SCIENCE / MEDICINE : Exhibit to Dissect Sharks, Inside Out,
The very mention of the word shark evokes a whole array of feelings . . . fear, fascination, even worship in some cultures. These enduring and mysterious creatures are the focus of “Sharks: Fact and Fantasy” a major international exhibition now at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
Sharks have been around for more than 415 million years and myths about them abound. Visitors will enter the exhibit through an underwater walk-through diorama complete with sounds and smells and life-size models of 17 shark species.
Other features of the exhibit include models of fossil sharks, including a cast of the jaws of Carcharocles megalodon, an ancient shark that is thought to have reached a length of 45 feet.
Examples of the kinds of things sharks eat also will be on display, including such exotic things as a horse skull, a propeller and other items found in sharks’ stomachs. Conservation of sharks, their place in culture and art and shark gods are also examined in the exhibit.
The museum has scheduled several classes, workshops and informative activities in conjunction with the exhibit, which runs through Sept. 23. Special tickets are required for the exhibition, for information call (213) 744-6292.
ASTRONOMY
The “Stars of the Summer Sky” and the stories behind the constellations will be explored in the Griffith Observatory’s planetarium program at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. daily in July and August. Children under 5 are not admitted to this show, but are welcome at the observatory’s special children’s show, “Voyage to the Planets,” at 1:30 p.m. daily through August. Call (213) 664-1191.
The Tessman Planetarium program at Rancho Santiago College will focus on the “Lord of the Rings,” the planet Saturn, at 2 p.m. Sundays throughout July. Call (714) 667-3096
Participants in UCLA Extension’s “Exploring the Night Sky” will do just that in a class featuring three observation sessions in the local mountains and a lecture session beginning Saturday. Call (213) 825-7093.
SCIENCE FOR KIDS
Children ages 7 and 8 can explore what it’s like to be an astronaut in a course offered by Pierce College Community Services beginning Tuesday . Children will create a space shuttle mock-up, a moon diorama, and will sample authentic astronaut food. Call (818) 719-6425.
Kidspace Museum in Pasadena has a host of activities scheduled, including a “Backyard Bug Safari” on Saturday, programs for children to learn about crystals and prisms on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and a safe look at the sun through traveling telescopes from the Griffith Observatory on July 14 and 15. Call (818) 449-9144.
Naturalist Peter Rice will show children how plants turn sunlight and soil into food and how native plants adapt to local conditions in the “Whale’s Tales” family program at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County at 1:30 p.m. on July 15. Call (213) 744-3335 or 744-3534.
MARINE SCIENCE
Seals, sea lions, pelicans and other endangered species will be on the program at the Channel Islands National Park throughout July. The California brown pelican will be discussed at the park visitor center in Ventura at 2 p.m. on Saturday, and at 8:30 p.m. on July 14 and 21 at McGrath State Beach. Seals and sea lions will be the subject at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday at McGrath State Beach and at the visitor center at 2 p.m. on Sunday and July 15. Other endangered species will be the program topic at 2 p.m. on July 14 at the visitor center. Call (805) 644-8262.
PHYSICS
The world of quantum mechanics and the theory of relativity will be explored in two one-day classes offered by UCLA Extension on July 7 and 21. Designed for the lay person, the courses assume no prior math or science knowledge. Call (213) 825-7093.