A new exhibit at the Museum of Idaho will host a large display of dinosaurs and their connection with Charles Darwin.
Darwin and Dinosaurs will be open at the museum from Saturday, September 28 through May 31 of next year. The Archimedes: Science and Innovations exhibit is still open, and this weekend only, both exhibits will be on display.
Rod Hansen, the director of exhibits at the Museum of Idaho, called the Darwin and Dinosaurs exhibit “an incredible opportunity to explore Darwin’s history and some of the foundation to the ideas behind natural selection.”
On display will be 14 dinosaurs, items representing Darwin’s voyage on the HMS Beagle and his life’s work, and a first edition copy of “On the Origin of Species.” There will also be a series of short films on evolution, a 12-by-7 touchscreen game that teaches about birds and evolution, and an exhibit where dinosaur bones can be handled.
“There are some wonderful original documents and books,” Hansen said. “There’s an original treatise from Darwin and [Alfred] Wallace.”
The first floor is mostly a display on dinosaurs and Darwin’s development of the idea of evolution. The majority of the items on display surround the scientist’s five-year journey on the Beagle as he circumnavigated the world, doing research in South America and the Galapagos.
“The Galapagos was only about a five-week excursion but so much was discovered there,” Hansen said. “I’m not sure that Darwin was truly aware of what he had found.”
His time spent there studying turtles, finches, and other animals was critical to furthering the world’s understanding of evolution.
Admission prices are $12 for adults, $10 for youth ages 4-17, $11 for seniors and family passes are available for $42. Museum membership options are also available. To learn more, visit Museum of Idaho.