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Museum Hours:Wednesday–Saturday, 10am–5pm
animated fireworksanimated fireworks
EXHIBITION OPENING

Launch Party! A History of Fireworks Opening Celebration

Join us for the opening of ‘Flash! Bang! Boom! A History of Fireworks,’ our explosive new exhibition celebrating America’s 250th birthday.

Friday, April 10, 2026 | 5pm-8pm

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A woman holds a nylon stocking stretched between her two hands. To the left of the woman is a magnified image of knitted nylon thread from the stocking.A woman holds a nylon stocking stretched between her two hands. To the left of the woman is a magnified image of knitted nylon thread from the stocking.
COLLECTIONS BLOG

Touching the Past

The Institute’s museum education team partners with Philly Touch Tours to offer a more meaningful history of science experience.

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SCIENTIFIC BIOGRAPHIES

Blue Silk Dress

How should we think about the lives of objects? This biography offers three paths to understanding an artifact from the 1700s.

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A large white bird standing near a chick on a ground nest with the ocean and a ship are visible in the background.A large white bird standing near a chick on a ground nest with the ocean and a ship are visible in the background.
DISTILLATIONS MAGAZINE

A Game of Cat and Mouse

A predator stalks Marion Island, and it weighs less than an ounce. Scientists are racing to stop it.

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dark blue graphic showing 52 Weeks of Firsts along with various mementos

52 Weeks of Firsts

Join us for a special Stories of Science program celebrating the invention of the first paper match folder in 1892—the precursor to the modern matchbook—as part of the Philadelphia Historic District’s 52 Weeks of Firsts.

Saturday, March 21 | 10am-5pm

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Featured

Sésamo seco en manojos en el campo contra un cielo azul profundo
DISTILLATIONS MAGAZINE

Parcelas de ajonjolí
Dr. Percy Lavon Julian honored at MacMurray College
SCIENTIFIC BIOGRAPHIES

Percy Lavon Julian
dining table with orchids and test tubes
CONFERENCE CENTER

Host an Event
Acetate film negative containing X-ray diffraction images of DNA
Collections

History of Molecular Biology Collection
illustration of a building
EVENTS

Philadelphia: Workshop of the World
Warning message taped to Varian A-60 Proton NMR Console
EXHIBITIONS

Jokes & Warnings on Scientific Instruments

Collect. Preserve. Interpret. Share.

Through research, storytelling, public programming, and educational outreach, we reveal how science is embedded in our daily lives.

plastic yellow oven mitt and flip flop

Museum
rare books

Library
illustration of man blowing out a fire

Stories
teacher at chalkboard

Education
X-ray diffraction pattern of DNA, known as Photograph 51, historically significant in molecular biology.

Collections
A Beckman Center fellow conducts research in the Othmer Library.

Research

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