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Explore California’s Oldest Science Museum: California Academy of Sciences

December 2, 2015 by · Leave a Comment 

By Samuel Phineas Upham

If you’re looking for a neat trip off the beaten path of San Francisco’s usual landmarks, consider checking out the California Academy of Sciences. The Academy has a public face that operates as its outreach center, and it contains some truly amazing sights.

One of the first things you’ll notice is the museum’s giant planetarium, and the rainforest globe. It’s the world’s largest digital planetarium, with a screen measuring 75 feet in diameter. The museum contains several exhibits that display natural history. The East Wing contains the Foulcault Pendulum. The West Wing contains a fully-operational science lab staffed by scientists that the public can view doing their work.

One of the more impressive hands-on exhibits is the rainforest globe. A 90 foot glass dome houses a living rainforest. The humidity and heating is all controlled to simulate rainforest life with actual rainforest species living and thriving. Guests can step inside and watch the wildlife frolic as they walk through the different levels of the globe, which simulate the many layers of rainforest.

The museum is impressive, but it’s merely a means for communicating the incredible scientific contributions that have been made there. Even the “project lab” is just a small portion of the very large academic operation going on there. Almost half of the structure is occupied by laboratories and research facilities.

If you go to the Academy of Sciences, you’re bound to learn something new and see something incredible. Just make sure butterflies don’t cling to you as you leave the rainforest.


About the Author: Samuel Phineas Upham is an investor at a family office/ hedgefund, where he focuses on special situation illiquid investing. Before this position, Phin Upham was working at Morgan Stanley in the Media and Telecom group. You may contact Phin on his Samuel Phineas Upham website or Twitter.

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