The Doldrums…

The first real heat wave has taken hold of Philadelphia, but does that mean it is too hot for science. YES! Of course not!
Sure, not much will be going on this month in terms of interesting exhibits and lectures, I’m afraid. So, I’m probably not going to update much until September. A fresh start. [...]

Undaunted! Five Philadelphians you should know

If you’re looking to get out of the heat, here’s something from today’s Inquirer, the American Philosophical Society is opening an exhibit called “Undaunted: Five American Explorers, 1760-2007.”
All five explorers have ties to Philadelphia, and includes David Rittenhouse (see his orrey at Penn’s Library), John James Audubon, Elisha Kane (whose bio reads a bit [...]

The Wagner Free Institute of Science, where little has changed since 1855, including the website

If you have never been to the Wagner in North Philly out by Temple, you’re missing out on a unique experience. It is a well-preserved nineteenth century natural history museum, essentially unchanged since Joseph Leidy rearranged an overgrown cabinet of curiosities to reflect the latest of that new-fangled idea called evolution.
The museum itself is [...]

If someone asks you to touch their anaconda…

…say yes.
I have yet to play at the Academy of Natural Science’s latest home-grown exhibit, Amazon Voyage: Vicious Fishes and Other Riches, but I hear it is a lot of fun.
It started in early June and runs through the end of the year.

I Need Help Looking Up! Specifics for Franklin Institute’s Skygazing Progam?

Darn you Franklin Institute website!
Once a month, Derrick Pitts, local star celeb, hosts a session at the Institute’s Bloom Observatory. The next one is on Thursday, July 12.
This sounds neat (first item), but some specifics would be helpful. I’m assuming it is after dark, natch, but I’d like to know the exact(ish) time and [...]

What’s Next, Law & Order: Pharaonic Intent?

The Penn Museum has piggybacked on the Franklin Institute’s Tut Juggernaut to make 2007 the Year of Egypt. While it might seem a bit odd for one museum to copy another, the Penn Museum really has the goods when it comes to Egyptology.
Well, not only the goods, but also the experts, one of whom [...]