IF YOU fancy a spot of science tourism, try New 杏吧原创鈥檚 pick of the
season.
Begin your trip at London鈥檚 Natural History Museum (www.nhm.ac.uk). Its new
exhibition, Predators, is a showcase for the scary side of life. Goggle at the
evolutionary arms race between predators and prey as you control the movements
of a giant chameleon as it slurps its prey and witness the deadly funnel web
spider preparing to strike through impressive, sophisticated animatronic models.
Watch out for fascinating facts: did you know more people are killed by
lightning than great white sharks.
Throughout the museum for the next six months you鈥檒l also find the work of
artists Olly & Suzi. After painting predators in their natural habitats,
they leave the painting for a while, encouraging the creatures to leave their
scratches, bites and footprints on it.
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If you鈥檙e in Australia, Sydney Harbour is the focus of another blend of art
and science in Catching . . . the Harbour, at the Australian Museum
(www.amonline.net.au/ exhibitions/catching/index.htm). It shows off the
biodiversity and marine resources with underwater film, newsreels, a fibre-optic
installation, artworks and the archaeology of Aboriginal fishing.
If you鈥檝e gone way out west and find yourself in the land of AZ (that鈥檚
Arizona), head for the wonderful Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum near Tucson. Avoid
the cactus-curling heat by visiting after sundown. This summer鈥檚 programme of
Saturday night events looks terrific: nocturnal insects spotted under black
light, searching the museum for night-time visitors dropping in from the
surrounding desert, hawkmoths at work pollinating desert flowers, astronomy
guides to the sky, fluorescent minerals鈥攁nd more.