December 1995 to March 1996
All the lectures will take place on Saturdays at 14.00 in the Palaeontology
Demonstration Room and will last for approximately 45 minutes. The
Palaeontology Demonstration Room is next to the entrance to Gallery 39. The
lectures are aimed at family audiences. The recommended minimum age is 8
years unless otherwise indicated.
December 9 The holly and the ivy
January 6 Keeping warm
13 Fossil folklore
January 20 Flies and diseases
27 The animals came in two by two
February 3 The story of the coelacanth
10 Wild places of Europe
17 Termite Town
24 The story of our solar system
-evidence from meteorites
March 2 Genes 'R' us
9 Back to the sea
December 9
The holly and the ivy January 6 Keeping warm January 13 Fossil folklore January 20 Flies and diseases January 27 The animals came in two by two February 3 The story of the coelacanth February 10 Wild places of Europe February 17 Termite Town (postponed from the previous series) February 24 The story of our solar system - evidence from meteorites March 2 Genes 'R' us March 9 Back to the sea
Events are free on admission to the Museum. The Museum reserves the right to
alter or cancel any part of this programme without prior notice. Please note
that some events are very popular and admission cannot be guaranteed.
Natural History Museum
Roy Vickery
There are all sorts of traditions associated with the celebrations of
Christmas, and many involve plants. Kissing under the mistletoe and
decorating a fir tree may be fun, but in the past such rituals had a greater
symbolic meaning. To find out more about our festive floral traditions, join
botanist Roy Vickery for historical tales of holly and ivy, mistletoe and
pine.
Joyce Pope
Whilst humans can simply wear more clothes to keep warm, animals, birds and
fish have evolved ingenious methods to keep out the cold. Some insulate
themselves with special layers of fat, and others maintain their body
temperatures with the help of extra feathers or fur. Some fish living in icy
waters have an substance in their blood which acts as an anti-freeze, as
Joyce Pope will explain.
Dr Paul Taylor
We know today that fossils are the ancient remains of animals and plants
which have been preserved in rock. But as Paul Taylor will explain, in the
past, when there was little explanation for the presence of fossils, a
tradition of folklore grew up around them. Ammonites were thought to be
petrified snakes, belemnites thunderbolts from heaven, whilst the fossilized
remains of the oyster Gryphae were believed to be the toenails of the Devil!
Dr Martin Hall
From flesh-eating maggots to blood-sucking, malaria- carrying mosquitoes,
flies in the tropics are more than just a nuisance - they represent a
serious threat to the health of both local people and their livestock. Here
in the Museum, as Martin Hall will explain, the research programmes of the
Medical and Veterinary section include ways to control fly populations and
so eradicate many fatal diseases.
Carol Gokce
Join Carol Gokce on a tour through 500 years of animal pictures, from
mediaeval illustrations of the fantastical child-eating mantichoras, to the
cheese mites drawn by Hooke using an early microscope in 1665. Other natural
history pictures will include parrot portraits by humorist Edward Lear, and
beautiful birds of paradise drawn the famous Victorian naturalist Audubon.
Dr Peter Forey
In 1938, a strange-looking fish was caught off the coast of South Africa. It
turned out to be a coelacanth, an ancient fish thought to have died out 85
million years ago. Its limb-like fins tell of a shared ancestry with
land-living animals but, as Peter Forey will explain, we still know very
little about this amazing fish which swims upside down, stands on its head
and gives birth to live young.
Nick Turland
From the Balkans in the east, to the island of Madeira in the west,
mountainous Europe is full of many different natural habitats. These
habitats encompass peat bogs, gorges, steep mountain slopes and unspoilt
coastlines, and are home to a variety of plants from tiny mountain flowers
to the tallest evergreen trees. For a whirlwind tour of these beautiful,
wild places of Europe join botanist Nick Turland.
Dr Paul Eggleton
Termites are not only highly successful social insects, some species are
also skilled architects. They produce mounds and nests that are spectacular
feats of engineering providing perfect communal living space for the colony.
However, as entomologist Paul Eggleton will explain, these mounds also
produce vast quantities of methane, a gas which contributes to global
warming.
Dr Robert Hutchinson
As a meteorite falls through the atmosphere to the Earth, only its surface
melts whilst the inside stays cold, providing a record of the rock's history
in space. As many meteorites are over 4,500 million years old, their
structure can yield clues to the age of the Earth, the sun and even the
whole solar system, as Robert Hutchinson will explain.
Dr Dave Johnston
Why is it that some members of a family have blue eyes and others have brown
and yet the children always look very similar to their parents? How exactly
are characteristics passed down through the generations? For answers, join
Dave Johnston for an easy introduction to genes, chromosomes and genetic
inheritance, using examples from the world around us and practical
demonstrations.
Joyce Pope
The early ancestors of whales, dolphins, seals and walruses once lived on
dry land. But at some point in their evolution they left the land and
returned to the sea. Join Joyce Pope to discover just how these sea mammals
evolved and adapted to their new aquatic existence, and to learn more about
the benefits a life in the sea can provide.
Cromwell Road
London, SW7 5BD
Telephone: 0171-938 9123
