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

Darkening polar skies often bring beautiful light displays.

Get down and dirty with the surprising science of soil.

Put on a mask and see how we communicate with our bodies as well as with our faces and words.

A profile of frog researcher Dr. Tyrone Hayes.

Your CRT screen may appear to wiggle when you give it the raspberry, but the only thing wiggling is you.

Stories about science, art, and human perception—from 1998. 

Looking at the night sky can help you see how your eyes and brain make sense out of moonlight.

Meet David Goodsell, a molecular biologist and artist who finds beauty in the molecules of cells.

What goes on under the ground during an earthquake? Use a Slinky to model the various seismic waves that make the earth tremble.

The more astronomy changes, the more it stays the same. This series of images juxtaposes ancient and modern study of the celestial bodies.

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

A fish-eye view of the brain

Grow spikes of crystals in the sun.

Watch old pennies turn bright and shiny right before your eyes!

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

Test your memory–and learn how to improve it!

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

Meet a kinetic sculptor.

Looking at the night sky can help you see how your eyes and brain make sense out of moonlight.

Scientists dig under the surface for clues to past climate

Find out why wind resistance is a big drag for bicyclists, and use our calculator to estimate drag for yourself.

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

Most people abhor the sound of their own recorded voice. So what are these recording devices doing to our voices to make them sound so awful?

Try these low-cost, teacher-tested activities for the classroom and the curious.

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

You can make sentences without words!

What can you do with a frozen water balloon? Plenty!

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

Using a spectroscope, you may see that what appears to be a single color of light is really a combination of colors called a spectrum.

Try your hand at explaining symbols both modern and ancient, and then make your own.

Does the sun rise in the east? Not exactly.

Recycle some cans to make after-dinner music!

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

Explore the unknown world inside your brain with these fun activities.

In February 2009, the Exploratorium hosted Darwin Days, a series of presentations, debates, and discussions exploring the ways scientists continue to learn from and apply their knowledge of evolutionary biology to a broad range of pursuits.