Thursday, October 31, 2019

Perot Museum

Waxing Crescent Moon

The Perot Museum of Nature and Science in downtown Dallas, TX is, like most good museums, expensive but worth it. There are five floors of exhibits to explore, featuring brilliantly presented lessons on astronomy, paleontology, Earth history, plate tectonics, petroleum geology, life science, and anthropology.

My two favorite exhibits were "Origins: Fossils from the Cradle of Humankind" and the T. Boone Pickens Life Then and Now Hall. The Origins story left me hanging, with several possible explanations for how the bones of "Neo" (Homo naledi) came to reside in the depths of a complex cave system. I want to learn more!

The Life Then and Now Hall was much more straightforward: cool dinosaurs! I love places like this that let you walk around and stare at reconstructed dino skeletons in awe like a grownup fourth grader. It's just good, clean fun.






To my surprise, the displays about petroleum extraction and hydraulic fracturing were the least imaginative and engaging. This part could and should be a lot stronger, especially in Texas. Is that all you got?



On the whole, though, this is a great, interesting museum that will keep you busy and learning for an intense afternoon or longer. The building itself is beautifully designed and landscaped and there is plenty to keep children and adults occupied and inspired. If I lived in the area, I would definitely become a supporting member.

Peace, Love, and Skeletons,
Jim

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