Where Our Food Comes From: The Origins of Agriculture

Program with Bruce Smith

Thursday, February 11, 6:00 PM

The transition from hunting and gathering to food production was a seismic shift in human history. With it, we transformed the world. How and when did this happen, and why is it important to understanding the current human condition?  Dr. Bruce Smith, Curator of North American Archaeology at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, will discuss his current research on agricultural origins—and how the story is more complicated than expected. The program will include a discussion moderated by Noel Michele Holbrook, Professor of Biology and Charles Bullard Professor of Forestry at Harvard. Free and open to the public in the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford. A member reception will follow the program.

The Year of the Tiger Gallery Exploration

 February 12-28

Experience the museum by discovering the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, each linked to a specimen in the galleries. Learn about the cultural significance and natural history of these animals and try your hand at drawing the animal assigned to the year of your birth. Exploration guides are available at the admission desk. Free with museum admission.

Guess the animal for a chance to win a membership.

What are the names of all the tiger specimens on display in the museum and which tiger lives in the coldest climate? Enter your answers, along with your name, email, and phone number in the entry display in the museum lobby for your chance to win a household membership to the museum. The winning name will be drawn in the museum on February 28, at 2:00 pm. Entrants need not be present to win.

From Cooking Food to Cooking the Planet:
Growing Constraints to Food Production

Program with Samuel Myers

Tuesday, February 23, 6:00 PM

To keep pace with the world's food demand, it is estimated that agriculture production must double by 2050. Dr. Samuel Myers, Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a practicing physician, will discuss troubling trends, including climate change and increased threats from pests and pathogens that may constrain the world's resources, requiring new approaches to sustainable agriculture. The program will include a discussion moderated by Noel Michele Holbrook, Professor of Biology and Charles Bullard Professor of Forestry at Harvard. Free and open to the public in the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Part of the Food for Thought program series.
Photo copyright HUCE. 

Earth Rocks!: A Family Festival

Saturday, March 6, 9:00 am - 5:00 PM

From rocks, minerals, and fossils to earthquakes, volcanoes, and meteorites,  explore the dynamic history of planet Earth in a day-long family festival with hands-on activities and displays focused on geology and related sciences. Experience the museum’s unique collections in a new way and talk with scientists and collectors about their work in the field and behind the scenes. Participate in activity tables throughout the museum. Test natural pigments made from the Earth. See microbes that need minerals to breathe. Make a sediment tube to mimic the formation of some rocks. Examine rocks from volcanoes, look at fossils older than dinosaurs, marvel at fluorescent minerals, and learn about collecting minerals in New England with members of the Boston Mineral Club. And, even bring in your own rock or mineral to be identified by an expert.  

Special programs include a noon time DVD screening of the award-winning documentary, Volcanoes of the Deep Sea, followed by a question-and-answer discussion with Harvard biologist and deep-sea vent expert Colleen Cavanaugh. At 2:00 pm, Harvard geologist Robert Ackert will give an illustrated talk titled, Antarctica: Tracking the World’s Largest Glaciers about Harvard’s research field trips to the South Pole. At 3:30 pm, Harvard undergrad Caitlin Rotman will present, Boston Rocks: How the City Was Formed - From the Ice Age to the Big Dig, an illustrated journey through Boston’s glacial past and its man-made present. 

Free with museum admission. Free parking available in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) parking lot, enter from 33 Oxford Street, Cambridge.

To share this event with others download the Earth Rocks poster.

Earth Rocks is made possible in part with support from Cambridge Trust Company.
Photo by Tony Rinaldo. 

The Plausibility of Life: Resolving Darwin's Dilemma

Lecture by Marc Kirschner

Thursday, March 11, 7:00 PM

Dr. Marc Kirschner, Professor of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School, will discuss his evolutionary theory of how rare and random mutation in organisms can lead to exquisite changes of form and function. Free and open to the public, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Part of the Evolution Matters lecture series.

Still Life: Adventures in Taxidermy

Author talk and gallery social with Melissa Milgrom
Members Free / Nonmembers $20

Thursday, March 18, 6:00 PM

The Harvard Museum of Natural History is home to some of the country’s oldest and most varied collections of taxidermic animals. Join us for a gallery social and talk by author Melissa Milgrom, whose new book Still Life, delves into the colorful world of eccentric naturalists and gifted museum artisans who create the illusion of life through taxidermy. Books will be available for purchase and signing following the talk. Advance registration required. RSVP to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 617.496.6972 Learn more about membership benefits.

Zombie Insects and Disgusted Humans: How Parasites Affect Behavior

Lecture by David Hughes

Sunday, March 21, 2:00 PM

From the dark forests of New Guinea to the woods of New England, various parasites pull off tricks of manipulation that would impress any Hollywood screenwriter: they hijack the brains of insects and literally turn them into “zombies.” In defending against such sinister Svengalis,  an array of defensive behaviors has evolved. Darwin was the first to study this in humans, and since then scientists have theorized that fear and disgust might be a defense against certain parasites. David Hughes, a researcher in Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology, will discuss the evolution of these behaviors in a world teeming with parasites. Free with museum admission. 

Evolution of Brain Aging and Cognitive Decline

Lecture by Bruce Yankner

Thursday, March 25, 6:00 PM

During the last century, treatments for the diseases of youth and middle-age adults have helped raise life expectancy. However, neurocognitive decline has emerged as one of the greatest health threats of old age, with nearly 50% of adults over the age of 85 afflicted by Alzheimer's disease. Meeting this challenge demands a greater understanding of the processes underlying normal and pathological brain aging. Dr. Bruce Yankner, Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, will discuss how evolutionary studies are unexpectedly revealing new insights into age-related cognitive decline, suggesting that it may have appeared recently in the primate lineage. Free and open to the public, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Part of the Evolution Matters lecture series.
Photo by Adam Blanchette. 

Bizarre Animals: An Evening of Contemporary Art Interventions

Organized by Carlin Wing, (Harvard '02) Artist-in-residence

Friday, March 26, ongoing from 7:00 to 9:30 PM

Please join us for a special evening of performance, sound, and video throughout the galleries. For two and half hours, twelve artists from across the country—including many Harvard alumni and several current students—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. Participating artists include: Lucky Dragons, Noah Feehan/AKA Media System, Greg Gagnon, Liz Glynn, Jesse Aron Green, Lisa Haber-Thomson, Harlo Holmes, Rebecca Lieberman, Hanna Rose Shell, and Catherine Wing. Admission: $6.00, free to HMNH members and HU ID holders.

Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast

Author talk and booksigning with Peter Del Tredici

Sunday, April 11, 2:00 PM

Our cities and towns may seem harsh and unwelcoming to vegetation, but in the new field guide, Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast by Harvard botanist Peter Del Tredici, details the spectacular array of plants that grow spontaneously in sidewalk cracks, flourish along chain-link fences, and line the banks of streams and rivers. Del Tredici will discuss the valuable ecological roles these plants play,  from carbon storage and erosion control to providing food for wildlife.  Cosponsored with the Arnold Arboretum. Free with museum admission; free to HMNH and Arnold Arboretum members.
Photo by Susan Klaw. 

The Evolutionary and Genetic Basis of Human Reproduction

Lecture by David Page

Thursday, April 15, 6:00 PM

Dr. David Page, Director of the Whitehead Institute and Professor of Biology at MIT, studies sex chromosomes and the critical role they play in human reproduction, with special focus on the evolution of the Y chromosome. His laboratory is currently seeking to unravel the genetic mechanisms responsible for a range of sexual disorders, from failed sperm production to sex reversal to Turner Syndrome. Free and open to the public in the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street.
Part of the Evolution Matters lecture series.
Photo by Kelly Lorenz/Whitehead 

New Directions in EcoPlanning Annual Lecture

Lecture by Jane Wolff

Wednesday, April 28, 6:00 PM

Jane Wolff (GSD, ’92) is Director of the Landscape Architecture program at the University of Toronto. Her research and design work aims to articulate terms for landscapes where the line between nature and artifice is hard to draw. The author of Delta Primer, a book and deck of cards designed to educate broad audiences about the contested landscapes of the California Delta, Wolff is currently involved in design, advocacy, and public information projects in San Francisco, New Orleans, and St. Louis. Free and open to the public in the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Supported by a generous gift from Michael Dyett (AB ’68, MRP ’72) and Heidi Richardson.