Münster All-Weather Zoo

On Tuesday (21 April) and Wednesday (22 April), the LWL Museum of Natural History is inviting visitors to its exhibition from 9 am to 6 pm with free admission. The museum is offering everyone - regular visitors, occasional visitors and people new to Münster - the opportunity to see the exhibition "Genes - Diversity of Life".

Unimaginably small and yet so complex and diverse - genes characterise everything that lives. The special exhibition "Genes" provides an insight into the world of genes over an area of around 850 square metres. Genetic topics such as mutations and genetic engineering cause confusion and uncertainty. What exactly a gene is and what is behind terms such as epigenetics is presented in the exhibition in a generally understandable way. The special exhibition explains interactively and inclusively what genes are, how they influence the appearance and behaviour of all living things and how genes can be changed by external influences.

In addition to the milestones of genetics, the exhibition also focuses on points of contact with genes in everyday life and epigenetic influences. Through the combination of media technology and architecture, visitors travel into the microcosm of the cell, where human genetic material is stored, and discover the diversity of life. The special exhibition "Genes - Diversity of Life" is sponsored by the LWL Cultural Foundation.

Every fourth Wednesday of the month at 2 pm, visitors have the opportunity to immerse themselves up close in the hallowed halls of the LWL-Museum für Naturkunde's Zentralmagazin. The one-hour event is aimed at interested visitors aged ten and over and offers an exclusive insight into the various storage rooms of the central stacks in the Speicherstadt. Participation is free of charge. Attention: Limited number of participants! Registration is required.

Interested parties have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the various natural history collections of the LWL-Museum für Naturkunde. In addition to the large collection of vertebrates, the herbarium, the largest botanical collection in NRW, as well as fossils, minerals and rocks are also on display.

The guided tours are accompanied by either the LWL collection manager Daria Carobene or the collection curator Dr Lothar Schöllmann (Geology).

The meeting point is in front of the entrance opposite the car park.

Registration: It is necessary to book free online tickets as the number of participants is limited.

On a clear day, striking mountain ranges of the 8-day-old moon can be studied Moon can be studied, including the Alps, the Caucasus and the Apennines, as well as some of the large mars and craters. In addition to the well-known star clusters M44 and MEL 111, the planet Jupiter and numerous double stars can be observed with the telescope.

-In the park area between the Mühlenhof and the Natural History Museum

-The telescopes are provided on a voluntary basis by members of the association. made available on a voluntary basis.

- The event can only take place under clear skies. Please inform yourself before your visit on our website

The Species Academy of the LWL Museum of Natural History is organising a three-hour excursion to the Hohe Ward near Hiltrup. Together with tracker Michael Hewing, nature enthusiasts aged twelve and over can go in search of clues.

"Even in a relatively densely populated city like Münster, many wild animals live among us. They are not always directly visible, but they are there," says Hewing. During an informal walk, participants learn how to recognise animals without seeing them. Traces and signs are searched for, interpreted and used to put together stories. Who ate here? Who slept there? Who actually lives among us in Münster and why?

Background:
The Species Academy invites interested parties to take part in joint events in the greater Münster area. Experts present their areas of expertise and offer participants the opportunity to expand their specialist knowledge and report observations directly on site in Europe's largest nature observation platform, Observation.org, or in the ObsIdentify app supported by the Natural History Museum. The Species Academy is organised with the kind support of the Sparda-Bank Münster Foundation.

The event is suitable for anyone aged twelve and over and is free of charge; only online registration is required as the number of participants is limited.

Meeting point: Hohe Ward near Hiltrup, Hiltruper See car park, 48165 Münster

Our solar system was formed from a collapsing molecular cloud that formed an accretion disc in which planets, moons and asteroids developed. There were repeated collisions with other planetary objects. Debris from extraterrestrial rocks hurled into space by these collisions reached and still reach the Earth as meteorites. These provide insights into the history of their parent bodies.

Dr Knut Metzler (UNI Münster) reports on his research and provides insights into the origin and diversity of meteorites found.