FIRST YEAR - California Academy of Sciences

H
A universe unfolding. Check out the following pages
for more on the ways in which the California Academy
of Sciences has engaged, educated, and discovered
in the past year. Your generous support has enabled
us to dig deeper, reach farther, teach better. From sea
slugs to supernovas, our universe is expanding!
Mammals and mojitos? Electric eels and West Coast
electronica? Where else could you find such spirited combos
but at our weekly NightLife events? Every Thursday from 6 to
10 pm, the hip and cool crowd parties with the penguins and
learns about science after-hours. Buzz Aldrin showed up for an
impromptu talk about his days as an astronaut. on Rock the Bike
night, guests kept the DJ music going with pedal power. And
on April Fool’s Day, specimen skulls sported hats and the T. rex
carried a purse. Visit www.calacademy.org/events/nightlife
our colony of 20 African
penguins is the best known
of the Academy’s captivebreeding
programs, but we
participate in a variety of other
such programs and here’s
why: captive breeding can help
prevent species extinction.
Raising the animals in a
museum or zoo environment
serves an educational purpose,
too, increasing public awareness
about rare and threatened
species. And regular observations
lead to better scientific
understanding of the animals.
In addition to the penguins,
the Academy also breeds
dwarf cuttlefish and golden
mantella frogs.