Check out these photos from a recent sneak peak inside the Nature Research Center

Stumpy the Whale being installed on the first floor (the much-talked-about aquarium is in the background – those windows that looked blacked-out)

This is a dinosaur fossil located on the third floor of the new Nature Research Center.

This is the top floor looking at the interior of the Daily Planet. From the railing, you can look down at all three stories of the 40-foot screen, and they were testing the lighting while we were there.  You can also see the sort of “cap” at the top of the screen at the top of the photo.

This is a lighting effect that runs through the ceiling of the third floor – reminiscent of DNA perhaps.

This is the top of the Atrium Ribbon, seen from the top floor/third floor of the new wing.  The darkness in the middle of the picture indicates the actual pixels that are turned “on” and were in motion.  Patterns from nature move digitally across the length of the ribbon as sound effects playing in the Atrium help you know what pattern you are looking at.