Human evolution, biomimicry and more go on display

hominid

BLAST FROM THE PAST  A new permanet gallery at London's Natural History Museum guides visitors through hominid history. It's one of several science events worth adding to your to-do list.

© The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London

Human Evolution gallery

Now open

This new, permanent display marches through 7 million years of hominid history; highlights include a 3.5-million-year-old tooth from Tanzania, a Neandertal skull and the world’s oldest known wooden spear.

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM IN LONDON

Stratospheric Balloons Over Antarctica

February 2, 2016

In this free public lecture, a physicist will explain how he uses giant helium-filled balloons to hunt for cosmic rays.

ST. LOUIS ZOO

The von Kármán Lecture Series: The Europa Mission 
JPL-Caltech/NASA

February 11 and 12, 2016

Two NASA scientists will discuss a planned mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa (right) that will investigate whether the icy orb’s subterranean ocean could host life (SN: 5/17/14, p. 20).

JET PROPULSION LABORATORY, PASADENA, CALIF.; PASADENA CITY COLLEGE

Family Science Days

February 13 and 14

Meet an astronaut, play with hands-on exhibits and see a quiz show at this free event.

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE ANNUAL MEETING, WASHINGTON, D.C.

Animals: Machines in Motion

Opens February 14, 2016

This interactive exhibit explores a range of organisms’ adaptations and looks at how engineers mine the natural world for inspiration.

MUSEUM OF SCIENCE IN BOSTON

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