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

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

Activities and History

Imagine yourself in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean. You've been sailing for weeks, and there's no land in sight. Do you know where you are? Do you know which way to go?

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

Kid-friendly explorations and experiments for curious minds.

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

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

A brief introduction to the land of the midnight sun.

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

Students become Internet researchers and learn about NASA satellites.

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

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

Search a geological map of Ethiopia for fossils.

Learn how living things get energy from dead ones in this interactive exhibit.

From May 20 to June 5 1997, we presented a webcast series exploring the art and science of severe storm visualization.

Take a timeline tour of our past and present.

Want to see where the biggest quakes have been this week? Follow a few of the links below to see what's shaking in your neighborhood and around the world.

What does it take to block gamma radiation?

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

Wind tubes are a playful and inventive way to explore the effect that moving air has on objects.

Explore the surprising side of sound

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

A model for heart development

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.

Make a scale model of the Solar System and learn the REAL definition of "space."

How do you stop and steer a bicycle? What forces keep the bicycle from falling over?

Build a stripped-down motor, a simple, easy-to-make version of the electric motors found in toys, tools, and appliances.

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

Can a gum wrapper have a story? Discover just how important and meaningful an object can be.

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

Grow spikes of crystals in the sun.

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

Teeth are the most common fossils found. What can they tell us?

Find links relevant to research at the poles.

Stand outside on a sunny day with a watch in your hand, and you can tell which way is north.

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

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

Close your eyes and listen to tell where the paddle is when you play this all-listening version of the classic game Pong.