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Parasites – Life Undercover

Ausstellungsplakat "Parasiten - Life Undercover"

July 7th 2020 - January 23rd 2022

Parasites – Life Undercover was a journey into the world of parasites. With real parasite specimens and spectacular exhibits, the exhibition illuminated how parasites have evolved over the course of evolution, why their adaptations and life cycles are so incredible, what influence they have on entire ecosystems, why they are extremely exciting research objects and sometimes medical helpers. But it also showed that man-made factors such as advancing climate change, globalization and growing megacities are fueling the spread of parasites, as well as old and new diseases. Thus, in times of COVID-19, the exhibition was more relevant than ever.

International touring exhibition

Other institutions can borrow Parasites - Life Undercover, as it was developed by the Museum für Naturkunde as an international traveling exhibition. As such, it has been visited by about two million people and has traveled as far as Australia!

Best Of

Our exhibition curators have put together a selection of the most exciting stories and objects to enable visitors to experience parts of the exhibition digitally.

What does mice-urine have to do with evolution? Why do head lice feel so comfortable in kindergartens? And can walking barefoot be dangerous? You can find the answers to these questions and 24 other incredible stories from the world of parasites here: Parasites  Life Undercover digital.

Live Talks about parasites

In Live Talks, we joined researchers to talk about parasites, the spread of pathogens, global health, and our relationship with nature. You can find some recordings of the digital events in the YouTube-playlist of our Experimental Field for Participation and Open Science.