• This interactive zoological experience brings visitors eye-to-eye with living reptiles from around the world. Deadly snakes, colourful lizards, bizarre turtles, alligators and crocodiles are exhibited in naturalistic habitats. Additional specimens are featured using spectacular close-up photography by world-renowned wildlife photographers Joe and MaryAnn McDonald.
• Children can climb on a life-sized model of a giant Galapagos turtle shell and learn fascinating reptile facts from interactive displays. Visitors can examine a crocodile skull and learn its tell-tale characteristics versus an alligator skull.
• In the snakes section, visitors can “milk” the venom from a model viper head to see where venom comes from and how it is injected. They can turn a knob and watch how a model viper skull opens and closes, listen to the sounds of a rattlesnake, and gently touch a live snake.

About the Exhibition

• The exhibition will leave visitors with a new appreciation and a better scientific understanding for these often misunderstood creatures.
• Reptiles: The Beautiful and the Deadly, the world’s largest traveling reptile exhibition, is the product of more than 35 years’ experience. Created by Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland in Allenwood, Pennsylvania, the exhibition is a complete traveling reptile zoo. It is equipped with a full-time reptile keeper and state-of-the-art reptile husbandry facilities. Over two and a half years went into the exhibition from conception and design to final construction.

Ticket Information
The exhibition runs from June 10, 2011 to September 5, 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 Science Centre is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in June and switches to summer hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for July and August.

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

• All five senses were enticed through a combination of food, drink and incredible experiences at the fifth annual LG Innovators’ Ball, at the Ontario Science Centre Friday May 5. Guests were second-guessing what they saw, smelled, touched, heard and tasted at a night of sensory deception.

• Event Co-Chairs Joe and Laurissa Canavan led the memorable evening, joined by over 1,165 of Canada’s style-makers, influencers and innovators.

• Tawfik Shehata, well-known chef, food personality and restaurant consultant, prepared a sumptuous and savoury menu that not only intrigued the sense of taste, but smell, touch, sight and sound as well.

• Throughout the evening, guests were entertained by sense-provoking and surprising experiences, including the meal’s first course eaten in complete darkness.

• The party continued into the evening as guests were entertained by Toronto’s top DJs and enjoyed aromatic drinks, dazzling décor and dancing on an illuminated dance floor.

ABOUT THE LG INNOVATORS’ BALL

• Over the previous four years, the LG Innovators’ Ball has raised more than $1.4 million in net proceeds to support the Ontario Science Centre’s community access and outreach initiatives, which keep programs affordable and accessible to all members of the community.

• 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.

Core News Facts:

• Whales / Tohora features whale specimens, life-sized models and cultural artifacts from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. The exhibition has a connection to the South Pacific and Maori culture and is not often presented outside of New Zealand
• Maori elders from New Zealand officially opened the exhibition with a unique spiritual ceremony at dawn, transferring guardianship of the exhibition to Canadian First Nations representatives for its duration in Canada
• The exhibition uses many interactive displays to explore the relationship between humans and whales, the biology of whales and the mystery of both mass and single whale strandings
• Highlights of the exhibition include two enormous, fully-articulated sperm whale skeletons, a crawl-through model of a blue whale heart and the “Whale Riders” theatre experience which presents three stories from different iwi (tribes) linked by excerpts of the film Whale Rider.
• Whales / Tohora is on display at the Ontario Science Centre from Nov. 4, 2010 to Mar. 20, 2011

About the Exhibition

• Visitors can design their own virtual whale, touch real whale bones and listen to the sounds of various whale species
• A realistic animation based on genuine sounds and movement data take visitors to the ocean depths with a sperm whale in search of giant squid
• The threats facing whales, such as fishing nets, foreign debris, predators and boats are examined throughout the exhibition. It also explains why whales strand themselves and presents solutions to the problem
• This 750 square metre exhibition was developed and presented by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and made possible through the support of the New Zealand Government. 

Hours and Ticket Information

Whales / Tohora is on display from Nov. 4, 2010 to Mar. 20, 2011, and 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.

^* Please note, certain Maori accents do not appear in this text due to formatting issues.

The Weston Youth Innovation Award was established in 2008 to give Canadian students aged 14 to 18 a unique vehicle to share their ideas beyond classrooms and science fairs. This award is open to teens that use science and technology to create solutions for real-world issues, such as, climate change or energy conservation. The recipient of the award shows a thoughtful insight of current challenges and a passion to raise awareness of these problems and drive change.

Created in recognition of The W. Garfield Weston Foundation’s $15 million lead gift to the Ontario Science Centre’s Agents of Change initiative, this national award honours The Foundation’s dedication to education and contribution to the Canadian cultural landscape.  

Weston Youth Innovation Award Facts:

• Submissions for the Weston Youth Innovation Award are being accepted until Feb. 14, 2011. Applicants are asked to profile how they have shown initiative and leadership in addressing a current issue and illustrate the impact of their efforts.
• All submissions will be judged on a demonstration of the characteristics of innovation: inspiration, creativity, collaboration, risk-taking and problem-solving approaches to changing the world.
• The winner will be announced on or before May 2, 2011 and will be presented with a $2000 prize at a ceremony in May where a multi-media presentation of their project will be premiered.
• Last year’s winner Kimberly Gulevich explored the use of methane capture as a way to reduce the carbon footprint of a small rural households that use sewage lagoons.
• Detailed information about the Weston Youth Innovation Award can be found at www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/innovationaward.

• Mythic Creatures features preserved specimens and fossils of prehistoric animals to investigate and illustrate how they could have—through imagination, speculation and even fear—inspired the development of some legendary creatures. For instance, Scythian nomads of south-eastern Europe may have mistaken dinosaur fossils for the remains of griffins and narwhal tusks from the North Sea likely offered credibility to the belief in the unicorn.
• The exhibition is divided into sections: Creatures of Water, Creatures of Land, Creatures of the Air and Dragons.
• Visitors come face-to-face with a five-metre dragon; a “life-sized” unicorn and a huge Roc with a wingspan of nearly seven metres, its sharp talons sweeping overhead.
• The exhibition also includes two life-sized models of real creatures: an over two-metre tall extinct primate called Gigantopithecus; and the largest bird ever to have lived, the extinct Aepyornis, standing three metres tall. Other highlights include a “Feejee mermaid,” similar to those made famous by P.T. Barnum, created by sewing the head and torso of a monkey to the tail of a fish; a 37-metre Chinese parade dragon; a Pegasus carousel sculpture; and an 18th century German apothecary sign featuring a unicorn, with an actual narwhal tusk as its horn. 

About the Exhibition

• At the exhibition’s many interactive stations you can touch the lower jaw of Gigantopithecus; handle casts of a narwhal tusk; and examine a life-size reproduction of a Haast’s Eagle talon. Using touch-screens, create your own dragon and then watch it come to life in a virtual environment. Scale models of mammoth bones can be rearranged into a giant human skeleton and Protoceratops bones can be made into a griffin skeleton.
• Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (www.amnh.org), in collaboration with The Field Museum, Chicago; Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau-Quebec; Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney; and Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Atlanta.

Ticket Information

Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns and Mermaids is open to the public from Oct. 9, 2010 to Jan. 9, 2010, free with admission to The Ontario Science Centre. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Regular admission is $20 for adults; $16 for youth, students (with ID) and seniors, $13 for children (ages 4-12) and free for infants three and under.

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

Hickey-Jones brought the footage to the Ontario Science Centre to be analyzed by experts. The Science Centre is reviewing the footage frame-by-frame to determine whether Hickey-Jones’ claim is legitimate. With closer examination, Science Centre staff is hoping to establish whether or not a genuine unicorn sighting has occurred.

In the meantime, the Science Centre is asking the public to use caution if they think they see a unicorn. Do not make any sudden movements or attempt to use flash photography. Although legends of unicorns state that they are peaceful creatures, scientists worry that they may harm themselves or others if they end up on a road or highway. The Ontario Science Centre has set up an emergency unicorn hotline for the public for further information on unicorns or to report any unusual or questionable sightings. The hotline number is 416-696-3260.  

Unicorn Facts

• Unicorns tend to avoid eye contact with humans and prefer to remain unseen
• Unicorns are known in European cultures as being fiercely beautiful creatures whose horns have curative properties
• The Asian unicorn, described as being scaly coated with the body of a deer and a flesh covered horn, was last seen by the Chinese philosopher Confucius
• The 1620 edition of Historiae Animalium, a book describing all the animals living on Earth, included a description of unicorns

• The Ontario Science Centre is pleased to announce the extension of Harry Potter™: The Exhibition for an additional two weeks, continuing through Monday, September 6, giving fans of all ages a final chance to see this exceptional exhibition.
• The exhibition offers visitors a first-hand look inside the famous wizard’s magical world and features hundreds of authentic film artifacts displayed in immersive settings inspired by the film sets – including the Great Hall, Hagrid’s hut and the Gryffindor™ common room. 
• Visitors can also try their hand at some of the unique activities experienced by students at Hogwarts™, such as pulling a screaming Mandrake from its pot in the Herbology vignette, tossing a Quaffle in the Quidditch™ area, or touring Hagrid’s hut.

Ticket Information

Harry Potter ™: The Exhibition
Location: Special Exhibition Hall, Level 6
Time: 10am to 7pm (time ticketed)
Extended hours: Friday and Saturday, 10am to 9pm – last ticket sold at 7:30pm
Price: Adult $27.50, Child $20, Youth & Senior $23.50
(includes admission to the Science Centre)

• Direct from London’s Leavesden Studios, where the Harry Potter films are created, comes a film artifact sure to excite Harry Potter fans in Toronto.  Hovering three metres tall and shrouded by an inky black cloak, a vile creature known as a Dementor, has been added to the Dark Forces area of Harry Potter: The Exhibition, which is now open at Ontario Science Centre through August 22, 2010.

• Early in the Harry Potter films, Harry learns that the Ministry of Magic uses Dementors to guard the wizard prison of Azkaban. These gruesome creatures use their unique powers to subdue inmates by draining them of all happiness and hope for freedom.

• Harry first encounters Dementors in the third film when they come to Hogwarts in search of the escaped prisoner- Sirius Black. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix™, Dementors mysteriously attack Harry and his non-magical cousin while Harry is away from the safety of Hogwarts™. And in the two-part finale to the film series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, fans can expect more than one hair-raising confrontation with these foul beings.   

• Fans who cannot wait for the next film to arrive in cinemas only need to visit Harry Potter: The Exhibition to come face-to-face with the authentic Dementor model used in the films. Those who dare to gaze upon the Dementor will be fascinated by the attention to detail from the soul-sucking mouth on the creature’s eye-less face, to the skeletal arms and hands it uses to reach out for its next victim.    

About the Exhibition

Visitors that tour the exhibition will be taken on a journey into the world of Harry
Potter through several themed vignettes based on iconic Hogwarts settings. Along the way they will discover some of their favourite props and costumes, all of which were handpicked by GES, Warner Bros. Consumer Products and the filmmakers themselves. Some of the key artifacts on display include Professor Snape’s robes; Professor Trelawney’s crystal ball and exotic wardrobe; costumes and props from Professors Lupin™, Lockhart™ and Umbridge™; props and artifacts from the Yule Ball, including costumes from notable characters such as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley™, Hermione Granger™ and Professor Dumbledore™; and life-size centaurs, a caged dragon, Buckbeak™ the Hippogriff and a giant Acromantula spider.

Harry Potter: The Exhibition was created by GES in partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products. After its run at the Ontario Science Centre, the exhibition will be displayed in other major cultural and entertainment venues, museums and institutions worldwide.

Ticket Information

The exhibition is a timed entry experience and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. now through August 22, 2010. Friday and Saturday evening hours are extended to 9 p.m. with reduced admission rates starting at 6 p.m.

Tickets are available online at www.OntarioScienceCentre.ca, by calling 416-696-1000, or by visiting the box office.

Admission to Harry Potter: The Exhibition, which includes general admission to the Science Centre’s exhibition halls, is $27.50 for adults; $23.50 for seniors and youth (ages 65+ and 13-17); $20.00 for children (ages 4-12). For Ontario Science Centre members, admission is $14 for adults; $12 for seniors and youth; and $10 for children.

• To celebrate the opening of Harry Potter: The Exhibition at its exclusive Canadian venue, the Ontario Science Centre, Harry Potter film stars James and Oliver Phelps, who play Fred and George Weasley in the film series, brought their magical charm and humor to today’s opening event.
• The exhibition offers fans a first-hand look inside the famous wizard’s magical world, giving guests the opportunity to experience the amazing craftsmanship of hundreds of authentic props and costumes from the Harry Potter films.  The exhibition will be on view until Sunday, August 22, 2010.
• In a 1,300 square metre exhibit space, Harry Potter: The Exhibition features authentic film artifacts displayed in immersive settings inspired by the film sets—including the Great Hall, Hagrid’s Hut and the Gryffindor™ common room.
• Visitors will also be able to try their hand at some of the activities experienced by students at Hogwarts™ such as pulling a screaming mandrake from its pot or tossing a Quaffle through a Quidditch™ goalpost.