Paleontologist Dr. Kirk Johnson of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science will share the latest news about Snowmass Village, the massive site in the Colorado Rockies where he’s leading a team that has recently unearthed a treasure trove of over 5,000 fossils of Ice Age animals—including mastodons, Columbian mammoth, Jefferson’s ground sloth, giant bison, camels, and other species.  Regular …See More

In his newest book, Science Ink, bestselling author Carl Zimmer tackles an unusual topic: tattoos. Showcasing hundreds of eye-catching tattoos that pay tribute to various scientific disciplines, from evolutionary biology to astrophysics—Zimmer reveals the stories of individuals who express their science passions through body art. Each tattoo provides a leaping-off point for Zimmer to reflect on the science in question, from the importance of Darwin's finches or the significance of the uranium…See More

Join the Harvard Museum of Natural History for a special evening of performance, sound, and video throughout the galleries. For two and a half hours, artists and performers- including Harvard students, alumni and others- will transform the museum into laboratory, library, exploratorium, and stage. Through thoughtful interventions and captivating experiments, viewers will experience new ways to engage with the museum’s spaces, its collections, and its history.Admission: $6.00 at the door…See More

Until about 13,000 years ago, North America was home to a menagerie of massive mammals. Mammoths, camels, and lions walked the ground that is now our city streets and suburban lawns. In her new book, Once and Future Giants, science writer Sharon Levy digs through the evidence surrounding Pleistocene extinction events worldwide, showing how an understanding of this history — and our part in it — is crucial for protecting elephants, polar bears, tigers, and other endangered megafauna.See More

Are humans unique among animals in having a moral sense? In his new book, Dale Peterson shows that our fellow creatures have powerful impulses toward cooperation, generosity, and fairness. Drawing upon evolutionary theory and scientific studies of a wide variety of animals, he will show how much animal behavior follows principles embodied in humanity’s ancient moral codes, from the Ten Commandments to the New Testament. Understanding the moral lives of animals offers new insight into our own.See More

Evolution Matters lecture by David ReichNeandertals, our closest evolutionary relative, lived in parts of Europe and western Asia before disappearing 30,000 years ago. The great question has always been, did they interbreed with our homo sapiens ancestors, and is there living evidence of Neandertal genes in present-day humans? David Reich, Associate Professor in Harvard’s Department of Genetics, will discuss comparisons of the Neandertal genome to the genomes of present-day humans from…See More

Evolution Matters lecture by Melvin KonnerUnderstanding origins must include the origins of childhood. In his newest book, anthropologist and neuroscientist Melvin Konner offers a sweeping overview of how relationships, emotion, and mind emerged from the uniquely human nature of children and how we care for them. It has been said that nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution, and Dr. Konner shows that nothing in childhood does either.See More

Have you ever made a heart-shaped card or given candy to your crush for Valentine's Day? Not surprisingly, humans are not the only ones who invest in elaborate displays of affection! Join graduate students Alexis Harrison and Emily Kay in an exploration of some of the unusual and bizarre ways that animals search for and win over companions. We will learn why peacocks display their colorful tails, bighorn sheep fight with their horns, and frogs sing songs to express their romantic interest.

Evolution Matters lecture by David ReichNeandertals, our closest evolutionary relative, lived in parts of Europe and western Asia before disappearing 30,000 years ago. The great question has always been, did they interbreed with our homo sapiens ancestors, and is there living evidence of Neandertal genes in present-day humans? David Reich, Associate Professor in Harvard’s Department of Genetics, will discuss comparisons of the Neandertal genome to the genomes of present-day humans from…See More

Conservationists Amy Vedder and Bill Weber have devoted three decades to ensuring the survival of endangered wildlife and wild lands around the world. Vedder and Weber will discuss their pioneering work with mountain gorillas in Rwanda, an effort combining wildlife and human interests, and how this model can be applied to conserving North America's charismatic animals and spectacular habitats.See More

RE: Design is a fascinating dramatization of the 30 years of correspondence between Charles Darwin in England and Asa Gray in Boston, produced by the English theatre group, Menagerie. Adapted exclusively from their own words, it offers a window onto the minds and worlds of two groundbreaking naturalists as they debate the consequences for religious belief of Darwin’s new theory of evolution. Intellectual debate around science and religion is interwoven with gossip, opinion, and anecdotes about…See More