Nature's Ultimate Machines

-
A cheetah running

This exhibit is now closed. See current exhibits.

Immerse yourself in the marvels of natural engineering. Imagine if your jaws could crush over 8,000 pounds in one bite, your punch could break through aquarium glass, and your ears could act as air conditioners. From the inside out, every living thing—including humans—is a machine built to survive, move, and discover. 

Join us for this fascinating special exhibition at the Natural History Museum of Utah and see for yourself how plants and animals survive the crushing forces of gravity, the pressure of water and wind, and the attacks of predators. Each uses surprising tactics to endure and overcome extreme temperatures and fierce competition for food, and keep their own life-sustaining fluids circulating. 

  • Feel for yourself how a giraffe’s heart works to pump blood up to its head
  • Try to “fly” and study the many different ways creatures jump, gallop, slither, and swim
  • See technological breakthroughs—like Velcro, wind turbines, and chainsaws—inspired by nature’s ingenuity

Presenting Sponsor

Zions Bank

Major Sponsors

My Good Fund

Rio Tinto Kennecott

Wheeler Machinery Co.

Exhibit Sponsors

Emma Eccles Jones Foundation

Bing and Judy Fang

Janet Quinney Lawson Foundation

Meldrum Foundation

Community Sponsors

JoAnne L. Shrontz Family Foundation

Lawrence T. & Janet T. Dee Foundation

Mark and Kathie Miller Foundation

The Potter Family

S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney Foundation

This exhibition was developed by The Field Museum, Chicago, in partnership with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, with generous support provided by the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust and ITW.