Beyond Bones

Horseshoe crab death track. Mesolimulus walchi. Solnhofen, Germany. When people walk through our permanent exhibit halls, sometimes they come upon an object that makes them think “what in the world are they doing?“. It can be two fossilized skeletons posed in an unusual arrangement, or an artifact with a strange ritual depicted on it. This […]

 Now in its fifty-second year, Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the international leader of innovative visual representation in the natural world. This prestigious competition and resulting exhibition, opening at the Houston Museum of Natural Science Jan. 27, stimulates engagement with the diversity and beauty of the natural world. On loan from the Natural History Museum […]

  Archaeologist have identified “transgender” coffins. In eras of economic hardship, coffins would be reused by basically taking the original mummy out, laying it aside, and putting someone else in. If the new occupant was a different sex from the original, artists would alter the coffin, taking off beards and adding or subtracting breasts so […]

Lecture – Field Guide to Prehistoric Mammals by Donald Prothero     Complete with full-color reconstructions of the beasts–many never before depicted–along with photographs of amazing fossils from around the world, Dr. Donald Prothero will take us on a journey to the Paleocene, 65 million years ago after the mass extinction of the dinosaurs. Here […]

  Texas is a state with a real personality. She is a larger than life character, recognizable across the world. No matter where you go, if you say you are from Texas, people will know exactly what you are referring to.  Texas is America’s Han Solo, John Wayne, and Indiana Jones all rolled into one. […]

  When people walk through our permanent exhibit halls, sometimes they come upon an object that makes them think “what in the world are they doing?“. It can be two fossilized skeletons posed in an unusual arrangement, or an artifact with a strange ritual depicted on it. This article is the second in a weekly […]

  Education is our primary mission at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and we are committed to providing high-quality scientific experiences to children everywhere through our Outreach Programs. After all, the future scientists and engineers of the world are all over it! There’s no better way to get a jump start on a STEM […]

Have you seen a numbered butterfly in the Cockrell Butterfly Center today? We’re doing a longevity study to see how long the butterflies in our center are living. If you see a butterfly with a number on it, snap a picture and post it on Instagram with the tag #CBCStudy so that we can see it! […]

Women in procession, with offerings to a deceased person. From our Hall of Ancient Egypt. When people walk through our permanent exhibit halls, sometimes they come upon an object that makes them think “what in the world are they doing?”. It can be two fossilized skeletons posed in an unusual arrangement, or an artifact with […]

 A Fressssssh Start To The New Year! This year many people will be rummaging through their closets, discarding old clothing in exchange for a fresh, new look. Our snakes have done sort of the same thing, as many of them have recently shed!  This delicate, dermatological discard still retains the pattern of the animal it […]