Life Sciences Meet the Public In Science Centers, Museums

Photo: Keith Merrill/Ogden Entertainment LIFE IN THE BALANCE: In the emerald realm of the Amazon rain forest, a baby lies on a giant lily pad. This scene is from the film Amazon, which is being shown at science centers and museums as an added attraction for other exhibits on rain forests. Museums featuring life science exhibits--from hands-on displays showing how the human body works at the California Science Center in Los Angeles to a comprehensive look at the subject of biodiversity at the A

| 7 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
7:00
Share

Photo: Keith Merrill/Ogden Entertainment

LIFE IN THE BALANCE: In the emerald realm of the Amazon rain forest, a baby lies on a giant lily pad. This scene is from the film Amazon, which is being shown at science centers and museums as an added attraction for other exhibits on rain forests.
Museums featuring life science exhibits--from hands-on displays showing how the human body works at the California Science Center in Los Angeles to a comprehensive look at the subject of biodiversity at the American Museum of Natural History in New York--have found that basic science can entertain an information-hungry public and boost attendance at the institutions. And standing behind the basic science of these exhibits at many science centers and museums are scientists who work under various arrangements, from full-time staff member to part-time volunteer.

For instance, the St. Louis Science Center employs Beryl Rosenthal, an anthropologist, as the director ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Keywords

Meet the Author

  • Margaret Heinrich

    This person does not yet have a bio.

Published In

Share
May digest 2025 cover
May 2025, Issue 1

Study Confirms Safety of Genetically Modified T Cells

A long-term study of nearly 800 patients demonstrated a strong safety profile for T cells engineered with viral vectors.

View this Issue
Meet Aunty and Tackle Protein Stability Questions in Research and Development

Meet Aunty and Tackle Protein Stability Questions in Research and Development

Unchained Labs
Detecting Residual Cell Line-Derived DNA with Droplet Digital PCR

Detecting Residual Cell Line-Derived DNA with Droplet Digital PCR

Bio-Rad
How technology makes PCR instruments easier to use.

Making Real-Time PCR More Straightforward

Thermo Fisher Logo
Characterizing Immune Memory to COVID-19 Vaccination

Characterizing Immune Memory to COVID-19 Vaccination

10X Genomics

Products

The Scientist Placeholder Image

Biotium Launches New Phalloidin Conjugates with Extended F-actin Staining Stability for Greater Imaging Flexibility

Leica Microsystems Logo

Latest AI software simplifies image analysis and speeds up insights for scientists

BioSkryb Genomics Logo

BioSkryb Genomics and Tecan introduce a single-cell multiomics workflow for sequencing-ready libraries in under ten hours

iStock

Agilent BioTek Cytation C10 Confocal Imaging Reader

agilent technologies logo