Science

Unless noted, all programs are presented on Zoom; listed times are Eastern Time. Online registration is required.

Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico

Grand Canyon, Arizona Join geologist Kirt Kempter as he explores the geology of Western National Parks over the course of 2023, with an in-depth look at one location every month. Each program’s content is enhanced by geologic maps, photos, and Google Earth imagery. FEB 6 Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands, New Mexico MAR 6 Grand Canyon, Arizona

INSIDE SCIENCE Mon., Feb. 6 (CODE 1NV-018);

Mon., March 6 (CODE 1NV-019); 7 p.m.; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Indulge in a colorful midwinter escape as horticultural experts lead a series of virtual visits that highlight the beauty of notable botanical gardens in settings as far-flung as Singapore, the United Kingdom, the eastern United States, and Japan. In vibrant visuals they explore how each garden has taken a unique approach to design and interpretation as they celebrate plant collections, conservation, education, and the distinctive environments and landscapes in which they bloom. FEB 5 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Eden Project FEB 12 Singapore Botanic Gardens and Norfolk Botanical Garden FEB 19 Temple Gardens of Kyoto, Japan 3 sessions: Sun., Feb. 5, 12, and 19, 4 p.m.; CODE 1NV-BOT; Members $60; Nonmembers $75 Individual sessions: Sun., Feb. 5 (CODE 1NV-A13); Sun., Feb. 12 (CODE 1NV-B13); Sun., Feb. 19 (CODE 1NV-C13); 4 p.m.; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Singapore Botanic Gardens Palm House in Kew Gardens, London

A temple garden in Kyoto

Smithsonian Associates’ Digital Digest is a lively monthly e-newsletter filled with information about programs and experiences that are entertaining, informative, eclectic, and insightful. Be sure to catch every issue by subscribing at: smithsonianassociates.org/digital-digest

Did you know that there is a top-of-the-food-chain predator likely living in your neighborhood? It is a great horned owl, found in every state except Hawaii and in almost every habitat you can imagine. Owls are incredibly adaptable animals and several species are regularly found where humans live. But their amazing camouflage, nocturnal habits, and silent flight often make them hidden to us.

Join Mark H.X. Glenshaw, aka the “Owl Man,” to learn how you can find Mark H.X. Glenshaw these amazing and beautiful animals and other owls right in your neighborhood. Sun., Feb. 12, 3–4:30 p.m.; CODE 1K0-316; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Lessons from Wildlife Species Defying Extinction

The news about wildlife is dire—more than 900 species have been wiped off the planet since industrialization. But there are also glimmers of hope and lessons to be learned from animals that have defied the global trends. Environmental scholar Christopher J. Preston draws on stories from researchers, Indigenous people, and activists as he examines how populations of some species—from bears in Italy to Atlantic whales—are coming back. His book Tenacious Beasts: Wildlife Recoveries That Change How We Think About Animals (MIT Press) is available for purchase. INSIDE SCIENCE Mon., Feb. 27, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1D0-007; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

A History of Space Tourism

Millions of dreamers have anticipated their chance to travel in space. However, since human space travel began, fewer than 650 earthlings have viewed our planet from a spaceship. What makes so many people think they have the slightest chance to fulfill the dream?

Alan Ladwig, former manager of NASA’s Space Flight Participant Program, has one answer: For the past 70-plus years, space visionaries, aerospace companies, government agencies, and the media have told us the countdown is coming. Ladwig draws on his book See You in Orbit? Our Dream of Spaceflight as he examines the expectations surrounding space tourism. INSIDE SCIENCE Thurs., March 23, 7 p.m.; CODE 1NV-027; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

One of the most biologically diverse and ecologically significant landmarks in America, the Potomac Gorge, located near Washington, D.C., has held an important place in human history since the Ice Age.

Naturalist and author Melanie Choukas-Bradley has spent the past year exploring the gorge on foot, by bicycle, and by kayak. She leads a virtual journey along the most dramatic section of the 405-mile-long river: the 15-mile stretch from Great Falls in Maryland and Virginia to Theodore Roosevelt Island. It’s a perfect way to plan outdoor adventures for the coming seasons. Wed., March 29, 12–1:30 p.m.; CODE 1NV-026; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Potomac River, Great Falls National Park

Garden educator and naturalist Keith Tomlinson leads a virtual tour of Assateague Island National Seashore and neighboring Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. The barrier islands have their own ecology, with ephemeral landscapes bound by the coastal plain and the restless Atlantic Ocean. Marine and continental biomes converge to create natural spaces that attract visitors seeking recreational opportunities including remote beach hiking, birding, biking, and camping. Appealing as well are glimpses of the managed free-ranging herds of horses.

Tomlinson also explores unique maritime forests, dune communities, and intertidal wetlands, as well as the island’s fascinating human history. INSIDE SCIENCE Thurs., March 30, 7 p.m.; CODE 1NV-025; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Wild horses at Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland

Artist's concept of the most distant supermassive black hole ever discovered

Black holes are bizarre cosmic objects whose gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape them. And although you might guess that Einstein came up with the concept of black holes, the idea can be traced back to the late 1700s. But Einstein did develop the notion that three-dimensional space and time are part of a single framework to describe the known universe and how black holes shape it.

Kelly Beatty, senior editor at Sky & Telescope magazine, discusses how cosmologists still grapple with how best to describe and study them. INSIDE SCIENCE Wed., March 29, 6:45 p.m; CODE 1L0-505; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Smithsonian Art Collectors presents The Art of Philip Guston

Inscapes: Words and Images was a 1976 city-wide festival held in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the collaboration of poetry and visual arts. To commemorate the festival, the Smithsonian commissioned Guston and poet Stanley Kunitz to create this collaborative work inspired by and featuring one of Kunitz's poems.

Philip Guston Now opens on February 26 at the National Gallery of Art.

Inscapes: Words and Images, 1977 Poster | Retail: $35; Member: $20* *Member pricing applies to Promoter level and above For membership levels visit SmithsonianAssociates.org/levels

What time does the program end? Unless noted, Smithsonian Associates programs run 1 hour 15 min.–2 hours, including Q&A

Presented in partnership with George Mason University Observatory

This series treks to the sun and the four inner terrestrial planets before traveling outward to the asteroid belt, four Jovian planets, and beyond. At each session, a professional astronomer presents the latest research on a solar system body. Following the talk and a question-and-answer period, Peter Plavchan, a professor of physics and astronomy at George Mason University, brings that night’s sky right into participants’ living rooms via remote control of the university observatory, weather permitting.

NASA/JPL

A solar flare erupting

The tour begins with the 4½-billion-year-old star at the center of the solar system, the sun. Its gravity is the glue that holds the solar system together. Its activity, from powerful eruptions to the steady stream of charged particles it sends out, provides a protective bubble that shields the planets from damaging galactic radiation. George Mason University astrophysicist and cosmologist Hakeem Oluseyi shines a light on this special star. Tues., April 18, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1J0-254; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Mercury, the innermost planet in the solar system, remained relatively unexplored until NASA’s MESSENGER probe orbited and studied it from 2011 to 2015. MESSENGER’s results have transformed the understanding of Mercury, forcing scientists to reexamine what was thought to be known about the first rock from the sun. Physicist Ronald J. Vervack Jr., who worked on the MESSENGER mission, highlights how Mercury provides insight into the formation, evolution, and current state of the solar system. Tues., May 9, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1J0-255; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

NASA/JPL

A colorful view of Mercury created from the color base map imaging campaign during MESSENGER's mission

NASA/JPL

An image of Venus and its cloud patterns captured by the Galileo spacecrafts, 1990

In this solar system, Venus is the planet most like Earth in size and density, yet at some point in planetary history they evolved very differently, creating a kind of Jekyll and Hyde scenario: Venus now has a toxic atmosphere and is the hottest planet, contrasting with habitable Earth. University of California, Riverside, astrophysicist Stephen Kane reveals clues that point to a possible habitable past of Venus and discusses how its environment might have become hostile to life. Tues., May 30, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1J0-256; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

These programs are part of Smithsonian Associates INSIDE SCIENCE

Collecting All Sorts of Wonders

A narwhal tusk and a meticulous painting of a tulip might seem to have little in common, but they were among the wonders of nature and artifice displayed proudly in Renaissance collections of marvels known as curiosity cabinets. In their quest Cabinet of Curiosities by Domenico Remps, 1690 for knowledge, collectors ranging from apothecaries to Medici dukes acquired and categorized such intriguing pieces from around the globe.

Biologist Kay Etheridge describes how these collections provided naturalists with centers of study and source material— and ultimately led to the genesis of the modern museum. INSIDE SCIENCE Wed., April 19, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1J0-251; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

CHRIS THOROGOOD

Chasing Plants

Join botanist Chris Thorogood for a glimpse into the exhilarating adventures of a field botanist. As part of his job, Thorogood has clambered over cliffs and up erupting volcanoes and trekked through typhoons. Along the way, he’s encountered A tropical pitcher plant (Nepenthes exotic pitcher plants and villosa) on Mount Kinabalu, Borneo, orchids of unimaginable painted in oils by Chris Thorogood beauty.

Thorogood shares details of his hair-raising excursions and explains the vital work he and other botanists are doing to protect the world’s plants. His book Chasing Plants: Journeys with a Botanist Through Rainforests, Swamps and Mountains (University of Chicago Press) is available for purchase.. INSIDE SCIENCE Thurs., April 27, 12–1:15 p.m.; CODE 1J0-257; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Digitally recovered library stamp from a stolen book

The ability to ask “why?” makes us uniquely human. Curiosity drives scientific research, is the engine behind creativity in all disciplines, and provides a necessary ingredient in every form of storytelling that delights. Mario Livio

Renowned astrophysicist Mario Livio interprets cutting-edge research that explores the origin and mechanisms of curiosity. Livio has examined the personalities of Leonardo da Vinci and physicist Richard Feynman and interviewed nine exceptionally curious people living today, including linguist Noam Chomsky and the virtuoso lead guitarist of the rock band Queen, Brian May, who holds a Ph.D in astrophysics. INSIDE SCIENCE Tues., April 25, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1M2-259; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Interdisciplinary Technology Studies Unveil Insights

Using sophisticated tools that include a repurposed particle accelerator and working with museums, universities, and private collectors, Michael B. Toth and his colleagues have digitized everything from manuscripts to fossils, mining them for new information about their content and creation. Among the pieces they have worked on are the earliest known copy of work by Archimedes, Sir Isaac Newton’s sketch of how a rainbow is formed, Gutenberg and other early Bibles, and Muslim manuscripts.

Toth, the president of R.B. Toth Associates, talks about some of their findings. INSIDE SCIENCE Tues., May 2, 6:45 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1J0-259; Members $30; Nonmembers $35