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High tech is the last thing that comes to mind when you think of a museum. But this months launch of the new wing of the Natural History Museum, The Darwin Wing, has truly granted the museum experience that title. It looks space aged and there’s plenty of technology that makes this a truly 21st century museum experience and gives us a taste of the future.

The jewel in the crown of the new building is the Cocoon, a giant concrete lump in the middle of the building painted in a dazzling white. It looks like something NASA would look for on the moon. It contains all the goodies that the Natural History has, specimens of millions of creatures.

It also houses the science labs and you can book to go on a tour of it with free tickets available from the front desk. You can watch the scientists at work and in a bizarre Big Brother style way, even talk to them. Pushing a button enables them to hear you.

In a high tech twist there are huge touch screen computers that you can look at information and videos that you choose. Better still is the fact that there are bar scanners by each one which you can scan your ticket with and it’ll save the information so you can access it on the Internet at home.

There are also live talks by scientists in the David Attenborough Room, a state of the art lecture theatre where you can learn about creatures and the environment.

The best thing about the new building though is the mysteriously named Spirit Tour. The museum houses loads of specimens in large bottles filled with alcohol. It looks like something out of Frankenstein lair with foxes, bats, sharks, kimono dragons and even a giant squid in huge tanks below the building. Again, book free at the front desk.

Why not fill a day with learning and wonder with the added spice of high tech interactivity. Alternatively, just go to marvel at animals in bottles.