(BOSTON, Mass.) - Touch a nearly 20,000-year-old mammoth's tooth. Examine mammoth tissue, prehistoric plant life and pollen under a macroscope. "Dig" for fossils and see them morph into the animals they represent. It's all part of the hands-on look at amazing archaeological finds in "Prehistoric Worlds - Backyard Discoveries," premiering at the Museum of Science in Boston, Mass., Saturday, March 10. "Prehistoric Worlds," presented by Discovery Channel, tells amazing stories about how amateurs of all ages have unearthed some of the world's most significant archaeological finds. At the center of this exciting exhibit are the remains of the Jarkov mammoth that was removed from its location 477 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Members of Siberia's Dolgans, an indigenous people, found the 20,000-year-old woolly mammoth virtually in their own back yard. "Prehistoric Worlds" depicts the mission to extract a 23-ton block of ice and dirt that contained the mammoth's remains, transport it to an ice cave and examine the secrets it holds about life during the Ice Age. The exhibit engages visitors with re-creations of actual settings in which the Jarkov mammoth and other prehistoric creatures have been found, and puts them in control of archaeological inquiries. People of all ages can simulate their own discoveries via hands-on interactives: What's in my Back Yard? Select a state on the map and find out what fossils have been found there.
Fossil or Bone? Tell the difference between a bone and a fossil. Touch bison and hadrosaur fossil bones to see how they are similar and different.
Target the Find. The team that uncovered the Jarkov mammoth remains used ground-penetrating radar to approximate its dimensions. Move the probe over the map to find a target. The target will show up on a screen above the topographic map. Guess what it is, then push the button to see if you're correct.
Odor Heater. Scientists are thawing the Jarkov mammoth's ice-block packaging very slowly with hair dryers, so they won't lose any detail of this animal and its environment. Push a button to smell the musty mammoth's scent.
Follow the Scientists. See reports from the entire mammoth expedition, filed from Siberia by Discovery Channel producer Dirk Hoogstra.
Who Lived with the Mammoth? Complete a puzzle of the different Ice Age animals that roamed the Earth at the same time as the mammoth. Humans were there, too!
Hair Compare. See real hair taken from the 20,000-year-old Jarkov mammoth. Touch a series of six hides from animals that are descendants of those that lived during the mammoth's era.
Macroscope. View specimens found in the 23-ton ice block along with the mammoth; examine tissue and hair from the Jarkov mammoth itself, as well as prehistoric plant life and pollen collected from the permafrost.
Teeth and Tusk. Run a hand over the surface of mammoth teeth. Touch the actual tusk of a woolly mammoth found in an Alaskan gold mine.
Uncover a Fossil. Select a fossil site and begin to uncover a fossil by using a computer touch screen. See what happens once the fossil is completely uncovered.
Who's Calling? Compare the sounds that African and Asian elephants make to the simulation of the sound a mammoth might have made.
"Prehistoric Worlds" will visit 15 North American cities through January 2006. For more information about the Jarkov mammoth, visit Discovery Channel's web site at www.discovery.com. Discovery Channel is one of the United States' two largest cable television networks, serving 78 million households across the nation with the finest in informative entertainment. Discovery Networks, a division of Discovery Communications, Inc., operates and manages Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, Discovery Health Channel, Discovery People, Discovery Kids Channel, Discovery Science Channel, Discovery Home & Leisure Channel, Discovery Civilization Channel, Discovery Wings Channel, and Discovery en Espanol. The unit also markets and distributes BBC America.
Evergreen Exhibitions, based in San Antonio, Texas, is a world leader in providing high quality, state-of-the-art, family educational experiences, and serves as a major development partner with more than 200 leading museums and research institutions. Evergreen Exhibitions is proud to work with Fortune 500 corporations such as Pfizer Inc, Ford Motor Company, IBM, TIME and others to bring blockbuster exhibits and events to people around the globe. Visit Evergreen Exhibitions at Evergreen Exhibitions.
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