Explore, Play, Discover: Websites, Activities, and More

Everyone seems to love the sound of their own voice in the shower. That's because a simple shower stall produces some complex sound-altering effects.

Interact with the Cafe Wall Illusion.

Can your eyes fool your nose? Find out with this experiment.

Your guide to the Northern and Southern Lights (also in 'Observatory')

Use dominoes to model a nerve cell's transmission of a signal

Learn about bike gears using thread spools and a rubber band.

See living stem cells and find out why they are the "stem" from which all other cells develop.

There's more to polar ice than just frozen water. Learn about the many varieties of ice found at the poles and how and where they form.

Explore the mythological significance of frogs in cultures around the world.

Think you have a lot in common with a kiwi fruit? Genetically speaking, you do.

Touch supercooled water drops with an ice crystal and trigger them to freeze instantly.

Sit down for compost tea with a visionary cultivator.

Why is the bicycle the most efficient way to travel? Explore bicycle science and culture.

Explore an interactive map.

The Maya were expert sky-watchers, careful observers of the motions of the celestial bodies...

This new version of an old game will bend your brain.

Listen to internationally recognized authorities on human thought and behavior, including Temple Grandin and Paul Ekman.

Here are some activities that test your memory – and some things you can try to help you remember things better.

See links relevant to the themes presented in the Traits of Life exhibition.

Polarized light passing through sugar, water "rotates" to reveal beautiful colors.

See why these beautiful flowers have attracted generations of admirers.

A brief introduction to the land of the midnight sun.

See a map of recent earthquakes in the United States, and learn why earthquakes happen so frequently on the West Coast.

Your guide to the Northern and Southern Lights (also in 'Observatory')

Discover the secret colors hidden in black ink. With a paper towel, a black marker, and a cup of water, create a rainbow of colors while exploring capillary action and chromatography.

Your thumb and index finger can help you test a steak's degree of doneness.

Get down and dirty with the surprising science of soil.

By looking at satellite and climate data that's available on the Web, surfers can follow storms into shore and be there in time to catch the biggest waves.

They're a menace to ships, but life thrives in these frozen oases.

A model for heart development

Activities and workshops for playful invention, investigation, and collaboration

Investigate actual images of the Martian surface taken by the rovers Spirit and Opportunity.

There are about 500 dispatches from scientists working in the Arctic and Antarctica, along with original videos, photos, webcasts, and articles.