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

What happens to sandy or fine-grained soils when an earthquake shakes them up? Try this simple activity to find out.

Listen to the story of Ladle Rat Rotten Hut.

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

How has imagery changed the way we look at our bodies—over time and in different cultures?

Why is baseball so popular in Japan?

Technological developments have changed how we view Earth. See LandSat images and learn more about our home planet.

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

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

Journey into Chaco Canyon, where ancient people built monuments to the cosmos. Journey to Chichén Itzá, where the Maya built monuments to the sun.

Can you trust your own memory? Find out with this activity.

You may be surprised at the results of this "wimpy" workout.

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.

Visit the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN, which studies what the universe is made of and how the universe works.

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

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

Interact with the Cafe Wall Illusion.

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

Observe the effects of special relativity as you travel near the speed of light.

Meet a kinetic sculptor.

Recycle some cans to make after-dinner music!

What happens to meat when you cook it?

Visit the Outdoor Exploratorium at Fort Mason to explore the science behind wind, waves, and more.

Listen in on conversations with Laurie Anderson, Brian Eno, and others in Speaking of Music Rewind.

Interact with the Cafe Wall Illusion.

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

The three most densely populated cities on the planet where seismologists expect major earthquakes are San Francisco, Tokyo, and Istanbul. Find out why the effects in each city will be very different.

What's at fault?

The lure of Terra Australis Incognita begins with the Ancient Greeks and ends with modern cruise ships.

Do hot water and cold water mix?

Using baking soda and vinegar, you can pop a plastic bag with the power of fizz.

A model for heart development

Explore the ideas behind Science of Sharing with these Activities.

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

Get a taste of how the earth's plates move.

Turn your phone into a pocket science laboratory with tools to measure light, motion, sound, and more.

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

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

Search a geological map of Ethiopia for fossils.

Explore the science of music with us, through these online exhibits, movies, and questions.

Find out why people who love birthday parties should move to Mercury.

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

What geometric shapes can you find on the playground?

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

With just mud, paper and an egg, you can grow colonies of multi-hued microbes!