The Power of Poison

    This exhibit is now closed. It ran from October 22, 2022 – April 16, 2023

    The Power of Poison explores poison’s paradoxical roles in nature, human health and history, literature, and myth.

    Whether as a defense against predators, a source of magical strength, or a lethal weapon used as life-saving medical treatment, the story of poison is surprising at every turn.

    Discover poison and its surprising role in our natural and cultural history through immersive environments and engaging interactives. From fairy tales to modern medicine, The Power of Poison explains what’s real, what’s a myth, and what remains a mystery.

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    This life-size walkthrough environment of a remote Colombian forest called Chocó is full of life…and danger. But as you meet its occupants—a deadly frog, a wandering spider, or even a toxic vine—think of this: none of those weapons really target us. Poisons are just one tool of many in an organism’s struggle for existence. For the most part, when humans are bitten, stung, or poisoned, we’ve just been caught in the crossfire. ©AMNH/D. Finnin

    There is an extraordinary variety of evolutionary strategies among organisms who use poison in their struggle to survive, as visitors will discover while walking through a remote Colombian forest re-created in the exhibition’s Poison in Nature section.

    This “enchanted” book, which resembles an ancient botanical volume, displays animations of well-known poisonous plant species, including belladonna and monkshood. Moving illustrations “magically” appear with each turn of the page along with origin myths and annotations explaining how these plants were used in the past. ©AMNH/R. Mickens

    A famous scene in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is just one of several tales and legends re-created in life-size dioramas in the exhibition’s Poison in Myth and Legend section. Visitors will also be able to interact with an “enchanted” book, based loosely on Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks and Dioscorides’ De Materia Medica. This interactive book also highlights each plant, where it is found, and the effects of its poison.

    Visitors play detective by finding clues about various toxins and poisonous creatures and reviewing victims’ symptoms to help solve three puzzling cases of accidental poisonings. These include the mysterious illness of Captain James Cook and two naturalists aboard Cook’s ship, Resolution, in 1774. Was it the lead paint used to repaint the ship, something they ate, or arsenic in a taxidermy kit that caused such odd symptoms among the three men? Visitors will be able to bring the fun home by downloading the game as a free app for iPad. ©AMNH/D. Finnin

    Visitors will hear about a real-world case from the 1830s, and the scientific methods newly available to criminal investigators, in the exhibition’s Detecting Poisons theater. An iPad interactive game will let visitors play detective by finding clues about various toxins and poisonous creatures and reviewing victims’ symptoms to help solve three puzzling cases of accidental poisonings.

    In centuries past, illness and death could strike suddenly and inexplicably. Until scientists developed forensic tools to investigate these mysteries, facts were hard to come by, and poisoners could get off scot-free. Explore some of history’s most intriguing cases – many of which remain puzzling even today. ©AMNH/D. Finnin

    A gallery in the exhibition’s Poison by Accident section considers some of history’s most notorious poisoners and poisonings that still puzzle us today, offering a glimpse of the challenges of detecting poison, especially before toxicology was developed as a scientific discipline in the late 1800s.

    When used in certain, careful ways, poisons also have the power to heal. Plant toxins and animal venoms have been used in treatments for medical conditions ranging from coughing to cancer. Discover how the search for new medicines made from natural toxins has barely begun. ©AMNH/D. Finnin

    In the Poison for Good section, visitors will learn how hundreds of species of plant and animal toxins are being studied as sources of potential ingredients for life-saving new drugs.

    The Power of Poison is Great for School Groups!

    Students will explore the past, present, and future of poison and the many ways our world is shaped by its influence. The Power of Poison exhibition uses models, objects, interactives, and storytelling to explore the biology of poison and its role in nature, human history, and health.

    Download our Educators Guide Here

    Book a field trip today to see this exhibit as part of your Museum experience!

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    Dive Deeper with These Reading Recommendations From Kent District Library

    The GRPM and Kent District Library have teamed up to offer you more fun and excitement to learn about the nature of poison, the history of its scientific uses, and poisoning cases that changed the world with English and Spanish book titles for all ages, available to check out today!

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    The Power of Poison is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (www.amnh.org)

    Sponsored By:

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