Open Day Naturalis- LiveScience

Naturalis is the national research institute for biodiversity. These scientists work every day to describe, understand, and preserve biodiversity. During the Open Day, they will host a variety of activities in the LiveScience Hall!

Naturalis Now: the latest Naturalis news! – 11:00 to 11:15

At Naturalis Now, you’ll hear the latest updates from our collection and our researchers. What are the newest discoveries? Have any special finds been dug up or washed ashore? Take a seat in the stands and join this interactive presentation. No registration required.

Discovery Chests – ongoing

The Discovery Chests on the first floor of LiveScience are full of things to explore. Roll up your sleeves and learn all about seeds, stones, shells, and droppings. No registration required.
This interactive experience lets you become a real researcher. The chests are available every day, ready to be discovered. When will you stop by?

Dinolab – ongoing

In the middle of the museum, you can witness something that usually happens behind the scenes: our Dinolab is working on real dinosaur bones. Excavated dinosaur bones are being cleaned of stone here. It’s quite noisy and dusty of course, but staff are happy to pause and talk to you about whatever you’d like to know.

Help color the Origins of Imagination artwork – ongoing

Since late 2024, LiveScience has hosted an interactive artwork: Origins of Imagination by British multimedia artist Dominic Harris. You can scan your colored butterfly drawing and watch how AI transforms it into a realistic, moving butterfly. All butterflies together fly in swarms on a large screen. If you save your drawing, you can use the QR code to find your butterfly again during a future visit.

Species Safari – Location: De Stal – Ongoing

How many types of plants, animals, and fungi live in Leiden? Join Naturalis on a species safari. Using dip nets, magnifiers, and identification cards, we’ll map the species around the museum. Will you help us search? This activity runs continuously from 11:00 to 15:00. No registration required.

Please note: The LiveScience Hall is freely accessible. Admission to the rest of the museum is not included in the Open Day. Tickets must be purchased separately on the Naturalis website.