Rare Spiders, Superheroes & The Hood Internet: NHM’s First Fridays 2016

They’re baaccckkk!!!

The Natural History Museum’s First Fridays, held every year from Jan/Feb until June, kicks off Friday, February 5th. The series aims to create a “new kind of museum experience” that blends contemporary science and popular culture and is held during the museum’s after-hours.

This year’s theme is “Big Screen, Bigger Science” which aims to bring to light the science behind some of the biggest superheroes, sci-fi films, the anatomy of Antman, the science behind a zombie-like pandemic killer virus, Jurassic paleontology, and much more.

Tour: “Stranger Than Fiction” with Lisa Gonzalez (5:30PM, 6PM, 6:30PM)

The first installation will kick off at 5:30PM with a “Stranger Than Fiction” tour hosted by Lisa Gonzalez, Asst. Collections Manager of Entomology. The tour will explore the anatomy and aesthetics of “bizarre props and rare specimens that inspire Hollywood blockbusters,” think Anaconda and Human Centipede.

Discussion: “With Great Powers Come Great Close-ups” (6:30PM)

After the tour you’ll be able to grab a seat and listen to a discussion with Spiros Michalakis, Research Scientist at the Institute for Quantum Information and Matter at Caltech, and Alex Wild, Curator of Entomology at the University of Texas at Austin as they ponder  the fictional superhero mashup of human and insect within Antman and Spiderman, and how that would play out IRL. The discussion will be moderated by the author, LA Times journalist, and Emmy-winning television and radio host Patt Morrison.

Music: The Hood Internet, Boulevards, Mark Redito fka Spazzkid, & KCRW’s DJ Aaron Byrd & Anthony Valadez

After the fictional, yet intellectual discourse between three great minds talking about superheroes, the night will conclude with music from the music duo The Hood Internet, modern funk songwriter and producer Boulevards, a popup performance from Mark Redito fka Spazzkid, and KCRW DJs Aaron Byrd and Anthony Valadez.

Natural History Museum: 900 Exposition Blvd., LA, 90007