Exhibit Showcasing How Animals Run, Jump, and Fly Finds Permanent Home at Field Museum
The cheetah, the world’s fastest land animal, is one of many specimens included in The Machine Inside: Biomechanics, an exhibition that examines how plants and animals are built by nature to survive. © Field Museum
A popular exhibition showcasing nature’s incredible bioengineering will have a permanent home at Field Museum, sponsored by NASCAR Chicago Streetrace. The Machine Inside: Biomechanics returns to the Field after traveling across the country since its debut in 2014. Biomechanics will open on June 16.
"After an incredibly successful tour as a traveling exhibition, we're thrilled to be bringing Biomechanics back to the Field Museum permanently,” Field Museum Exhibitions Operations Director Thomas Skwerski. “As one of the most interactive exhibitions we've ever built, visitors can learn firsthand about the machine inside every living thing."
Through this immersive exhibition, Chicagoans and visitors to the area can uncover surprising strengths and hidden talents: jaws that can crush over 8,000 pounds in one bite, ears that act as air conditioners, and what powers a cheetah to sprint at 80 miles per hour. Discovering – and celebrating – what makes things go aligns with the spirit of NASCAR, making the partnership a natural fit, organizers say.
“From hosting DAYTONA 500 Champion, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., to welcoming students from more than 40 Chicago Public Schools for STEM and STEAM Fest, the Field Museum has been a wonderful partner for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race,” said Julie Giese, Chicago Street Race President. “Before NASCAR’s best compete on the streets, we look forward to the opening of ‘The Machine Inside: Biomechanics’ exhibit that will look at the internal motor of animals and plants to understand how they move, jump, run and fly.”
The exhibition represents a range of research from scientists at the Field, showing an incredible array of biodiversity found in plants and animals we know, as well as some that may be unfamiliar. All ages can try out interactive experiences that show how mechanics like wings and fins, pumps and pipes, and claws and jaws work in nature. The exhibition is presented in both English and Spanish.
Read more about the exhibition here.
Biomechanics: The Machine Inside is sponsored by NASCAR.
The Field Museum gratefully acknowledges the generous support provided by ITW and Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust for the Biomechanics: The Machine Inside exhibition from 2014 through 2021.
About Field Museum
From exhibitions that inspire journeys of discovery in visitors young and old, to the groundbreaking research and conservation efforts driven by our 40 million artifacts and specimens, the Field Museum is on a mission to connect us all to the natural world and the human story. Our public relations team can be reached via press@fieldmuseum.org.
About Chicago Street Race
The Chicago Street Race is the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series street race. Located in downtown Chicago, the event will take competitors past and through many of the city’s most renowned downtown landmarks on Michigan Avenue, South Columbus Drive, South Lake Shore Drive and the start-finish line near Buckingham Fountain. The Cup Series will be joined by the NASCAR Xfinity Series as part of a one-of-a-kind sports and entertainment festival headlined by Miranda Lambert, The Chainsmokers, Charley Crockett, and The Black Crowes over the Fourth of July Weekend on July 1-2, 2023. For more information, visit NASCARChicago.com.
About NASCAR
Celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2023, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race, NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Pinty’s Series (Canada), NASCAR Whelen Euro Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 12 countries and more than 30 U.S. states. For more information visit NASCAR.com and IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).