Science / Medicine : Exhibition Features Endangered Species

Some of California’s most endangered species are featured in the exhibition “Sliding Toward Extinction: California’s Vanishing Wildlife,” currently at the Museum of Natural History of Los Angeles County in Exposition Park.

The California Nature Conservancy estimates that more than 900 plant and animal species in the state are threatened with extinction because of habitat loss.

The exhibit, which runs through Sept. 17, features portraits of the endangered plants and animals, each photographed against a solid black background. The absence of habitat in the photographs is a deliberate symbolic statement about the loss of California’s wildlands, according to the museum. Call (213) 744-3466.

SCIENCE FOR KIDS

Snails and worms and the human heart will be highlighted in a series of workshops at the Kidspace Museum in Pasadena this month. Children can learn about the little invertebrates on Saturday, the heart and body on July 25-28, the functions of the heart on July 29 and the heart and the circulatory system on July 30. Program times vary. Call (818) 449-9144.

ASTRONOMY

“The Man in the Moon,” a special program to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, will be held at the Discovery Museum of Orange County on Saturday. Special activities for children and adults, including the showing of NASA’s video “The Eagle Has Landed,” are scheduled throughout the day. Museum hours are from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call (714) 540-0404.

Jon Hodge, Santa Monica College Planetarium director, will conduct a one-day UCLA Extension course on Saturday which will cover topics such as the structure of the universe, planetary exploration and astrophotography. The class will meet at UCLA from noon to 5 p.m. and in the Santa Monica Mountains for night sky observation from 8 to 11 that evening.

On July 29, Hodge will instruct parents and teachers in the basics of explaining astronomy and space science to children. The classroom session meets at UCLA from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and reconvenes in the Santa Monica Mountains from 8 to 11 that evening. Call (213) 825-7093.

GEOLOGY

Earthquakes, volcanoes and the origins of the Earth’s oceans and atmosphere will be the focus of a lecture by Art Montana, chairman of UCLA’s department of Earth and space sciences, at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the George C. Page Museum. Reservations are required. Call (213) 744-3534.

ANTHROPOLOGY

Kent Toby, curator of the Pacific Asia Museum, will examine Tibetan anthropology and art in a lecture in conjunction with the exhibit “The Wheel of Time” at 2 p.m. on July 29 at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. In the exhibition, Buddhist monks are creating a multicolored sand mandala which will be completed in August. Reservations are required for the lecture. Call (213) 744-3534.

ARCHEOLOGY

The Foundation for Field Research, a nonprofit organization which facilitates research expeditions throughout the world, has space available for volunteers who would like to assist in an archeological dig at a 2,000-year-old site in Grenada under the tutelage of professional archeologists in August. Eight-day and 15-day trips are available. Participants provide physical and financial support for the project. Expenses are usually tax-deductible. Call (619) 445-9264.