The Museum is always interested in educating its fans, whether that’s within our exhibition halls or online. If your daily social media experience doesn’t include the Houston Museum of Natural Science, you might be missing out on news that can feed your noggin.

Photo courtesy of melontao via Instagram

For example, this week one visitor was so inspired by our new Hall of Paleontology that she took it upon herself to design a unique dino necklace. Using souvenirs from our Museum Store and a little creative inspiration, she was able to combine her love of dinosaurs (especially T. rex) with her love of jewelry.

Photo courtesy of Glamourbones’ Dino DIY

Have you ever wondered why the moon looks so much larger right at the horizon than it does high in the night sky? Well, you aren’t alone, and there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation. You can also craft a quick and easy way to identify the phases of the moon using ordinary items found in most people’s homes.

Bringing it back down to earth, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were able to create their own Neuralyzer (the tool used by the Men in Black to erase memories). They were able to create a false memory in the mind of a mouse! Don’t worry, the mouse wasn’t harmed. And although it’s unlikely that he imagined he was once an A-List movie mouse that starred in Stuart Little, his false memory was still pretty fascinating.

Speaking of critters prone to delusions, the greenhouse here at the museum will be raising one of the largest moths in the world! Check out the Atlas Moth caterpillar and see for yourself whether it deserves its title.

In other noteworthy happenings, the Museum is currently hosting the Nautilus Live, which is using remotely-operated vehicles to search the floor of the Gulf of Mexico. The research team has been discovering some pretty fascinating things, including an underwater rainforest. A Bald Cypress forest that had been preserved for almost 50,000 years has recently been uncovered — in part thanks to hurricane Katrina — and is just waiting to teach the world about its history.

Did you know that gingers owe their distinct hair color to a mutation in northern Europe from thousands of years ago? It’s true, and redheads might be going extinct!

And speaking of mutants (sorry my fair friends; it’s accurate), it was recently discovered that Ozzy Osbourne is a genetic mutant! He won’t be making the cast of X-Men any time soon, but he does have some very interesting genes that scientists believe is the reason he has survived all of his, erm, medicinal recreation.

If you found any of these stories interesting, then make sure that you follow the Houston Museum of Natural Science on all of our social media channels so you don’t miss a beat!