Museum opens late for science discussion

LOS ANGELES - First Fridays, the provocative series in which live music, discussion and curatorial tours converge in an after-hours event, returns to the National History Museum on Jan. 7.The new season, "The Nostradamus Edition," includes a slate of speakers exploring the ways that science will affect our future: will be able to harness the power of our brain to be more creative? Is climate change causing us to evolve? Will we live in a building designed by termites? Are we doomed to go the way of the dinosaur? Or will we live forever? The speakers will not be discussing science fiction, but rather the real science that is shaping our life today, and will change our lives in the future. Jonah Lehrer, a contributing editor at Wired, will lead a discussion at 6:30 p.m. titled "The Science of Creativity." Dr. Michael W. Quick, head of the Department of Biological Sciences at USC, will moderate. Anthropologists Dr. Margaret Hardin and KT Hajeian will lead tours through "What on Earth?" starting at 5:30 p.m. "What on Earth?" is a new installation featured in the historic Haaga Family Rotunda. Each architectural case presents enigmatic and visually arresting specimens from the museum's collection, and the objects' "identities" unfold through a playful dialogue as visitors wander around the installation. Swedish quartet Little Drag will perform their high-energy electro-synth pop at 8 p.m. The group, which played at Coachella last year, fuses electronica and R&B to create "a rich, danceable sound that can't be ignored." Admission to First Fridays is $9 for adults and $6.50 for children and includes full access to open museum galleries. Access to the concert is guaranteed only with the purchase of a concert pass, which start at $40. For more information, call (213) 763-DINO or go to www.nhm.org.

********** Published: December 23, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 36