Boston Flora

Tag: Harvard Museum Of Natural History

  • Sunday, June 23, 3:30 pm – The Human Shore: Seacoasts in History

    More than half of Americans now live within 50 miles of ocean, but should they? John Gillis (Rutgers University), in his new book The Human Shore: Seacoasts in History, argues that an inadequate understanding of the natural and human history of our shores has left communities unprepared for coastal dwelling.  John will speak at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street in Cambridge, on Sunday, June 23 beginning at 3:30 pm.  For more information visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu/lectures_and_special_events/index.php.  Regular Museum admission rates apply.

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  • Tuesday, June 18, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Law of the Locusts: What Insect Swarms Teach Us

    Locust swarms can be one of the most destructive plagues to mankind, but they also offer important new insights into the causes of human obesity, the aging process, and the complexities of crowd behavior. Australian biologist Steve Simpson (University of Sydney) will take us on a strange journey from insect swarms to human health on Tuesday, June 18, from 7 – 8 at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge.

    Parking/Directions: Free event parking in the 52 Oxford Street Garage. An 8-minute walk through Harvard Yard from the Harvard Square red line T stop. For more information visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu.

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  • Wednesday, April 10, 6:00 pm – Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us about Sex, Diet, and How We Live

    From the Stone Age diet plan to Paleo workouts, our culture is rife with pseudo-scientific fads based on a time when we supposedly were more “in sync” with nature. Marlene Zuk, professor of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the University of Minnesota, dismantles this nostalgia and argues that evolution yields neither perfection nor a final product. The Wednesday, April 10 lecture is part of the Evolution Matters Lecture Series, supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit. Free and open to the public. Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Free event parking for evening lectures in the 52 Oxford Street garage.

  • Friday, June 14 – Sunday, June 23 – Land of the Ice Bears: An In-Depth Exploration of Arctic Svalbard

    A remote archipelago situated just over 350 miles north of Norway’s North Cape, Svalbard is a place of deep fjords, mountains and massive sheets of ice (and the Arctic seed vault.) During summer, when the sun never sets, the tundra experiences a warm awakening and is carpeted with wildflowers. Ice peppered fjords ring with the thunderous sound of glacial ice crashing to the sea, and walrus raise their sleepy heads to observe us. Witness seals and arctic foxes and search for the very symbol of the Arctic— majestic polar bears. Cruise Svalbard’s fjords, venture to the foot of stunning tidewater glaciers, and kayak among beautiful icebergs. Travel as far north as it is possible to go without an icebreaker, and experience the geology, wildlife, and wildflowers that give color and vitality to the High Arctic.  The trip is sponsored by the Harvard Museum of Natural History, and you will travel aboard the 148 guest National Geographic Explorer.  The eleven day trip (June 14 – 23) is priced from $8, 650, double occupancy, and a complete itinerary may be found at www.hmnh.harvard.edu, or by calling 617-495-2463.

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  • Thursday, March 28, 6:00 pm – River. Space. Design.: Toward a New Urban Water Culture

    Antje Stokman, Professor and Director of Landscape Planning and Ecology at Stuttgart University in Germany will give the New Directions in EcoPlanning Annual Lecture at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, Oxford Street, Cambridge, on Thursday, March 28. Antje Stokman will discuss how, within different cultural contexts, our relationship with water results in very different landscape and city forms. She outlines a vision for reintegrating the dynamics of water into our cities. Free and open to the public. Reception to follow in the HMNH galleries. Supported by a generous gift from Michael Dyett (AB ‘68, MRP ‘72) and Heidi Richardson.

  • Saturday, March 2, 2:00 pm – Narwhals: Arctic Whales in a Melting World

    Natural history writer Todd McLeish explores the science and mythology of the increasingly rare narwhal whale, known as the “sea unicorn” for its seven-foot long spiral tusk, on Saturday, March 2, from 2 – 3, at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Regular Museum admission rates apply. Free for HMNH members. For complete information visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu.

  • Thursday, December 13, 6:00 pm – Nature Wars: The Incredible Story of How Wildlife Comebacks Turned Backyards into Battlegrounds

    Although Americans may spend 90 percent of their time indoors, we now live in closer proximity to wild animals now than anytime in our history. Journalist Jim Sterba traces our 400-year relationship to wild animals, from the 19th-century “era of extermination” to the conservation movement of last century, and up through the current age of “sprawl.” Today, Sterba argues, our well-meaning efforts to protect certain species has allowed some wild populations to burgeon out of control, costing billions in damage, degrading ecosystems, and deepening disputes that have polarized communities. The talk will take place this Thursday, December 13, beginning at 6 pm. Free and open to the public, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Free event parking in the 52 Oxford Street garage.

  • Friday, December 7 – Where Are We in Invasive Plant Management?

    On Friday, December 7, the New England Botanical Club will host Karen Lombard, Director of Stewardship and Restoration, The Nature Conservancy, Massachusetts, who will speak on Where Are We in Invasive Plant Management?: Lessons from Two Long-Term Invasive Plant Management Projects.  The meeting is open to the public, and will be held in the Haller Lecture Hall (Room 102) found inside the door to the right of the Harvard Museum of Natural History entrance at 24 Oxford Street.  For confirmation on the time, please email the Corresponding Secretary at neystersmith@bentley.edu.

  • Friday, October 26, 6:00 pm – Beautiful Minds: The Parallel Lives of Great Apes and Dolphins

    In her new book Beautiful Minds: The Parallel Lives of Great Apes and Dolphins (co-written with Craig Stanford), biologist Maddalena Bearzi examines how apes and dolphins, although distantly related, share a remarkably parallel evolution toward complex intelligence and behavior – and what this may reveal about the cognitive development of homo sapiens. Cosponsored by The Harvard Museum of Natural History and Harvard University Press. Free and open to the public, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Free parking in the 52 Oxford Street garage.

  • Friday, October 19, 6:00 pm – Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic

    If you were riveted by The Hot Zone, this Harvard Museum of Natural History program is for you.  Science author David Quammen explores how a litany of pandemic diseases like Ebola, SARS, and Hendra share a single pattern: they are transmitted to humans by bugs that originate in wild animals. He will speak on Friday, October 19 beginning at 6 pm, and a book signing will follow. Free and open to the public, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Free parking in the 52 Oxford Street garage.