Beyond Bones

    April is the last month to see the full set of brilliant winter stars which now fill the western evening sky.  Dazzling Orion is in the southwest at dusk.  His three-starred belt is halfway between reddish Betelgeuse and bluish Rigel.  Orion’s belt points rightward to Aldebaran in Taurus the Bull.  To Orion’s upper […]

By Ralph E. Phillips, HMNS Docent I can’t seem to get enough time … that is to say I keep thinking and digging into our concept of time.  Why are there 60 minutes in an hour instead of 100? Why 60 seconds in a minute? Why 7 days in week?   What would “Metric time” […]

by Ryan Bouillet, Executive Chef at A Fare Extraordinaire   Good news everyone, today is National Spanish Paella Day! Why do we have a day devoted to a dish, you ask? I don’t know, but it gives me an excuse to eat well for a change, so I’m happy. Today I’m going to give you […]

Shell Educators’ Preview     Free Admission for Educators You are invited to attend a special viewing of: Death by Natural Causes Tuesday, March 27, 2018 4–7 p.m. Snakes. Spiders. Sharks. The things you fear are the least of your worries! Death by Natural Causes will introduce patrons to the range of “animal, vegetable and mineral” dangers that […]

  A few weeks ago I was shadowing David Temple, our Associate Curator of Paleontology, as he and a specialist from the Medical Center examined the levels of radiation given off by vintage luminescent watch dials in preparation for our new special exhibit Death by Natural Causes. After the examination was over, David decided we […]

Whenever the topic of human evolution comes up in a classroom you are bound to hear the name “Lucy” thrown around. But who exactly is Lucy and why is she so important? Well, tracing the roots of the human family tree is a tough task. Most ancient human skeletons discovered are only fragmentary, but when Lucy’s […]

Educator Late Night – Death by Natural Causes   Death by Natural Causes will introduce students to the range of “animal, vegetable and mineral” dangers that lurk in their everyday lives. Through a collection of specimens, text and interactives, students will explore animal adaptations, statistics, chemistry, medicine and history. The rich graphics, compelling visuals and […]

These days we all know that radium is not something you should be ingesting, but a hundred years ago that wasn’t the case at all. There was a plethora of radium products on the market, many of them specifically intended to be ingested. Visitors to our new special exhibit Death by Natural Causes will get to see […]

Pi Day Wednesday, March 14 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Tickets are $3 each. Regular museum entry ticket purchase required for non-members. Pi is an irrational number, but there’s nothing crazy about celebrating Mathematics (and Einstein’s birthday).  Welcome to Pi Day!  Indulge your inner geek with fun math-related activities on this special date—3.14—during Spring Break!  We’ll even […]

    Our buyers head to Tucson, Arizona every year in late January early February to handpick minerals and fossils to add to our inventory. Searching for just the right items for our store at the largest, oldest and most prestigious gem and mineral show in the world, the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show. Vendors […]