Beyond Bones

Whether you optimistically jumped into the new year or took small baby steps, we can all agree that last year was one for the books. Not only did 2020 became synonymous with adversity, disappointment, and frustration, but we were inundated by dismal news for so long that we probably forgot there was any other kind. […]

Most of the museum’s Egyptian collections are on display in the Hall of Ancient Egypt,  supplemented by loans from other institutions. What is kept in our object storage is generally material that’s not so exciting, well preserved, or important. For a long time, though, there was an exception: this mound of loose beads. Made of […]

When I am on my own, I can be easily crumbled. When I am folded, I can fly. If you use me correctly, I can build a structure as high as the sky. What am I? If you guessed paper, you got it right! Paper is an extremely versatile resource that we use to take […]

Now through the end of May 2021, the Houston Museum of Natural Science has partnered up with the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center to become a pop-up blood donation destination. Although not all of us may feel comfortable with donating our bodies to science, as seen in our latest special exhibit, a pint of blood […]

Mercury makes a rare appearance in the southwest at dusk.  Pick a site with a clear southwestern horizon, and look right above the point of sunset. You can watch Mercury pass Saturn (on the 9th) and Jupiter (on the 10th and 11th) as it enters the evening sky.  It returns to the Sun’s glare by […]

The Houston Museum of Natural Science is always a magical place during the holiday season, and we’re not just saying that because, you know, we work here. There’s pretty lights all over, fragrant Christmas trees in the Grand Hall, and Trains Over Texas buzzing nearby. If we’re lucky it’s usually hoodie weather and the museum […]

On December 21, 2020, the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn appear only one tenth of one degree apart in our sky. They have not appeared that close since July 10, 1623. Of course, Jupiter is not really next to Saturn.  Saturn is in fact about 4.3 astronomical units (AU)–about 400 million miles–behind Jupiter.  (One AU […]

Jupiter and  Saturn are in the southwest at dusk this month.  Look south-southwest in the early evening for the two planets which will be just over 2 degrees apart.  You’ll see Jupiter noticeably closer to Saturn each week.  By December 21, the two planets will be only six arcminutes (one tenth of one degree) apart in the sky.  […]

Dear Santa, Hey big guy, it’s your boy Charro at the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s Cockrell Butterfly Center. I’m the green iguana that gets all the media attention. They use me to promote everything, from memberships to shopping. They call me green even though I am mostly orange. I don’t make the rules. Anyhow, […]

137 + 1.  That’s how many Merit Badges Benjamin Coveler has earned from the Boy Scouts of America. Currently offering 137, Benjamin earned the Computers Merit Badge which was discontinued in 2014. It was later replaced with the Digital Technology Merit Badge, which he also earned. Earning them all is an incredible accomplishment, which is […]