For Immediate Release December 4, 1998 Contact: Pat Kremer/Nancy O'Shea (312) 665-7100 (For Media Use Only) GET READY FOR THE ADVENTURE OF YOUR LIFE... GET READY TO EXPLORE THE NEW FRONTIER... GET READY FOR UNDERGROUND ADVENTURE! What if... you could shrink to the size of a bug and burrow beneath the surface of the earth? What if... you could wander through shadowy jungles of roots and filaments of fungi? What if... you could hear the lonesome clawing of a mole cricket and the mysterious chatter of an ant colony? And what if... you turned a corner and came face-to-face with a wolf spider twice your size devouring a beetle grub as big as your head? There's just one place on Earth-or under it-where you can do all that and much more: The Field Museum's Underground Adventure. Immerse yourself Beginning March 27-and running permanently!-you can experience Underground Adventure at Chicago's Field Museum. Years in the making, at a cost of $10 million, Underground Adventure is much more than an exhibition. It's a 15,000-square-foot total immersion environment, the only place in the world where visitors can walk through a larger-than-life underground soil ecosystem designed with the accuracy of the most sophisticated museum models. Through illusionary magic, we'll shrink you to 1/100 your normal size and set you loose on an incredible journey among the life that teems just inches beneath the Earth's surface. Our world is inhabited by extraordinary plants and fungi, by thousands of microscopic mites and nematode worms, and by a host of animatronic soil creatures, from an 11-foot crayfish to an earwig mother fiercely guarding her brood. As you travel through the world beneath your feet, you'll take part in a variety of scientific tasks, from investigating root tips to tracking moles. You'll become the prime mover of the planet's nutrient cycle and try your hand at meeting the Earth's soil challenges. In the process, you'll discover not only what soil is but why it matters. Be transformed On one level, Underground Adventure is pure experience, an exhibition unlike any other The Field Museum has ever done. But behind the pyrotechnics-and informing every inch of the exhibition-is an important story about the environment and our connections to it. Underground Adventure tells a story for all ages, about the incredible diversity of life on our planet and about the interconnectedness of all living things. By focusing on soil-literally immersing visitors in it-Underground Adventure finds a unique entry into its subject matter…and into visitors' minds and imaginations. Underground Adventure lets you see first-hand that soil is both fascinating and fundamental. You'll discover what lives in soil and how soil helps things live. You'll learn the role of soil organisms in the food cycle and soil's role in preserving the purity of air and water. You'll find out what soil is made of and where it comes from. Perhaps most important, you'll learn how our own activities change the soil, and why that matters. Make the soil connection The Field Museum, of course, is concerned with both the Earth and the people who live on it. And human connections to the soil are an important element of Underground Adventure. Through displays, interactive computer games, and films produced by students across the nation, you'll discover the myriad ways in which we are connected to the soil-physically, economically, and spiritually-and how our lives depend on maintaining these often fragile connections. You'll encounter a shrine to an ancient Chinese Earth god, hear from a modern urban farmer, discover medicines, ancient and modern, that come from the soil, and much more. You'll emerge from your underground adventure with a new understanding of your own relationship to the Earth's soil, and of the formidable challenge we face to use it wisely. One thing we guarantee: you'll never look at your backyard the same way again! Special Presentation Opening weekend features a special presentation led by Bill Nye, the Science Guy. Join us for a way cool adventure underground! Shows are Saturday, March 27, at 11 a.m. and Sunday, March 28, at 1 p.m. Call 312/322-8854 for tickets. Funding Underground Adventure has been funded through the generosity of Monsanto, lead sponsor; The ConAgra Foundation; the National Science Foundation; and The Fort James Foundation. Other donors include Abbott Laboratories, Prince Charitable Trusts, and the Chicago Board of Trade Charitable Foundation, with additional funding from Marion S. Searle/The Searle Family Trust, Mr. And Mrs. Byram E. Dickes, USX Foundation, and an anonymous donor. Admission Admission to Underground Adventure is general Museum admission plus $4 for adults; $3 for seniors; $2 for children ages 3-17, students with ID, teachers, and military personnel. Admission is free for members. Press Preview: Tuesday, March 23, 10 a.m.