Highlights
January 2010

"Be a Kid Again!"

From January 4-29, 2010, the Academy is celebrating the young at heart with a special promotion for seniors - visitors ages 65+ can purchase child-priced tickets for a weekday visit to the museum. Discounted tickets are $14.95 ($5 off the regular seniors ticket price) and are available Monday-Friday. To participate, just show a valid ID at the ticket window at the time of purchase. One discounted senior admission per valid ID. This discount cannot be combined with other offers.
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Exoplanetary Science

Dr. Ben Oppenheimer, astrophysicist and curator of the planetarium's current show Journey to the Stars, will discuss the latest research on "exoplanets" - planets that orbit stars other than the Sun. Lecture takes place on Monday, January 11 at 7:30 pm. $12 adults, $10 seniors.
Purchase tickets.

Conversations at the Herbst

The 2010 Conversations at the Herbst series kicks off with James Balog, nature photographer. Balog ventures to extreme environments to capture the story of humans' environmental impact on the planet. Takes place on Tuesday, January 26 at 8:00 pm at the Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco. Tickets are $20.
Purchase tickets.

Science Briefs

Leakey Lecture

Dr. Todd Disotell of NYU will discuss recent advances in molecular genetics, which are radically changing ideas about primate evolution. Some experts are now proposing that primates appeared 80-90 million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Takes place on Tuesday, January 12 at 7:00 pm. $12 adults, $10 seniors.
Purchase tickets.

Think Big, Start Small

Academy scientist Brian Fisher is on a quest to discover the role ants play in the wildest, least explored part of Madagascar - the Tsaratanana Massif. A gift of $10 or more will go toward the $10,000 his team needs to explore this remote mountain wilderness. Help the little "ant meter" reach its goal by January 31!
Learn more about the project.

What in the World?

This pinkish-white organism is not a plant, but an animal found at the bottom of the ocean. It was one of 94 new species described by Academy scientists in 2009. What is it?
 
a) a sea cucumber
b) a squid
c) a coral
 
Click here for the answer.

Notes

Last Chance to See Bugs! 3D

Please note: The Hearst Forum and Altered State: Climate Change in California exhibit will be closed starting January 4 in preparation for the upcoming Extreme Mammals exhibit. The last chance to see the 3D movie Bugs! in the Hearst Forum is Sunday, January 3.
 
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