Museum Lectures

Museum researchers and experts from around the world offer fascinating lectures and debates on scientific and cultural topics that range from the fossil-hunting adventures of Barnum Brown to the consequences of climate change.
May 5, 2013
Ian Tattersall and Stanley A. Freed will discuss Dr. Freed’s new book, Anthropology Unmasked: Museums, Science, and Politics in New York City, which delves into the lively history of the Museum’s Division of Anthropology from its earliest days.
May 9, 2013
Authors James Gould and Carol Gould discuss their latest book, Nature’s Compass which explores the various ways animals navigate around the world and the many factors that are endangering animal navigation in today’s climate.
May 30, 2013
Researchers are racing to uncover the implications for the Artic of rapidly vanishing polar ice—and they’re enlisting help from the very creatures that stand to gain the most from their discoveries: narwhals, and bowhead and beluga whales.
April 18, 2013
THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT - Cambridge volcanologist, Clive Oppenheimer, explores geological, historical and archaeological records to ask how volcanic eruptions have shaped the trajectory of human society through prehistory and history. He looks at the evidence for volcanic cataclysm and considers how we can prepare ourselves for future catastrophes.
March 12, 2013
Author and environmentalist Richard Ellis brings together art and science in an exploration of the world’s never-ending fascination with sharks.
December 6, 2012
U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass and noted biologist E. O. Wilson will come together for a rich discussion of nature in poetry and poetry in nature.
October 10, 2012
Learn the true story behind the rampant rumors—and find reassurance—as noted epigrapher Mark Van Stone, author of 2012: Science and Prophecy of the Ancient Maya, unlocks the secrets of their complex calendars.
October 10, 2012
Join leading conservation professionals for a panel discussion about how innovations, milestones, and events over the past year have challenged and inspired conservation action on the world stage and in their own work.