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

Explore the scientific, historical, and cultural context behind a new opera about the first atomic bomb test.

Will the "real" South Pole please stand up?

View the full eclipse visible from China in 2008.

A series of talks celebrating both the historical and contemporary dimensions of the Eames design legacy.

What's really going on when you bake? Find out.

Get down and dirty with the surprising science of soil.

By passing the winter frozen as solid as a holiday fruit cake, the wood frog breaks all rules. Scientists hoping to preserve human organs are paying close attention.

Did you know the Maya used two calendars? How did they know when to plan their big New Year's parties?

Learn how some vibrant seniors exercise their minds, and find out what you can do to help your own memory.

Grow marshmallows to monstrous proportions!

How are emotional expressions built?

Grow spikes of crystals in the sun.

Explore new social science exhibits at San Francisco’s Civic Center.

Explore the mysterious interactions between light and geography through the eyes and works of artists Charles Ross and James Turrell.

Bone conduction is another pathway to listening.

What do you really know about what you see?

Why do road bikes have thin tires, while mountain bikes have fat tires?

Listen to bird songs and try to figure out which are songs, which are companion calls, and which are alarms.

We Moved! Follow Us to San Francisco’s Historic Waterfront

In this memory game, a mental journey through your own house helps you remember items on a list.

What is a gear ratio? And how do gears help make the bicycle so efficient?

Hear vocal tract models transform the squawk of a duck call into vowel sounds.

Where do all the different languages in the world come from?

How are creative investigations sparked? What does a state of inspiration feel like? Can inspiration be transmitted from person to person? Join us for an audio slideshow series that explores the fascinating world of how we work creatively.

Seasoned gardeners depend on a community of bacteria, worms, and insects to get the most out of their plantings. Find out why.

These unique – and uniquely beautiful – seal species spend their lives amid the sea ice

Play a memory concentration game: Listen closely then match pairs of sounds.

A do-it-yourself cartoon kit. It's easy to make pictures move!

This clay building activity shows that when you make things bigger, weight increases faster than strength.

These unique – and uniquely beautiful – seal species spend their lives amid the sea ice

Get messy with ExploraGoo and Outrageous Ooze! Get airborne with the Fabulous Foam Flyer! Get loud with the Water Gong or Straw Oboe!

Specialized cells have a common origin. What sets them on separate paths?

This stuff can't make up its mind -- is it a liquid or a solid?

A trash-filled median blossoms into a community oasis.

Not all bubbles are made with soap!

Visit Las Cuevas Research Station in Belize and the Natural History Museum in London to learn about the study of biodiversity.

Learn about the body's vital defense force.

Play a memory concentration game: Listen closely then match pairs of sounds.

See the tiny disk of Mercury slowly travel across the face of the sun in this rare event.

Explore the surrounding sounds that everyday objects make. Build a noise contraption from these objects, then add a PicoCricket to automate your contraption. Finally, add a light sensor and program your sound automata to "play" when triggered by light.

When you ride a bike in a straight line, you must make many minor corrections in order to stay upright.

What happens to meat when you cook it?

What are the best materials for frames? What are the best designs?