The Social Science of Piracy

Rocky Mountain Expedition

Grades 4-6
Travel back in time and explore the dinosaurs of Colorado, the incredible Ice Age of the Rockies, and the way our ecosystems have changed over time.

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Life After the Dodo: Discovering Mauritius

Museum anthropologist Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh will share remarkable images, stories, and insights from the tiny island-nation of Mauritius—a place with incredible language, cultural, and religious diversity.

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July 11, 2011
For most of us, the word "pirate" conjures up Hollywood images of larger-than life characters like Blackbeard, who prowled the waters of the Atlantic nearly 300 years ago during the Golden Age of Piracy. But guess what? Piracy still thrives today and it's nothing like what you've seen at the movies. In this Science Bite, Museum scientist Marc Levine takes an anthropological look at piracy and considers how social and political issues have driven piracy throughout history.