Take off with Museum of Life and Science's new exhibit

A quick note to share that the Museum of Life and Science in Durham has opened a new exhibit called Take Off in its Catch the Wind area.

Visitors can reach heights of 20 feet above the ground with the help of kinetic energy from some super-stretchy bungee cords. The attraction aims to simulate how living things use stored energy or wind energy to catch some air.

The cost is $5 in addition to museum admission, which is $12.95 (12 and older); $10.95 (military with active military
ID and seniors); $9.95 for ages 3-12;; free for under 3.

And to impress your kids, you can share these facts with them:

Some spiders make balloons by releasing thin strands of silk from their abdomen. The slightest breeze lifts the balloon and the spider floats a few feet or several hundred miles.

With their muscular back legs, grasshoppers can jump up to 20 times their body length. That¹s the same as a five-foot-tall person jumping from one end of a basketball court to the other!

One type of jewelweed has a petal-less flower pod that bursts open and flings seeds several feet away when touched.