Natural History Museum: A Report On Select Exhibits
Sunday Oct. 20, from 10:30am to 3:30pm
The first exhibit that I visited for my report was the "Humans Change the World." section, found within the David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins on the first floor. This exhibit discusses what's called the "Anthropocene Event", which describes the time period in which humanity and our activities left noticeable impacts on the planet. Three topics, discussed in this section, that stuck out to me were the rise in human population, domestication of animals, and the rise in global carbon dioxide levels seen during this event. In just a very short amount of time, the human population sky-rocketed. The exhibit does a great job of conveying this simple fact by giving its audience examples of population growth. One example used is that in the 40 years between 1959 and 1999 the population doubled, rising from 3 billion to 6 billion. The exhibit designers cleverly placed mini figures of humans inside of the large glass pillar that this information was displayed on to demonstrate the sheer scale of human population growth over such a short amount of time. As human populations began to rise all over the world the amount of food they consumed did as well. This information is also discussed within the exhibit, particularly the incredible boom in the populations of livestock. The information conveyed on the next glass pillar to the left of the human population graphic shows that from the early 1960s to the early 2000s the populations of cattle, pigs, sheep and goats grew from 2.7 to 4.1 billion. This staggering value is also conveyed by many small figurines placed within the glass pillars of the exhibit, giving viewers a visual way to interpret the large numbers being described in the exhibit. The final part of the exhibit that stuck out to me was the information it presented regarding the rise in global carbon dioxide levels. This rise mainly being attributed to an increase in the use of fossil fuels by humans. The exhibit designers convey this information to the viewers through the use of a comprehensive graph, charting the carbon dioxide levels throughout recent history, displaying the sharp increase in carbon dioxide levels that has come from industrialization efforts of the modern age. Some critics of this exhibit claim that the information provided and the way it is conveyed to the audience de-emphasizes the human impact on the environment. I disagree with their conclusions because, in my opinion, the exhibit accurately details some of the benefits and costs of our progress as a species. The exhibit conveys to the audience the price that we have paid as a species due to our advancements, particularly through the environmental degradation, pollution, and ecosystem collapse that we have caused through our exploits.
The second area that I made my way to was "The Changing Ocean" exhibit, on the right side of the Sant Ocean Hall, on the first floor. Here I watched two interactive videos, one of which pertaining to biological oceanography and one concerning ocean pollution. The video pertaining to biological oceanography was titled, "Protecting Coral Reefs," and discussed the conservation of reefs and the biodiversity they provide to underwater ecosystems. The video mainly focused on the Buck Island marine monument in the Virgin Islands. This ecosystem is home to a massive coral reef that is vital to the health of the organisms that live in and around the islands. The video describes the delicate nature of the corals and how they are heavily impacted by human activities and their consequences. Among some of the main culprits are overfishing, disease, surge in storm frequency and strength, and pollution. The response to this has been the formation of the Coral Reef Task Force, which has led to the creation of a geo-referenced coral reef regional map by NOAA and the National Park Service. The significance of such a map is that it allows scientists to monitor the health of the reef, which can be an indicator for the health of the ecosystem overall. If scientists stay well informed they can adequately advise policy makers concerned with the region.
The next video that I viewed was called, "TRASH TALK: What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch," which mainly concerned the nature of garbage patches, how they form, what causes them, and how we can prevent them. The video began by first clarifying that a garbage patch is not a floating island of trash in the middle of the ocean; but a large area of marine debris, often microplastics, collected by ocean currents known as gyres. Due to the small nature of these plastics it is not possible to simply scoop the debris out of the ocean without potentially causing more harm to oceanic ecosystems. The video's author eventually came to the conclusion that the best form of action in keeping our oceans free from garbage was preventative measures like reducing the amount of single use plastics we use, recycling, and reusing whenever possible.
Both of these short videos presented their topics effectively enough that the average viewer could comprehend and take away valuable information on the subject matter discussed. The data presented was clear and to the point, while not sacrificing too much complexity.
Moving on through the Ocean Hall, I came to the "Science on the Sphere" exhibit. Here I viewed the "Global Ocean Video," which mainly concerned topics pertaining to warming global temperatures, extreme weather (both flooding and droughts), sea ice melting, the history of the ozone layer in Antarctica, and the carbon crisis. Key takeaways from this short video were that we each can confront these large complex issues by using less energy and opting for sustainable energy if at all possible, in doing so we can each make a difference. The medium for the video was very engaging, the large sphere in the center of the room rotated displaying the issues discussed in the video on the globe, making it feel as though you were zooming in on different problems affecting different areas of the world one by one. I believe that this information was very useful. One of the first steps to making decisions that concern complex issues affecting ecosystems, and the environment in general, is becoming informed. I believe exhibits and videos like this one do a good job of informing the general public.
My next destination in the museum was the David H. Koch Hall of Fossils - Deep Time. Here I specifically focused on the many paleo-environmental dioramas scattered throughout the exhibits. I found two pylons containing these dioramas particularly interesting. The first one I focused on was a scene from the Permian period, specifically set in what is now north Texas, roughly 299 to 270 million years ago. The ecosystem depicted in the diorama was dominated by ferns and conifers, as well as many large carnivores. Many of the organisms depicted in the diorama are large amphibians not seen in today's world, along with a fresh water shark. The world at the time consisted of one large and often dry supercontinent called Pangaea. The climate of this world was also much hotter than ours with the global atmospheric carbon dioxide ranging as much as 3 times higher than today's numbers. The global temperatures of this time ranged from 8 degrees lower to 12 degrees higher than today's world. The global sea levels of this time were also much higher than today's, ranging from 130 to 260 feet higher.
The second pylon I found had a diorama depicting the Paleogene and had an environment more similar to the one's we are familiar with in the modern day. Set 66 to 50 million years ago the environment depicted lush rainforests in what is now modern day Wyoming. The climate was much warmer and the sea levels were much higher as well. The diorama depicts the rainforest canopy all the way down to the forest floor with large flightless birds, herbivorous mammals, and early primates. The atmospheric carbon dioxide at this time was up to 5 times that of today's world and the average global temperature reflected that, sitting at 14 to 25 degrees higher than today's temperatures. Dwarfing these two values is the sea level of this time, being approximately 650 to 720 feet higher than today's oceans.
Both of these dioramas are excellent snapshots of the past. They take artistic liberties to convey the subject matter to the public, creating an engaging exhibit, while still preserving the credibility of the information.
The next exhibit I focused on in the fossil hall was the Climate Change Exhibits displayed along the low wall opposite the main sets of skeletons displayed to the right of the entrance. These exhibits discuss climate change from the past and in the present. Many of these displays discuss past and present carbon dioxide levels and how scientists can learn from trends found in the fossil record to make informed decisions on today's climate. for example the sizes of animals changed throughout heat waves of the past as shown by fossil evidence of an ancient hoofed mammal from Wyoming becoming smaller when the temperature spiked. Another example is that during global heatwaves animals must eat more vegetation because plants growing under higher carbon dioxide levels have less protein, this means that fossil plants from heat waves and cooler periods will show marked differences in their appearance, due to varied levels of feeding by insects. These kinds of trends can be studied by scientists to track our own changing climate, allowing them to make more informed decisions on how to tackle problems like climate change.
The final place I visited while at the National Museum of Natural History was the new temporary exhibit, "Cellphones: Unseen Connections," found on the second floor. This exhibit focuses on the origins, history, and impact of cellphones. Three different presentation techniques that this exhibit uses to convey this information are giant interactive displays made to look like cellphones, a collage wall depicting the history of cellphones, and a glass exhibit showing all of the materials used in the production of a single cellphone. These mediums are effective in multiple ways. The large interactive cellphone dioramas are engaging and fun to use, especially for younger viewers. The collage wall is incredibly informative while also being creative and engaging having a similar effect to a piece of art while also still conveying information. Finally the glass display is surprising and informative showing the multitude of materials that go into making a powerful device that fits in your pocket. For these reasons I think that the curator of this specific exhibit did a great job of engaging viewers of all ages interested in all aspects of the modern cellphone.
The exhibit also dives into ethical and environmental questions regarding the production of cellphones, specifically the materials used in the production process. There are many displays found within the hall that convey the fact that everything used in the making of cellphones is a finite resource that must be extracted from the ground and put together by someone. It relays this by telling the personal stories of people involved in each step of the process, from the miners that extract the raw materials to the engineers that manufacture the finished product. The exhibit also details the environmental costs this process has on our planet. Specifically that the creation of each cellphone is an unsustainable process but that it also produces 123 lbs. in carbon emissions. The exhibit also details what happens after you are finished using a cellphone, reminding the viewer that throwing away a cellphone does not mean that it magically disappears but that more likely than not it will end up in a landfill or as environmental pollution somewhere around the world.
The final part of this last exhibit details perhaps one of the most important aspects of cellphones today, the technological and social impacts that they have on society. One technological impact discussed by the exhibit is bias in technology, specifically functions like A.I. and facial recognition. The display cautions the viewer about unconscious biases that effect technology and how technological advances in the future need to take into account everyone, particularly underrepresented minority groups. One social impact of the cellphone that the exhibit highlights is the function of the cellphone as a catalyst for social justice. The cellphone can be a powerful tool for social movements around the world and can serve to connect people and convey ideas and events in a matter of seconds. Another social impact that these devices can have on society is the spreading of misinformation. Cellphones give anyone the power to say anything online, and with that freedom comes the possibility of intentional or unintentional spreading of misinformation. As members of society it is up to us to double check the information we receive and to fact check the credibility of our sources, especially when they concern important topics like health and current events. All of this information was cleverly conveyed via a large scale comic displayed on the wall, with characters and a loose plot that is engaging and informative. Using a comic to convey important information about a serious topic is very smart as it is a medium that is easily recognizable and digestible to viewers of all age groups.
