Field Museum of Natural History

Frigid February temperatures notwithstanding, it's not too early to plan where to send the kids to camp this summer. Throughout the city and the suburbs, a number of museums, botanical gardens and zoos offer hands-on learning experiences built around...

Darth Vader and a squadron of more than a dozen Imperial soldiers and Stormtroopers stroll into Chicago's Adler Planetarium on a Thursday night and gather around a large-scale model of the Earth as if planning to attack it with their superweapon the Death...

The American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) was established in 1919 for the purpose of promoting the study of mammals, as well as providing information for public policy, resource management, conservation, and education.  With more than 2,000 current...

Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Wednesday night that he will accept online applications from people who want to succeed former 7th Ward Ald. Sandi Jackson and ask a committee to winnow the field of contenders. The web site will be up Friday and the panel will...

At first glance, the Chicago Cultural Mile ("Where Culture & Commerce Meet") resembles nothing so much as a gerrymandered congressional district. According to its website, this officially arty and mercantile stretch begins at Michigan Avenue and the...

Research and planning are often key factors scientists cite when they make a great discovery. Only rarely does being out of shape play a role. But Field Museum scientist Jim Holstein said being dog-tired after a long day of trekking through a Nevada...

Battered by the recession and a high debt load, the Field Museum on Tuesday announced plans to cut staff, overhaul its operations and limit the scope of its research. A comprehensive plan being drawn up by museum officials also could include changes to...

Michelle Larson's faculty page at Utah State University displays a picture of her cozying up to a bust of Albert Einstein. Lego Albert Einstein. That combination, science with a populist face, is a pretty fair summation of what she'll have to bring...

Glowing fish, giant dinosaurs, plasticized animals and more. That's not a description of the toy aisles at Target, or at least it's not only that. It also spotlights what's coming up in the new year at the area's family museums and zoos. Here are some...

What is surely one of the most ambitious, audacious journalistic projects ever attempted will begin in January with a footstep headed out of Ethiopa's Rift Valley, just like one early humans took 50,000-70,000 years ago. And those footsteps will...

I occasionally make a list of things I've liked recently. Here's one for the holidays. 1. Gift idea: a pizza stone My colleague Kevin Pang, culinary savant, told me I had to put this on the list. His testimonial: "This $45 slab of rock has changed...

We all know that the holidays are commercialized. For those looking for an alternative to the mass pandemonium of the malls, gift shops at Chicago museums offer presents with local interest as well as artistic and educational panache. And in many cases,...