FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News Release
NATURE’S SUPERHEROES: LIFE AT THE LIMITS OPENS AT Royal Botanical Gardens
NEW EXHIBITION SHOWCASES VARIETY OF ‘SUPERPOWERS’ ORGANISMS USE
TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE ON EARTH
Hamilton/Burlington, December 5, 2023 — Holding your breath for up to two hours. Gulping down a snack 10 times your own weight. Living in crushing depths where there is no sunlight to support life. These may sound like superpowers to humans, but somewhere on this planet, an organism is using one of these extraordinary talents to go about its daily tasks. Nature’s Superheroes: Life at the Limits, a new exhibition opening January 27, 2024 at Royal Botanical Gardens, offers a fascinating glimpse of breathtaking diversity, the natural world and the power of natural selection to shape exceptional responses to the challenges, and opportunities, of life on Earth.
“The Royal Botanical Gardens has a long history of connecting visitors with nature and educating them on the importance of conservation,” said Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. “Make your way to Burlington and experience Nature’s Superheroes: Life at the Limits, a fascinating new exhibit that showcases the power and intricacies of the natural world.”
Featuring life-size and larger-than-life models, of live animals, videos, and interactive exhibits, Nature’s Superheroes: Life at the Limits highlights an array of organisms with surprising ways of thriving in harsh environments, finding a mate or their next meal, leveraging strength, endurance, speed, and more.
“The new Nature’s Superheroes exhibit at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington showcases extraordinary superpowers of insects and organisms,” said Natalie Pierre, MPP for Burlington. “This is an excellent opportunity for children and adults of all ages to learn about the amazing bio-diversity on earth. The Royal Botanical Gardens continues to serve and delight the people of Burlington as a hub for conservation, education and horticultural activities.”
“As our ability to access and study more remote environments increases, scientists are continually discovering new organisms and even communities thriving in what appear to be some of the most inhospitable places – the deepest ocean trenches, surrounding deep sea thermal vents, at great depth within perpetually dark caves, and even within the polar ice sheets,” said John Sparks, co-curator of Life At The Limits and curator in the Department of Ichthyology at the American Museum of Natural History.“This exhibition highlights the challenges all organisms face in the struggle to find a mate and food, survive in different, often hostile, environments, avoid predation, and ultimately reproduce, and focuses on amazing species at the extreme physical and physiological limits of life. I never cease to be amazed by the wonders that natural selection can produce given enough time.”
About the American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History, founded in 1869, is one of the world’s preeminent scientific, educational, and cultural institutions. The Museum encompasses more than 40 permanent exhibition halls, including the Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals, which opened in 2021 – those in the Rose Center for Earth and Space and the Hayden Planetarium, as well as galleries for temporary exhibitions. The Museum’s scientists draw on a world-class research collection of more than 34 million artifacts and specimens, some of which are billions of years old, and on one of the largest natural history libraries in the world. Through its Richard Gilder Graduate School, the Museum grants the Ph.D. degree in Comparative Biology and the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree, the only such free-standing, degree-granting programs at any museum in the United States. The Museum’s website, digital videos, and apps for mobile devices bring its collections, exhibitions, and educational programs to millions more around the world. Visit amnh.org for more information.
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For more information, please visit https://www.rbg.ca/events/winter-exhibit-natures-superheroes/
About Royal Botanical Gardens
Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) is the largest botanical garden in Canada, a National Historic Site, and registered charitable organization with a mandate to bring together people, plants, and nature. A leading conservation organization, RBG is dedicated to preserving the natural world and promoting environmental protection and sustainability with nature sanctuaries covering 2,400 acres across both Burlington and Hamilton, Ontario. RBG operates four distinct gardens and extensive outdoor natural areas, including the popular Cootes Paradise Nature Sanctuary and the Hendrie Park gardens.
For more information about Royal Botanical Gardens, please visit their website. https://www.rbg.ca/
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For more information contact: Tory Crowder Jumpstart Communications, [email protected] 416-998-9702