California Academy of Sciences

It is among the largest natural history museums in the world and also among the most important with regard to research and education.

The California Academy of Sciences is home to a staggering collection of 26 million specimens. The academy also plays an integral role in research and education into more than 12 fields of natural sciences. The Morrison Planetarium is the world's largest digital planetarium, with a screen 23 metres in diameter. It hosts mesmerising shows and visualisations on various subjects. The Osher Rainforest is encased in a 27 metre tall glass dome, containing 4 floors displaying the Bornean Forest floor at the ground level, a Madagascan mid-storey and at the top is a canopy of Costa Rican forest. The fourth floor is actually underground and displays a flooded Amazonian forest. The Steinhart Aquarium is an ideal way to understand the importance of marine life on earth. It is home to over 40,000 animals and contains several stunning exhibits. The Kimball Natural History Museum encompasses the rest of the area of the complex and traces all aspects of evolution of life on earth and is the main centre of research activities of the academy.