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

Four times over 100-plus years, major initiatives have brought together scientists from around the globe to collaboratively study the poles.

Our reactions may be trained, but the devices that make music sound "sad" are real enough.

Bone conduction is another pathway to listening.

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

Test your memory and compare it with your friends'.

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

Read stories and see footage from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

A trash-filled median blossoms into a community oasis.

Here's how you can model the use of X rays for medical examinations with some sand and a piece of screen.

Explore the science behind food and cooking with recipes, activities, and archived Webcasts.

What do you really know about what you see?

An ordinary metal spoon can make some astounding sounds!

Build cantilevers from bamboo garden poles and drinking straws and discover the importance of scale.

Hear audio clips of the ambient sounds of the rain forest at night near Arecibo, Puerto Rico.

Nobel Laureate Symposium

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

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

High energy prices got you down? Discover how pickles can ease your troubles.

You can measure your reaction time with just a yardstick and some help from a friend.

Find out why biodiversity benefits plants and people alike.

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.

The brightest buds get all the glory – but they're not just for show.

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.

Each webcast, the Exploratorium staff and teachers demonstrate their science projects and compete for the title of IRON SCIENCE TEACHER!

San Francisco was born in gold dust, and nearly died in rubble and ashes.

A multifaceted exhibition that explored genetics and the Human Genome Project from a variety of perspectives from April 8 to September 4, 1995.

Not all bubbles are made with soap!

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

A trash-filled median blossoms into a community oasis.

Grow your own stalagmites in luscious colors.

Art/science teams explore the underlying systems that give the San Francisco Bay Area its unique character.

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

A collection of auditory illusions found in indigenous folk practices, popular music, and scientific research.

Hear audio clips of the ambient sounds of the rain forest at night near Arecibo, Puerto Rico.

Find out why biodiversity benefits plants and people alike.

A brief history of Chichen Itza.

An introduction to the concepts and theories that contribute to contemporary complexity research.

Take an animated tour of Antarctica's variety of ice formations, which give it a beauty unrivaled anywhere on Earth.

Activities and History

Learn about the rovers that have been exploring Mars since 2004, and view the amazing images they've taken.

Produce some pretty mixed-up music with this online interactive.

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

A rock-climbing physicist explores the mechanics of his hands.

Not all bubbles are made with soap!

Each webcast, the Exploratorium staff and teachers demonstrate their science projects and compete for the title of IRON SCIENCE TEACHER!

Design and build a musical instrument that responds to changing light.

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.

Explore the places, people, tools, and ideas behind the origins of matter, the universe, and life itself.