Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey brain Stuff Lauren boglebam here. At the time of this recording, people the world over are practicing social distancing and staying home to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, and for more on that check out our recent episodes. But there are all kinds of reasons why human people sometimes can't get out to experience various cultural sites around the globe, and some of those cultural sites are bringing
their stuff to you. For example, these Mathsonian Institutions in Washington, d C. Which includes a group of museums and research centers run by the American government. One of those is the Venerable National Museum of Natural History, which features exhibits that tell the history of the planet and human interaction
with the environment. The museum boasts about a hundred and forty five million artifacts, objects, artworks, and specimens, most of which you can visit via a three hundred sixty degree room by room video tour. The lets you immerse yourself in the museum and virtually walk through its halls. After you cruise through the permanent exhibits, check out past ones in the archive that are no longer offered in person, such as the former Fossil Hall, which includes tons of
massive dinosaurs. Then there's a sea otter cam at California's Monterey Bay Aquarium. It's a good brain bomb at any time of year, but it's a particularly potent one right now. Typically you'll see the aquariums permanent residents Abbey, Ivy, kit Rosa, and Selka as they float around on their backs and get sassy during feeding times. But because the aquarium is currently closed, see otter cams trained on a group of wild rescued pups who have previously never been put on
display because human attention would make them uncomfortable. Keep your eyes peeled for special guest stars Kit and Ivy. They're surrogate mothers for the young pups until they're ready to be returned to the sea, and be sure to check out the aquariums other cams. There are ten in total. If you've ever wanted to visit the Great Wall of Chin in a a tour company called The China Guide
wants to help you out. They've put up a three hundred and sixty degree video of a particularly scenic section of the wall that normally takes about three to four hours to hike in person. They know it well because they run real life guided trips. Two sections of the walls more than three thousand miles or forty eight hundred kilometers,
something to keep in mind for the future. Another stunning place to visit digitally the Palace of Versailles, created for Louis the fourteenth then what was basically his own exorbitant celebration of himself. France's Palace of Versailles is one of the most lavish constructions ever built. The virtual tour encompasses
everything from the sparkling interiors to the sprawling gardens. You can explore the king's bed chambers and the famous Hall of Mirrors while you learn some of the fascinating details of the palace's rich history, like the fact that the smell of the gardens flowers was once so overpowering that it deterred guests from visiting. Don't miss the massive section on science to learn how Versailles was the most testing ground for researchers from nine. Of course, visual wonders aren't
the only ones to check out. Musicians from novices to pros are posting live music to Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag songs of comfort. In his first post with the hashtag, American cellist Yoyama said, in these days of anxiety, I wanted to find a way to continue to share some of the music that gives me comfort. It's a fitting description for the project, which so far features a handful of short, calming cello solos and a guest appearance
by literary historian Stephen Greenblatt. To read some Shakespeare, or for exploration on a slightly different scale, check out the Discoveries and Control Center of the Hubble Telescope. It's been hanging out in Earth's orbit for about two decades now, documenting outer space and fueling impressive discoveries that have allowed scientists to reevaluate some of the math that informs our understanding of everything, such as the expansion rate and age
of the universe. You can explore far away side it's like the Irian Nebula, Eagle Nebula and Karina Nebula and go on a three hundred and sixty degree tour of the telescope's earthbound control center, mission operations room, and Operations support room to see how this magnificent research tool is maneuvered from afar. Also more close by, there's the Grammy Museum, the California based nonprofit dedicated to celebrating the history and
significance of music. It's unveiling previously unreleased content from its archives and making it available to the public on its website. A new online only digital exhibits, such as X forty Years of Punk in Los Angeles, will be released every Friday. In South Korea, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art has four branches throughout the country that each take a slightly different approach to exploring South Korean contemporary art
and culture. The online extension of the museum let's you view specific exhibits and tour the ultramodern space, or for something a bit more classical, you can check out the Louver. A few of the current virtual exhibits from this Paris music am include a collection of Egyptian antiquities, the remains of the Louver's mote the structure is a former fortress after all, and a recently restored gallery that features paintings
by Delacroix. But take note, some fan favorites, like the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo are currently only available to view in real life, though We're holding out hope that one of the silver linings of the COVID nineteen pandemic will be that many cultural institutions will get serious about making their beautiful educational works available for everyone everywhere that they can get an Internet connection. Today's episode was
written by Carrie Dennis and produced by Tyler Clang. A quick search should turn up websites for all of these virtual tours and exhibits, but for direct links, check out the article version of this episode titled nine cultural activities you can experience virtually on how Stuff Works dot com. Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts to my heart Radio, check out the iHeart radi you app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. H