Bodies, DNA Mutations, Heart Dissections, Nano Science and other Kid-Friendly Fun at Sci-Tech Discovery Center this Weekend!
Sci-Tech Discovery Center (Sci-Tech) re-opens Saturday, January 26, 2013 with two brand new exhibits: Bodies in Balance and Putting DNA to Work. Also returning are two long time favorites, Coordination Station and Nano. All of this “Mind-Stretching Fun” is open to the general public at 12 noon on Saturday at the Frisco Discovery Center.
From the day you are born, your body’s systems work hard to stay in balance with each other and to deal with challenging elements you run into in the course of living in a physical world. Your body works persistently and invisibly to keep you healthy. Bodies in Balance includes 24 interactive stations with tools that explore your body’s maze of complex systems and functions.
Putting DNA to Work showcases some of the innumerable ways DNA has been put to work since 1953 when Watson and Crick cracked the mystery of the structure of life itself: the DNA molecule. DNA has been used to physicians and researchers to detect diseases, by agrarian scientists and farmers to improve crops, and by forensic scientists and law enforcement to identify and catch criminals. In 2003 the Human Genome Project completed its 13-year research program to identify all of the 20,000+ genes in human DNA, determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs making up human DNA, store all of that information in databases, and to transfer related technologies to the private sector so DNA can indeed be “put to work” even more so in the 21st century. Putting DNA to Work was developed and organized by the Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences.
A hands-on discovery area, Coordination Station features rotating games that engage visitors of all ages with simple machines and demonstrate basic principles of physics. It includes a Keva Plank table and an interactive station where visitors can see and learn more about simple machines in action.
Nano is an interactive exhibition that engages family audiences in nanoscale science, engineering, and technology. Make your own small science creations!
Admission to Sci-Tech is free to members and children under two years, $7 for general admission, and $5.50 ages seniors age 60 and up.
For more information, visit www.mindstretchingfun.org.