Explore Natural Engineering Marvels at the Museum of Science

Courtesy of the Field Museum, Chicago

This Valentine’s Day, peep at a giraffe’s heart at the Museum of Science.

A real specimen—along with an explanation of how it can pump blood so high up the animal’s long neck—is coming to Boston as part of the “Animals: Machines in Motion” exhibition developed by the Field Museum in Chicago in partnership with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

The interactive show will expose visitors to feats of natural engineering, found in both living and extinct species.

“Imagine if your jaws could crush over 8,000 pounds in one bite, your ears could act as air conditioners, and your legs could leap the length of a football field in a single bound,” says a museum-provided teaser. “From the inside out, every living thing—including humans—is a machine built to survive, move, and discover.”

The exhibition will also provide examples of how nature has influenced the design of modern inventions for human use, such as prosthetic limbs, wind turbines, and chainsaws.

Plus, the museum will display a life-sized cast (that’s 12 feet tall and 42 feet long!) of Sue, the largest and most complete T. rex ever discovered.

“Animals: Machines in Motion” will be on view February 14 through May 8 at the Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, mos.org.