Gehry Museum in Panama

Model of the Museo de la Biodiversidad

Today, VVPA was invited to a special tour of Panama's Museum of Biodiversity, which is designed by Frank Gehry.  As a reminder, he's the Canadian architect who designed this:  

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao

Sarah and I exploring the grounds

What is a biodiversity museum, you might ask?  It's a collection of photos, displays, and information explaining different ecosystems and cultural groups in Panama.  The Biodiversity Museum is meant to be very interactive, with each room providing a unique experience to its viewers.  Its message is: nature affects humans as much as humans affect nature; we must work to develop a healthy symbiotic relationship if both are to survive and thrive. 

We listened to an interesting presentation which places Panama at the front and center of evolution.  The presentation's findings are based on a book by Dr. Steven M. Stanley called, Children of the Ice Age.  Essentially, Panama's emergence a bajillion (technical term) years ago caused the ocean currents to change directions and carried warmer water over to Europe and Africa --> climate change --> our ancestors in Africa had to adapt, which involved carrying their young.  Carrying their young --> more developed brains --> 'harder, better, faster, stronger.'

The museum is set to open in 2014!  Here's to at least one more reason to come back to Panama! =)