In Brief

LEGO Releases Female Scientist Kit, Sells Out Same Day

The new LEGO Research Institute kit
LEGO released a new kit with a female astronomer, chemist and paleontologist on Aug. 1, 2014. (Image credit: LEGO)

Any space fan that hasn't already purchased a newly released LEGO kit featuring a female astronomer will have to wait a while longer before getting their hands on the toy. The initial supply of the brand new "LEGO Ideas Research Institute" sold out on Aug. 1, the same day it was released.

The $20 kit features a female paleontologist and chemist as well as the astronomer. It also comes with some pretty sweet LEGO gear, including a fake mini chemistry and a LEGO dinosaur skeleton. The astronomer comes equipped with a sky map and telescope. Geoscientist Ellen Kooijman developed the new set, and LEGO Ideas members selected it.

"This collection of scenes depicts three varied professions within the world of natural science," LEGO representatives wrote in a description of the kit. "Help the paleontologist study the origin of dinosaurs with the magnifying glass, map the skies with the astronomer and her telescope, and assist the chemist as she carries out experiments in her lab." [See images of LEGOs in space]

Learn more about the LEGO kit and order the set when it becomes available again here: http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Research-Institute-21110?ShipTo=US&_requestid=2184090

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Miriam Kramer
Staff Writer

Miriam Kramer joined Space.com as a Staff Writer in December 2012. Since then, she has floated in weightlessness on a zero-gravity flight, felt the pull of 4-Gs in a trainer aircraft and watched rockets soar into space from Florida and Virginia. She also served as Space.com's lead space entertainment reporter, and enjoys all aspects of space news, astronomy and commercial spaceflight.  Miriam has also presented space stories during live interviews with Fox News and other TV and radio outlets. She originally hails from Knoxville, Tennessee where she and her family would take trips to dark spots on the outskirts of town to watch meteor showers every year. She loves to travel and one day hopes to see the northern lights in person. Miriam is currently a space reporter with Axios, writing the Axios Space newsletter. You can follow Miriam on Twitter.