Darwin Takes Wing

Yours to discover:

• New exhibition in West Gallery: "Avelution" Birds in the Development of Darwin's Theory of Evolution
• Darwin at his desk--a live Darwin re-enactor will be able to answer your questions about Darwin's life and work
• Live critters with the Michigan Society of Herpetologists and MSU Museum's naturalist, Jim Harding the Critterguy
• Live chickens and pigeons -- showing special breeds
• Rare, behind-the-scenes tours of MSU Museum research collections
• Tours of the MSU Museum's "Bug Room," where beetles to help prepare animal skeletons for inclusion in the collections as they clean away flesh from tiny crevices in bone that human hands and tools can never reach.
• Bird skeletons from MSU Museum's Vertebrate Natural History collections, as well as other interesting and unusual museum specimens
• Dinosaur casts in Habitat Hall, showing recent finds from museum fieldwork and research in Tanzania, on the African continent
• Ask the experts: museum curators, MSU graduate students and specialists can help you identify backyard curiosities. Bring in a rock, bone, fossil, tooth or other natural object*
• Meet the Scientist: MSU Museum Assistant Curator of Mammalogy and Ornithology Pamela Rasmussen
• Hands-on activities for kids with MSU 4-H Children's Garden and Department of Horticulture
• Books and educational resources at the Museum Store
• Birthday cake and refreshments

*The MSU Museum cannot provide estimates on the commercial value of any specimen nor provide expertise on human-made artifacts at this program.

The Michigan State University Museum joins natural history museums and science centers around the world in observing naturalist Charles Darwin's birthday with special programs. Science institutions worldwide have created special programs around Darwin's birthday that help promote an appreciation for the benefits of scientific knowledge acquired through human curiosity and ingenuity. Learn more at http://darwinday.org.