Beyond Bones

By Ralph Phillips, Docent at HMNS Sugar Land, introduction by Chris Wells A few years ago everyone’s heart went out to our littlest neighbor when Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet. This sentimental feeling was interesting because it revealed a burgeoning sense of extraterrestrial community among us earthlings. Instead of only identifying ourselves as […]

Family Class – Ancient Encounters – Ancient Rome Note: Free with purchased admission to the museum. Class will meet in Glassell Hall.   Travel to ancient Rome without leaving Houston! You’ll have some great postcards to send back to relatives as you excavate a Roman soldiers’ camp, build an arch, help create a museum, march with […]

With the start of summer, people around the state are looking for fun activities to fill the long summer months. Citizen Science is a great way to learn, have fun, and contribute to important research all at once. For people who enjoy looking at our beautiful native butterflies, the newly formed Texas Butterfly Monitoring Network […]

    The Big Dipper is above the North Star, with its handle pointing up.  From that handle, you can ‘arc to Arcturus’ and then ‘speed on to Spica’; those stars are in the south at dusk.  Arcturus is the fourth brightest star in the night sky, but the brightest one we see from Houston […]

Lecture – Texas’ Own Coral Reefs: Weathering the Storm by Adrienne Correa Hurricane Harvey dumped 13 trillion gallons of rain on southeast Texas in August of 2017. Do extreme storm events like Harvey impact the coral reefs off Texas’ coast in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary? Dr. Correa shares ongoing research connecting the […]

We all know that after a trip to the museum, you walk away armed with knowledge, filled with wonder and inspired to learn even more. But, let’s be honest, it’s pretty nice to get a new prof pic out of the whole endeavor. Our new exhibit Death by Natural Causes is packed with information about […]

Behind The Scenes – The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes Take advantage of a dark, quiet night when the Museum is closed to the public to explore “The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes.” Instead of a traditional tour, docents will be scattered throughout the exhibition to provide you with intel and clues. Tuesday, May 29, […]

Who wants to run a 5k? Me neither! Let’s face it, many of us dream of running in such a mini marathon, but between our busy schedules and our fear of how we will perform, we just can’t muster up the courage to sign up. However, the Houston Museum of Natural Science is changing all […]

In 2013 a unique aberration made its appearance at the Cockrell Butterfly Center.  A Great Southern White (Ascia monuste) butterfly emerged from its chrysalis with a perfect bilateral split down the center of its body. One side of the butterfly was male, the other was female. Since the Great Southern White is a sexually dimorphic […]

Lecture – Venomous Bites and Stings – Public Perceptions and Misconceptions by Spencer Greene   There’s plenty of misinformation about both prevention and relief from bites and stings. Dr. Spencer Greene will break down some common myths about dealing with critter attacks–jellyfish, bees, snakes, asps, ants, scorpions are all culprits of myths.   Spencer Greene, […]