Ever-lit landscapes, a hallmark of industrialization, now cover much of the Earth’s surface- but humans and other animals need the dark. Exposure to artificial light at night can disrupt organisms' physiological processes with implications for health and conservation. 

Biologist Valentina Alaasam will discuss her work examining the effects of light pollution on the health of birds and what that research can teach us about how animals adapt to a changing environment where more light at night is the new normal.

Ashley Peery, educator for the exhibition, Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World  at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, will moderate the discussion.

This program is offered as part of NMNH’s virtual series, Shared Planet, Shared Health, and will be presented as a Zoom video webinar. A link will be emailed to all registrants.

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Image credit: Dark sky image in West Virginia, NASA/Bill Ingalls