Date: October 31, 2026 (Sat) – February 21, 2027 (Sun)
Venue: National Museum of Nature and Science (Ueno Park, Tokyo)
The National Museum of Nature and Science (Ueno Park, Tokyo) will be holding a special exhibition, "The Sexuality of Living Things," starting October 31, 2026 (Saturday). This exhibition is the first at the National Museum of Nature and Science to focus on the theme of "sexuality," and will explore the diverse forms and mechanisms of sexuality in living things.
There are many things in the world that seem obvious but are actually difficult to explain in depth. A prime example of this is "sex."
Sex is not limited to humans; it is found in all living things. Many living things have males and females, and offspring are produced when the sperm and eggs they produce are fertilized. However, the "form," "mechanism," and "behavior" of sex are surprisingly diverse and differ greatly from one living thing to another. For example, there are many cases that overturn our common sense, such as organisms whose sex changes during development, and organisms whose sex is determined by environmental factors such as temperature.
This exhibition scientifically explores the "sexual diversity" of living creatures from various perspectives, including morphology, behavior, sex determination, and parenting. It is the National Museum of Nature and Science's first special exhibition to delve into the fundamental question of what "sex" means to living things.
We are pleased to announce the completion of a teaser visual that represents the content of this exhibition.
The visuals are interspersed with keywords that help us understand what "sex" truly means.
The design, woven together by these keywords, visually conveys the diversity of sexuality presented in this exhibition, resulting in a striking visual.
The design of this teaser visual is
Art director Idea Oshima was in charge of this project.
The special exhibition "The Sexuality of Living Things" will open this autumn, on Saturday, October 31st.
Please look forward to it.
[Implementation Overview]
Exhibition Title: Special Exhibition "The Sexuality of Living Things"
Date: October 31, 2026 (Sat) – February 21, 2027 (Sun)
Venue: National Museum of Nature and Science [Ueno Park, Tokyo]
(7-20 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-8718)
Organizers: National Museum of Nature and Science, Yomiuri Shimbun, Fuji Television Network
For inquiries: 050-5541-8600 (Hello Dial), 03-5814-9898 (FAX)
Official website: https://www.ikimono-sei.jp
■ Supervision
General Supervision
Chie Tsutsumi (Senior Researcher, Biodiversity Analysis and Conservation Group, Department of Botany, National Museum of Nature and Science)
Kenichi Shinoda (Director, National Museum of Nature and Science)
Supervision
Isao Nishikai (Senior Researcher, Vertebrate Research Group, Department of Zoology, National Museum of Nature and Science)
Shinichiro Kawada (Senior Researcher, Vertebrate Research Group, Department of Zoology, National Museum of Nature and Science)
Yuko Tajima (Senior Researcher, Vertebrate Research Group, Department of Zoology, National Museum of Nature and Science)
Masanori Nakae (Research Director, Vertebrate Zoology Research Group, Animal Research Department, National Museum of Nature and Science)
Natsuhiko Yoshikawa (Researcher, Vertebrate Research Group, Department of Zoology, National Museum of Nature and Science)
Hiroshi Namikawa (Research Director, Marine Invertebrate Research Group, Animal Research Department, National Museum of Nature and Science)
Utsugu Jimbo (Senior Researcher, Terrestrial Invertebrate Research Group, Department of Zoology, National Museum of Nature and Science)
Minoru Tanaka (Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University)
[From the press release of the Special Exhibition "The Sexuality of Living Things" Secretariat]
