Science of Slime

"Animals, plants, algae, fungi: pretty much everything has to have slime." says Regina Wetzer, director of the Marine Biodiversity Center, and she's got the specimens to prove it. Along with the jars of sea stars and sponges in the MBC, our collections are full of slimy critters of all shapes and sizes. From snails to salamanders, animals use the slippery stuff in all kinds of amazingly unexpected ways, and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County has teamed up with Nickelodeon to explore all of them with the Science of Slime.  Join us for a trip into the collections where experts and educators will showcase the strange and fascinating ways plants and animals use slime to survive.

This isn’t the first time Nickelodeon and the Museum have joined forces. To commemorate the 20th Anniversary of SpongeBob Squarepants in 2019, we presented the Science of SpongeBob to over 9,000 attendees during our annual Nature Fest. The crew from Bikini Bottom joined our Marine Biodiversity Center scientists for a hands-on activity educating audiences on eDNA research and the real species that inspired the show's main characters. Earlier this year, Nickelodeon helped bring the Slime Lab to life at our Haunted Museum at Home.

Now with the help of popular Nickelodeon characters, beginning November 16 kids and families will get to know some of the world's slimiest species through fun and educational videos, activities, and live virtual programs with real scientists. Learn mind blowing facts about everything from frogs to fish to snails, take a virtual tour into the Museum's collections, or sign up for a live program to ask your own questions.

Don't miss all the live, virtual programs hosted every Monday through December 7:

Monday, November 16 - 1–1:30 pm - Meet Lisa Gonzalez: Bug blood and bubble-blowing insects
Monday, November 23 - 1–1:30 pm - Meet Leslie Harris: Weird worms and pretty polychaetes
Monday, November 30 - 1–1:30 pm - Meet Dean Pentcheff and Regina Wetzer: Floating forests and amazing algae
Monday, December 7 - 1–1:30 pm - Meet Jann Vendetti: Snail trails and mollusk mucus

Also, join us on Facebook from 11–11:30 am for live animal presentations on Thursdays, November 12 & 19 and December 3.

a partnership with Nickelodeon