Extreme Zone

Travel from the desert to the poles and from the depths of the ocean to the rocky shores, and learn how species have adapted to make these ecosystems their homes. Explore the patterns of life in the desert, tour the secret life of a tide-pool; dive to the bottom of the sea, and hang out next to a giant polar ice wall.

Desert

Immerse yourself in a desert environment, complete with live tortoises, chuckwallas and scorpions. Discover how such desert species are adapted to their surroundings and how scientists study them. Keep an eye out—before you leave, you just might witness a flash flood, a powerful reminder of the role water plays in desert ecosystems.

Poles

Enter a polar research hut and find out how species survive at the ends of the Earth. Feel the chill of an ice wall, test out various forms of insulation and use tree rings to piece together a climate time line. See why the poles are crucial sites for scientific research.

Deep Sea Vents

Come aboard a mocked-up research vessel and take on the role of a deep-sea vent researcher. Explore the bottom of the ocean with a “virtual” camera, and learn about underwater geysers and the specially adapted creatures that live near them.

Rocky Shore

Step outside and explore a tide pool filled with marine organisms that spend half of their lives covered by water and the other half exposed to air. See what it takes to live in this extreme location: find out how hard waves make it to cling to a rock, then try to snag a meal as “food” races by on the surf.