Museum of Science, Boston Launches New Yearlong Spotlight Dedicated to the Human Experience

“Being Human” features former NIAID director Dr. Anthony Fauci, Thrive founder Arianna Huffington, artist Beatie Wolfe, and partnerships with the Boston Pops, Emerson College, and Perkins School for the Blind; spotlight formally launched with January 30 kickoff event. 

BOSTON, MA — Today, the Museum of Science, Boston announced the launch of its “Being Human” spotlight, a yearlong exploration of our interconnectivity and the ways we can all better the lives we live. Spearheaded by the Museum’s Center for Life Sciences, the Being Human spotlight will feature new exhibits, digital series, community partnerships, and more, featuring programming with Dr. Anthony Fauci, Arianna Huffington, artist Beatie Wolfe, Emerson College, Perkins School for the Blind, and the Boston Pops.

Under the direction of Center director Insoo Hyun, the innovative year of programming will examine the complex web of connection that makes us human, delving into topics such as women’s health, AI and technology in medicine, aging populations, body systems, and genetics. The initiative, part of the Museum’s Centers for Public Science Learning programming, aims to engage visitors onsite, in classrooms, and online to spark a deeper understanding of themselves and their place in the global community of 8 billion humans. 

“This year, we’re turning the spotlight on ourselves—“Being Human” is our invitation to explore what’s inside everything that connects us,” said Hyun. “During times of uncertainty or conflict, it’s especially important to delve into the physical and mental qualities we all have in common and the ways we can help ourselves and each other live healthier, more fulfilling lives.”  

Being Human formally launched on January 30 with an evening of presentations and performances inside the Museum. The launch event featured presentations from spotlight partners Emerson College/ArtsEmerson, Perkins School for the Blind, the MIT Jameel Clinic, and more, as well as a special performance from the Firebird Pops. 

That same evening featured a preview of imPRINTING: The Artist’s Brain, a sonic self-portrait from artist and musician Beatie Wolfe that opens to the public on February 1. The innovative exhibition invites visitors to step inside the artist’s mind through a revolutionary data-encoded “thinking cap” crafted by the late fashion designer Mr. Fish. Through retro listening stations connected to the cap, visitors can explore different regions of the brain. In the spring, the Museum will open Perception Playground, a new exhibit that invites visitors to engage their senses as they experience illusions and effects that reveal the secrets of human perception. 

Onsite, the Museum will debut new programs and exhibits as part of the Being Human spotlight. Throughout the year, the Museum will introduce new educator-facilitated activities in the Hall of Human Life that demystify common medical procedures and explore human biology, alongside specially curated science story times with hands-on activities for young learners. The Museum will also feature demonstrations with a humanoid robot, examining how machines mimic human motion and navigate human-designed environments—raising important questions about the future relationship between humans and robots. 

Two major symposia will anchor the Museum’s Winter/Spring 2025 SubSpace season, exploring the intersection of technology and human health. On March 26, the Reno Family Foundation Symposium Gamechangers: Innovations and Advances in Cancer Treatment will feature pioneering medical experts Sophia Shalhout, Dr. Andreas Varkaris, and Dr. Oladapo Yeku discussing how AI and personalized medicine are transforming cancer care. The panel will explore breakthrough technologies in targeted therapies, immunotherapy, and machine learning applications that are reshaping patient treatment globally. On April 10, Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO of Thrive Global, will headline the Lee and Nile Albright Annual Symposium, joining Regina Barzilay, faculty lead at MIT’s Jameel Clinic for Machin Learning in Health, and Hyun onstage to explore exciting new ways AI can be used to empower individuals to promote their own health and well-being. 

This year, the newest season of The Big Question, the Museum’s digital series hosted by Hyun delving into the world’s biggest scientific discoveries, launches, featuring an interview with immunologist and former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Fauci. Other guests throughout the season will include reproductive health journalist Anna Sussman; Vardit Ravitsky, president and CEO of the Hastings Center; and bioethicist Atla Charo. 

Being Human: An Evening of Storytelling and Readings presented by Emerson College, takes place on February 27 with a panel of Emerson community members, including best-selling author P. Carl, sharing personal reflections and excerpt readings speaking to the human experience. The event initiates a yearlong series of events with Emerson College that will take place both at the Museum and on the college’s campus, including work with the college’s Prison Initiative and collaborations with students and classes, with an Emerson takeover of the Museum on April 27. The partnership continues with Utopian Hotline, an innovative hybrid experience combining telephone hotline, vinyl record, and live performance experience running May 1-18. Inspired by NASA Voyager’s 1977 mission that launched a golden record of life and culture on Earth into space, Utopian Hotline is its own time capsule, cosmic conversation, and communal experience, inviting audience members to leave messages to the distant future on a public telephone hotline posted around Boston. Gathering together to reimagine our shared future, Utopian Hotlines asks us to ask: What message will we send ourselves this time?  

“Public understanding and support for science are essential for an informed and healthy society,” said Emerson President Jay Bernhardt. “Emerson has long championed the critical role of communication and the arts for human connection and expression, and we welcome this collaboration to showcase these disciplines' continued power to advance humanity.” 

The Museum will host three events with Perkins School of the Blind throughout the year, including Democracy is a Disability Issue on April 17 and a haptic dance party in July to celebrate Disability Pride Month. Beginning this summer, the Museum will partner with Perkins and Tatum Robotics to explore tactile ASL interpretation through robotics. 

“At Perkins, we’ve been helping children with disabilities find their place in the world for almost 200 years,” said Sandy K. Lacey, executive director of the Howe Innovation Center at Perkins. “The Howe Innovation Center is at the forefront of innovation for people with disabilities and is preparing the world for our students by accelerating innovation in accessibility and disability technologies." 

In partnership with the Center for Space Sciences, the Boston Pops will launch a new program, Music of the Cosmos, on May 23 and 24. The multimedia program invites audiences to explore the intersection of music, science, and science fiction and will feature a special guest narrator alongside conductor Keith Lockhart. Following this cosmic celebration, the Museum will host An Evening with TJ Klune on May 28. The New York Times-bestselling and Lambda Literary Award-winning author of The House in the Cerulean Sea and The Extraordinaires will engage in a fireside chat about his groundbreaking work. 

Being Human initiatives will be announced every month throughout 2025. To learn more about the Being Human spotlight, go to mos.org/being-human. To learn more about the Center for Life Sciences and its activities, sign up for the weekly newsletter “That’s Life” at mos.org/discover/newsletters/thats-life.