Big ideas, cool sounds at the museum

The Soft Moon will provide an artistic vibe for the latest installment of First Fridays at the Natural History Museum.

If you think science is dull or hopelessly unhip, a visit to First Fridays at the Natural History Museum may rock your worldview. With its formula of engaging lectures paired with cutting-edge tunes, the county-owned museum offers insights you can dance to.

Dr. John Harris begins the February edition with a tour of the museum called “A Brief Sprint through Human Evolution.” The “brief sprints” take place at 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Then, at 6:30 p.m., biological anthropologist, primatologist and “Darwinian feminist” Amy Parish will lead a discussion titled “The New Science of Darwinian Feminism: Evolutionary Insights from Bonobo Social and Sexual Interactions.” Parish spent the last twenty years studying bonobos, one of the closest living relatives to people. Her discussion explores their unusual social and sexual interactions—females often dominate males and form their own relationships in the absence of kinship. She places that research in evolutionary context to shed light on human behavior.

After that comes some experimental music, starting at 8 p.m. The Soft Moon will perform its hypnotic, ethereal brand of post-punk. Light Asylum offers a fusion of Goth, industrial and synth pop sounds. Meanwhile, Julia Holter and Corey Fogel will bring artistic instrumental styles to the rotunda. KCRW DJs Anthony Valadez and Mario Cotto will provide danceable beats throughout the night amid the dioramas of the African Mammal Hall.

Admission to the full event is $18, and free for Universityof Southern California students. The museum is located at 900 Exposition Boulevard in Los Angeles. Parking is $10, or plan your trip with Metro.

Posted 2/1/12