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Content for Connection

#ContentForConnection

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Welcome to Content for Connection - where you can explore the wonders of life on Earth from the comfort of your home.

Have you ever wanted to come behind the scenes and delve into our exhibitions, collections, research and resources? If so, you've found the perfect place.

If you've got a special question not answered here, send it to our experts or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube to find a community of curious minds.

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Tracing the Anthropocene

Join artists Tanya Voges and Susan Bruce as they explore and get creative with the South Australian Museum’s biological and earth sciences collections. You can follow along in these interactive virtual workshops and create your very own natural world-inspired art, all from the comfort of home!

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Collection Affection

Our Collection Managers are the wonderful people behind the scenes who ensure our state collections are cared for and maintained

We caught up with them to find out which object they love the most. As you can imagine this was not an easy question for them to answer...

A young girl looks through binoculars while surrounded by lawn, trees and shadows

Young Explorers

What can you see?

Sing along at home with the Young Explorers team.

Click on “sing and learn” to see our collection of videos for younger learners.

A scientist shows a group of people some collection items at the South Australian Museum

South Australian Museum Podcast

Have you ever wondered why museums keep things, what types of things they collect, and how they are cared for?

The South Australian Museum podcast features stories about our collections, what we can learn from them, and how we share them with the public.

This podcast was made possible through the support of National Science Week and the Department for Energy and Mining.

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Her Story: Inspiring Women in STEM

Her Story celebrates women, who have always made and continue to make significant contributions to science.

By sharing the stories of women scientists we present visible role models who can inspire, encourage and motivate the next generation of young women to follow their dreams and pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

Three children looking at fossils under a microscope

Learning and fun

From learning how to become a citizen scientist to knowing how to explore your #BackyardBiodiversity, there's plenty of fun that can be had at home.

Visit some of our timeless displays and download resources to ignite minds of all ages.

As always, you can send questions about your backyard findings to discovery@samuseum.sa.gov.au

string, pegs, Aboriginal art, batik fabric and cloth

#STEMyourBoredom

Whenever you're stuck inside and searching for something new to do, #STEMyourBoredom is here to help. Learn from our community programs team, researchers and collection managers about what ignites their minds with wonder.

Learn how to create patterns on fabric from home, and how to make your very own stink bug!

Part of the biodiversity gallery at the South Australian Museum

Take a virtual tour

Have you ever wondered what it'd be like to explore the Museum out of hours?

In 2016 we opened our doors to the Google Cultural Institute during the early hours of the morning. The institute used Street View technology to provide interactive panoramas from positions throughout the South Australian Museum.

Google Cultural Institute features content from over 2,000 leading museums and archives institutions to bring the world's best cultural displays to life.

Use the floor buttons to the right of your screen to navigate across the Museum. You can find out which floors your favourite galleries are on by downloading our map at https://docs.samuseum.sa.gov.au/qk8oj85dke.

A parasitic wasp

Sprigg Q&A: Prof. Andy Austin and Dr Steve Donnellan

Learn about the biology of parasitic wasps, the most diverse group of animals on the planet.

Parasitic wasps have evolved sophisticated methods of locating their hosts in the environment, and mechanisms for overcoming their hosts' defences.  As such, they are important in regulating arthropod populations and are extensively used as biological control agents of insect pests.  This talk explores these and other aspects of the life of parasitic wasps.

Colourful corals living on a vertical structure

Collaborate with our online collections

From journeys to Antarctica, to spider fangs, to the earliest-known complex forms of life on Earth, we've got you covered.

Our researchers are fascinated about how life on Earth began and how some life-forms have survived extreme environmental conditions, while others have not.

Explore some of the collections we have online via the Google Cultural Institute here.

A possum on a green mossy branch looks up tentatively

Explore our exhibitions

From dogs to yidaki (didjeridus), we've got the experience for you. Explore these exhibitions and more:

- Dogs: a story of our best friend

- Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year

- Her Story: Inspiring Women in STEM

- Opals

- Parasites: Life under cover

Image: Cradle Mt possum (detail) by Charles Davis, New South Wales, as seen in Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2019

Djalu Gurruwiwi, Yolngu Elder, plays the yidaki

Continuous culture

Australian Aboriginal culture is the oldest continuous culture on Earth, and the South Australian Museum is the custodian of the largest and most comprehensive collection of Australian Aboriginal cultural material in the world.

The Museum collaborates with communities to bring Aboriginal voices and values into dialogue with mainstream narratives of Australian history, society and culture through this collection.

Most recently our team has worked with Kaurna, Ngarrindjeri, Adnyamathanha, Nukunu, Ngaanyatjarra and Yolngu people to bring the stories of this collection to life.

A whale leaping out of the sea

Research and collections

The Museum holds scientific and cultural collections of national and international significance and is a leader in scientific research.

Our researchers work with others across the globe to further understanding about how to protect all animals.

The South Australian Museum's collections allow researchers to achieve this goal. This is because our scientific collections provide historical data against which researchers can assess the impacts of environmental changes and evolution, and detect previously unidentified species.

We're working with communities to secure permissions to share the Australian Aboriginal cultural collection online, and in the meantime we welcome questions about this particular collection at humanities@samuseum.sa.gov.au

Four female scientists - a young engineer, a chief scientist, an astronaut and a marine invertebrates researcher

Careers in sciences

Have you ever wondered how to become a researcher of whales and dolphins, an engineer or an anthropologist?

The Museum holds an annual series of displays about women in science. Her Story: Inspiring Women in STEM celebrates amazing women who are blazing their own trails and encourages all girls and boys to do the same.

By sharing these stories we present visible role models who can inspire, encourage and motivate the next generation to follow their dreams and pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

Two young children look with expressions of wonder and happiness in a Museum biodiversity gallery

Support

The South Australian Museum's mission is to inspire in all people wonder and curiousity about life on Earth.

For the last three years we've placed a special focus on providing programs for people with autism, DeafBlind communities, and people living with dementia.

In 2019 you helped us fund a series of initiatives that bring the South Australian Museum alive for people with an autism spectrum diagnosis. Share in the delight with us!

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