Beyond Bones

Did you know that much of the seafood we eat is part of the family called MOLLUSKS?  If you have eaten Oysters, Mussels, Clams, Scallops and even Calamari you have eaten mollusks.  The mollusk family is one of the most varied groups of animals on earth.  So you are probably familiar with the ones already […]

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 about 5 degrees apart. You’ll see Jupiter noticeably closer to Saturn each week; they are just over 2 degrees apart by November 30. (Saturn is moving too, but even more slowly than Jupiter). By […]

The force of nature known as Nicole Temple is responsible for so many of the experiences that make the Houston Museum of Natural Science a wonderland of weird and wonderful. A member of the HMNS family since 1997, she has worked or volunteered continuously since then to make the museum a thought-provoking and engaging destination.  As […]

Museums are places of historical, scientific, artistic and cultural education that can be delivered to the masses through various means, but many might have preconceived notions about these sacred halls. Some could find them eerie and perhaps even frightening. Dark, cold rooms sitting in silence. Artifacts of old, holding mysteries untold. I suppose that would […]

You’ve likely stumbled upon a myriad of articles with titles similar to this “Big meanies use science to debunk the Loch Ness Monster myth”, or “Loch Ness Monster Hoax” and so on. Unfortunately, this blog here today is not going to help convince you of the existence of any such monster, but it may help […]

If you have ever been to a beach where a Portuguese Man-Of-War jellyfish has washed up onto shore, you might also have seen the glorious Purple Sea Snail close by.  These light-as-air snails live their entire lives upside down and attached to a living Portuguese Man-Of-War. The purple and blue colors of the air sack of […]

Jupiter and  Saturn are in the south at dusk this month. Look south in the early evening for the two planets which will be about 6 degrees apart.  Beginning now, you’ll notice Jupiter slowly approaching Saturn. (Saturn is moving too, but even more slowly than Jupiter). By December 21, the two planets will be only six arcminutes […]

In some of the blogs I wrote several weeks ago, I tried to let you in on some BtS ideas of why certain diorama scenes were created the way they were.  Here is another fun tidbit – over each label describing species and habitat in Farish Hall of Texas Wildlife, there is a bird(s) flying […]

Science tracks down the presence of elusive early humans. In the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s display on human evolution, there is a backlit mural representing our family tree. It goes back to 55 million years ago, and takes us all the way up to today, showcasing modern humans and all of our living primate […]

Jupiter and  Saturn are in the south at dusk this month.  Look south in the early evening for the two planets which will be about 6 degrees apart.  Jupiter outshines every star up at night.    Mars is higher and brighter in the morning sky each day this month.  Look high in the southwest at dawn.  […]