National Museum of Natural History Tour:
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History: Sunday October 20th
During our time at the Museum of Natural History, we focused on how climate change is represented across the various exhibits. Beginning our trip in the modern age, the ‘Cellphones: Unseen Connections’ exhibit visualizes technology's history, development, and impact on the world through various forms of interactive media. Video media displays are an effective way to keep visitors more engaged and attentive with supporting audiovisuals. The technology timeline wall highlights the evolution of electronics over time, offering insights into key advancements that have shaped the tech we know today. Physical models present replicas of technological parts and materials, which effectively helps visitors see how these parts are applied to a known product. One of these models displays the resources used in modern cellphone production, emphasizing the extensive range of materials required. The cellphone industry is rooted in a variety of rare Earth metals, like Gold and Titanium. To effectively utilize these materials, metals must undergo extraction and purification processes associated with negative environmental consequences. The steep energy cost of both mining and refining results in the industry’s tremendous carbon footprint. Additionally, the improper disposal of electronics (e-waste) poses the threat of further environmental contamination as harmful substances like lead or mercury can leach into soil and water. Beyond an impact on the natural world, cell phones have completely reshaped the social dynamic. Phones have fostered global connectivity, allowing large-scale communication across any distance, improving quality of life when maintaining relationships. Tech has also transformed our access to information. The Internet provides vast educational resources, you can find a YouTube tutorial for just about anything! However, issues arise such as disparities in access to this content based on socioeconomic factors. Lastly, the influence of technology has branched into the economy. New realms of jobs were created with the implementation of electronics like phones in our everyday lives. Software development, digital media, vending and advertisement, and recycling/repairing have been integrated as significant services in society.
Jumping back in time, the Koch Hall of Human Origins guides you through the physical and cultural development of early humans, highlighting the major advancements that paved the way to prosperity as a species. For example, the creation of fishing allowed human populations to thrive in coastal regions, and agriculture became the basis of society inland, sparking trade and regional interaction. Moreover, the domestication of animals for both food and function added farming efficiency and diversity in agrarian products. In the modern era, these practices are applied on a global scale, with entire countries’ economic and social well-being dependent on their presence in trade. This global economic trade model is responsible for humans generating critical amounts of pollutants and greenhouse gases. In regards to these emissions, some may argue that the ‘Humans Change the World” display downplays the degree of human impact on the environment. While the exhibit addresses climate change issues with the ‘benefits and costs of success’ section and graphical data on human emissions, it seems to be more interested in conveying information than urgency. So, while human impact is mentioned, it is not the primary focus of this exhibit.
Branching out from human origins, the Hall of Fossils delves into the history of biology and ecology throughout ancient Earth. This section features diagrams of various ecosystems over different periods. Featured in one of these diagrams is the Arroyo Formation, in modern Texas. 330-299 million years ago, this region experienced a higher sea level (40m), similar CO2 levels to today, and a slightly larger average temperature range. 299-270 million years ago, a similar region encountered water levels up to 80m higher than today, even greater temperature fluctuations, and three times as much CO2 in the atmosphere. Effective as it helps visualize the environmental responses to major changes to Earth’s anatomy, like sea level and atmospheric composition, deepening the viewers' understanding.
Moving onto the mysteries of the deep, the Ocean Hall offers an immersive look into the diversity of marine life and ocean ecosystems. The interactive screen stations present a variety of brief educational videos. “Deep Ocean Creatures” focused on the strange and intriguing life found in the far reaches of the sea, and included oceanography commentary of the video footage. The video featured captivating visuals, but the professionals used a lot of ‘science speak,’ not entirely understandable to the average museum-goer. The “Ghostships off the Golden Gate” video explores the mysterious mass of 300+ shipwrecks in the Gulf of Farallones, dating from the late 1500s to now. This video was informationally friendly to any visitor, explaining how wrecks like the SS Selja and Noonday can provide insights into the past, linking us to new historical information. The spherical globe screen is a creative display of geological information. The program illustrates the anatomy of Earth, identifying the locations of mid-ocean ridges and tectonic plate junctions on continents. The screen visualized how the interaction and movement of these plates relate to the land formation, volcanic activity, and quaking behavior we see in current times.