Man's
continuous fascination and obsession with Nature has
dominated his entire existence, shaping every culture and
civilization without exception. This pursuit of
understanding Nature and our place in it has been the
single most important force of societal evolution.
Religion, the Arts, Philosophy, and the Sciences have all
been pursuing Nature from their vantage points, seeking
the "truth" about Nature.
Science's course
unlike other fields pursuing Nature, has been a course
based on discoveries derived from observations and
experiments of Nature. This method pursued by Science
required the creation of databases where various objects
were stored and catalogued under a common denominator.
Three (3) directions emerged in pursuing and
"cataloguing" Nature,
-the
plant and animal life of land and sea;
-the rocks, minerals, and petrified fossils
found to exist above and beneath the Earth's surface;
and finally that of,
-the sky and the Cosmos "above".
Museums of Natural
History (i.e., of the history of Nature) were born out of
the necessity of storing, cataloging, and displaying the
variety of specimens of plants and animals, of special
rocks, minerals, and fossil remains through special
exhibitions and displays. Botanical Gardens, Zoos and
Aquariums were also a natural extension for displaying
the beauty, the splendor, and the "truth" of Nature.
Finally, for the curious of outer space, the display of
the Cosmos was revealed through Planetariums which
complemented nicely this grand show of Nature. The
frontiers of Science however have been pushed and pursued
elsewhere: in specialized Science Labs and Astronomical
Observatories as well as in Colleges and Universities and
other Higher Learning Institutions.
It is the purpose of
this Nature Expos section of the Academia Exchange to
give you comprehensive listings (with descriptions) of
all these Science establishments. As you have noticed
from our heading and the corresponding Navigational Bar,
we have divided our listings into four (4)
categories. According to your interest, we hope that you
will find these listings useful.
Work
has just begun in compiling what soon will be a most
complete and descriptive list on the Internet of
worldwide Natural
History Museums and
Research Centers.
We
will keep you posted here with our work progress as well
as with other listings from the other sections as they
become available. In the interim, let us know how we are
doing. Our email address is Expos@AcademiaExchange.org
