BEYONDbones

Jupiter becomes a late evening object by the end of the month.  It rises in the southeast just after 11 p.m. on July 1, although you may need to wait awhile for it to clear trees or buildings in that direction.  By month’s end, Jupiter rises at 9 p.m. — in late twilight.  Early risers can still see Jupiter in the southwest before dawn.  Next month, Jupiter is in the sky literally all night long.  Remember, Jupiter outshines everything in the sky except the Sun, the Moon, and Venus, so if you’re looking in the right direction, you can’t miss it.

Venus is a dazzling morning star this month.  Look east right as day begins to break for the brightest thing unless the Moon is nearby.  Venus remains the ‘morning star’ for the rest of 2009.  Mars is a little higher in the east at dawn than it has been.  Still, it remains fairly dim.  Look for Mars above Venus and to its right.  This is quite a mismatched pair; Venus is about 100 times brighter than Mars.

photo credit: Elsie esq.

Saturn remains well placed in the evening sky this month.  Look for it in the west at dusk.  If you have seen Saturn through a telescope this year, you may have noticed how much thinner the rings appear now than in years past.  This is because Earth is beginning to align with Saturn’s ring plane, making the rings appear edge-on from our perspective.  On September 4, the Earth is exactly in Saturn’s ring plane, and the rings actually vanish from view!  It turns out, though, that Saturn is too close to the Sun in our sky on that date; the Earth will be about to pass on the far side of the Sun from Saturn.  No one can get a good look at Saturn this September.  However, we can still watch through our telescopes as Saturn’s rings appear thinner and thinner throughout July and August.

Saturn’s moons orbit in the same plane as its rings.  Since we ordinarily have a perspective looking over one of Saturn’s poles, moons such as Titan and Rhea can usually appear above or below Saturn as well as to its right or left in a telescopic image.  These moons are not normally blocked by Saturn.  That changes, however, when Earth aligns with Saturn’s ring plane.  Now that we’re seeing the entire system edgewise, we’re beginning to see Saturn’s moons pass in front of and behind Saturn’s disk.  The passage of a moon in front of a planet’s disk is a transit, while an occultation occurs when a planet’s disk blocks a moon.  When a moon transits, we can often see its shadow on the planet’s disk.  Here are some upcoming events for Saturn and Titan as seen from Houston:

7/9        Titan is partly occulted (blocked) by Saturn until 9:30 pm.

7/17      Titan is already in transit as night falls; it leaves the Sun’s disk between 9:45 and 10:20. (Titan appears as a disk and not a point, so it takes some time to move all of the way off Saturn’s disk.  Saturn sets by 11:15.

7/25      Titan is occulted by Saturn.

8/2        Titan is in transit from dusk until Saturn sets.  Titan’s shadow appears on Saturn’s disk at 9:30.

8/10      Titan occulted by Saturn

8/18      Titan transits Saturn.

By August 18, however, Saturn is so close to the Sun in our sky that it is only about five degrees high during late twilight and sets before night completely falls.

photo credit: makelessnoise

Look high in the west at dusk for stars in the shape of a backwards question mark, with a right triangle to the left of that.  These stars are in Leo, the Lion.  Saturn is under the ‘right angle’ in that right triangle.  The Big Dipper is high in the northwest on summer evenings.  From the Big Dipper’s handle, you can ‘arc to Arcturus.’  Arcturus, in the west at dusk, is the fourth brightest star we ever see at night and will be the brightest star in our night skies during all of July. Continuing the curve of the Big Dipper’s handle past Arcturus, you can ‘speed on to Spica,’ a star lower in the southwest at dusk.  Spica is a stalk of wheat held by Virgo, the Virgin, who represents the harvest goddess.

In the south as night falls is Antares in Scorpius, the Scorpion.  This is a red super giant star about 700 times as wide across as our Sun.  To the Scorpion’s left, look for eight stars in the shape of a teapot.  These stars are the bow and arrow of Sagittarius, the Archer.  In the east, the Summer Triangle dominates the evening sky.  The Triangle is up all night long until mid-August.  Vega is the brightest of the triangle’s three stars, followed by Altair in Aquila and Deneb in Cygnus.

Moon Phases in July 2009:

Full                                   July 7, 4:21 am
Last Quarter                 July 15, 4:53 am
New                                  July 21, 9:34 pm
1st Quarter                    July 28, 4:59 pm

photo credit: James Jordan

The New Moon of July 21 lines up well enough with the Earth and Sun to cast its shadow on the Earth.  This causes a total solar eclipse.  The Moon’s shadow first encounters the Earth just north of Mumbai in India, so that’s where the path of totality begins.  From there, the shadow moves across Bhutan and then southern China, including Shanghai.  The shadow then ends up over the Pacific Ocean and leaves Earth before ever again reaching land.  The only part of the US anywhere close to this path is Hawaii, which experiences a partial eclipse.  This is mostly an event for Asia, where the date will be July 22.

The next total solar eclipse visible in the USA will occur August 21, 2017.

The Full Moon of July 7 almost enters the Earth’s shadow.  It does skirt the edge of the penumbra, in which the Earth partially blocks the Sun.  The resulting penumbral eclipse is scarcely noticeable at all, however.

At 3 a.m. on Friday, July 3, Earth is as far as possible from the Sun (i.e., at aphelion).  Planetary orbits are not perfect circles but ellipses.  Thus, Earth does not remain at the same distance from the Sun throughout its orbit, but gets slightly closer in January and slightly farther in July.  The difference is only about 3.4%, however—not enough to affect our seasons.  The change in seasons is due to the Earth’s tilt on its axis, not the distance from the sun.

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

HMNS is currently hosting three special exhibitions, two of which are Genghis Khan and Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor, so the topic for this month’s booklist is soldiers and warfare.

Jean Fritz, author of Traitor: The Case of Benedict Arnold, has written numerous books about American history and explains her work: “My approach is that of a reporter, trying for a scoop, looking for clues, connecting facts, digging under the surface.”  Because of this, her books bring history alive as she helps students understand the personalities and motivations of the individuals who shaped our country.

The first few sentences of Traitor are a powerful and telling introduction to Arnold’s life:  “When Benedict Arnold was a teenager, some people in his hometown of Norwich, Connecticut, predicted that he’d grow up to be a success.  Others said, No.  Benedict Arnold would turn out badly.  As it happened, everyone was right.” 

photo credit: pwbaker

Fritz introduces you to an Arnold you probably did not know—a druggist and a sea captain who loved shoes but was obsessed with his honor.  The Revolutionary War provided a unique stage for Arnold, and he became a general–but made many enemies along the way. 

In Philadelphia, Arnold met fashionable but spoiled Peggy Shippen, whose father was sympathetic to the British.  They were married, but the happy day was clouded by Arnold’s upcoming court martial and increasing financial problems.  Arnold began to think that if he “could not win the war for the Americans, he might at least bring the war to an end,” and become a hero.  With this thinking, becoming a traitor was not difficult. According to Fritz, Arnold apparently never understood the enormity of his actions. 

photo credit: daz smith

Paul Fleischman, author of Bull Run, won a Newbery Medal, as did his author father, Sid Fleischman.  After growing up in California, Paul lived in New England, and his love of history grew.  “I thought about teaching history as a career, but decided to bring it into my books instead.”   Bull Run is a collection of short monologues - so, in addition to being read by individuals, this book is suitable for classes to read aloud.  The book has 16 characters, both men and women—one only 11 years old– in sets of 8 from the North and 8 from the South.  The characters describe their lives and experiences leading up to and including the Battle of Bull Run, the Civil War’s first major battle.  Because of the number of individuals involved, you experience  the battle and its aftermath from many perspectives as the characters learn that war is not a game.

Newbery Medal winner Avi is one of the most popular authors for children and young adults.  The Award-winning book, The Fighting Ground, is a fictional account of a day in the life of 13-year-old Jonathan during the Revolutionary War.  Jonathan’s older brother and cousin are soldiers, and his father had been wounded near Philadelphia. More than anything, Jonathan wants to be a soldier, too.  When the bell at the town tavern began to ring, Jonathan tricks his mother into letting him investigate what is happening, and as he leaves home, his day-long adventure begins. Jonathan comes to realize that being a soldier is not glamorous, and when he is captured by the Hessians, his journey towards manhood continues as he is exposed to the horrors of war.

Author notes:

Many of the titles of Jean Fritz’s books about American history end with a question mark. Will You Sign Here, John Hancock?, What’s the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?, and And Then What Happened, Paul Revere?  Perhaps her best-known book is her memoir, Homesick, that tells the story of her childhood growing up in China in the 1920’s and China Homecoming, the story of her return to China years later.

Paul Fleischman’s Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voiceswon the Newbery Medal, but don’t miss Seedfolks and Whirligig.  Seedfolks illustrates the power of one person to change a community, and Whirligig is the story of teenage Brent who drives drunk and kills innocent Lea.  Lea’s mother asks Brent to put a whirligig that looks like Lea in Washington, California, Florida and Maine, and his journey to fulfill this request leads to his own inner journey.

Books by Avi that should not be missed are The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Nothing But the Truth and Wolf Rider.  Readers will be fascinated by Charlotte’s adventures on her transatlantic voyage in 1832, including being accused of murdering the ship’s captain.  In Nothing But the Truth, high school freshman Phillip Malloy’s humming of “The Star Spangled Banner” sets in motion a series of events which leads to the question, “What really IS the truth?”  Wolf Rider has the best opening sentence I have ever read.  After reading that sentence, you cannot put the book down.

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

The Houston Museum of Natural Science was founded in 1909 - meaning that the curators of the Houston Museum of Natural Science have been collecting and preserving natural and cultural treasures for a hundred years now. For this yearlong series, our current curators have chosen one hundred exceptional objects from the Museum’s immense storehouse of specimens and artifacts—one for each year of our history. Check back here frequently to learn more about this diverse selection of behind-the-scenes curiosities—we will post the image and description of a new object every few days.that we’ll be sharing here - and at 100.hmns.org- throughout the year.

This description is from Joel, the Museum’s President and Curator of Gems and Minerals. He’s chosen spectacular objects from the Museum’s mineralogy collection, which includes some of the most rare and fascinating mineral specimens in the world,

Unificada Mine, Cerro Rico de Potosi, Bolivia

Phosphophyllite crystals from Potosi, with their beautiful bluish green color, brilliant luster and attractive transparency, are among the most highly desired treasures in the mineral world. They are rare today because most crystals were destroyed by mining before their identity was even understood. Any size crystal larger than one centimeter is highly valued, and this 6.8-cm twinned pair of gem crystals, the second largest known, should probably be considered priceless.

Marvel at the world’s most spectacular collection of natural mineral crystals in the Cullen Hall of Gems and Minerals at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

You can see more images of this fascinating artifact - as well as the others we’ve posted so far this year - in the 100 Objects section at 100.hmns.org

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

This month’s featured photographer is Sulla55.

On Valentine’s weekend we had several of our photographer friends from Flickr come to the museum to participate in Wikipedia Loves Art, a contest aimed at illustrating Wikipedia articles. We had over 40 photographers arrive and split into teams to see who could get the most and best shots of our artifacts. Sulla55 created this shot to depict the event. Here’s what Sulla55 had to say about the image.

I created this shot in honor of the ‘Wikipedia Loves Art’ event at the Houston Museum of Natural Science on February 15, 2009. Many thanks to Erin for arranging this opportunity, and for the Museum for being so photographer-friendly. I used Bananagrams tiles (similar to Scrabble) and my HO scale miniature photographers. Not a very complicated set-up: I used an Ott light and the top of my microwave.

Photo Credit: Sulla55

The photos submitted from the Wikipedia Loves Art event were amazing. I only wish we could show every photo on our blog - but you can check them all out here. Erin and I want to give a big thanks to everyone who came and made this event such a success.

The winning team was Assignmenthoustonone. Thank you to Sulla55, Stephaniedancer, Mockbird, Kinjotx, Skarsol and Jjsala for submitting and sharing such beautiful photos. Each member won a yearlong free family membership and four tickets to see our Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit.

If you’d like to be invited to future photography events at HMNS, join our HMNS group on Flickr.

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

We are now just past the summer solstice, which occurred at 12:45am CDT on June 21. Anyone willing to brave the almost 100 degree heat can go out to our sundial and project a real image of the Sun - which would reveal if any sunspots are present. Lately, however, this activity has been slightly less exciting because in the past three years, the Sun has been largely without sunspots.

photo credit: Image Editor

Sunspots are slightly cooler regions on the photosphere (the Sun’s surface).   Most of the Sun is at about 10,000^o Fahrenheit, while sunspots are only about 6,000^oF.  To understand why they form, let’s consider some basic facts about the Sun.  First, the Sun is not solid but is instead made of burning, ionized gases, or plasma (the ’surface’ of the Sun is the layer where this gas becomes opaque.)  When a solid body, such as a ball, rotates, it does so rigidly; every part of the ball takes the same amount of time to rotate once.  For example, no matter where you are on the Earth, one day is 24 hours.  Since the Sun is fluid, however, it has whats called differential rotation; different parts of the sun rotate at different rates.  At its equator, the Sun rotates once in about 24.5 days.  Near the poles, this period is much longer: up to 35 days. 

Secondly, the  Sun has a magnetic field.  Any current causes a magnetic field; any moving charge is a current. Among the layers of the Sun is a convective zone in which hotter gases from the center of the Sun rise while cooler gases fall back towards the Sun’s center.  The Sun, as a plasma, is made of ionized gases.  The motion of ionized gas particles in convective loops forms currents in the Sun; which in turn generate a magnetic field.  Due to differential rotation, magnetic field lines can become distorted or twisted. 

Where these twisted magnetic field lines puncture the Sun’s surface, the transport of heat via convection from inside the Sun is blocked.  This results in a cooler, darker region on the Sun’s surface–a sunspot.  The lower temperature of a sunspot means that it emits light at a much, much lower intensity than the rest of the Sun’s surface.  Further, the cooler temperature shifts more of its radiation into the infrared portion of the spectrum.  This is why the spot appears much dimmer than the rest of the Sun.  Sunspots appear dark only because of the contrast with the much brighter solar disk. If you could separate a sunspot from the Sun, you would discover that it is quite bright in and of itself.  When we observe the Sun at the H-alpha wavelength (a particular wavelength of red light), sunspots appear brighter than the Sun’s disk.

Once formed, sunspots exist for about two weeks.  They also vary in size, with the biggest sunspots being up to 50,000 miles across.  Compare that with the Earth, which is less than 8,000 miles across.   

photo credit: fdecomite

It turns out that the biggest sunspots are noticeable to the naked eye when the Sun is low to the horizon or seen through mist or clouds.  You should never try this however; always observe the Sun by projecting its image or by looking through a filter expressly designed for this purpose.  There is evidence, though, that before modern understanding and technology, early astronomers risked eye damage by looking at the Sun when it seemed dimmer than usual.  For example, ancient Chinese astronomers may have made reference to sunspots in 28 BC.  (This may have supported the legend that a raven lived in the Sun). 

photo credit: dizarillo

Early telescope users Galileo Galilei and Thomas Harriot were among the first western astronomers to observe sunspots.   David Fabricius and his son Johannes were the first to publish a description of sunspots in June 1611.  In 1843, German astronomer Heinrich Schwabe discovered that the number of sunspots varies in a cycle of about 11 years.  Swiss astronomer Rudolf Wolfthen used data from Schwabe and others to reconstruct solar cycles back to about 1745.  Wolf designated the cycle from 1755-1765 as Cycle 1, and we still use that count today.  Accordingly, the last cycle which peaked in 2001 was Cycle 23, and the next cycle expected to begin now and peak in 2012 will be Cycle 24.  Also, solar astronomers use the ‘Wolf number’ to describe the number of sunspots on the Sun.   It was George Ellery Hale who first associated sunspots with magnetism.

This graph shows that not all solar cycles are the same.  Peaks in the early 19th century were much smaller than those of the 20th century, for example.  Towards the left of the graph, covering about 70 years including the last half of the 17th century, is a period which seems to have no peaks.  This is the Maunder Minimum, noted by Edward R. Maunder.  The decades of few sunspots coincided with decades of unusually cold winters in Europe and North America.  This is also a time when few aurorae were observed.  In fact, the 11 year cycle of minima and maxima continued in this time as well, it’s just that the peaks were very, very small compared to later periods. 

For much of 2009, we’ve been past due for the start of the next solar cycle–Cycle 24.  Since the peak of Cycle 23 occurred in 2001 and the next peak was expected in 2012, scientists expected to begin seeing many Cycle 24 sunspots in late 2007 and especially by 2008.  Instead, 266 of the 366 days of 2008 were spotless.  The dearth of sunspots continued into early 2009, where 134 days (78% of all days through June 22) have been spotless.  Solar scientists were a bit baffled by the late start to the new cycle; a few wondered if the Maunder minimum might be recurring.  On June 17, however, researchers Rachel Howe and Frank Hill of the National Solar Observatory in Tucson, Arizona, put forward an explanation.   Far below the surface of the Sun is a stream of plasma analogous to the jet stream on Earth.  The Sun generates these ‘jet streams’ once about every 11 years.  Once formed, they then gradually shift from the polar region towards the equator.  Using helioseismology, Howe and Hill were able to determine that this time around, the solar jet stream is shifting more slowly than usual, resulting in a delayed Cycle 24.  However, they reported, that jet stream has just now gotten to a low enough latitude–22 degrees from the sun’s equator, to allow frequent sunspot formation.  If  this explanation holds, we should expect  to see many more sunspots as we approach 2012. 

As if on cue, two sunspots of the new cycle were visible on the Sun as of June 22. Does this mark the long awaited increase in sunspot activity?  You can surf to http://www.spaceweather.com to view an image of the Sun each day.  Or, if you can stand the heat, come out to our sundial and make your own image of the Sun.  Near the solstice, the sun’s apparent height in our sky does not change all that much.  For quite a few days after the solstice, the Sun will shine through the lenses in our gnomon. 

Nature rarely allows us the comfort of feeling that we’ve got it all figured out.  Even when we understand something well, such as the 11-year solar cycle in this case, it often turns out that we understand it only partially.  Constant observation and discovery is always required.  In this context, the spotless Sun of the past few years reminds us that scientific knowledge is not a series of decrees from on high, but is a process that we can all participate in.

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

photo credit: 708718

It’s hard to imagine it now, but the world’s largest cities - the places where humanity’s impact on the Earth can be seen most vividly - were once overrun with prehistoric wildlife so large and fascinatingly diverse as to boggle the mind. Depending on where you live, your own backyard may have been home to mastodons, giant beavers, a herd of fearsome Postosuchus, or Ice Age bears.

A new Discovery Channel series profiles six cities across the United States, each with their own unique story to tell about the richness of prehistoric life. With stories ranging from the Triassic to the Pleistocene, the variety of life that came before us is truly amazing.

photo credit: The_Gut

Check out this video to see the HMNS visiting curator of paleontology, Dr. Robert Bakker, discuss the “hairy monsters” that once roamed the boggy forests that would be transformed - by both natural and human forces - into modern-day Manhattan. Watching the cityscape melt away into verdant wetlands of the Pleistocene is pretty amazing, as is seeing the ancient plant life still growing through modern sidewalks.

You can see more when “Prehistoric New York” airs locally, this Sunday, June 28, at 8 p.m. on the Discovery Channel.

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

Some folks on our fine planet are thermally challenged at the moment, donning jackets to venture out of their homes. We, on the other hand, melt when we step outside and feel the sun’s merciless wrath. In desperate need of a distraction, I compiled a list of fun facts about all things hot and cold. Enjoy!

photo credit: azrainman

*A cricket’s chirp frequency fluctuates with temperature. What does this mean? You can tell the temperature (in Fahrenheit) by counting the number of times a cricket chirps in 15 seconds. Just add 37 to whatever number you reach and BAM you have an approximate outside temp!

*In New York in 1988, the temperature hovered above 90°F for 32 days. In that time, the murder rate increased by 75%! (Maybe someone should’ve opened an ice cream shop up there…)

*There really aren’t negative temperatures. We only use them because we convert from Kelvin (K) to degrees Celsius (C°) and Fahrenheit (F°). 0 K is absolute zero, the coldest anything can be anywhere in the universe, which equals -460°F. The coldest science has come to this on Earth is just below -459.99999°F. (If you want to learn why we just can’t quite seem to reach absolute zero, try reading up on infinite smallness.)

photo credit: elisfanclub

*Snow made using snow-making equipment is absolutely natural! The difference is mainly the suspension time in the air. Flakes that fall from clouds float for around 3 to 5 minutes. Their man-made counterparts last only 2 to 15 seconds in the air.

*The highest recorded temperature at the South Pole is 7°F.

Now for the mind blowing-est, coldest, hottest thing you can think of…

*One of the loftiest volcanoes in the world is surrounded by ice on the coldest continent, Antarctica!!! Mount Erebus is less than 900 miles from the South Pole, but is has been continuously active since 1972.

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

The Houston Museum of Natural Science was founded in 1909 - meaning that the curators of the Houston Museum of Natural Science have been collecting and preserving natural and cultural treasures for a hundred years now. For this yearlong series, our current curators have chosen one hundred exceptional objects from the Museum’s immense storehouse of specimens and artifacts—one for each year of our history. Check back here frequently to learn more about this diverse selection of behind-the-scenes curiosities—we will post the image and description of a new object every few days.

This description is from Tina, the museum’s associate curator of malacology. She has chosen a selection of objects that represent the most fascinating shells and animals in the Museum’s collections, that we’ll be sharing here - and at 100.hmns.org- throughout the year.

Henderson, 1915

As a member of the Abalone family of Mollusks, Halitois dalli is a very small species which is found only in the Galapagos Islands from deep water where it is only rarely seen. This one measures 20 mm and was found in 1980 off Isla Santa Cruz in 60 meters of water.

You can see more images of this fascinating artifact - as well as the others we’ve posted so far this year - in the 100 Objects section at 100.hmns.org

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

It’s summer in Houston and that means that the humidity is knocking at the door.

Most ladies dread that frizzed out hair look, but not you! You’re going to make the best of that crazy do by putting on that off the shoulder shirt from Express, those white hot leggings from American Apparel, and you’re going to Vogue like Madonna always wanted!

Go ahead, pair that crazy outfit with checkered keds - why? Because Molly & the Ringwalds will be playing at Mixers & Elixirs this Friday night! That means the craziest, coolest, most tubular band is going to ROCK OUT at HMNS under the dinos. See you at 6 p.m.! Be there or be square!  

This week: Molly & The Ringwalds

July 3: Holiday Weekend - Mixers Resume July 10

July 10: Experience a British Invasion with The Fab 5

July 17: Join the high-energy dance floor with the bilingual band Mango Punch

Many more fabulous Mixers to come - check out mixershouston.hmns.org for more info!

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

The New York Times recently published an article, Trafficking in Contraband that Sings, on birds from Guyana that were being smuggled into the US for singing competitions. Strangely enough, these competitions are judged by humans and not by female birds. The part of the article that intrigued me the most, however, also aired on NPR, about the Forensic Ornithologist (Dr. Train) called upon to testify in court regarding these birds. This was a field of science new to me and, curiosity piqued, I did a little research.

Forensic Ornithology has been used in a variety of ways and with a variety of methods including DNA or by “eyeballing” the species. Experts in the field have been called upon to help solve such problems as bird-airplane collisions, homicide investigations, and endangered species’ poaching cases. It is an interesting field of study where you have to incorporate a lot of information on feather structure, bird bones and even DNA.

In the wrong place at the wrong time, a bird is silhouetted against the clear blue Florida sky (upper left) as it falls away from Space Shuttle Discovery after hitting the external tank during liftoff of mission STS-114 in July 2005. Credit: NASA

Take bird-airplane collisions like the Hudson River Landing. By knowing which bird(s) collided with the airplane, a management plan for that bird species can be made to prevent such collisions in the future. (As an aside, is it really fair to put the bird first in “bird-airplane collision”? Or what about “Bird hits External Tank during Shuttle Launch”? As if the bird was the one traveling with boosters strapped to its keel.)

All kidding aside, analysis of the bird remains can help focus on which species may need management. Leading to alternate aircraft routes during peak bird activity to avoid potential collisions, using bird radar to track flocks of birds such as NASA uses and even sound cannons strategically placed to keep birds out of the aircraft’s flight path.

So where does one go to have birds or their remains identified? If it is a larger sample, the Museum’s very own collection can help. Dr. Dan Brooks, Curator of Vertebrate Zoology, has identified parts of birds for museums and the USF&WS (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service) to ascertain whether or not it was a species listed as Threatened, Endangered or CITES. He has also used the collection (and his own vast knowledge) to identify feathers in Indigenous people’s ornaments, including the “Ice Queen” mummy of National Geographic fame. Pretty cool! For the high-tech study of bits and pieces used as evidence in court cases, professionals usually turn to the NMNH’s Feather Identification Lab. In another article by the NY Times, the initial forensic analysis performed by the Lab of the remains collected from a collision produced deer DNA.

photo credit: Lauri Väin

That seemed odd, since the collision took place at 1500 feet. Analysis of a feather sample that was also collected identified the bird as a Black Vulture, evidently with deer remains in it’s stomach. Science is awesome!

Here is a link to NPR’s interview “The Tale of a Bird Detective.” So turn up your speakers and learn something new today!

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

Here’s a map of dino tracks, made by an Anomoepus. It was an Early Jurassic omnivore (ate plants and animals) but it had feet like those of early meat-eaters’.

Run your finger around the tracks. Most of the time the Anomoepus was walking on its toes with the ankle way off the ground, the way a bird walks. Sometimes it was walking slowly, so the tracks are close together. But it sped up in a few places - can you see where?

There’s one place where the dino sat down to rest. You can see the imprint of the big tendon that was on the back of the shin and ankle (called the “Achilles tendon”). And you can see the hand-prints also. The Anomoepus hand was a very primitive dino hand, with five fingers.

Can you see where the critter squatted down on all fours?

Tracks like these prove that dinos walked like birds and hardly ever jumped like a kangaroo.

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

I know I tend to “toot the horns” of the exotic insects that we have here at the Cockrell Butterfly Center. They really are incredible and most people, including myself (for now at least),would not get the chance to see these animals without traveling to their individual countries of origin. I must say, though, that Texas, and especially Houston, has some pretty cool bugs! I’m always amazed to see what kinds will pop up. We often get phone calls from people who have found interesting bugs around their homes. Most of the time I suggest leaving them be. I definitely believe that animals are happier in their natural habitats and I hate to keep something in captivity just for the heck of it. Sometimes, however, someone will find something that is useful for display purposes or just too dang cool to pass up!

This happened to us twice last week! First, a gentleman brought a Giant Sonoran Centipede (AKA Giant Redheaded) that he found at Canyon Lake. I love Canyon Lake! My family had a house out there when I was a child and I have many fond memories. None of them include finding anything like this!!

photo credit: emills1

 This guy was a little camera shy, but all you’re missing is a very menacing red-orange head! These centipedes are very common in West Texas and the Southwestern United States; occasionally, they are found in the hill country and sometimes even close to Houston.  I think it’s very important to teach people the difference between centipedes and millipedes and what better example is there? Centipedes can be dangerous - especially this one. They are predators capable of injecting venom with their fangs. Most centipedes are harmless to people, but because of its size and potent venom, this one can do some damage. They are not particularly aggressive, just don’t try to handle them, ouch!

Later in the week, two men called and tried to describe what they had found on their front porch. Several things went through my mind, but as usual, I had to see it to get a positive identification. What they brought me was something I’d never seen before here in Texas.  I had, however, seen something similar in Arizona, so I had a pretty good idea of what it was.

photo credit: emills1

 Meet the Hardwood Stump Borer. At first glance, most people mistake it for a cockroach. It is similar in size, shape, and color, but this is a type of longhorn beetle. The eggs are laid in hardwoods such as oak and sycamore. The larvae develop inside the wood, eating and growing for about 3 to 4 years. The pinchers are not just for show and can deliver a painful bite! My co-worker saw one of these at her daughter’s swim meet recently as well, so you may get lucky and see one yourself!

If you ever see a mysterious, incredible, beautiful, or odd bug that you’ve never seen before, please give us a ring or shoot us an e-mail. Even we are sometimes amazed at what kinds of bugs can be found in our own backyards. Until next time, happy bug watching!

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

The Houston Museum of Natural Science was founded in 1909 - meaning that the curators of the Houston Museum of Natural Science have been collecting and preserving natural and cultural treasures for a hundred years now. For this yearlong series, our current curators have chosen one hundred exceptional objects from the Museum’s immense storehouse of specimens and artifacts—one for each year of our history. Check back here frequently to learn more about this diverse selection of behind-the-scenes curiosities—we will post the image and description of a new object every few days.

This description is from Dan, the museum’s curator of vertebrate zoology. He’s chosen a selection of objects that represent the most fascinating animals in the Museum’s collections, that we’ll be sharing here - and at 100.hmns.org- throughout the year.

The Pink Pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri) is one of the larger forms of tree-dwelling pigeon in nature.  They are endemic to the island of Mauritius in the Mascarene Island chain, where the now popularly publicized, yet sadly extinct, Dodo bird (Raphus cucullatus) was found.  Indeed, these two forms were members of the same avian Family, Columbidae.

The Pink Pigeon is considered Critically Endangered by BirdLife International, with its numbers not exceeding 400 individuals.  This species is in all likelihood the rarest species of vertebrate in the collection.

You can see more images of this fascinating artifact - as well as the others we’ve posted so far this year - in the 100 Objects section at 100.hmns.org

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

There are many posts on this blog about the HMNS collections, especially those objects that are being highlighted by the curators for the centennial.  Acquiring objects - whether by donation, exchange or purchase - is part of the mission for most museums.  But mere acquisition of artifacts isn’t the only purpose of collections; a museum must also conserve and care for the objects already in their possession.

The mission statements of an overwhelming majority of museums in this country include something along the lines of educating and informing the public about science, history, art or whatever field that particular museum specializes.  Museum collections aid that mission through exhibition, research or a combination of both.  Acquiring a bunch of stuff then letting it fall into a state of irreversible disrepair is neither practical nor ethical.  Museums must take care of their collections for the greater good of the public.

It’s a harder job than one might casually think. Objects must be exhibited and stored in the proper climate (both temperature and humidity) and kept secure from theft, vandalism and other harm.  That’s why museum facility managers spend countless hours fussing over HVACs and alarms.  Yet, despite all best efforts, sometimes stuff just happens. There’s a myriad of scenarios but to the rescue comes the museum collections hero or heroine, the conservator.

A conservator removes adhesive from textiles

Conservators are flat out some of the smartest, nicest, calmest people you’ll ever meet.  To paraphrase Will Rogers, ‘I’ve never yet met one I didn’t like.’  So who are these folks?  Well, to start with they’re highly educated, trained and skilled.  After all, they work with irreplaceable, highly-valued objects; you won’t find crazy glue, scotch tape or duct tape among their work tools.  They have a deep background in organic chemistry so they can understand the nature of the object, the damage done and the proper treatment.  Conservators know and/or can puzzle out the chemical and mechanical reactions of an object to a treatment such as adhesive, paint, or physical support.  In addition to what they already know, they’re constantly updating their knowledge of the chemical make-up of the latest paint, adhesives, inks, paper, etc.  The science of object conservation is amazing!

Our conservator works on building a proper support for a headdress

Professional conservators also adhere to strict ethical codes.  Like medical doctors they believe in ‘first, do no harm.’  Any treatment that a conservator employs must be the possible best for the object at present and (with any luck) into the future.  Most conservation work is deliberately designed to be obvious and reversible.  Sounds counter-intuitive at first but here’s the logic. 

Object conservation is continuously improving, so that the treatment today is currently the best. But we know that the future will bring even better technology and tools.  Should an object need more work in the future that conservator must be able to see where and how past treatment was done in order to remove it and apply better methods.  Staying in the present, current museum collections staff must be able to see where an object has been repaired and might still be vulnerable so as not to further damage the piece. 

Now, I hasten to add that this doesn’t necessarily mean that conservation work will be so glaringly obvious as to detract from the object.  Good conservation treatments are quite often hardly noticeable at all to the untrained eye so that an object can be exhibited.  The conservation work shows just enough so that museum staff can see how to handle the object properly.  There are also many times when damage can be completely removed leaving the object in even better condition than its previous state.

All this hardly scratches the surface of our collections’ heroes: the conservators.  If you want to know more or if you have an artifact or specimen that needs some conservation check, out these websites and books:

http://www.conservation-us.org/
http://www.io.com/~tam/Resources/conservator.html
http://www.winterthurstore.org/the-winterthur-guide-to-caring-for-your-collection.html

Also check out Caring for Your Family Treasures: Heritage Preservation: A Concise Guide to Caring for Your Cherished Belongings by Jane S. Long and Richard W. Long

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

Like a new pair of blue suede shoes, The Handsomes have the finesse and character to get anyone on their feet and and rocking to ska, reggae, funk, soul, rock, or whatever is the next card up their sleeves. If a high energy performance where the unexpected is the norm is your idea of the perfect Friday night, come to Mixers & Elixirs at the Houston Museum of Natural Science from 6 - 10 p.m. for an evening to remember!

Start the evening out right in the Grand Entry Hall at 6 p.m. with a DJ, cocktails, and a visit to the Audi Lounge, where you can enter to win the “Awesome Audi Weekend” Sweepstakes. Doors open at 7 p.m. for the live band, dancing under the dinosaurs, cash bar and complimentary appetizers.

This week: The Handsomes

June 26: Make a break for the 80s with Molly & The Ringwalds

July 3: Holiday Weekend - Mixers Resume July 10

July 10: Experience a British Invasion with The Fab 5

Many more fabulous Mixers to come - check out mixershouston.hmns.org for more info!

We are very excited to have recently announced the next venue for Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia: Times Square! The world’s most famous fossil, Lucy, will soon go on display in the world’s most famous destination - when the exhibition opens June 24 at Discovery Times Square Exposition, a new, state-of-the-art facility located in the former printing presses building New York Times.

A recreation of what Ida would have looked like in life, by paleoartist Viktor Deak.

In addition to Lucy and the other fascinating fossils and stunning artifacts seen in the world premiere of the Lucy’s Legacy exhibit in Houston, the exhibit in New York will feature preliminary results from the research recently completed on the Lucy fossil in UT’s High-Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography Facility, one of the world’s premier labs for this work, as well as an interactive experience with Viktor Deak, one of the world’s leading paleoartists. Deak created the 10-foot-tall, 78-foot-long mural representing 6 million years of evolutionary history in Ethiopia (check out an online version here) that you may have seen when Lucy’s Legacy debuted in Houston - and he’s created brand-new paleoart for the exhibit in New York. He’ll be in the exhibit frequently, where visitors can observe him at work, ask him questions and learn first-hand how he has merged his passions of science and art to communicate an understanding of our prehistoric past, as well as how he utilizes modern technology to re-create a vision of our beginnings more vivid than ever before.  

Perhaps most exciting - we announced today that the newly famed fossil Ida (Plate B) will also be on display in the Lucy’s Legacy exhibition when it opens in New York. Officially called Darwinius masillae, this 47 million-year-old fossil is almost-unbelievably well-preserved, providing a window into our primate past - when the key adaptations of opposable thumb and big toe had just evolved.

Hear Dr. Robert Bakker, visiting curator of paleontology, discuss the significance of Plate B of the Ida fossil - including preserved fur and stomach contents - in the video below.

Headed to New York this summer? Know any science buffs in the area? Be a fan of the “Lucy’s Legacy in Times Square” page on Facebook for the latest news, photos and video from the exhibition.

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

Summer is a time for exploring and growing, and there is no better place for learning and fun than at HMNS Xplorations Summer Camps! Campers can take week-long classes in archaeology, creepy crawlies, the science behind Harry Potter, dinosaurs, robots, crime scene investigation and much more.

A handcrafted object to harness the suns energy and heat up food

Interested in nature? Do you love the outdoors? Then learn how to thrive in the wild. In our survivor camp, kids learn how to survive in harsh environments such as the desert or in the tropical forests. Campers discover how to find water and determine their location from the stars. They build their own water filters and make their own insect repellent.

The kids discuss which animals are dangerous and how to best avoid them. They make their own survival kits. They also learn how to say S.O.S in Morse code.

Campers practice tieing slipknots

What survival class would be complete without learning how to make a compass or the best knots  to tie? Ever wondered what was the best way to build a fire? Wonder no more. Sign up for Survivor class, just one of our many summer camps.

Just because school is out for the summer doesn’t mean your kids can’t keep learning! Check out our Xploration Summer Camps, a fun and educational adventure for your children. These week-long science classes are available for children ages 5 to 12 from June 1 through August 14. For more information, visit our web site at hmns.org.

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

Last Friday, hundreds of Houstonians gathered to kick off the 2009 Mixers & Elixirs season with Grady Gaines & the Texas Upsetters. As people packed the dance floor, we boogied down to the soulful tunes that Grady and his band belted out.

This week, join the party as our popular Mixers salsa series kicks off! TropiCrew will be rocking the house with salsa, bachata, meringue, cumbia and reggaeton. They have a very full sound and phenomenal vocals and are sure to bring some fierce heat to the dance floor. If you love a cold cocktail and a hot dance partner, live music and delicious snacks, Mixers is THE place to be this summer.

Tickets are $15 non-members, $13 members. Mixers & Elixirs is every Friday night 6/5 - 8/28 (except July 3)  from 6 - 10 p.m. Check out our lineup! Don’t miss the new addition of the Audi Lounge in our Grand Entry Hall so you can get comfy while you get to know that cutie you met under the T-Rex!

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

The Houston Museum of Natural Science was founded in 1909 - meaning that the curators of the Houston Museum of Natural Science have been collecting and preserving natural and cultural treasures for a hundred years now. For this yearlong series, our current curators have chosen one hundred exceptional objects from the Museum’s immense storehouse of specimens and artifacts—one for each year of our history. Check back here frequently to learn more about this diverse selection of behind-the-scenes curiosities—we will post the image and description of a new object every few days.

This description is from Lisa Rebori, the Museum’s Vice President of Collections. She’s chosen a selection of objects that represent our Museum’s history, and our collections of historical technologies, that we’ll be sharing here - and at 100.hmns.org- throughout the year.

The Thatcher calculator, known as a drum calculator, was invented by Edwin Thacher as an improvement to George Fuller’s 1879 model.  Also known as a “Squirrel Cage,” it is 18 inches in length and 4 inches in diameter and is an evolved form of the slide ruler. 

First patented in 1881 it is capable of complex calculations up to four digits, and was widely used in the scientific and engineering communities.  The inner drum spins within the outer cylinder as well as slides out.  The varied markings are graduated logarithmic scales which allow for several different types of calculations. 

The calculator was produced by a Hoboken, New Jersey instruments company, Keuffel and Esser.  On an odd note, the company misspelled Mr. Thacher’s name as ‘Thatcher’ for the entire life of the instrument’s production.

You can see more images of this fascinating artifact - as well as the others we’ve posted so far this year - in the 100 Objects section at 100.hmns.org

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

If you have been outside lately, you may have noticed a slight increase in sweaty people around you, and potentially an increased amount of personal perspiration. You may long for the chill of the lukewarm Decembers Mother Nature promises you as a Houstonian. I have found myself, on occasion, cursing the sun and its inexorable inferno. “Why, WHY can’t we all live in Southern California???”

 …But why curse the weather and your resulting ridiculous air conditioning bills when you can have WAY more fun trying to understand the heat source! The seasons, or the regular change of weather, happen because of the planet’s orientation to the sun. There is a common misconception that they occur because of the earth’s elliptical (like an oval) orbit, making it closer to and further from the center of our solar system at different times throughout our year. However, the ellipse that the earth follows is very nearly a circle, so this theory just doesn’t hold water.

photo credit: etohaholic

 The real reason for the seasons is explained by the earth’s axis! Our planet is tilted at an angle of about 23.5 degrees with the perpendicular to Earth’s orbit around the sun. This means that the world is leaning slightly to one side at all times. Also, this would be a good time to note that this tilt stays the same throughout the orbit; it doesn’t swirl and swivel around as it moves along. So, the Northern Hemisphere leans slightly away from the sun in our winter, making the sun’s rays hit the earth at an oblique angle, which, in turn, makes its heat more diffuse over a large area, which equals cooler weather! The seasons are opposite in the Southern Hemisphere for the same reasons; when the North is tilted away from the sun, the South is tilted towards it, and vice versa. This alternating cycle of direct and obtuse solar rays effects other facets of life on earth; it is the reason for the changing lengths of days and the reason why some people get so sunburned in more tropical areas (which are closer to the equator, go figure.)

photo credit: chipdatajeffb

 We all have first hand knowledge of what the seasons bring to the blue planet, but what about some of the others? Mercury rotates 3 times in 2 of its years and it has some of the most extreme temperature variations in the solar system, with a range of about -297 to 800 degrees F! On Mars, seasons change every 7 months and are much more severe than those on Earth. And although seasons on a gas giant don’t mean what they do on a terrestrial planet, on Jupiter, a change occurs only every seven years! Facts like these make me extremely glad to be an Earthling.

So, instead of pondering what to wear now that heather gray is out of the question, or heading out to buy new bead covers for your flesh-searing vinyl car seats, come to the Houston Museum of Natural Science and explore science in the cool, climate controlled heart of the Museum District.

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

We recently recieved a question through our blog from Savannah, who was wondering if a rock she had found might have once been used as a knapper’s hammer. It seemed to fit perfectly in the hand and had a great place for the thumb to grip it. We passed her question along to Dirk to see what he thought.

“I found a stone in my subdevelopment. On examination, is seems like it is very well fitted to my grandfather’s right hand, with smooth places where the fingers, thumb and heal of hand fit. It seems much like a knapper’s hammer. I was wondering if it looks like hammers you have seen before.”

- Savannah

Good question. My first reaction was that there would need to be some evidence of this stone being used as a hammer. I would expect to see flake scars, places where the hammer stone suffered damage from the hammering and where pieces split off. Something like this:

Here you can see where the hammer hit the other surface and suffered damage as a result.

However, I also came across the following image where there did not appear to be any damage, or where it was much harder to prove that there was man-made damage:

The stone we see in Savannah’s photo may have been used as a hammer stone. However, the argument that it had nice polished surfaces in the right place for people to hold it is not one that I would use in favor of this identification, though. That reflects our thinking where our tools have that kind of feature.

Bottom line is: it could be, but we would need a microscope analysis of the surface to see if there is any evidence of use wear.

See: http://www.hf.uio.no/iakh/forskning/sarc/iakh/lithic/bar/bar1.html#anchor253048

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

The Houston Museum of Natural Science is currently hosting a special exhibition, The Nature of Diamonds, so this month our booklist features Gems and minerals.

According to www.rocksforkids.com a mineral is the same all the way through, and  there are about 3000 known minerals on earth.  A rock, on the other hand, is made from two or more minerals. 

For young children, Let’s Go Rock Collecting by Roma Gans is a great introduction to rocks.  The book begins by saying that people collect many things, and that the oldest thing you can collect is rocks.  In simple terms, with wonderful illustrations and photographs, Ms. Gans explains the three types of rocks—igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks and metamorphic rocks.

photo credit: Walter Rodriguez

You will learn how magma becomes lava which becomes igneous rocks. You will also see photographs of granite, quartz and basalt -  all igneous rocks.  Sandstone and limestone are examples of sedimentary rocks.  The Egyptian pyramids were made from limestone. In modernt times, limestone is mixed to make cement. Metamorphic rock means changed.  Slate is a metamorphic rock that used to be shale before being exposed to intense heat and pressure.

Children are encouraged to collect rocks, and examples of simple rock collections are pictured.  Rocks are everywhere, so collecting rocks is an inexpensive introduction to science.  And, who knows?  You might grow up to be president of the Houston Museum of Natural Science!

Byrd Baylor’s Everybody Needs a Rock begins “Everybody needs a rock.  I’m sorry for kids who don’t have a rock for a friend.”  Baylor gives the reader rules for finding a special rock, something you might keep forever.  The rules say you can find a rock anywhere, but make your choice when things are quiet.  You need to look the rock in the eye to make sure it is the perfect size, color, shape and smell.  Do not let anyone help you make the choice — the decision is yours alone. 
Baylor’s words paired with Peter Parnall’s simple black and bronze drawings work together to create quite a book that will make children anxious to begin the search for their own rock.

Gemstones by Ann O. Squire is a nonfiction introduction to gems.  You learn that deep within the earth, high temperatures and pressure transform minerals into crystals which can be cut, polished and sold for thousands of dollars.  A crystal must pass 3 tests to be considered a gemstone:  it must be rare; it must be beautiful; and it must be hard enough to resist scratching or breaking.

Squire says that gemstones began forming millions of years ago up to 100 miles beneath the earth’s surface.  The intense heat caused the rocks to become magma which contains tiny mineral crystals.  Pressure caused the magma to erupt from the earth as a volcano or flowing between layers of rock.

Diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds are inorganic minerals, meaning they have never been alive.  A pearl, however, comes from a living source — an oyster.  Amber comes from the sap of trees that lived long ago and coral is made from the skeletons of tiny sea creature.
Squire briefly explains some of the superstitions involving gemstones and tells how the idea of birthstones began.

Don’t miss the Cullen Hall of Gems and Minerals including the Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault on the second floor of the Houston Museum of Natural Science.  You will see the most incredible collection of gems and minerals in the world.

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

The Houston Museum of Natural Science was founded in 1909 - meaning that the curators of the Houston Museum of Natural Science have been collecting and preserving natural and cultural treasures for a hundred years now. For this yearlong series, our current curators have chosen one hundred exceptional objects from the Museum’s immense storehouse of specimens and artifacts—one for each year of our history. Check back here frequently to learn more about this diverse selection of behind-the-scenes curiosities—we will post the image and description of a new object every few days.

This description is from Nancy, the museum’s director of the Cockrell Butterfly Center and curator of entomology. She’s chosen a selection of objects that represent the rarest and most interesting insects in the Museum’s collections,that we’ll be sharing here - and at 100.hmns.org- throughout the year.

With some specimens of the Goliathus regius weighing in at ¼ of a pound, these chunky beetles from equatorial Africa are the heaviest insects in the world.  Males are larger than females (some reaching over 4 inches in length) and are more dramatically colored.  Females may get up to 3 inches long, and lack the same striking color patterns as the males, being mostly brown.  In the wild, the adult beetles mainly eat tree sap and ripe fruit.  Little is known about the larval stage, but the larvae appear to need some protein. In captivity they have been successfully reared on commercial dog and cat food!
 
There are five species in the Goliathus genus, all from Africa.  They are members of the scarab beetle subfamily Cetoniinae, or flower scarabs, species of which are found throughout the world, including here in Texas.  Most Cetoniine scarabs are much smaller than the goliath beetles and are often found in flowers, feeding on pollen and nectar.  Some mimic bumblebees, but are harmless.

Learn more about katydids and their relatives in a visit to the new Brown Hall of Entomology, a part of the Cockrell Butterfly Center– a living, walk-through rainforest at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

You can see more images of this fascinating artifact - as well as the others we’ve posted so far this year - in the 100 Objects section at 100.hmns.org

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

Well, it’s officially summer here in Texas and Houston is literally buzzing with insect activity! I don’t know about you, but I have about 18 mosquito bites and I’m sure there will be many more to come. Bugs are everywhere now and this is the best time of year for them.

People always ask me why I’m so interested in bugs and why would I want to work with them for a living. Most people are so concerned with how gross or weird they are to see how amazing they can be. The more I get to know them, the more I want to know - they just blow me away! Hopefully you will feel the same. I wanted to share some amazing insect facts with ya’ll so maybe while you’re out and about this summer, you’ll think a little differently about our little friends!

First thing’s first, Arthropods are the phylum that insects belong to and includes all of their close relatives like arachnids, crustaceans, and myriapods. There are an estimated 1,170,000 known species on earth. Those are only the ones we know about; there are probably millions more waiting to be discovered!

Of these, about 1,000,000 species are insects, which account for more than half of all known living species on earth…that’s amazing! Scientists believe that there are up to 9,000,000 more species that have yet to be discovered, OMG.

So lets compare that with some other animals shall we? There are 5400 species of mammals, 10,000 species of birds, 8200 species of reptiles, and somewhere around 6000 species of amphibians.

photo credit: robstephaustralia

The largest order of insects are the beetles with 350,000 species making them the most abundant animal on earth. In fact, 1 in every 4 animals is a beetle! Coming in second are butterflies and moths, with 170,000 species. The largest insect (heaviest) is a beetle called the Goliath Beetle. They can weigh 4 ounces, which is as much as a quarter pound burger (meat only.) The longest is a walking stick from Southeast Asia measuring 22 inches.

Think insects all have short lifespans? Think again. Cicadas can live 17 years underground before becoming adults, ant and bee queens can live for decades and one type of wood boring beetle emerged as an adult after being in a bookcase for 40 years, yikes!

The loudest insect is an African cicada. We are used to hearing cicadas during the hot summer days. I heard cicadas in Costa Rica that were so loud I thought they were birds at first! The African cicada can produce sounds that have been recorded at 106.7 decibels. In comparison, a jackhammer produces about 100 decibels.

photo credit: slopjop

Most people know that Monarch butterflies migrate pretty far, but did you know that locusts travel much further? They have them beat by a couple thousand miles. They have been known to travel nearly 3000 miles one way! One species even flew from Africa, across the Atlantic ocean to South America; now that’s amazing! They also win in terms of the largest swarms. The largest swarm was recorded in Africa in 1954. It was so huge it covered an area of 77 square miles. That’s kind of scary.

Insects are pretty amazing fliers. They were the first animals to take to the air, about 200 million years before the first birds. Dragonflies are up there, having been clocked at 36 miles per hour, but the horsefly can reach speeds of more than 90 miles per hour! A hummingbird can beat its wings about 60-80 times per second,  pretty impressive. A tiny fly called a midge can beat its wings up to 1000 times per SECOND, that’s unbelievable.

When it comes to foot racing, we do have a super star, right here in Houston. The American cockroach(big one with wings) can reach speeds of 3.4 miles per hour. Now that doesn’t sound fast, but in human terms, it would be like one of us running 400 miles per hour. The Australian tiger beetle is the fastest clocking in at 5.6 mph, which is the equivalent of 720 mph for a human.

photo credit: e³°°°

All insects are of course very strong, being able to carry or move things many many times their own body weight. A well known beetle, the rhino beetle can carry up to 850 times its own weight. That would be like an average guy, maybe 175 pounds, being able to lift 150,000 pounds. Good luck with that!

So see, insects are pretty darn incredible. It may even make you feel better to know that out of the million species of insects that exist on earth, less than 1 percent are considered to be pests or harmful to humans. The vast majority live in tropical regions like Asia, Africa, and South America, with the highest concentration in rainforests. I could go on and on about the feats of insects, but I’ll save some  for another time. Until then, I hope you all can learn to appreciate the most incredible, beautiful, and diverse life forms on our planet. Happy bug watching!

© 2009 Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX 77030

photo credit: tvol

Ever wonder how common items such as coffee, beer, or detergent compare to the price of oil? Don’t worry, I have already done the math for you. By breaking down the measurements into smaller units, you can compare the price of a glass of milk to a cup of oil, but I don’t recommend drinking it.

1 barrel of oil (bbl) contains 42 gallons.
1 gallon contains 16 cups.
Therefore, 1 barrel contains (42 * 16) = 672 cups.
If a barrel of oil today costs $68, then a cup of oil would come out to $0.10

That’s right; a nice cold glass of oil would only cost you 10 cents. Some of you coffee drinkers may notice that a Grande Latte from Starbucks, which contains about 2 cups of liquid, costs$3.10. The same amount of oil would be about 20 cents.
Lets take that a bit further. How much would a barrel of Grande Latte cost?
Remember that there are 672 cups of liquid in a barrel, and that a cup of Grande Latte is $1.55 a cup.

The cost of a barrel of Grande Latte (is it still a Grande if it is in a barrel?) = $1041.60. But think how long you could stay awake!

Grande Lattes not quite your cup of tea? Here is a list of the prices at Starbucks in case you don’t like lattes. 

Now let’s move on to something a little harder, and a little more alcoholic:

Beer provides more of a challenge because it does not come in gallons or cups, but in bottles measured in fluid ounces (fl.oz.).

In a six-pack there are 6 bottles of 12 fl.oz. each. If a six pack costs $8, then each bottle would cost $1.33 (cost of the six pack) /6 = per bottle price.

8 fl.oz. = 1 cup
If each bottle in a six pack has 12 fl.oz., then there are 72 fl.oz. of liquid. This comes out to 9 cups. At 8$ a sixpack, this comes out to just $0.11 per fl.oz. That means each cup of beer would cost 88 cents. That seems cheap compared to a Grande Latte at $1.55 a cup, but a bit pricy compared to oil at $0.10 a cup.

At $0.88 a cup, a barrel of beer would cost $591. For those of you interested:

photo credit: G & A Sattler

(672 * 8 = number of fl.oz in a barrel) / 12 fl.oz / bottle = the number of bottles in the barrel.
This means there are 448 bottles of beer in your $591 barrel of beer.

You can continue on with any number of liquids.  

Milk is an easy one to work with because it already comes in gallons.
If 1 gallon of milk is $2, then to get the price per barrel you simply multiply by 42, so milk comes out to be $84 per barrel.
You can go the other way and figure out that milk (16 cups in a gallon) costs $0.13 per cup.

I have included a few household items here for you to compare:

Try these conversions with your other favorite liquids such as water, juice, shampoo and sun screen!