It's a Chimp's World
at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences
Museum's newest traveling exhibit -- Discovering
Chimpanzees: The Remarkable World of Jane Goodall runs October 15, 2005 through
January 10, 2006
October 7, 2005
For Immediate Release
For calendar, education, entertainment, science writers and editors.
Contact: Emelia
Cowans at (919) 733-7450, ext. 305.
(RALEIGH) -- The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences' newest and
much anticipated special exhibit, Discovering Chimpanzees:
The Remarkable World of Jane Goodall, explores an unparalleled study of behavioral
science and natural history, allowing you to enter the world of renowned
scientist Jane Goodall. Dr. Goodall's earliest discovery -- that chimpanzees
in the wild create and use tools -- was originally thought to be a
uniquely human ability which forced the scientific community to rethink
its distinction between humans and animals. Over the years, Goodall
documented several startling similarities between humans and chimps,
and recent testing has confirmed that chimpanzees share 98.6 percent
of the same DNA.
To celebrate the opening of the exhibit on Saturday, October 15, two colleagues of Dr. Goodall -- Crickette Sanz, chimpanzee researcher from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, and Dave Morgan from the Wildlife Conservation Society -- will give a joint presentation on their similar work with chimpanzees at 11:00 am in the Museum's auditorium. Sanz and Morgan have spent the past four years studying chimpanzees in the Congo's Goualougo Triangle, an area called "The Last Place on Earth" by National Geographic magazine, and the "Last Eden" by Time.
Discovering Chimpanzees highlights Dr. Goodall's four decades of research and thought provoking ideas on chimpanzees and primates, allowing visitors to step inside the African tropical forest of Gombe National Park. There, you will "meet" Goodall's now famous chimpanzee subjects, and get an up-close look at them as they fight, hunt, play and communicate with one another. Most importantly, you will see how Goodall's relationship with the chimps evolved from one of strictly scientific interest to one of devotion.
The exhibit is organized into four intriguing and educational sections:
- The Chimp Forest allows visitors to experience what its like to be a chimp in the Tanzanian jungle. Instructional videos teach you to walk and talk like a chimp, and you can climb into a chimp nest.
- The Work of Jane Goodall brings Dr. Goodall's 40 years of research alive through field notes, pictures and video and explores what inspired her firm commitment to chimpanzee survival.
- Primates explores the Order of Primates. You will learn about each of the 12 families of primates, their habitats and the threats to their survival.
- Reason for Hope demonstrates the successful initiatives of people who have taken action to deal with environmental and societal issues relevant to chimpanzee preservation. You will hear Goodall's message of hope and learn about her recent work.
Museum educators have added their own learning lab activities to the exhibit. "Hands and Feet" lets you compare your own hands and feet with casts of those from different apes and monkeys. "Family Tree" and "Kissing Cousins" take a closer look at skulls from apes and lower primates. Finally, "Grins and Grimaces" lets you compare chimpanzee facial expressions with your own -- while there are lots of differences, the similarities will surprise you.
Discovering Chimpanzees gives you a sense of Goodall's remarkable story and her global influence, while taking you on an exciting adventure. It's an up close and personal encounter with both Goodall and some very endearing chimpanzees.
ABB Inc. is the lead sponsor for the exhibit. Other sponsors include
Pepsi Bottling Ventures LLC, UNC-TV and the Independent Insurance
Agents of North Carolina Inc.
The exhibit is a production of Science North, Sudbury, Canada.
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, in downtown Raleigh, documents and interprets the natural history of the state of North Carolina through exhibits, research, collections, publications, and educational programming. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sun., noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Visit the Museum on the web at www.naturalsciences.org. The Museum is an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr., Secretary.
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