All upcoming Science & Nature programs

During this all-day tour with horticulturist Chelsea Mahaffey, spend the morning at Oak Spring, the former home of philanthropists Paul Mellon and Rachel “Bunny” Mellon, usually closed to the public. The nearly 700-acre estate includes the main Mellon residence, its extensive gardens with examples of Bunny Mellon’s landscaping, and the formal greenhouse. The afternoon takes you to the University of Virginia’s Blandy Experimental Farm on the former Tuleyries estate, which includes the State Arboretum of Virginia.

Discover the world’s deadliest caterpillars; a butterfly that shares its world with polar bears at one extreme and penguins at the other; and screaming moths that can jam the sonar of predatory bats. Wildlife documentary filmmaker Steve Nicholls looks at why it seems there’s no end to the tricks that evolution has come up with as it turned the Lepidoptera into one of the most successful of all insect groups.

Assateague Island National Seashore and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge are home to natural splendor, cultural treasures, and coastal charm. Spend two days with naturalist and educator Liana Vitali immersed in island life, exploring the natural wonders the barrier islands have to offer—and hear the lore of the Chincoteague ponies’ origin.

The COVID-19 pandemic won't be our last, says biological anthropologist Sabrina Sholts of the National Museum of Natural History, because what makes us vulnerable to pandemics also makes us human. Drawing on her new book, The Human Disease: How We Create Pandemics, from Our Bodies to Our Beliefs, Sholts travels through history and around the globe to examine how and why such pandemics and many other infectious disease events are an inescapable threat of our own making.

Accompany former National Geographic executive vice president and chief science officer Terry Garcia and nature and cultural photographer Chris Rainier, a National Geographic Explorer, on a journey with some of the world’s most renowned explorers, scientists, astronauts, visionaries, thinkers, and authors as they discuss their insights about what motivates them, what is left to explore, and why we should care. Following the presentation, Garcia and Rainier are joined by deep-sea explorer and founder and president of the Ocean Discovery League Katy Croff Bell for a short conversation on the future of exploration.

The Philadelphia region boasts the title of America's Garden Capital­, and with more public gardens than anywhere else in the country, it’s a well-deserved one. Spend a day with horticulturist Chelsea Mahaffey exploring two captivating green spaces in the area— the Scott Arboretum on the Swarthmore College campus and the Brandywine Valley’s Mt. Cuba Center—and gather new ideas for your own home garden.

From beneficial yeasts that aid digestion to toxic molds that cause disease, we are constantly navigating a world filled with fungi. Drawing on the latest advances in mycology, biologist Nicholas P. Money explores the amazing ways fungi interact with our bodies, showing how our health and well-being depend on an immense ecosystem of yeasts and molds inside and all around us.

Silk, prized for its lightness, luminosity, and beauty is also one of the strongest biological materials known. The technologies it has inspired—from sutures to pharmaceuticals, replacement body parts to holograms—continue to be developed in laboratories around the world. Author Aarathi Prasad outlines the cultural and scientific history of the fabric including its origins, the ancient silk routes, and its future as a powerful resource.

In 1890 more than 2,000 acres winding through Northwest Washington were set aside as a refuge for wildlife and an escape for District residents designed by the Olmstead Brothers: Rock Creek Park. Carolyn Muraskin surveys familiar parts of the landscape, including the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, as well as lesser-known landmarks, memorials, ruins, and other remnants of Rock Creek’s past.

Spend a day hiking to the summit of Washington, D.C.’s local mountain, a natural treasure less than an hour’s drive from the city. The picturesque and rocky Sugarloaf offers spectacular views of the surrounding countryside of Montgomery and Frederick counties in Maryland. Guided by study leader Melanie Choukas-Bradley, learn about the mountain’s plants and wildlife, seasonal changes, geology, and history.