Today. Dinosaurs are too often thought of as what we see in a museum: dusty old bones and faded footprints. With “Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries,” the Denver Museum of Nature & Science hopes to bring the prehistoric beasts back to life.
“This exhibit is more about interpreting the animals as living creatures,” says Kenneth Carpenter, the museum’s curator of lower-vertebrate paleontology. “Dinosaurs,” a traveling exhibit organized by the American Museum of Natural History, still has the “wow” factor of many dino displays: A giant Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton looms near the entrance, and plenty of cool fossils are featured.
But the exhibit focuses strongly on dinosaurs as they lived and the new ways paleontologists are making those discoveries.
“The science of paleontology has changed a lot over the years,” Carpenter says. “It’s a dynamic science.”
Each area of the exhibit is devoted to a different theme, like dinosaur motion or new ideas on the function of horns. Interactive displays draw visitors further into the subject.
The “Build your own T-rex” touchscreens are sure to be a hit: Adjust the physical traits of a computer-generated T-rex, and see how those factors influenced the animal’s ability to run after prey.
At the end of “Dinosaurs,” the museum added a kid-friendly area that explores the life of a paleontologist. Search for fossils in the “dirt,” make a plaster cast to take home, and use your findings to vote for your favorite dinosaur.
While patting the giant, plastered apatosaurus pelvis near the exit, adults might even have a career change spring to mind. Dinosaurs are pretty sweet.
As Carpenter says, “They only come in big and extra-big.”
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Jan. 4. Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd.; 303-322-7009. Museum admission is $11 for adults and $6 for kids ages 3 to 18, students with ID and seniors 65 and older.
Tonight-Saturday. Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican celebration of life and death, gets a head start on Halloween in Fiesta Colorado’s “Fiesta Folklorico” at the Lakewood Cultural Center. Enjoy original choreography, bright costumes and live music by mariachi band Sol de Mi Tierra. 8 p.m. today and Saturday. Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway; 303-987-7876. Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors age 65 and older and for students age 13 to 21 with ID, and $16 for children ages 3 to 12. Advance tickets are available by calling 303-987-7845 or online at recreation-lakewood .
Saturday. Feeling gross? Check out The Wildlife Experience’s latest exhibit, “Animal Grossology.” Based on the human “Grossology” show, this one explores all sorts of animal ickiness. Dung beetles, cow flatulence, slimy slugs and more await. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The Wildlife Experience, 10035 S. Peoria St., Parker; 720-488-3300. “Animal Grossology” is included with museum admission, $7.95 for adults, $6.95 for seniors ages 65 and up, and $4.95 for children ages 2 to 12. The Wildlife Experience is open Tuesdays through Sundays.
