpoleboo...)

· April 6 - Brave New Ocean. 11th Annual Roger Tory Peterson Memorial Lecture by Jeremy Jackson. Dr. Jeremy Jackson, William E. and Mary B. Ritter Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Senior Scientist, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. One of the most prominent marine ecologists in the world , Jeremy Jackson, will discuss how decades of over-fishing, habitat destruction and ocean warming have left our marine ecosystems and biodiversity in a state of crisis. But with successful management and conservation strategies, Jackson sees hope for renewing the health and sustainability of our oceans. 3 PM, Science Center, One Oxford Street. Tickets ($5) will go on sale to the general public on March 18th through the Harvard Box Office at 617 496 2222.

· April 13 - No Child Left Inside. Family Program with Bill Thompson III. [short] Birding is becoming an increasingly popular activity with kids of all ages. Birder extraordinaire Bill Thompson will talk about his new Peterson Field Guide, The Young Birder’s Guide to Birds of Eastern North America, and how to get kids interested in nature and counter the growing trend of "nature deficit disorder." 2 PM. Free with museum admission.

o Kids are fascinated by birds, which makes bird watching an excellent way to get kids out of the house and into the natural world. Author and birder Bill Thompson III spent three years working with his daughter's elementary-school class to create a new bird book for kids, The Young Birder's Guide to Birds of Eastern North America (Houghton Mifflin). He'll discuss how to get kids interested in nature, and offer some insight into countering the growing trend of "nature deficit disorder." 2 PM. Free with Museum Admission

· April 16th –Thoreau’s Cape Cod. Video presentation and book-signing by Scot Miller. To celebrate the release of Houghton Mifflin’s illustrated edition of Henry David Thoreau’s classic Cape Cod, photographer Scot Miller will premiere “Illustrating Thoreau’s Cape Cod : A Photographer’s Story,” a video documenting his experiences photographing the outer Cape for the book, from beautiful sunrises and sunsets to blistering cold winter storms and everything in between. Book-signing to follow. Free and open to the public. 6 PM, Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge. 617-495-3045.

· April 19th – DVD screening of the NOVA documentary “Dimming the Sun” This 55-minute documentary investigates the discovery that the pollution may be causing less sunlight to reach Earth over time. Could this global dimming be masking the full impact of global climate warming? Some climate experts think so, with the possible consequence that as we reduce pollution, the climate will heat up to unprecedented levels. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Kelly Chance of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. 2 PM, free with Museum Admission.
Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge. 617-495-3045.

· April 25 & 26 - (Friday 3:00 PM / Saturday 10:00 AM) - Exhibition Closing gallery talks and book-signing with Henry Horenstein. Join us this weekend as we mark the closing of Looking at Animals: Photographs by Henry Horenstein, and the publication of Animalia, a new compilation volume of the best of the Horenstein's animal work, including 35 unpublished photographs. RSVPs not required. Free with Museum admission. Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge. 617-495-3045. Red line MBTA Harvard Square.

· April 26 – May 4 – Cambridge Science Festival

Events at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge. 617-495-3045. Red line MBTA Harvard Square.

· April 29 –Thinking Outside the Fossil Record: Explanations for the Cambrian Explosion of Animals. Public Lecture by Charles Marshall.
There are many explanations for the Cambrian "explosion" -- that flash of evolution 540 million years ago when the diversity of animal life exploded. Family after family of complex creatures with hard shells, spinal cords, and skeletons arose to dominate life on Earth and create a rich, albeit incomplete, fossil record. But what caused this diversity explosion, and what makes this epoch unique in history? Charles Marshall is Professor of Biology and Geology at Harvard, and Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology in the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 6 PM. Free and open to the public. Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge. 617-495-3045.

· Friday, May 2nd – Night at the Museum: A Special Evening of Exploration and Fun. Free admission. 5:00 – 8:00 PM. The Harvard Museum of Natural History will open its doors free-of-charge to all for a special evening of educational activities including interactive displays, craft activities, touch boxes, live animal presentations, discovery tables, microscope investigations, and more, all under the guidance of museum staff and trained volunteers.

· Sunday, May 4 – 2pm. Discovering The World Around Us: Biodiversity and Climate Change. Sunday Family Program with Marie Studer. Join Marie Studer, Education and Outreach Director for the Encyclopedia of Life Project (www.eol.org), to talk about the richness of plants and animals around us and to share ways for observing and tracking them. We'll also talk about how to understand the local impact of climate change. Weather permitting, we'll go outside to investigate the Museum's natural surroundings. Free and open to the public (Note: Admission is free for the entire day on May 4 for the Cambridge Science Festival.

ADULT CLASSES

March 1st – Bacteria to Bones: Exploring the Rise of Complex Life on Earth
Multicellular animal and plant life has existed for only a small fraction of Earth's 4.5 billion year history. In this class, we'll explore the fossil evidence for the increasing complexity of life, from single-celled bacteria to the first algae and animals. Along the way we'll discuss popular theories about the timing and causes of this transition, known as the Cambrian explosion, and view specimens from Harvard's fossil collections. Class Instructor: Phoebe Cohen, Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Harvard.

April 12th - Life in the Sea: Marine Invertebrates. Dive into the amazing diversity of ocean biology with this introduction to marine invertebrates. Using live and preserved specimens, we’ll compare echinoderms, crustaceans, mollusk and other animal groups. We’ll also examine fertilization and reproductive strategy in marine invertebrates, and even observe live spawning using urchins and bryozoans. Class Instructor: Collin Johnson/ Woolacott Lab, Ocean Bio

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Mary Blue Magruder
Director of Communications & Marketing
Harvard Museum of Natural History
26 Oxford Street
Cambridge MA 02138
617 496-0049
bmagruder at oeb.harvard.edu

Explore http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu

Sea Creatures in Glass, opening March 21, 2008

Don't Miss Nests & Eggs, thru August 2008

Looking at Animals: Photographs by Henry Horenstein, thru April 27, 2008

Lectures and events:
http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/lectures_and_special_e...

Visit our Press Room for releases, links to images,
http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/press_room/index.php