Exhibitions

Closes Jan. 9

Sometimes being slow has advantages. In “Survival of the Slowest” you’ll meet live animals such as a two-toed sloth, a green iguana, a chameleon and several other species that manage to thrive in a world where large, strong and fast animals are often at the top of the food chain.

Future astronauts and inquisitive humans will have a place to discover answers to out of this world questions like, “How do we know how many stars are in our galaxy when we can’t see them all?” “How do you put the brakes on in space?” And, “How do we know what the far side of the Moon looks like if it never faces Earth?”   

A team of Egyptologists and other specialists from around the country collaborated with Michele Koons, curator of archaeology, to find out how today’s leading technologies could shed more light on the lives and deaths of two female mummies on display in the Egyptian Mummies gallery.

The results are in! Findings from CT scans, radiocarbon dating, isotope analysis, and other tests show that the mummies’ distinctions are less likely based on their economic status, as previously thought, and more on when they lived during the history of Egyptian mummification. 

Great news! The Discovery Zone now features new ways for your kids to safely have fun! The exhibit will have limited capacity and intermittent closures for cleanings. 

Due to covid-19 safety constraints, the capacity of the Discovery Zone is limited and regular cleaning breaks are scheduled. This limits the number of guests we can serve daily. 

The Genetics Lab, located inside Expedition Health ®, is where Museum scientists, community scientists, students, and collaborators conduct original research across the spectrum of life. Because the lab is visible to the public, Museum guests can observe daily activities that occur in a modern genetics laboratory—pipetting liquids, extracting and quantifying DNA, performing PCR experiments, running gel electrophoresis, analyzing data, writing grants and papers, and collaborating.

Grab your hard hat! In Coors Gems and Minerals Hall, follow the mine shaft into a Mexican silver mine, where a cavern glistens with milky white gypsum crystals and stalactites. Then enter Colorado's own Sweet Home Mine to discover a six-foot wall of beautiful red rhodochrosite crystals.

Colorado was founded on mining, so you'll see more local finds, like Tom's Baby, an eight-pound nugget of crystallized gold unearthed in Breckenridge in 1887.

You'll also be dazzled by the largest known pocket of aquamarine ever discovered, from Colorado's own Mount Antero, and a giant Brazilian topaz once owned by artist Salvador Dali. The hall is packed with hundreds of specimens from around the world. Hands-on activities and videos help young explorers learn about mineral characteristics and how minerals form.

Shelter. Food. Clothing. Tools. Experience the incredible diversity among Native American groups and the practicality and artistry of their everyday objects.

We are all different, we are all the same is the thread running through this exhibition hall. Shelter, food, clothing, transportation, tools-all are basic human needs satisfied in different ways by different cultures. Among North America's native peoples, the rich diversity in traditional and modern lifeways reflects the distinctive regional influences of environment and materials.

As you travel through the various regions you can explore authentic reconstructed dwellings, including an Inuit snow house, a Northwest Coast clan house, a Navajo hogan, and a Cheyenne tipi. Along the way, examine beautifully crafted weavings, basketry, beadwork, and pottery. Stop to listen to stories and watch videos on the major cultural groups.

Animals big and small come to life in exquisitely detailed dioramas that transport you around the world.

From Alaska to Argentina, Africa to Australia, more than 90 wildlife and habitat scenes illustrate our planet's amazing diversity. Like three-dimensional "postcards" from places near and far, they capture moments in time, showcasing the world's wondrous animals and the delicate ecosystems in which they live.

See the only collection of the remarkable Vasily Konovalenko gem sculptures on public display outside of Moscow.

Vasily Konovalenko (koh-noh-vuh-len-koh) was born in 1929 in Petrivka, Ukraine (just north of the Black Sea). After earning a degree in art and architecture, he became a stage designer for the Donetsk Opera and Ballet Theatre. He worked on productions of Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, and other classic operas and ballets.  In 1957, while working at the Mariinka Theatre in St. Petersburg, Konovalenko produced sets for the ballet Stone Flower, in which the protagonist is a stonecutter. Konovalenko's gem carvings for the ballet earned rave reviews, and he became smitten with the art form.

A journey through the eons allows you to trace the evolution of life on Earth, from single-celled organisms to lumbering dinosaurs to the inhabitants of today's world.

Travel through time-starting 3.5 billion years ago. Your journey begins beneath ancient seas. Life diversifies as you move through the millennia, surrounded by fearsome fish and waving sea lilies. Soon you're out of the water and the air is filled with huge dragonflies. Foot-long centipedes crawl around you. Then the dinosaurs appear!

A newly discovered trove of remarkably preserved fossils, found at Corral Bluffs near Colorado Springs, has brought into sharp focus how Earth recovered after the devastating asteroid impact 66 million years ago that wiped out the dinosaurs. This discovery is a watershed scientific moment, and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science has created a brand-new bilingual exhibit to bring the discovery to life. 

Now Open!

“GUITAR: The Instrument That Rocked The World” takes you on a fascinating exploration of the science, sound, history and pop culture behind the world’s most popular instrument.