OUR DYNAMIC EARTH
Inarguably one of Edinburgh’s premier cultural and visitor attractions, Our Dynamic Earth was opened in 1999 as part of the Millenium Commission and is situated in the William Younger Centre adjacent to the Palace of Holyrood House and The Scottish Parliament at the foot of the world-renowned Royal Mile. The purpose of Dynamic Earth is to shine light on the evolution of the planet in which live and to educate visitors about our role in the changing process of planet Earth and how our activities affect plant and animal life who play a significant role in our natural environment.
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The visitor experience commences with the time machine where informative guides are on hand to give a general overview and explain the premise of this engaging exhibit that unveils the natural forces that have moulded and continue to shape our planet. To get the most out of the experience, it is best to start from the very start and move in chronological order. Before embarking on the time machine, the introductory room is worth exploring, presenting a host of interesting facts and interactive displays of Earth’s natural forces such as volcanoes, earthquakes, tidal waves, climatic and demographic change.
The Time Machine experience is an ingenious device, transporting visitors into a chamber in the form of bridge of a high-tech spaceship where you are about to bear witness to the Big Bang, the advent the universe. This captivating process gives the visitor a comprehensive explanation of the formation of starts and our solar system through narration and a dazzling display of computer-generated graphics appearing on three large screens.
The second half of the tour is solely dedicated to the world's princpal climate zones and biospheres, encompassing Polar, Temperate, Oceanic, Equatorial and Desert. Each climate zone is depicted with a recurring narration, quintessential ambient sounds and various representations of natural features pertaining to each climate zone. The Equatorial Jungle section features a thicket of dense rainforest washed with equatorial rain showers. This section also depicts human impact on climate through numerous examples such as urbanisation, melting ice caps, deforestation, desertification and other contributory factors to climate change.
The Our Dynamic Earth experience is both informative, enthralling and certainly worthwhile for visitors of all ages and there is enough activity to keep children stimulated and intrigued throughout the entire tour. As one of the UK's foremost scientific and environmental attractions, Our Dynamic Earth aims to get more people involved in alleviating human impact on our fragile planet. Various gifts and items of educational value can be purchased at the Shop near the exit of the dome as a memento of your visit to one of the finest visitor attractions in Edinburgh.
The theme of ice and water is central to Our Dynamic Earth experience and a contributory factor to the introduction of life on our planet. Showcased in a more traditional-styled display, the Life on Earth section is a graphical timeline of life-forms with approximate dates of when they first appeared, from the earliest plant and animal specimens to the latest. A host of interactive computer terminals are featured to test your knowledge on various species. The end of the exhibition unveils the start of human civilisation through a comprehensive genealogy of the earliest civilisations upto the present day.
