Proof of full COVID-19 vaccination is now required for all visitors ages 12+. Plan your visit
After Dark: Sexplorations
Thursday, February 13, 2020 • 6:00–10:00 p.m.
Reserve Tickets
Free for Donors and After Dark Members
Adults Only (18+)
Note: The Tactile Dome and some programs have limited capacity. Entry to the Tactile Dome requires separate admission.
Sex involves the transfer of genetic information that has resulted in evolution and specialization—and one of the hottest evenings in town, scientifically speaking. Discover some surprising ways that sperm and eggs come together. And, on this eve of Valentine's Day, taste the classic aphrodisiac—oysters—at Pairings.
See for yourself at After Dark
Lose yourself in thought-provoking programs and mind-bending experiences at adults-only After Dark Thursdays—including more than 650 interactive exhibits exploring perception, art, and science. Grab some friends, stash your stuff in our musical lockers, get a drink at one of our pop-up bars or food at Seaglass Restaurant, and start exploring. You may find that things look different after dark.
Tonight's Schedule of Events
Presentations
The Sex Lives of Zebrafish
With Sonia Castillo
6:30–7:30 and 8:30–9:30 p.m. | Gallery 4 Corridor, Bio Bar
Spy on the sex lives of zebrafish, which sometimes need more than two to tango. Explore zebrafish mating behaviors and what it takes for these diminutive fish to spawn here at the Exploratorium.
Gonad A-Go-Go
With the Explainers
7:00, 8:00, and 9:00 p.m. | Bechtel Gallery 3, Explainer Station
Take an inside look at bull testicles, pig ovaries, and other impressively sized organs to track the paths of sperm and egg from genesis to union.
Live Sex Show: Sea Urchin Egg Fertilization
With Alex Pinigis
7:00 and 9:00 p.m. | Bechtel Gallery 3, Wattis Webcast Studio
Do you like to watch? Sea urchin sperm and eggs are the same size and shape as human sperm and eggs, and it only takes an instant for one (the sperm) to fertilize the other (the egg). Which will be the lucky sperm? Find out as Exploratorium staff biologist Alex Pinigis fertilizes a sea urchin egg before your very eyes.
Pairings: Oysters
With Clay Reynolds, Loretta Keller, and Kathy Boyer
7:00 p.m. | Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6
To reserve a seat and something to eat, pick up free tickets onsite at the Observatory starting at 6:00 p.m. Seating is limited to 140.
What could be sexier than a slimy, briny mollusk, eaten raw? Yet oysters have long been considered aphrodisiacs. Get down with oyster preparations with chef Loretta Keller and find out how native oysters are contributing to restoration projects in San Francisco Bay with San Francisco State biologist Dr. Kathy Boyer. Then find out how to make the solid drinkable—and delicious—as beverage guru Clay Reynolds discusses oyster-shell-infused martinis.
The Bouquet Between Your Legs: Flower Dissections
With the Explainers
7:30, 8:30, and 9:30 p.m. | Gallery 4 Explainer Station
Flowers are key to some plants’ reproductive processes—and some of their reproductive structures bear a striking resemblance to our own. Join the Explainers to strip flowers down to their naughty bits and see how similar we really are.
The Lengths We Go To For Sex
With Veronica Johnson
8:00 p.m. | Bechtel Gallery 3, Wattis Webcast Studio
Organisms will go to great lengths to reproduce—literally. Ever wonder about how far sperm travels before it even exits the body? Take an intimate look at the anatomy of a familiar, er, member and find out how, as animals do what’s necessary to spread their genetic material, sometimes size really does matter.
Sweep Me Off My Foot: The Mating Lives of White Abalone
With Dr. Kristin Aquilino
8:30 p.m. | Osher Gallery 1, Kanbar Forum
Abalone are terrible at long-distance relationships, and with wild white abalone too few and far apart to get it on, experts determined that breeding in captivity was the best way to save the species. Between exfoliating waxing treatments, mood lighting, and hydrogen peroxide love potions, captive production recently increased to a point where, for the first time ever, captive-bred white abalone were placed into the wild. Find out how scientists’ methods of getting white abalone to "gonad or go home" to save this culturally, economically, and ecologically important species.
Ongoing
Sexplorations Cinema
6:00–10:00 p.m. | Osher Gallery 1, Micro Cinema
In this sequence of short films, take a peep at the fascinating and sometimes funny ways in which sex has shaped the lives of humans and animals. Find out what reproduction myths persist in the absence of education, check out some of the startling shapes of animal genitalia, and more.
Sense Appeal
With Amy Snyder and Denise King
6:00–10:00 p.m. | Bechtel Gallery 3
Just because you like how someone looks doesn't mean you'll like how they smell, and vice versa. Come find out whether your eyes and your nose agree on who's attractive.
Love Nest
6:00–10:00 p.m. | Gallery 4
Milkweed bugs can get it on for hours on end, literally: they mate by sticking their back ends together. Scientists think their stamina stems from competition; a male doesn’t want another bug’s sperm to outdo its own. Come check out our milkweed bugs’ love nest and see how it’s done, so to speak.
Which Sperm Is ...?
6:00–10:00 p.m. | Gallery 4 Corridor
Organisms use sperm as DNA-delivery machines. All sperm serve the same purpose, but that doesn’t mean they’re the same. Based on images from our microscope, can you guess which organism each sperm sample belongs to? Test yourself and see.
Endangered Species Condoms
With the Center for Biological Diversity
6:30–9:30 p.m. | Gallery 2
For the sake of the horned lizard . . . slow down, love wizard. Wrapped in colorful, wildlife-themed packages, endangered species condoms offer a fun, unique way to discuss the link between human population growth and the species extinction crisis.
Va Va Va Voom: Vintage Vibrators
With Dr. Carol Queen
6:30–9:30 p.m. | Gallery 2
Go hands-free and check out an array of vintage vibrators and massagers—a history of making people feel good. Got sex questions? Bring those, too, and “ask the sexologist” with sex expert Dr. Carol Queen.
Sexplorations of the Mechanical Kind: Take-Apart Sex Toys
With Explorables
7:00–9:30 p.m. | Tinkering Studio, Gallery 2
Limited capacity; first come, first served. Space is limited; first-come, first-served. Please allow up to one hour for this activity.
Work with our Explorables volunteers to dissect electric toys and see what makes them quiver, then reuse their parts in creative ways.
Tactile Dome
6:15–10:00 p.m.
Osher Gallery 1
$10; not included with museum admission
Buy Tactile Dome Tickets
You can also purchase tickets for these sessions on-site at the Information Desk as well as for later sessions at 7:45, 8:30, and 9:15 p.m.
Journey through total darkness in this twisting, turning, tactile sculpture. Walk, crawl, climb, and slide your way through a wonderland of textures using only your sense of touch as a guide.
Please Note: Due to the nature of this experience, certain restrictions apply. Guests who are afraid of the dark; claustrophobic; have back, neck, or knee injuries; or are in their third trimester of pregnancy should not participate. Guests wearing casts are prohibited. Also, please wear comfortable clothes.
You can reserve tickets for our 6:15 and 7:00 p.m. sessions. We also operate sessions at 7:45, 8:30, and 9:15 p.m.; tickets can be purchased on-site at the Information Desk.
Learn more about the Tactile Dome.
Explainer Demonstrations
6:00–9:45 unless noted
Various locations throughout the museum
Drawing Board
Ticketing at 6:00 p.m., first come, first served
Osher Gallery 1
Draw hypnotically flowing patterns with a swinging table, and watch friction cause the patterns to slowly shrink along a spiral path. Pick up a ticket to reserve your spot in line for this popular activity.
Speaker Dissection
Bechtel Gallery 3
Tune in to surrounding sounds by experimenting with strings and vibrations, and use electromagnets to build a basic speaker. Learn how to listen with your bones, and explore the workings of the inner ear.
Van de Graaff Generator
With the Explainers
6:00–9:00 p.m.
Bechtel Gallery 3
Get ready to have your hair stand on end (literally). Experience our electrostatic generator firsthand—with high-voltage direct-current electricity turned down to low current levels, our Van de Graaff generator both will, and won’t, shock you. Please keep your hands on the sphere until our Explainers tell you to let go!
Cow Eye or Flower Dissection (alternating)
Gallery 4
Do cows see color? How does a lens work? Examine the intricate structure of a cow eye to learn about similar structures in our own eyes, as well as some key differences.
Stigma, stamen, pistil, anther, style: Uncover the beautiful architecture of flower anatomy, and gather some surprising strategies that plants use to reproduce.
Magic Demonstration
Osher Gallery 1
Everything is not as it seems—at first. Pick a card, any card, and watch the Explainers reveal some surprising aspects of human perception.
