1: A lot of this exhibit was geared towards a younger audience and there were many visual-heavy displays and interactive components. The first thing I noticed was the abundance of old cell phones throughout the room and life-sized phones presenting information on their screens. The life-sized phones were an engaging way for the audience to learn more about technology. This along with the phone model decorations emphasizes how intense cell phone presence is in modern-day society. 2: We learn that cell phones are more than meets the eye. The extractors of these needed materials have to face many hazards such as rock slides and mud avalanches in order to collect these minerals. Because cell phones are so widely utilized, a lot of technology is needed to support their use. This leads to a high demand for resources to help supply the growing demand of this product. However, this creates an abundance of jobs as people will need to help regulate these tools and keep services and applications running. 3: The widespread impacts of cell phones were mainly depicted through a comic displayed across two walls. We learn that social media is a key part of activism in our world today. These platforms can be used to connect groups of people all around the world and bring attention to issues. The Black Lives Matter movement was powered by posting footage online. Arab Spring allowed the younger generation to draw attention to their problems, which could have been overlooked if it wasn’t brought to social media. Coordination and communication have become easier through social media and created many opportunities for world news to be brought to light. Yet, sometimes we can get too engrossed in our technology. We get lost in our misinformation and social media presence. Relationships can become strained due to a lack of communication/connection, with people neglecting those around them in favor of their online lives. In order for technology to grow and become accessible to everyone, there needs to be diversity within these fields. According to graphics in the display, 80% of AI professors were men. Only 25% of computer science PhDs belong to women and people of color. While these numbers may seem disheartening, they leave a lot of room for these groups to rise and help create a better online world as they have their own unique experiences and ideas to bring to the table. More specificallty, these groups have the capabilities to advance current practices and create technology that is inclusive to all users.
Human Evolution: The two main aspects of this exhibit were the family trees and the line of human skulls as they evolved. We are able to see the physical traits of our ancestors and how they compare to what we are familiar with today. This exhibit covered an advanced topic, diving deep into our DNA and the genetic similarities between humans and various primates. One of the aforementioned family trees shows the various groups that came before humans and their physical appearance in comparison to ours. The other shows the Primate Family Tree, which allows us to see our relation to different modern-day primates. Humans Evolved in Response to a Changing World: As the global temperature increased, humans at the time were tested and forced to adapt. This display contained a timeline alongside a graph displaying the change of global temperature. We can see that around every 2 million years humans adapted to their new environment. Some of these included advancements like making new tools to hunt larger animals or physical evolution like longer legs. Advancement of Technology with Food: Over time, humans have become more intricate with their technology. The section displays this change through a timeline with physical examples displayed behind glass. We begin 2.6 million years ago when early humans simply used stone cores to pound, crush, and cut their food. Over several thousands of years, our ancestors would learn how to refine their practices and sharpen rocks into more effective tools. 790,000 years ago we began using fire to cook our foods, allowing us to eat more meat and begin to fish.
1: Save Sharks: This video focuses on sharks and clears several misconceptions while highlighting their importance in our world. The video began by revealing that half of Americans are afraid of sharks, but in reality, the chances of getting attacked by one are incredibly low. You are 3x more likely to get struck by lightning and 39x more likely to get crushed/injured by a vending machine. Sharks only cause five fatalities per year. In fact, they play an important par of regulating marine populations and maintaining biodiversity. Several policies have been put into place to help keep the shark population thriving across the world such as regulating shark fishing and shark finning. Ghost Ships Off the Golden Gate: Unbeknownst to many, there are around 300 shipwrecks scattered around the waters of the Golden Gate Bridge. Yet, these sites can reveal many secrets about our past. Unlike other ancient artifacts, shipwrecks are byproducts of accidents and therefore show a true look into history. They link the past to the present. Teams have begun to gather equipment and conduct searches to locate and identify these ships. The video was quite short and did not cover anything particularly challenging to understand. 2: The video being projected on a globe emphasizes the severity of the climate change issues across the world. We are able to notice the urbanization across continents along with their corresponding carbon dioxide concentrations. From here we begin to learn about the consequences of our actions and how they will continue to worsen if we stay on our current path. Several topics are discussed such as ocean acidification which leads to impacts on marine populations (coral bleaching and decline in species) and thus fishing communities. The influx of carbon dioxide causes temperatures to become higher, causing more powerful tropical disasters and the rise of our sea levels. Climate change is widespread, and we are able to notice
1: These mini dioramas are very eye-catching and do a great job of depicting the past. I think it is especially interesting to compare and contrast these former environments to what we have today. 67-66 million years ago in Hell Creek Formation, Montana: A warm humid climate with lots of floodplains. Many different species lived in this area, from freshwater mussels to turtles. Today, Montana has the opposite climate, a mountanious, temperate region. At this time the average global temperature was 16-17 degrees Fahrenheit warmer with global sea levels being 650-740 feet higher. The carbon dioxide levels were up to four times higher than today as well. 125,000 years ago in Big Bone Lick, Kentucky: A time of warm climate with tons of forests. This time came about between two glacial periods. There were warmer summers and smaller ice sheets compared to what we have today. No human influence at the time, but plants and animals at this time are familiar. The average global temperature was about the same as it is now. But sea levels were up to 29 feet higher than today with the carbon dioxide ⅔ of our current levels. 2: Most of these exhibits heavily emphasize the detrimental actions of humans on our climate. We are able to compare the past climates to our current situation and can see a drastic difference. With temperatures, weather, and environments straying further and further from what they used to be. Fossils play a pivotal role in determining how our climate and ecosystems have changed over time, both past and present. Fossils contain carbon, and we can measure these amounts and determine the carbon dioxide levels during a given time. 56 million years ago there was a temperature increase due to atmospheric carbon levels doubling. However, this change was over thousands of years of years. Currently, our temperatures are rising significantly faster than in the past due to increased human practices and new technologies.