January 2020 events calendar for Los Angeles

We love their adorable faces, quirky behavior and unwavering loyalty. We bring them everywhere—particularly here in L.A. And they may very well make us better people. It’s no surprise then that dogs would get an entire exhibition dedicated to their canine skills and unique relationship with humans. “Dogs! A Science Tail” takes a colorful, hands-on approach to its subject and mainly targets kids. But dog lovers of all ages will delight in the displays at the California Science Center: You can squeeze between two pointed ears to listen to how dogs perceive the sounds of a street scene different than humans; you can put your face up against a dog-shaped viewfinder that simulates canine vision; and you can test your knowledge in a game of Jeopawdy! Kids will particularly love seeing how fast they are compared to dogs and sniffing scents that a dog might encounter—from coffee and bubblegum to, yes, poop and farts. The exhibition also includes a selection of dog-featuring works of art, mostly Norman Rockwell paintings and Charles Schulz Peanuts strips, on loan from the upcoming Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Make sure to catch daily live demonstrations of dogs’ rescue, agility, sensory and service skills (i.e. a guide dog walking a sightless trainer through an obstacle course). You’ll find the demo area near the exhibition’s exit, just before the gift shop.

Well, you’re not actually traveling to the southernmost continent, but “Antarctic Dinosaurs” sure does a vivid job of simulating it: You’re greeted with a sweeping video of icy peaks, example of expedition gear and the cross-section of an aircraft fuselage, with Antarctica-bound scientists packed inside. Scientists take center stage in this exhibition, including the Natural History Museum’s own Dr. Nathan Smith, whose cartoonified facsimile pops up throughout the galleries. Your biggest takeway is likely to be about how and why scientists excavate fossils in Antarctica, how that process differs from a century ago and what sort of knowledge they bring back with them. But it’s not all jackhammers and microscopes: You’ll find plenty of fossils and recreated skeletons, too, with touch-friendly 3-D models the shed modern-day insight into the prehistoric bones. The exhibit features four fulls-scale dinos: two at the skeletal level and two with faux skin that approximate how they would have appeared.

Take a peek at some of Hollywood’s most famous cars during this decade-spanning survey, which includes the DeLorean from Back to the Future, a bunch of Batmobiles, Bumblebee (in Camaro, not robot, form) from Transformers, Tony Stark’s Audi, the Warthog from Halo, a Weyland Industries armored tank from Prometheus and more.

We love their adorable faces, quirky behavior and unwavering loyalty. We bring them everywhere—particularly here in L.A. And they may very well make us better people. It’s no surprise then that dogs would get an entire exhibition dedicated to their canine skills and unique relationship with humans. “Dogs! A Science Tail” takes a colorful, hands-on approach to its subject and mainly targets kids. But dog lovers of all ages will delight in the displays at the California Science Center: You can squeeze between two pointed ears to listen to how dogs perceive the sounds of a street scene different than humans; you can put your face up against a dog-shaped viewfinder that simulates canine vision; and you can test your knowledge in a game of Jeopawdy! Kids will particularly love seeing how fast they are compared to dogs and sniffing scents that a dog might encounter—from coffee and bubblegum to, yes, poop and farts. The exhibition also includes a selection of dog-featuring works of art, mostly Norman Rockwell paintings and Charles Schulz Peanuts strips, on loan from the upcoming Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Make sure to catch daily live demonstrations of dogs’ rescue, agility, sensory and service skills (i.e. a guide dog walking a sightless trainer through an obstacle course). You’ll find the demo area near the exhibition’s exit, just before the gift shop.

Well, you’re not actually traveling to the southernmost continent, but “Antarctic Dinosaurs” sure does a vivid job of simulating it: You’re greeted with a sweeping video of icy peaks, example of expedition gear and the cross-section of an aircraft fuselage, with Antarctica-bound scientists packed inside. Scientists take center stage in this exhibition, including the Natural History Museum’s own Dr. Nathan Smith, whose cartoonified facsimile pops up throughout the galleries. Your biggest takeway is likely to be about how and why scientists excavate fossils in Antarctica, how that process differs from a century ago and what sort of knowledge they bring back with them. But it’s not all jackhammers and microscopes: You’ll find plenty of fossils and recreated skeletons, too, with touch-friendly 3-D models the shed modern-day insight into the prehistoric bones. The exhibit features four fulls-scale dinos: two at the skeletal level and two with faux skin that approximate how they would have appeared.