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Discovering Chimpanzees: The Remarkable World of Jane Goodall at the Museum of Science
The Museum of Science, is hosting the New England premiere of Discovering Chimpanzees: The Remarkable World of Jane Goodall this summer.
This inspiring exhibit draws visitors into the complex world of chimpanzees and presents an up-close look at Jane Goodall's revolutionary work with chimps in Tanzania. Dr. Goodall's earliest discovery that chimpanzees create and use tools - something that was originally thought to be a uniquely human ability - forced the scientific community to rethink the distinctions between humans and animals. During her long and distinguished career, Dr. Goodall discovered several startling similarities between humans and chimps, and recent testing has confirmed that chimpanzees share 98.6% of the same DNA.
"The Museum is delighted to bring a little bit of the Tanzanian tropical forest to Boston. Discovering Chimpanzees depicts the inspiring world of Dr. Jane Goodall, whose steadfast observations of chimps in the wild illuminated the astounding connections between humans and these great animals. The exhibit gives visitors an upclose look at the intelligent, playful, and extraordinary lives of our closest primate relatives," said Ioannis (Yannis) Miaoulis, president and director of the Museum of Science.
Discovering Chimpanzees will transport visitors of all ages to the African tropical forest environment of Gombe National Park in Tanzania, where Jane Goodall has spent over 40 years studying the lives of chimpanzees in the wild. Handson activities and multi-media presentations allow visitors to meet Dr. Goodall's now famous chimpanzee subjects and observe an up-close look as they fight, hunt, play and communicate with each other. Through four distinct exhibit areas - The Chimp Forest, The Work of Jane Goodall, Primates, and Reason for Hope - visitors will discover how Dr. Goodall's relationship with the chimps evolved from strictly scientific interest to a staunch devotion and firm commitment to chimpanzee survival. Visitors will learn about each of the twelve families of primates and be inspired by Dr. Goodall's determination and message of hope. In addition, visitors can observe the live cotton-top tamarin monkeys that reside in the Human Body Connection exhibit. The tamarins are part of the "Species Survival Plan," overseen by Museum's Live Animal Center curators. The four exhibit areas are:
The Chimp Forest takes visitors into the jungle home of the chimpanzees, allowing them to experience what it's like to be a chimp in the lush foliage of the Tanzanian jungle. Instructional videos teach visitors to walk and "talk" like chimps, and they'll even be able to climb into a recreated chimp nest.
The Work of Jane Goodall brings Dr. Goodall's 40 years of research to life, through field notes, photographs, video clips and other artifacts. Visitors will be able to sit in a recreation of Dr. Goodall's field research tent and watch moving video accounts of some of her most memorable achievements and milestones during her four decades of research. The Gombe Timeline documents the 'family history' of the chimps, exploring family structure, alpha male dominance, and the remarkable genealogy of the Gombe matriarchs like Flo and Melissa.
Primates is an exploration of the Order of Primates. Visitors will learn about each of the twelve families of primates, their habitats and the threats to their survival. They'll compare their physical characteristics to that of other primates, and join in the Primate Reunion for a "family photo."
Reason for Hope is a demonstration of the successful initiatives and the individuals
who have taken action to deal with environmental and societal issues. Visitors
will be inspired by Dr. Goodall's life-size message of hope, and learn that much
of her recent work is focused on the future.
Discovering Chimpanzees will be presented at the Museum of Science through Aug. 28. This traveling exhibit was developed by Science North, Sudbury, Canada in collaboration with Dr. Jane Goodall and the Jane Goodall Institute. Admission to Discovering Chimpanzees is included with regular exhibit halls admission: $16 for adults, and $13 for children (3-11). For more information, call 617-/723-2500 or visit www.mos.org .
michael neugebauer
