Results tagged “amnh”

Do you wanna get your Ph.D. in pterodactyls? Good news: the American Museum of Natural History's graduate school was awarded full accreditation recently — making it the first US museum to grant doctorate degrees.

              

For twelve years now the American Museum of Natural History has brought butterflies to Manhattan from all over the world. Last weekend their "Butterfly Conservatory: Tropical Butterflies Alive in Winter" exhibit opened (it will run through May 31st of next year), and we sent Katie Sokoler over to photograph the 500 vibrant creatures (monarchs, zebra longwings, and paper kites amongst them). What to expect: a 1,200-square-foot vivarium, a freestanding structure aflutter with activity, lamps simulating sunlight in the rain forest, recorded sounds of howler monkeys, parakeets and other animals. Get more details here.

This rare piece of textile on display (starting today) at the American Museum of Natural History was made by one million wild Golden Orb spiders from Madagascar (they can grow up to the size of a human hand)! At least, they produced the silk for it. Nothing quite like spider silk to keep you warm in the winter—Snuggie should get on that.

The Museum of Natural History tried something new this year: an ice skating rink. Opening in November, their Polar Rink is made up of "scientifically engineered" artificial ice which isn't getting very good reviews. One reader tips us off to the dull blades and sub-par synthetic skating surface, declaring ever so bluntly: "the Polar Rink SUCKS BALLS...goddamn it's a piece of crap. The super-dull rental skates don't help (and btw - THERE ARE NO LOCKERS, so you either take your chances with your bag stowed under a bench, or skate with your shit with you.) SUCKS. FAIL. DO NOT WANT." The folks over at Yelp seem to agree, the rink got 7 (of 7) one-star reviews over there (the lowest possible rating), with most complaining focused on the plastic-like surface that makes it impossible to do much more than shuffle around for a few defeating moments.

Seems like just yesterday the Mythic Creatures themed tree was unveiled, but earlier today the Museum of Natural History presented their 30th annual origami holiday tree. Up through January 1st, this 13-footer is adorned with all sorts of creatures, including dinosaurs of course!

The Museum of Natural History opened their first ice skating rink yesterday in their 149-year history. To help celebrate, children from the St. Joseph’s School came by to help christen the artificial ice with their blades, and later President Ellen Futter threw the switch to light the place up, "transforming it into a magical winter playground surrounded by trees covered in twinkling lights...with magnificent views of the Rose Center." Also, check out that 17-foot-tall polar bear!

Clearly jealous of all the media attention bestowed upon the forthcoming ice rink at the Natural History Museum, the South Street Seaport has announced today that they're going to have an awesome ice rink too, you know. The Seaport Ice rink will be opening on November 28th (running through February 28th). 8,000 square-feet of ice will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, with admission rates at $5 and rentals at $7. So for $12 you can skate in circles while overlooking the East River, which used to have free ice skating once upon a time.

Exciting news coming out of the Upper West Side: the Museum of Natural History will soon unveil an ice skating rink of its own, The NY Post reports. The 12,000-sq-ft rink has more to do with the future than history, as its made from "an artificial surface that doesn't melt or require refrigeration or maintenance," and it's been "scientifically engineered to allow skate blades to glide as smoothly as they do on real ice." Though the museum has been hush hush on the project, the paper noted that it will be located on the Arthur Ross Terrace, and only open during traditional skating season. Unsurprisingly, community board members are in full support of the newest addition to the area, and didn't foresee any problems "with sound or lights at night." Maybe they'll even include some ice sculptures of dinosaurs? Until then, here are some of the other rinks around town have already opened for the season.

Opening this Saturday and running through next August at the American Museum of Natural History, it's: Climate Change, The Threat to Life and A New Energy Future! Uplifting, no? The exhibit "will examine one of the most pressing scientific issues of our time—the massive, human-induced warming of Earth, a phenomenon that could lead to drought, rising sea levels, heavy storms, and other events with potentially dire impacts on the health of society and the natural world."

       

The American Museum of Natural History has culled together their collection of historical photos online in an overwhelming library that documents their exhibits, dinosaur displays and dioramas from construction to completion. This is all part of their online exhibit, titled Picturing the Museum: Education and Exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History. They note that the "exhibitions within the Museum building grew from the simple rows of specimen cabinets to more sophisticated representations of the natural world, both living and extinct." [Pruned via Kottke]

This morning the American Museum of Natural History hosted a Tap Water Taste-off on their steps. New York City was one of five area communities competing for the title of tastiest tap water in the state during the event. Who came out on top at the 2008 regional taste-off contest? Sadly, we were robbed, with Bethpage in Nassau County grabbing the blue ribbon. The good news is NYC came in 2nd! With that kind of placement, the city will represent during the big event at the New York State Fair on August 26th.