Top Programs and Events at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science in December and January

TEMPORARY EXHIBITION

A Day in Pompeii

Closes January 13

What nature destroyed, it also preserved. Hundreds of exceptional artifacts offer an
insider's glimpse into the daily life-and tragic end-of this ancient Roman city that was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. These archaeological treasures lay buried in Pompeii's ruins, preserved as if sealed in a time capsule. Highlights include marble and bronze sculptures, jewelry, gold coins, everyday household items, and more. Visitors will uncover the treasures of a city steeped in legend, examine casts of the volcano's victims frozen in their last moments, and discover the power of volcanoes past and present.

Extended Holiday Hours

Extended hours to see A Day in Pompeii will be available during the holidays. For details, click here.  The Museum is open seven days a week year-round, with the exception of December 25.

IMAX

NEW! Rocky Mountain Express2D

Now Showing

Rocky Mountain Express takes audiences on a steam train journey through the breathtaking vistas of the Canadian Rockies as it tells the epic story of building the nation's first transcontinental railway. The film weaves together spectacular IMAX aerial cinematography, stunning landscapes of the West, archival photographs and maps, and the powerful energy and rhythms of a live steam locomotive.

Deep Sea 3D

Now Showing

Dive deep and swim with some of the most extraordinary sea creatures ever seen on the IMAX 3D screen. Deep Sea 3D is an underwater adventure that transports audiences way down below the ocean surface. Encounter some of nature's mysterious and colorful creatures, from the unusual wolf eel to the giant Pacific octopus to the fearsome-looking sand tiger shark. Discover their peculiar and amazing behavior, and how they rely on one another for survival. Narrated by Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, with an original score by Danny Elfman, Deep
Sea 3D takes viewers on a magical journey to places that most of us have never been.

PLANETARUIM

SuperVolcanoes

Now Showing

SuperVolcanoes explores rare types of volcanic eruptions that marshal the energy that lurks, like a sleeping dragon, beneath the surface of planet Earth. In this unique immersive experience, audiences will explore the impact of volcanism on Earth and other worlds in our solar system. Can a supervolcano erupt in our own time? The answer is surprisingly close to home.

DECEMBER EVENTS

Simon Winchester Presents Skulls

Monday, December 3, 7 p.m. $8 member, $10 nonmember

Book sale & signing

Best-selling author Simon Winchester (The Professor and the Madman and The Map That Changed the World) plumbs the depths of an enduring fascination in Skulls: An Exploration of Alan Dudley's Curious Collection. In visually stunning book, Winchester explores more than 300 animal skulls-amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, and reptiles-from the collection of Alan Dudley, holder of what is likely the largest and most complete private collection of skulls in the world. Skulls details the parts of a skull and specific adaptations, the science and pseudoscience of skulls, and the use of skulls in religion, art, and popular culture. Winchester's ability to tell riveting and enlightening stories results in a near perfect survey designed for amusement, the indulgence of macabre fascination, and learning.

A Pompeii of the Americas

Thursday, December 6, 7 p.m., $8 member, $10 nonmember

Throughout the turmoil of Central America's civil wars in the 1980s, archaeologist Payson Sheets worked to unearth an extraordinarily well-preserved 1,400-year-old Maya village. A scalding blanket of ash erupted from the Loma Caldera volcanic vent around AD 630, freezing the farming village of Ceren in time. Ceren is located in today's El Salvador and has become known as the "Pompeii of the Americas." Sheets and his team uncovered evidence of everyday life in the village, including artifacts showing that the Maya were likely in the middle of a harvest feast when the explosion occurred. Unlike Pompeii, however, no bodies have been found. During this presentation, Sheets, a professor at the
University of Colorado at Boulder, will discuss his life's work in Ceren, now deemed a U.N. World Heritage Site.

SCFD Community FREE Day

Sunday, December 9, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., FREE

Enjoy outstanding permanent exhibitions including Expedition
Health, Space Odyssey, Prehistoric Journey, and Egyptian Mummies.

JANUARY EVENTS

Science Lounge: Flavor Tripping
Thursday, January 17, 6:30-9:30 p.m., $10 member, $12 nonmember

(If sold out online, tickets available at the door.) Enjoy a mind-expanding experience with cocktails and entertainment every third Thursday of the month. Ages 21 and up. This month, get ready to taste trip during an evening full of flavor-bending plants and savory science. Hear about flowers that numb your mouth, and fruit that smells like almonds to some and gym socks to others. Debunk that tongue map you remember from grade school, compare the five different tastes (yes, five), and have your tongue painted blue so you can see your taste buds. Warp your flavor receptors with a dose of miracle fruit-which makes even lemons taste like candy-and savor our signature cocktail, the Bitter Truth.

Digital Earth: Explore the Rocky Mountain West

Tuesday, January 22, 7 p.m., $8 member, $10 nonmember

Large-scale environmental changes are often difficult to document or even to see from our
ground-based vantage. With space scientist Ka Chun Yu as your driver and geologist Bob Raynolds as your guide, you will embark on an amazing tour of Earth from the vantage of a satellite in space and get a bird's eye-view of our ever-changing Rocky Mountain forests and see how bark beetles, water conditions, climate change, and management practices are affecting the balance of these ecosystems.

SCFD Community FREE Day

Monday, January 28, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., FREE

Enjoy outstanding permanent exhibitions including Expedition Health, Space Odyssey, Prehistoric Journey, and Egyptian Mummies.

Babylon and Beyond: Preserving Iraqi Cultural Heritage

Tuesday, January 29, 7 p.m., $8 member, $10 nonmember

Diane Siebrandt will share her experiences as the U.S. State Department's cultural heritage liaison officer at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. Siebrandt has been on the ground since 2006, building partnerships between Iraqi and American civilians, academics, military personnel, and government officials that will help ensure the preservation of some of Iraq's most significant archaeological sites, including Babylon. The Archaeological Institute of America honored Siebrandt with its Outstanding Public Service Award for her commitment and diplomacy. You will also learn how Iraq's ancient wonders are being prepared for global tourism.

MEDIA CONTACT

Charlotte Hurley: 303-370-6407, [email protected]

NOTE:Please let me know if this monthly event/program update is more appropriate for another person at your organization, so we can update our contact list.

About the Denver Museum of Nature & Science

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain Region's leading resource for informal science education. A variety of engaging exhibits, discussions and activities help Museum visitors celebrate and understand the natural wonders of Colorado, Earth and the universe. The Museum is located at 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO, 80205.  To learn more about the Museum, check www.dmns.org, or call 303-370-6000.

Many of the Museum's educational programs and exhibits are made possible in part by
the citizens of the seven-county metro area through the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District.