A Grand Tour of the Solar System

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.

The Sun, Front and Center

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, Small but Mighty Interesting

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

Venus, Shrouded in Clouds

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

Renaissance Cabinets of Curiosity

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 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.

I N SI DE S C I ENCE Wed., April 19, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1J0-251; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Mario Livio on What Makes Us Curious

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.

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.

I N SI DE S C I ENCE Tues., April 25, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1M2-259; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Live from the UK

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 exotic pitcher plants and orchids of unimaginable 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.

I N SI DE S C I ENCE Thurs., April 27, 12–1:15 p.m.; CODE 1J0-257; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

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

In-person and Online Program Taking a New Look at Historical Objects

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.

I N SI DE S C I ENCE Tues., May 2, 6:45 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1J0-259; Members $30; Nonmembers $35

Keeping the Pace

The Science of Pacemakers and Defibrillators

Today’s smallest pacemaker is the size of a multivitamin, weighing as little as a penny. It’s a long way from the first pacemaker, which was worn around the neck and weighed over half a pound. Today more than 3 million people have pacemakers, with over 600,000 implanted yearly.

Tom Choi, a pediatric cardiologist and electrophysiologist in Delaware, and Carolyn Ramwell, an electrophysiology nurse clinician in Washington, D.C., discuss the fascinating past, present, and future of this small but essential lifesaving device. In a lively talk, they cover the experimental history of the modern pacemaker and defibrillator; the current applications of both; the risk-taking scientists involved in discovering the electrical properties of the heart and the ability to restart the heartbeat; and the future implications posed by artificial intelligence and technological advances.

I N SI DE S C I ENCE Thurs., May 4, 7 p.m.; CODE 1NV-033; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Notes on Complexity Connection, Consciousness, and Being

Nothing in the universe is more complex than life. In its myriad forms—from cells to human beings, social structures, and ecosystems—life is open-ended, evolving, and unpredictable, yet adaptive and self-sustaining. Complexity theory addresses the mysteries that animate science, philosophy, and metaphysics: how this teeming array of existence, from the infinitesimal to the infinite, is a seamless living whole and what our place, as conscious beings, is within it.

Physician, scientist, and philosopher Neil Theise discusses this “theory of being,” one of the pillars of modern science, and its holistic view of human existence. He notes the surprising underlying connections within a universe that is itself one vast complex. His work considers links between ant colonies and the growth of forests; cancer and economic bubbles; and the buzz of starlings and crowds walking down the street.

His book Notes on Complexity: A Scientific Theory of Connection, Consciousness, and Being (Spiegel & Grau) is available for purchase.

I N SI DE S C I ENCE Mon., May 15, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1CV-015; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Cultivating the Good Life Why Relationships Are Essential

What makes for a long, happy, meaningful, and good life? The simple but surprising answer is relationships. It’s based on 85 years of work by the Harvard Study of Adult Development, which is still active. Marc Schulz, the study’s associate director and co-author of the new book The Good Life, Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness, highlights findings from the Harvard Study as well as others that point to the critical role of relationships in shaping happiness and health.

He discusses why relationships are the foundation of the good life, how to improve them, and how to prioritize the important things in life. His insights are timely, given the isolation so many have experienced over the course of the pandemic.

Thurs., May 18, 12–1:30 p.m.; CODE 1NV-036; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Lawrence Krauss on Unsolved Mysteries of the Cosmos

Our understanding of science has advanced immeasurably over the last 500 years, yet many fundamental mysteries of existence persist. How did our universe begin and how big is it? Is time travel possible? What is at the center of a black hole? How did life on Earth arise? Are we alone? What is consciousness, and can we create it?

Covering time, space, matter, life, and consciousness, theoretical physicist and author Lawrence Krauss explores the greatest unanswered questions at the forefront of science today–and that will shape its state for the next century.

His book The Edge of Knowledge: Unsolved Mysteries of the Cosmos (Post Hill Press) is available for purchase.

Tues., June 6, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1K0-368; Members $25; Nonmembers $30

Landscape of Change

Historic Acadia National Park

For centuries, the coastal location and diverse landscape of Maine’s Acadia National Park—featuring mountain summits, rocky shores, and wooded valleys—have drawn Indigenous residents, explorers, settlers, and visitors in search of beauty and inspiration. The juxtaposition of landscape has created a unique region and a haven for scientists. Their centuries of written records, specimen collections, and oral histories have provided baselines for understanding environmental change on Mount Desert Island and beyond.

Author and scientist Catherine Schmitt shares the story of science in Acadia. Her book Historic Acadia National Park (Lyons Press) is available for purchase.

Thurs., June 8, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1CV-016; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Remnants of Life

The New Science of Ancient Biomolecules

We used to think of fossils as being composed of nothing but rock and minerals, but we were wrong. Today, scientists and the new science of ancient biomolecules—pigments, proteins, and DNA that once functioned in living, but now extinct, organisms—are opening a new window onto the evolution of life on Earth. Dale E. Greenwalt, a research associate at the National Museum of Natural History, is your guide to these astonishing breakthroughs.

Greenwalt is the author of Remnants of Ancient Life: The New Science of Old Fossils (Princeton University Press), available for purchase.

Tues., June 13, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1J0-273; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

The Three Ages of Water

Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future

From the creation of the planet billions of years ago to the present day, water has always been central to existence on Earth. It has shaped civilizations and empires and driven centuries of advances in science and technology as well as progress in health and medicine. But the achievements that propelled humanity forward also brought consequences: unsustainable water use, ecological destruction, and global climate change.

Leading scientist and water expert Peter Gleick traces the long, fraught history of our relationship to this precious resource, outlining how the lessons of the past can be the foundation of action designed to support a sustainable future for water and the planet.

His book The Three Ages of Water: Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future (PublicAffairs) is available for purchase.

Thurs., June 15, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1K0-370; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

A History of Cartography From Stone Scratches to Crisis Mapping

Whether early stone carvings or produced by satellite imagery, maps are part science and part art—but are indispensable for understanding the world and our place in it. They tell us which way to point our car, when to pack an umbrella, and how a trouble spot across the globe might affect our national interest.

Join geographer John Rennie Scott, author of Cartographic Encounters: Indigenous Peoples and the Exploration of The New World, as he chronicles the dramatic evolution of mapmaking over the course of human history and examines why maps are and will always be a reflection of the way we view our world and ourselves.

Tues., June 20, 6:30 p.m.; CODE 1H0-772; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Live from the UK Pterosaurs: Soaring Above the Dinosaurs

The pterosaurs are the flying reptiles so often mistakenly called pterodactyls. These animals flew above the heads of dinosaurs, their close relatives, from at least 230 million years ago until they all became extinct 65 million years ago.

Although pterosaurs’ fossils are rarer than those of their dinosaur cousins, we still have a remarkable range of them, from sparrow-sized babies to giants with wingspans of nearly 33 feet. Paleontologist David Hone dives into what we know about these fascinating flying reptiles and what we still have to discover.

Sun., June 25, 2 p.m.; CODE 1J0-274; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

What an Owl Knows

New Insights into the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds

For millennia, owls have captivated and intrigued us. With their forward gaze and quiet flight, they are often a symbol of wisdom, knowledge, and foresight. But what does an owl really know? And what do we really know about owls?

Scientists have only recently begun to understand in deep detail the complex nature of these extraordinary avians. Some 260 species of owls exist today, and they reside on every continent except Antarctica, but they are far more difficult to find and study than other birds because they are cryptic, camouflaged, and mostly active in the dark of night. Jennifer Ackerman, author of The Genius of Birds, pulls back the curtain on the rich biology and natural history of owls and examines remarkable new scientific discoveries about their brains and behavior.

Her book, What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds (Penguin Press), is available for purchase.

Mon., June 26, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1D0-017; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

Why Do Predators Matter?

Sometimes scary but always intriguing, the world’s top predators also are quite necessary. Robert Johnson, a wildlife specialist and conservationist; Sharon Gilman, a biology professor specializing in vertebrates and science education; and Dan Abel, a marine science professor and shark specialist, share facts and tell stories about these fearsome and often misunderstood animals. Their book, Tooth and Claw: Top Predators of the World (Princeton University Press), is available for purchase.

Mon., July 17, 6:45 p.m.; CODE 1J0-277; Members $20; Nonmembers $25

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