The Natural History Museum
The place is absolutely gorgeous and there is just so much there. The architecture is amazing. There are gargoyles and wood carvings and details everwhere; on the columns, the banisters, the roof...
One of their key draws is of course the dinosaurs. The dinosaur fossils and are indeed very cool and the animatronic roaring T Rex is okay (although I can't look at a T Rex now without cracking up and hearing Sridat telling the Obundsmen joke complete with imitatory arm movements). As well as the dinosaur fossils though are mammal fossils - like the 5m tall sloths that are just scary looking; and the ammonites and fish and plants.... The fossilised tree trunks are incredible though. Mineral deposits mean that they way the same as stone and they've accumulate these gorgeous smooth quartz tops. Touching these things that are, based on current science, dated to millions of years old is pretty incredible.
One of the things that I like about the museum is that in most exhibits they try to be pretty honest and to provide a balanced argument. They admit that on a number of things they just don't know the answers, provide the evidence and state what the best guesses are. One example is in the argument over whether dinosaurs were warm or cold blooded. Both sides take the exactly the same evidence but use it in different ways to prove their side. The museum presents both cases. The only exception is for human evolution which they present as a a given. On the other hand, they do present their findings and it's interesting to see what they're based on. In some cases you go.... okay that was found near humanoid remains so I can see why you think this proves X... in other cases you're looking at a rock that was found nowhere near bone remains or anything else and you look at the given argument rather more dubiously. They also indicate by using a very dark material as a bone substitute (as a contrast) where they've 'filled in' the rest of their remains as their best guess over what the bones they found indicate. In some cases they're filling only a few obvious gaps, in other cases their guess is substantial and in some cases overfigures the actual remains found. It's fascinating getting to examine the evidence (or part of) rather than simply reading the finished written thesis.
They also still carry out active scientific enquiry. The Darwin Centre has hundreds of thousands of preserved specimens in over 25kms of storage space plus labs for research. They're planning on expanding it over the next few years.
Another cool section is the Human Biology gallery. It's really interesting. So, guys produce 2 million sperm a day when their teenagers? Damn, it's got to suck to be a guy! [but I should point out that this is nothing compared to the suffering of cramps, you have my limited sympathy all the same]. They also had a video on fetal development. I don't know how they got a camera up there (really, really don't want to know) but it's incredible to watch. It's so cute, and flipper like, and they start developing specialized organs and limbs so early. It was almost, but not quite, enough to make me clucky until I turned around and saw the wall [complete with diagrams] on labour, seriously, you know how guys tend to involuntary flinch when they see someone get kicked in the nuts - well this is the sort of thing (along with antiquated obstreptics equipment) that makes girls involutarily cross their legs - something that size should not exit out of something that size. I'm sure my parents will forgive me if they have to wait a few more years to be grandparents.
- speaking of kids though.. the kids section in Harrods is sooo cute, they even have a specialized book store in that wing... one of you other women hurry up and make babies so that I can read your children fairy tales and nursery rhymes! :P -
Handily, they also have scales in that section. I miss the gym, I really do. I'm on my feet walking for ten to twelve hours a day for work (or exploring) but I miss cardio (although I swear having to run up and down three flights of stairs multiple times a day has got to be good for me); and fresh NZ produce. Nevertheless, I've lost a couple more kilos. Yay me!
The psych section was really cool. It had heaps of different optical illusions and examined the way that different functions in the brain worked. Really good was an interactive video. You sit down and see a p.o.v. video. You're walking down the street and all of a sudden there's a mugging/aggravated assault. You end up partially involved and then a bystander trying to collect information for the police is asking you all of these questions. You get shown different possibilities for each answer and you're suddenly trying to remember the exact colour of each offender's clothing irregardless of leading questions, trying to pick out the knife you glimpsed and trying to pick out of a lineup the non-descript guy who's face was partially obscured and who got away with the money (someone else who was present at the scene a little earlier is also in the lineup). It was really interesting to take part in.
The Earth Galleries (a seperate annex building) has heaps of stuff on ecology, recycling, earth scientists, the way that bore hole samples are taken, the way that mines are chosen and plotted, the solar system, earthquakes etc...
(*g* While the museums over here are way better than ours, it's nice to bea ble to say that their earthquake room isn't nearly as cool as the new one at the Auckland museum).
One of their key draws is of course the dinosaurs. The dinosaur fossils and are indeed very cool and the animatronic roaring T Rex is okay (although I can't look at a T Rex now without cracking up and hearing Sridat telling the Obundsmen joke complete with imitatory arm movements). As well as the dinosaur fossils though are mammal fossils - like the 5m tall sloths that are just scary looking; and the ammonites and fish and plants.... The fossilised tree trunks are incredible though. Mineral deposits mean that they way the same as stone and they've accumulate these gorgeous smooth quartz tops. Touching these things that are, based on current science, dated to millions of years old is pretty incredible.
One of the things that I like about the museum is that in most exhibits they try to be pretty honest and to provide a balanced argument. They admit that on a number of things they just don't know the answers, provide the evidence and state what the best guesses are. One example is in the argument over whether dinosaurs were warm or cold blooded. Both sides take the exactly the same evidence but use it in different ways to prove their side. The museum presents both cases. The only exception is for human evolution which they present as a a given. On the other hand, they do present their findings and it's interesting to see what they're based on. In some cases you go.... okay that was found near humanoid remains so I can see why you think this proves X... in other cases you're looking at a rock that was found nowhere near bone remains or anything else and you look at the given argument rather more dubiously. They also indicate by using a very dark material as a bone substitute (as a contrast) where they've 'filled in' the rest of their remains as their best guess over what the bones they found indicate. In some cases they're filling only a few obvious gaps, in other cases their guess is substantial and in some cases overfigures the actual remains found. It's fascinating getting to examine the evidence (or part of) rather than simply reading the finished written thesis.
They also still carry out active scientific enquiry. The Darwin Centre has hundreds of thousands of preserved specimens in over 25kms of storage space plus labs for research. They're planning on expanding it over the next few years.
Another cool section is the Human Biology gallery. It's really interesting. So, guys produce 2 million sperm a day when their teenagers? Damn, it's got to suck to be a guy! [but I should point out that this is nothing compared to the suffering of cramps, you have my limited sympathy all the same]. They also had a video on fetal development. I don't know how they got a camera up there (really, really don't want to know) but it's incredible to watch. It's so cute, and flipper like, and they start developing specialized organs and limbs so early. It was almost, but not quite, enough to make me clucky until I turned around and saw the wall [complete with diagrams] on labour, seriously, you know how guys tend to involuntary flinch when they see someone get kicked in the nuts - well this is the sort of thing (along with antiquated obstreptics equipment) that makes girls involutarily cross their legs - something that size should not exit out of something that size. I'm sure my parents will forgive me if they have to wait a few more years to be grandparents.
- speaking of kids though.. the kids section in Harrods is sooo cute, they even have a specialized book store in that wing... one of you other women hurry up and make babies so that I can read your children fairy tales and nursery rhymes! :P -
Handily, they also have scales in that section. I miss the gym, I really do. I'm on my feet walking for ten to twelve hours a day for work (or exploring) but I miss cardio (although I swear having to run up and down three flights of stairs multiple times a day has got to be good for me); and fresh NZ produce. Nevertheless, I've lost a couple more kilos. Yay me!
The psych section was really cool. It had heaps of different optical illusions and examined the way that different functions in the brain worked. Really good was an interactive video. You sit down and see a p.o.v. video. You're walking down the street and all of a sudden there's a mugging/aggravated assault. You end up partially involved and then a bystander trying to collect information for the police is asking you all of these questions. You get shown different possibilities for each answer and you're suddenly trying to remember the exact colour of each offender's clothing irregardless of leading questions, trying to pick out the knife you glimpsed and trying to pick out of a lineup the non-descript guy who's face was partially obscured and who got away with the money (someone else who was present at the scene a little earlier is also in the lineup). It was really interesting to take part in.
The Earth Galleries (a seperate annex building) has heaps of stuff on ecology, recycling, earth scientists, the way that bore hole samples are taken, the way that mines are chosen and plotted, the solar system, earthquakes etc...
(*g* While the museums over here are way better than ours, it's nice to bea ble to say that their earthquake room isn't nearly as cool as the new one at the Auckland museum).
posted by Nixie! at 7:13 am
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