On a busy Saturday, a young man came into the Explore More Stuff lab. He tried two or three of the hands-on activities (free with Museum admission) before taking an interest in a particular activity station. The young man, who I’ll refer to as Will, zeroed in on the LEGO NXT robotics station.

After a few minutes I approached him and asked how the activity was coming along. He answered I have no idea what to do here but wanted to try. I spent a few minutes working with Will on how to use the robot and then set him loose to test, try and tinker on his own. Will had no experience with robots, but seemed to connect with this activity immediately.

Each of us has a unique niche in life. This niche is a culmination of nature and nurture. But I also believe we have a dormant niche I... Keep reading.

In October, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, Mount Merapi, erupted, ejecting lava, ash clouds, lahar (hot mixture of water and rock), and pyroclastic flows (hot ash, pumice, rock fragments, and volcanic gas). The fiery mountain also released sulfur dioxide, a colorless gas that can harm human health and cool Earth's climate.

Mount Merapi spewed lava and ash for several weeks and the Jakarta Post reported that more than 140 million cubic meters of material were ejected from the mouth of the volcano. More than 200 people have died from the eruption, mostly due to heart attacks and respiratory afflictions. According the Associated Press, more than 350,000 people have been evacuated from the base of the volcano and the surrounding hillside. Airlines cancelled flights... Keep reading.

Visit Explore More Collections in November and learn all about mammals and their fur during Magnificent Mammals, our brand new hands-on activity.

And, don't miss the Carolina Connections Collections, highlights include a display of authentic Catawba pottery and an eye-popping array of Carolina-mined gemstones.

December brings new activities and themes.

This Month, Explore More Life...

Get wet in the all-new Explore More Life lab as we explore all things water. Step inside and uncover the adhesive and cohesive properties of water molecules through hands-on discovery. Find out what keeps water striders afloat with an experiment on water tension. You also can use microscopes to look through pond water for signs of life, and use various types of equipment to test water quality. Make sure to meet ‘n’ greet some of our new water-loving residents.
UPDATE: Don’t miss recent arrivals including a seahorse, upside jellies, and two hognose snakes.

The spark of imagination is part of what makes us human. It drives not only our more abstract endeavors, but also our pursuits into understanding the world around us on a more empirical basis.

Before Albert Einstein crafted his theory of general relativity, the nature of gravity was blocking the advancement of physics. Up until that point, no one could imagine how the force of massive bodies related to time and the trajectory of light. It was a huge conceptual leap to indicate that space and time were bending, molding to the presence of a massive body (or energy). This sort of paradigm shift has happened many times in the history of science: Newtonian mechanics, the periodic table, heliocentricity, and others. Making such a large change requires stepping out of what is conventionally... Keep reading.