At the American Museum of Natural History 



A Night Out with the Neanderthals 

 European and Near Eastern Neanderthals 

 are the best known of premodem humans. 

 Erik Trinkaus, chairman of the Department 

 of Anthropology at the University of New 

 Mexico, will talk about fossil clues and 

 archeological remains that are helping to 

 clarify the relationship of Neanderthals to 

 modem humans. The lecaire will be given 

 on Thursday, March 10, at 7:00 p.m. in the 

 Main Auditorium. Call (212) 769-5606 for 

 ticket information. 



Rain Forest Conservation in 

 Madagascar 



The creation of the Ranomafana National 

 Park in southeastern Madagascar will be the 

 subject of a slide-illustrated lecture by Patri- 

 cia C. Wright, associate professor in the an- 

 thropology department of the State Univer- 

 sity of New York at Stony Brook. She will 

 also discuss her work with lemurs and her 

 discovery of a previously unknown lemur 

 species, Japalemur aureus. This event takes 

 place on Thursday, March 3, at 7:00 p.m. in 

 the Kaufmarm Theater. Tickets are $15. Call 

 (212) 769-5310 for information. 



The Kingdom of Mustang 



Mustang, formerly part of Tibet, is one of 

 the last semiautonomous pnncipalities m 



Neandeithal scene depicted in an 1873 issue of Harper's Weekly 



Nepal. Mountaineer and scholar Edwin 

 Bembaum will talk about this remote sanc- 

 tuary of Tibetan culture, which has been 

 spared the ravages of modernization and the 

 Chinese occupation of Tibet. The program 

 will be held on Monday, March 7, in the 

 Kaufmann Theater at 7:00 p.m., and tickets 

 are $15. Call (212) 769-5310 for additional 

 information. 



Volcanoes 



Volcanic origins, types of eruptions, and 

 their effects on life and the evolution of the 

 atmosphere will be discussed by Sidney 

 Horenstein, coordinator of environmental 

 programs at the Museum, on two Monday 

 evenings, March 7 and 14, at 7:00 p.m. in the 

 Kaufmann Theater. Slides and videotapes 

 will accompany the presentation. Tickets 

 for the two lectures are $25. For more infor- 

 mation, call (212) 769-5310. 



Vanishing Jewish Communities 



The rituals and life styles of a Middle 

 Eastern and an Indian population of Jews 

 has been documented in two films. The 

 Samaritans and Jews of India. Filmmaker 

 Johanna Spector will introduce and com- 

 ment on the documentaries before they are 

 presented on Wednesday, March 30, at 7:00 

 PM m the Mam Auditorium. Call (212) 

 769-5606 for more in- 

 formation and ticket 

 availability. 



Planet Pluto 



On Monday, March 

 14, Dale Cruikshank, 

 of NASA's Ames Re- 

 search Center, will 

 discuss "The Icy Edge 

 of Our Solar System: 

 Pluto and Beyond." 

 This lecture, part of 

 the series "Frontiers in 

 Astronomy and Astro- 

 physics" will take 

 place at 7:30 p.m. in 

 the Sky Theater. For 

 all events at the Plane- 

 tarium, including the 

 Sky Show, "Orion 

 Rendezvous: A Star 

 Trek Voyage of Dis- 

 covery," call (212) 

 769-5900. 



Food as Medicine 

 In China, foods are 



divided into two categories, yin and yang, 

 depending on the energy they release in the 

 body. Ym foods (such as fruits, vegetables, 

 crab, and fish) are beUeved to reduce the 

 heat in the body; while yang foods (such as 

 eggs or fatty meats) are thought to heat the 

 system. Li Lian Xing, an herbalist and tradi- 

 tional Chinese doctor, will talk about the 

 medicinal properties of Chinese food and 

 offer possible individual diagnoses. In addi- 

 tion, gold-medal master chefs Shi Lian 

 Yong and Bian Jian Nian will demonstrate 

 the art of vegetable carving and offer sam- 

 ples of healthful teas and foods. This pre- 

 sentation will take place on Sunday, March 

 6, at 2:00 and at 4:00 rm. in the Museum's 

 Auxiliary Dining Room. Tickets are $5. For 

 information, call (212) 769-5315. 



Traditional Healing in Senegal 



Healing ceremonies of Lebou women in 

 the Senegambia region of West Africa will 

 be presented by the Sabar Ak Ru Afriq En- 

 semble on Sunday, March 13, at 2:00 and 

 4:(X) p.m. The free program, which is part of 

 the Woman's Month celebration at the Mu- 

 seum, will take place in the Kaufmann The- 

 ater. Call (212) 769-5315 for information. 



All About Sharks 



Eugenie Clark, a professor of zoology at 

 the University of Maryland and coauthor of 

 the children's book The Desert Beneath the 

 Sea, will recount her adventures swimming 

 with and studying sharks. The program, for 

 children from preschool through grade 6, 

 will be given in the Kaufmann Theater at 

 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 12. 



John Maisey, a curator in the Museum's 

 Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, will 

 talk about shark evolution and fossils on 

 Friday, March 18, at 7:00 rm. in the Hall of 

 Ocean Life. The program will also include a 

 discussion of shark adaptation and biology 

 by painter and author Richard EUis. 



These programs are being presented in 

 conjunction with the exhibition Shark! Fact 

 and Fantasy showing in Gallery 3 until 

 Sunday, May 1. Call (212) 769-5310 for 

 ticket information. 



These events take place at the American 

 Museum of Natural History, Central Park 

 West at 79th Street in New York City. The 

 Kaufmann Theater is located in the Charles 

 A. Dana Education Wing. The Museum has 

 a pay-what-you-wish admission policy. For 

 more information about the Museum, call 

 (212)769-5100. 



Enk Trmkaus 



82 Natural History 3/94^. 



