Mystic Aquarium

Sea Research Foundation’s Mystic Aquarium is pleased to welcome penguin expert and University of Cape Town Professor Dr. Les Underhill on Thursday, March 31 for a public presentation on African penguin conservation. From 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m., guests will enjoy wine, cheese and a special visit from the aquarium’s own African penguins. Immediately following, Dr. Underhill’s presentation, entitled “You too can be an Ambassador for the African penguin,” will highlight the plight of this endangered species and how our local community can have a global impact. Can't make it in person? Watch live online.

Explorer Kenny Broad will lead vicarious adventurers into the mysterious flooded caves of the Bahamas as his epic tales conclude the “Faces of Our Planet” series.

They’re neither black holes nor the Bermuda Triangle, but they’re just as mysterious and considered among the most hazardous places for adventurers to dive. Join Kenny Broad at the Garde Arts Center on March 26 at 4 p.m. as he shares his epic tales of the largely unexplored the flooded caves, or “blue holes,” of the Bahamas, a potential treasure trove of scientific knowledge.

Why stay home to watch “Bones?” You can join real DNA detective Spencer Wells on an epic journey of discovery that spans the globe at the Garde Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. March 11, revealing an incredible tapestry of human diversity along the way.

As director of National Geographic’s Genographic Project, and a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, Spencer Wells has an extraordinary goal – using DNA from participants around the world to document and create the first-ever map of human migration, showing how humans came to populate the planet after leaving the cradle of Africa some 60,000 years ago, a journey about which little has been known until now.

Celebrate the unique and inspirational power of South African gospel music on March 6 at 3 p.m. as Ladysmith Black Mambazo performs at the Garde Arts Center in New London, Connecticut. For over forty years, the voices of Ladysmith Black Mambazo have married the intricate rhythms and harmonies of their native South African musical traditions to the sounds and sentiments of Christian gospel music.

The result is a musical and spiritual alchemy that has touched a worldwide audience representing every corner of the religious, cultural and ethnic landscape. Their musical efforts over the past four decades have garnered praise and accolades within the recording industry, but also solidified their identity as a cultural force to be reckoned with.