Core News Facts:

• Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters, the Ontario Science Centre’s latest temporary exhibition, reveals the dynamic relationship we have with the Earth by exploring the science behind natural disasters. Whether it was feeling our floor shake in Ontario last summer, seeing images of the fallout of Hurricane Katrina or hearing about the destruction following the earthquake in Haiti – natural disasters have an incredible draw on human attention and memory.
• Nature Unleashed concentrates on four types of disasters – earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, and tornadoes.
• Visitors can trigger an earthquake, simulate a tsunami, generate a virtual volcano and stand in the centre of a roaring tornado through interactive displays and animations.
• The exhibition will also immerse visitors into the forces of geology and weather that have not only formed our planet, but have also shaped our lives. Images, artifacts and inspiring survivor stories bring home the realities of recent disasters by revealing how people adapt to living at risk and illustrate the strength of nature’s fury.
• According to a new study commissioned by the Ontario Science Centre, 76 per cent of Canadians feel that natural disasters are occurring more frequently and also believe that climate change will lead to more serious occurrences in the future. These findings make the content of the exhibition even more relevant as it will help educate the public on natural disasters in a compelling and engaging way.

About the Exhibition:

• Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters offers visitors the opportunity to learn about the science of nature’s mighty forces and provides a greater understanding of how we can better prepare for, and in some cases minimize, the impact of nature’s great forces.
• The exhibition stresses that storms, volcanic eruptions, and other events are completely natural phenomena. Nature Unleashed also examines the potential impact that increasingly warm air and sea temperatures can have on causing more severe storms.
• This exhibition and its national tour were developed by the Field Museum, Chicago. National Tour Sponsor: Allstate Insurance Company of Canada.

Ticket Information:
Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters runs from Feb. 11, 2011 to May 1, 2011, and is free with admission to the Ontario Science Centre. Prices are: Adults $20, Youth/Students (with ID) and Seniors $16, Children (4-12) $13. Children three and under are free. The Ontario Science Centre is open 364 days a year, closed December 25th. Opening hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.OntarioScienceCentre.ca, at the box office, or by calling 416-696-1000.