The museum is located on the grounds of the historic Castle of Manguinhos, designed by Portuguese architect Luiz de Moraes Junior in the early 20th century.
The campus grounds are home to the 'Borboletário,' a butterfly exhibit focused on the life cycle and environmental importance of local butterfly species.
The institution is operated by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, which is one of the world's primary public health research institutions.
Some museum exhibits utilize the architectural heritage of the Fiocruz campus, which served as the headquarters for the institute's early infectious disease research.
The Parque da Ciência exhibit allows visitors to interact with kinetic models demonstrating physical laws and scientific phenomena.
The Museum of Life (Museu da Vida) is a science center integrated into the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) campus in Rio de Janeiro, dedicated to public education in science and health. It occupies the historic Manguinhos campus, featuring a mix of interactive indoor exhibits and outdoor gardens. The museum explores topics ranging from biology and astronomy to the history of public health in Brazil. Visitors can explore the Borboletário, a dedicated butterfly conservatory, and the Parque da Ciência. Housed partly in historical buildings of the Fiocruz campus, it serves as a bridge between scientific research and the community. It functions as an initiative of Fiocruz, one of the most prominent public health institutions in Latin America.
The exterior facade of the Moorish-style Fiocruz Castle.
Check the official website for scheduling guided tours of the historic Fiocruz Castle, as access is often restricted to specific group visits.
Wear comfortable walking shoes, as the campus is expansive and involves significant movement between the outdoor science park and indoor galleries.
Do not attempt to visit without checking for scheduled group tours if you wish to enter specific interior historic areas, as walk-in access to some buildings is limited.
Closed on Mondays and Sundays.
Maintain respectful decorum in the historic laboratory buildings and refrain from touching exhibits unless marked for interaction.
