BEYONDbones

A couple of years ago we installed a small “Artists’ Corner” gallery in a corner of the lower level lobby in the Butterfly Center.  It opened with an exhibition of moth paintings from art students at SFASU, followed by a collection of monarch butterfly photos from a Houston naturelover, then drawings from 6-10th grade YES Prep students.  For the next few months the corner will showcase a fabulous display of nature photographs put together by Zac Stayton, horticulturist for the Butterfly Center.

Zac is a Houston native.  He received a degree in horticulture from Sam Houston State College in 2007, and subsequently worked at Newton Nurseries here in Houston.  Then, inspired by a trip to Costa Rica, he picked up stakes and moved to Hawaii, where he spent a year working for a bromeliad grower.  Luckily for us, he returned to Texas last year so we could hire him to join our team. 

Zac is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable plantophile, and is especially fond of epiphytes such as orchids, Nepenthes pitcher plants, and of course, bromeliads.  He is also an accomplished nature photographer, and has his own website where you can see his work:  BanyamImages.com.  The photos on display in the gallery include a series of photos taken in Hawaii and Costa Rica, featuring plants (of course) as well as insects, other animals, and scenics.  On the other side of the display wall are photos of plants and butterflies he has taken in the Butterfly Center since starting work here last January. 

Be sure to stop by to see Zac’s photos when you next visit the Butterfly Center.  Professionals and amateurs alike will be inspired to see the beauty of the Center seen through a photographer’s eye! 

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

This story starts in Italy and will then take us to the Tarim Basin in Northwestern China. It features a well-known mummy (Oetzi) and one of the best preserved mummies in the world (The Beauty of Xiaohe). It contains data from in-depth DNA analysis performed on one mummy and holds the promise of similar date generated in the near future on another set of mummies. Fasten your seatbelts, here we go.

During the month of August 2010, several stories hit the wire that the DNA of Oetzi, the famous Iceman mummy had been sequenced. The Iceman was discovered emerging from a glacier on the border between Austria and Italy. His mitochondrial DNA is now the oldest complete H. sapiens mtDNA genome generated to date.

This is where we segue to the Tarim Basin mummies, discovered thousands of miles away from the Alps. As it turns out, Oetzi’s find spot was very close to Alpine pastures where Dr. Victor Mair’s family once took their animals to graze, and that brings us to the Tarim Basin Mummies, a long term focus of Dr. Mair’s research.

A gratuitous link between these two areas, you say? Not necessarily, if one considers what has just been announced in Italy and the potential of what could happen with the mummies in China. Moreover, one of the reasons Dr. Mair got to be so interested in ancient human remains was the discovery of Oetzi in 1991. This occurred a few years after he had seen the Tarim Basin mummies on display in a museum in Urumqi.

The Beauty of Xiaohe. Courtesy of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Museum in Urumqi.

Oetzi lived about 5000 years ago; while the Beauty of Xiaohe lived about 1,000 years later, around 2000 BC.  In both cases, DNA research has been carried out on these early human remains. It seems that the Beauty of Xiaohe and her kinfolk had very close links with areas to the west of the Pamir Mountains. (In a previous blog, the Pamirs are mentioned as part of the geography of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region).  Specifically, “Mitochondrial DNA analysis showed that the Xiaohe people carried both the East Eurasian haplogroup (C) and the West Eurasian haplogroups (H and K), whereas chromosomal DNA analysis revealed only the West Eurasian haplogroup R1a1a in the male individuals.”

Oetzi is of European origin; the Tarim Basin Mummies are often referred to as Eurasian, and Caucasian, without much further information about where they may have originated from, other than “west of the Pamir mountains.” This is where the reference made above, to the potential of future research comes in. The techniques exist to investigate the Tarim Basin mummies in much greater detail. The research has not happened yet.

In addition, there are ways to establish where individuals were born and raised, one of the most famous examples being the remains of an archer found close to Stonehenge. Tests showed that he originated in the Alps, probably Switzerland, Austria or Germany. He somehow made his way into what is now the United Kingdom, where he was buried. A similar scientific approach could be applied to the Xiaohe remains. I am sure that one day this will happen.

Currently the Beauty of Xiaohe is receiving visitors at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Oetzi, on the other hand, remains safely ensconced in his refrigerated display unit in Bolzano, Italy. No word yet if he is interested in coming over to visit his long lost relative.

Don’t miss Secrets of the Silk Road, open now at HMNS. See strikingly well-preserved mummies, tall in stature and fair in complexion, that have lain in the parched Tarim Basin of western China for 3,800 years along with 150 objects drawn from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum and the Xinjiang Institute of Archaeology in Urumqi.
 

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

We’ve all heard that old saying from our parents while tucking us in at night. As a child I thought it was just some silly little rhyme about weird fictional creatures that may bite me in my sleep. Imagine my surprise when I found out that bedbugs really do exist! This silly little rhyme has taken on new meaning to people now, especially since reports of bedbug infestations have been surfacing recently in local, national and even world news. I was recently interviewed by a reporter in conjunction with a story she did on a bedbug infestation in a local apartment complex. I was then interviewed by a local radio station. Since the subject seems to be piquing the interest of Houstonians, and terrifying some of them, I wanted to shed some light on it for you!

Nymphal bedbug photo credit: liz.novack

Simply known as bedbugs, insects belonging to the family Cimicidae are small parasites that feed on the blood of mammals and birds. They are related to other insects such as stink bugs, cicadas, and assassin bugs in the order Hemiptera. All of these insects feed using a piercing and sucking mouthpart known as a “beak.” Many of these insects are well-known plant pests which use their beak to penetrate the tissues of plants. Others are predators, and a few suck blood. The common bedbug Cimex lectularius is found worldwide in temperate climates. They are small, about 1/8-1/4 of an inch long, oval to round in shape, flattened laterally unless engorged, and rusty brown in color. A female bedbug can lay around 300 eggs in her lifetime and the eggs take only about a week to hatch, depending on the temperature. Bedbugs prefer to feed on humans because we are very abundant, and well, an easy target! They are also known to feed on rats, mice, rabbits, and chickens. Bedbugs may be small, but they are very tough! They can withstand some temperature extremes and they can live for up to 15 months without food!

Bedbugs used to be quite a problem until about the 1940′s when they were nearly eradicated from heavy pesticide use, including DDT, which they are now resistant to. Their numbers have been slowly rebounding since about the mid 1990′s. This can be blamed on several factors including increased world travel, their growing resistance to many kinds of pesticides and their ability to go unnoticed.  Because of their size and shape, bedbugs can slip into and hide in nearly any sized crack or crevice, making them very difficult to spot during the day. At night, they come out to feed. They find their host by detecting body heat and carbon dioxide emissions, much like mosquitoes do. Once on the host, they penetrate the skin with their beak and inject an anesthetic to make sure they go unnoticed. They then take a small blood meal and withdraw their mouthparts. If they are not disturbed they will move to the side and do this again.

Bedbugs are not a medically significant pest because they don’t spread any type of disease; they are really just a nuisance. They are most common in buildings or complexes in which people come and go often and rooms or residences are close together - such as hotels, cruise ships, jails, hospitals, public housing, apartment buildings, etc. In hotels and other travel destinations, bedbugs can hitchhike on articles of clothing and baggage. In apartment buildings, they can travel easily between units. If an infested apartment becomes vacant, the bugs will seek a new host by traveling to an adjoining apartment. Bedbugs usually end up in residences such as houses because they are transferred unknowingly from one of these other types of places. Now, don’t get all upset and scared thinking if you’ve traveled or visited friends you could definitely have bedbugs. The best way to deal with any kind of pest insects is: Don’t be paranoid! Be preventative and be prepared! Here are some answers to questions you may have about bedbugs:

How do I know if I have bedbugs?

Leaf-footed bug, relative of a bedbug photo credit: procristination

This can be a bit tricky, but certainly not impossible! Be aware of your surroundings and what’s going on with your body. You should always inspect your body for insect bites and investigate things that may be making you itch and why. Take your lifestyle and activities into account to rule out other pests. Do you spend a lot of time outside or do you have pets? Don’t mistake mosquito and flea bites for bedbug bites. If you find yourself going to bed unscathed and waking up with itching or irritation, it may be something to look into. Due to the way they feed, bedbugs will sometimes leave 2 or more bites in a row next to each other, but not always. If you see bites like this, it is a telltale sign. Since bedbugs, don’t cause symptoms in everyone, there are other signs to watch for. Inspect your sheets for tiny blood smears and molts (shed skins). For this reason, it is helpful to have white or light colored sheets. Inspect your bedroom, mattress, and even your couch for small crawling bugs. If you find something bring it in to show us, or send a picture. We are ALWAYS happy to help the public by identifying insects!

What should I do if I have bedbugs?

photo credit: JMazzolaa

First, it is important to get a positive identification. Show the bug(s) to a competent Entomologist. Most pest control operators should know how to identify one, but again, we are a sure thing! If you do have bedbugs, DO NOT try to treat them yourself! Washing your sheets with hot water or even throwing your mattress out will not fix the problem! Bedbugs will more than likely be hiding in other places. Call a reputable pest control company to treat the problem. Scientists are constantly developing new pesticides to combat them and some companies can do hot steam treatments which will eliminate all stages of the bugs. They cannot take heat above about 115 degrees F. These services may be expensive, but they will work.

What can I do to prevent getting bedbugs?
Again, don’t be paranoid! That won’t do you any good and it will just stress you out. You can be preventative by doing certain common sense things that will help protect you against most pest insects. Make sure your house is in good repair, seal up cracks, fill holes, etc. Most pest insects especially bedbugs can come in through and hide in tiny spaces. Keep your house clean and clutter free. Have a squeaky clean disinfected home is good to keep the cockroaches away, but not necessarily bedbugs. All they need is a host, you or your family! However, by eliminating clutter around your home, you’re eliminating harborage and hiding places. This will make it a less attractive environment for them and if they’re there, they will be much easier to treat. Be well prepared and make smart choices when traveling.  If you’re staying in a hotel, do your research. You can find out a lot of information about hotels online. The same thing goes for moving into an apartment. Look for well maintained complexes and do your research!

So what if now I’m totally grossed out and scared of getting bedbugs??
Like I said, bedbugs are nothing to be afraid of. I know something about little creatures coming out at night to feed on us in our sleep is the stuff of nightmares for some, but consider things like lice or mosquitoes that feed on us regardless of when we’re awake or asleep and can transmit harmful pathogens. At any given moment there are trillions, actually an unimaginable number of microorganisms, including bugs, living and feeding on us. As creepy as it may seem, it’s totally natural. If you follow the advice in this blog, you should lead a relatively bedbug free life, and if there’s anything else we can do to put your mind at ease, answer questions, identify critters, we’ll be happy to! Until next time, don’t let the bedbugs bite!

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

The “Great Planet Race” in the western evening sky this summer is beginning to wrap up; Venus has caught up with Mars as they both leave Saturn behind. As these planets set in the west, though, another rises in the east at about 9:30, and will have cleared most buildings and trees by 10 p.m. And this one is involved in a conjunction of its own.

This is none other than Jupiter, king of the planets. Once Jupiter rises, it is easy to find because it outshines everything in the sky except the sun, the moon, and Venus.  Just look east for the brightest thing in the night sky.  Last I checked, Jupiter is still missing one of its belts.  For the rest of this year, Jupiter remains well placed for observing in convenient evening hours.  If you have a telescope, watch for yourself and see if the belt returns!

Although Jupiter seems to be by itself among the much, much dimmer stars of Pisces, it in fact has a close companion that few of us ever get to see without a telescope, the planet Uranus. We typically identify Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn as the five naked eye planets, and for practical purposes, that’s true.  However, Uranus is actually visible to the unaided eye under perfect conditions.  In the time before man made light dimmed the skies, many people could see Uranus.  However, they were unable to recognize it as a planet because it is dim and changes position very slowly. (It takes 84 years for Uranus to reappear near the same stars).  Thus Uranus, although plainly visible, went undiscovered for centuries.  For example, in 1690, John Flamsteed was cataloguing stars and constellations, numbering stars in each constellation from west to east.  However, the ‘star’ he catalogued as ’34 Tauri’ (#34 in Taurus) was in fact the planet Uranus. 

Replica of Herschel’s telescope

In March 1781, William Herschel became the first to identify Uranus as a planet when he observed it in his telescope.  As Uranus is about twice as far from the sun as Saturn, Herschel’s discovery doubled the size of the known solar system.  Herschel wanted to call the new planet ‘George’ (actually Georgium Sidus in Latin) after his patron, King George III.  German astronomer Johann Elert Bode, who had calculated an orbit for the new planet, suggested calling it ‘Uranus’ because in Graeco-Roman myth, Saturn had been the father of Jupiter and Uranus the father of Saturn. 

Here are charts showing the relative positions of Jupiter and Uranus from now into the new year.  The event depicted is a triple conjunction, in which two outer planets align on three separate occasions only a few months apart.  This occurs when distant planets align while Earth is on the same side of the sun as they are.  As Earth passes the slower outer planets, we see them slow down, stop, and reverse direction for while.  We see the planets resume direct motion once Earth has pulled far enough ahead on its much faster inner orbit.  As a result, we see three conjunctions instead of just one.  The three closest alignments of Jupiter and Uranus occur on June 8, 2010, September 18, 2010, and January 3, 2011.  At all three, Jupiter is less than one degree (about the width of an adult’s pinkie held at arm’s length) under Uranus.  The conjunction of June 8 occurred in the morning sky, but the two yet to come will be visible in convenient evening hours.  On the night of September 20-21, Earth is directly in line with the pair, causing them to rise at dusk at set at dawn–Jupiter and Uranus will be up all night long.  By winter, Jupiter and Uranus will be high in the south southwest at nightfall. 

Late 2010 is a good time to get a glimpse of a world we don’t usually notice in the sky.  A small telescope or even binoculars will reveal Uranus.  And if you find yourself away from the city on a moonless night, see if you can pick out which of the dim points of light just above Jupiter is a little more than meets the eye. 

Our Archaeopteryx show has bedazzling fossils – the only Archaeopteryx skeleton in the New World, complete with clear impressions of feathers. Plus frog-mouthed pterodactyls, fast-swimming Sea Crocs, and slinky land lizards. Today we learn the different ways in which wings evoloved on various prehistoric creatures.

Solnhofen show us three ways for Darwinian processes to construct a wing from a normal arm

Dactyls:
Dactyls evolved from very close relatives of early dinosaurs. The dinosaurs and their crocodilian kin are archosaurs. Archosaurs developed a unique asymmetry in the hand. Primitive reptiles, like today’s lizards, have five fingers, each with a strong claw. In archosaurs the outer two fingers are weak and have no claw at all.

Crocodilians and many dinosaurs kept this arrangement -  for example, stegosaurs and Triceratops had five fingers and three claws on the inner fingers. Meat-eating dinosaurs usually evolved three-fingered hands, doing away with those outer two claw-less fingers.

‘Dactyls evolved their archosaur hand in a different manner: they lost the pinky (the outermost finger). The claws on the inner three fingers were strong – useful for climbing trees and the sides of cliffs. The fourth finger evolved into an organ we see in no other creature: Finger four became immense, as thick as the thigh or thicker. The finger could be folded back where it joined the wrist for walking on the ground. When flying, the giant finger four was stretched outwards.

Schematic of a generic pterosaur wing, pencil drawing, digital coloring photo credit: Arthurweasley

Solnhofen fossils showed that the wing surface was attached to the finger four and to the sides of the body and the inner edges of the hind leg. So ‘dactyls could flap like a bat – using up and down strokes of both arm and leg to make the power stroke.

Dinosaurs and Birds:

Archaeopteryx

Birds evolved their wing by another wonderfully unique method. Their hand bones were 99% identical to those in small meat-eating dinosaurs. Only the three inner fingers were retained. Darwinian processes had clipped off the pinky and fourth finger. Solnhofen fossils prove that specialized wing feathers were attached to the second finger. So Archaeopteryx flew with the feathered arm.

Raptor-type dinosaurs, like Velociraptor and Microraptor, had evolved feathers very like those of birds. But these small dinosaurs evolved hind-leg wings to assist the arms. Flight feathers were attached to knee and shin as well as to the forelimb. When a tiny raptor-like dinosaur evolved into Archaeopteryx, the feathers were lost from the hind-legs, leaving just the arm to do the work of flying.

Bats:

Bats are specialized mammals and no bats had evolved in the Jurassic. The first bats appear much later, about 55 million years ago.

Bats use strong skin to make the wing. But unlike ‘dactyls, who evolved just one finger to support the wing surface, bats use three or four fingers to spread the wing and control the wing in flight.

Don’t miss Archaeopteryx: Icon of Evolution, currently on display at HMNS. Want to learn more? Check out our previous blogs on Archaeopteryx.

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

You may have heard the big news. The Houston Museum of Natural Science is forming a new energy conservation initiative!

On October 9th, the Houston Museum of Natural Science will kick off its new Energy Conservation Club website. The Kick Off will include Billy B, hands on activities, information on conservation, and more! All for free!

All this to kick off what will become the central clearing house for energy conservation education, the Energy Conservation Club website.

Recycled Art photo credit: clementine mom

So what is an Energy Conservation Club (ECC)? An ECC is a group formed at a school, home school, church, or other organization to help people promote energy conservation. They will promote energy conservation through actions; energy audits of home and school, experiments to show how much energy can be saved, plays about energy conservation, short stories, and energy conservation and recycle art. These are just a few ways to promote energy conservation. The sky’s not even the limit.

Do people who want to promote energy conservation have to form a club to use the website? No. We encourage clubs and extracurricular activities, but a teacher could just as easily assign her class an energy conservation project or use the materials on the website in any way. A fun energy conservation project could also be entered into the NEED’s Youth Awards. A great way to do two projects for the energy of one.

There is also nothing stopping individuals from using the website. If you just want to learn a way to save money on your electrical bill, you’re more than welcome to visit us. We would love for you to tell us about it, so we could share your stories with others and encourage them.

photo credit: aloshbennett

What exactly will the website contain? It will have energy conservation tips updated regularly to help you save electricity and money. Grand philosophical thoughts such as “Turn the lights off when you leave the room.” We explain how to read an electrical bill and a meter. We tell how a smart grid differs from a smart meter. We’ll also show you the math and calculations behind how to choose which light bulb you should use. In addition, there will be all the information you need to teach about energy, from the science of fossil fuels to alternative energy sources. And that’s just for starters! We’ll keep updating the website with the latest and greatest energy conservation news and information.

We will also tell you what conservation events are going on in the community, such as the City of Houston’s Green building tours or the next NEED workshop for teachers. Energy in the News will keep you up to date on the exciting developments in energy.

You might be wondering why were doing all this. One answer is we want children and adults to be excited about science and learning. Another reason is that because the electrical demand of the country will grow by 30% in the next 25 years, we need an alterative to putting up coal fired power plants. Another might be the deep-seated need to be responsible and use what we have wisely, which includes not using electricity when we don’t need it.

What can you do to have access to this plethora of important information? That’s the easy part. The kick off will be at the museum on October 9th and will be free. We’ll have Billy B singing and dancing (my favorite is the water cycle) and lots of hands on activities and information. After the 9th you’ll be able to access all the information for free. The choices you make today will create the possibilities of tomorrow.

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

Generously supported by Marathon Oil Corporation

You may have heard the big news. The Houston Museum of Natural Science is forming a new energy conservation initiative!

On October 9th, the Houston Museum of Natural Science will kick off its new Energy Conservation Club website. The Kick Off will include Billy B, hands on activities, information on conservation, and more! All for free!

All this to kick off what will become the central clearing house for energy conservation education, the Energy Conservation Club website.

Recycled Art photo credit: clementine mom

So what is an Energy Conservation Club (ECC)? An ECC is a group formed at a school, home school, church, or other organization to help people promote energy conservation. They will promote energy conservation through actions; energy audits of home and school, experiments to show how much energy can be saved, plays about energy conservation, short stories, and energy conservation and recycle art. These are just a few ways to promote energy conservation. The sky’s not even the limit.

Do people who want to promote energy conservation have to form a club to use the website? No. We encourage clubs and extracurricular activities, but a teacher could just as easily assign her class an energy conservation project or use the materials on the website in any way. A fun energy conservation project could also be entered into the NEED’s Youth Awards. A great way to do two projects for the energy of one.

There is also nothing stopping individuals from using the website. If you just want to learn a way to save money on your electrical bill, you’re more than welcome to visit us. We would love for you to tell us about it, so we could share your stories with others and encourage them.

photo credit: aloshbennett

What exactly will the website contain? It will have energy conservation tips updated regularly to help you save electricity and money. Grand philosophical thoughts such as “Turn the lights off when you leave the room.” We explain how to read an electrical bill and a meter. We tell how a smart grid differs from a smart meter. We’ll also show you the math and calculations behind how to choose which light bulb you should use. In addition, there will be all the information you need to teach about energy, from the science of fossil fuels to alternative energy sources. And that’s just for starters! We’ll keep updating the website with the latest and greatest energy conservation news and information.

We will also tell you what conservation events are going on in the community, such as the City of Houston’s Green building tours or the next NEED workshop for teachers. Energy in the News will keep you up to date on the exciting developments in energy.

You might be wondering why were doing all this. One answer is we want children and adults to be excited about science and learning. Another reason is that because the electrical demand of the country will grow by 30% in the next 25 years, we need an alterative to putting up coal fired power plants. Another might be the deep-seated need to be responsible and use what we have wisely, which includes not using electricity when we don’t need it.

What can you do to have access to this plethora of important information? That’s the easy part. The kick off will be at the museum on October 9th and will be free. We’ll have Billy B singing and dancing (my favorite is the water cycle) and lots of hands on activities and information. After the 9th you’ll be able to access all the information for free. The choices you make today will create the possibilities of tomorrow.

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

Lois’ flower has died back, but the Cockrell Butterfly Center still has many amazing flowers blooming right now!

Although not all as rare as the corpse flower, the rainforest in the butterfly center is made up of hundreds of hard-to-find tropical plant species, most of which (but not all) come from Central and South America. We have many different varieties of orchids and bromeliads that bloom at different times of the year, so there is always something new to see at the Cockrell Butterfly Center!

What’s Blooming Now?

Bromeliad – Billbergia nutans
Bromeliads are a very diverse family of plants. We currently have nine different genera, and many different species, of bromeliads growing in the butterfly center. Most of them are epiphytes but we do have a few terrestrial genera including, everyone’s favorite, Ananus comosum, aka pineapple.

Billbergia nutans

Orchids
The Orchid family is the second largest family of flowering plants, consisting of around 25,000 species. Different orchids bloom at different time through out the year, so no matter what season you are sure to see at least a couple species of orchids in bloom at the Cockrell Butterfly Center. Also, keep an eye out for our vanilla orchid, not in bloom right now, but still a fascinating vine.

Cattleya

Cymbidium

Oncidium

Phalaenopsis

Ginger
The butterfly center has many different species of ginger, most of which stay in bloom all year round. However, the Torch Ginger, Etlingera elatior, only occasionally flowers, and right now it is putting up three flower spikes, the tallest is over SIX FEET tall.

Etlingera elatior

Other Amazing Flowers

Medinilla
Medinilla is an epiphyte, meaning it attaches itself to trees or branches in the wild. From afar the flowers look like clusters of tiny pink grapes.

Medinilla

Medinilla

Nepenthes
Although not a flower, Nepenthes or Pitcher Plants are definitely a sight to behold. We currently have four species of pitcher plants, each with a slightly different color, size, and shape.

Nepenthes are carnivorous plants that eat mostly small insects such as ants and flies. For more information about pitcher plants refer to my previous blog: Beautiful, but Dangerous: the Fascinating Pitcher Plant.

Nepenthes

Warszewiczia coccinea
And we can’t forget about the butterflies favorite tree, Warszewiczia coccinea or Pride of Trinidad. This tree remains in bloom almost all year at the butterfly center, but it is putting on a fresh set of flowers right now, meaning the color is at its most vibrant. This tree is the butterflies’ favorite because each inflorescence actually contains hundreds of small yellow flower, each containing nectar for them.

Warszewiczia coccinea

And the list goes on! These are just a few of the amazing plants we have blooming in the Cockrell Butterfly Center right now. So come on down to HMNS and get a taste of a South American rainforest here in your own back yard.

Interested in learning more about plants? Read more of Zac’s posts and make sure to check out our live webcam feed tomorrow as Zac replants Lois, the famous corpse flower.

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

Secrets of the Silk Road opens in just two weeks! Join us opening weekend for a special, free family program: Camels of the Silk Road, from 12 – 4 pm. Camel connoisseur Doug Baum is bringing 6 camels to the Museum for a fascinating educational program. There will also be camel crafts for kids! Doug has given us a little preview of what’s to come on opening weekend in a guest post below.

Try applying for a bank loan, having to explain, “I’m a camel rancher.” Next time you’re on a flight and your seatmate makes small talk, asking about your job, answer with, “I guide camel treks in the Middle East.” Or, try convincing your father-in-law you’ll be able to take care of his daughter as you grow your camel business!

Now I’m tasked with introducing myself to you, the followers of the Houston Museum of Natural Science blog.

I’m Doug Baum, owner of Texas Camel Corps, a business (admittedly unconventional) dedicated to cultural, historical and environmental education using camels. My family will be bringing six of them to HMNS for an afternoon of programs on opening weekend of the Secrets of the Silk Road exhibition Saturday August 28, from noon to four o’clock. Programs will focus on the camel’s role in cultures along the historic paths as well as environmental adaptations the camel uses to survive in extreme climates.

This is really exciting for me, but it’s not the camels’ nor my first trip down the Silk Road. In 2002, when famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma helped organize the Smithsonian’s Annual Folklife Festival celebrating the Silk Road, I was honored to present programs on the National Mall for two weeks. Closer to home, our camels visit Texas schools, libraries, faith-based institutions and museums throughout the year.

Now I know those hardened camel men, as well as the camels working the oriental trade routes, had it tough: the varied conditions of plains, deserts and mountains are nothing to sneeze at, not to mention disease and banditry along the way. But as I plan my camels’ next journey down the Silk Road, the logistics I have to consider carry their own challenges. Hauling six camels from our farm in Central Texas to Houston may not be like going from Xi’an to the shores of the Mediterranean, but I bet my pre-trip checklist isn’t that different. Water, check. Foodstuff, check. Camels, OOPS! I should introduce my camels. They’re really the stars of the show.

Along for the ride will be Irenie, Gobi, Richard, Marianne, Ibrahim, and Xi’an (yes, really!). Gobi and Xi’an are appropriately-named Bactrian camels, the two humped variety native to Central Asia, while the other four are Arabians, the more common and numerous one-humped species found from North Africa through the Middle East and into India. I’ve decided to bring both species, as well as a variety of camel-related artifacts representative of the different societies living along the length of the Silk Road, to demonstrate just how widespread and varied the cultures along the routes were.

But back to the camels. Each has its own personality and my family and I will be happy to help you get to know them. You may hear stories from my 10-year old son, Pecos, about why Irenie is his favorite. Teenaged daughters Vanessa and Delany will likely tell you they prefer Ibrahim, our beautiful white camel, and that this is actually Ibrahim’s second trip to Houston. A few years ago, he traveled into an underground service entry, up steps, through corridors and onto a freight elevator before greeting travel convention goers outside the doors of a hotel ballroom!

Maybe those Silk Road camel men didn’t have it so tough after all.

Our family looks forward to meeting you when our humble caravan rolls into Houston. In the meantime, come visit us online, on Facebook, our blog, and our web site.

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

The Silk Road, a series of trade routes extending thousands of miles through which people, ideas and goods moved East to West, crossed high mountain ranges and extensive deserts. Its very existence is a testimony to mankind’s never-ending desire to explore.

“The mummies on display in the Silk Road exhibit underscore the great antiquity of these migrations,” said Dirk, our curator of anthropology. “This is what makes this exhibit so interesting.”

Well, that and the 150 stunning, ancient artifacts discovered along this famed passage – including some of the most astonishingly well-preserved human remains ever discovered. Even at 3,800 years old, “The Beauty of Xiaohe” continues to turn heads (see below). Over 100 mummies like her were discovered in China’s Tarim Basin, wearing Western-influenced textiles and possessing surprising technologies and customs. Not only is the identity of these extraordinary people a mystery – but they prove that there was trade in both goods and genes in this region almost 2,000 years before the passage was previously thought to have been in use.

The Beauty of Xiaohe, stunningly well-preserved at 3,800 years old.

So…got questions? I know I do! The Museum is hosting an Online Chat with our curator of anthropology, Dirk Van Tuerenhout, on Tuesday, August 24 at 7 p.m. You can ask questions and get a preview of this astonishing exhibition.

Silk Road Online Chat!
Tuesday, Aug. 24 at 7 pm
Register

Can’t wait? Post your questions in the comments section below! Dirk will address all questions during the event and in a q&a post following it. 

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

Dung beetles are perhaps some of the most well known insects throughout the world. They have played a role in pop culture, in literature and they were the quintessential image of the sacred scarab beetle in Ancient Egypt. Now, we are the proud owners of two separate species of dung beetles! I have always thought dung beetles were neat, but it was not until i saw them in action that they completely stole my heart!

Many people don’t realize exactly how crucial dung beetles are to our environment. They are responsible for not only waste removal, but they enrich the soil by recycling the nutrients back into the earth. They also eliminate breeding sources for important pests such as flies, that can pester and even harm livestock.

We are very lucky to have several species of dung beetles native to the United States. They save the country around 380 million dollars a year by removing the waste themselves! Some countries are not as fortunate. Australia, for example introduced 23 species of dung beetles from South Africa and Europe between 1965 and 1985 to help improve the quality of their pastures. The beetles also cut the population of bush flies, a major pest there, by 90%! Many other developing countries have benefited from dung beetles which have improved standards of hygiene.

Most dung beetles feed exclusively on feces of herbivores and omnivores. They can be divided into 3 categories: roller, tunnelers, and dwellers. Rollers are the most charismatic of the three and are very fun to watch. They will construct a perfectly round ball of dung and roll it away from the pile. Usually a male and female can be seen together with a ball, although the male does most of the work while the female hitchhikes! Once they find a suitable spot, they bury the ball. The female lays an egg inside the ball and the larva feeds and develops inside. Tunnelers simply bury the dung they find, and dwellers live inside of the dung.

We have acquired a species that is a roller, Canthon pilularius, and one that is a tunneler, Phanaeus igneus. Canthon Pilularius are also known as tumblebugs. As soon as I gave them dung, they started to construct and roll balls around. They have kept me entertained for a long time as they are extremely comical to watch! Phanaeus igneus are also known as rainbow scarabs and are beautiful beetles with a metallic red head and thorax and a metallic green abdomen. The major males have a long horn extending back towards their abdomen. They do not roll, but they are very active and visible on the surface of the substrate and can be seen busily preparing their burrows in hopes for a mate. I was able to capture both species on video and it was so cute I just had to share!

photo credit: swanksalot a depiction of Khepri, the sun god

Probably the most interesting thing about dung beetles is their role in Ancient Egyptian culture. Simply known as the scarab, it’s image represented transformation, renewal, and rebirth and can be found throughout Egyptian religious and funerary art. They were linked to the god of the rising sun, also known as Khepri. Khepri was said to, as the dung beetle rolls balls of dung, roll the sun across the sky and into the underworld at night, only to safely return it to the sky each day. The god was often depicted as a whole scarab or a man with a scarab for a head. Images of the scarab have been found all around Ancient Egypt. They are usually small beads carved from bone, ivory, stone, or even precious metals. Similar beads can still be found today in bead shops! These scarabs would often accompany the dead into the afterlife by being placed on the chest of the deceased during entombment. They were known as heart stones, the most famous of which was was found buried with Tutankhamen. They were to help protect the soul in the afterlife. Other images of the scarab were very large and sometimes contained long inscriptions. Some of these massive sculptures can be seen at the Luxor Temple and many other places in Egypt.

photo credit: marioanima a Scarab Sculpture

The Ancient Egyptians were very smart to revere this little beetle, even though, at the time, they didn’t know exactly how important they were to the environment. Many insects play an important symbolic role in ancient cultures and for good reason. I don’t even want to imagine where we would be without beneficial insects such as these. Every little bug, down to the most annoying or insignificant (to us) plays a crucial role in the delicate balance of nature. We all should realize this as our ancestors did!

You can celebrate the legacy of the dung beetle by coming to see them on display at the Cockrell Butterfly Center along with many other fascinating creatures. Until next time, happy bug watching!

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

Have you ever wanted to see a robot up close and personal?  How about Rodney Copperbottom from the animated movie Robots?  C-3PO?  Gort?  Well now is your chance!  Opening today at the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land is ROBOTS: The Interactive Exhibition!  You can learn how robots work, build your own bots, experience scenes from the movie Robots, even get a glimpse of how robots will affect our future.

And if you are lucky you might even get a chance to meet Rodney Copperbottom himself!

The show will be open from August 13 – October 24 so you have plenty of time to visit and then come back to play again and again. And while you are here you can also see so much more like Stan the T-Rex, live Frogs, sparkling geodes, and a planetarium show!

Also, on Saturday August 14 we will be hosting our first Second Saturday event, ROBOTS RULE from 10 am to 2 pm.  You will have to chance to meet a real robotics engineer from NASA, get your face painted, and even help out the University of Houston’s robotics teams with their Vex Robots.  Also, we want you to come dressed as your favorite robot or create a robot of your own for a costume contest!  We are even giving out free “Robots Rule” buttons to the first 25 patrons!

Tickets for the exhibit may be purchased online. For more information, visit the museum’s web site at www.hmns.org or call (281) 313-2277.  The ROBOTS RULE event is included with museum admission.

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

As we prepare to host an exciting exhibit on Western China, one of the main attractions will be two mummies found in the Taklimakan desert. I anticipate that a lot of attention will be showered on the Beauty of Xiaohe and on a child mummy. In this blog I would like to talk about the Tarim Basin and the Taklimakan Desert, backdrop to the mummies and the artifacts in the exhibit.

Now, imagine a place far, far away….

photo credit:Kmusser Map of the Tarim Basin in Western China

The Tarim Basin is located in China’s far western the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and measures 400,000 km2 (150,000 sq mi). This makes it similar in size to Germany and Switzerland combined or 57 % of the size of Texas.

Taklamakan desert in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. photocredit:Pravit

Geography buffs will know that it borders on Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, India and China-administered Tibet. It is home to the world’s third lowest point below sea level, with Lake Assal in the Afar Depression making up the second lowest) and the Dead Sea being the lowest point on Earth.

The Talkimakan (or Taklamakan) desert makes the area one of the driest in the world as well, with an annual rainfall of 0.5 inch. The Taklimakan has an arid continental climate with long cold winters and short hot summers. This is the result of its location in the interior of Asia and near enclosure of the basin by some of the highest snow-covered mountains on Earth.  The satellite image below illustrates this point well.

Among these mountain ranges we find (starting in the south and moving clockwise on the first map shown in this blog): the Kunlun Shan, the Pamir and Tien Shan Mountains. The Kunlun Shan mountain range counts four mountains higher than 7,000 m, the Pamir range counts two such mountains and the Tian Shan mountains has one. In comparison, the tallest mountain in the Rocky Mountains is Mount Elbert, at 4402 m above sea level. The tallest mountain in the US, Mount McKinley, is 6193 meters high.

The basin gets its name from the Tarim River, the longest inland river in China and the second largest inland river in the world (second only to the Volga River). Fed by the melting snows from the mountains, the river never reaches any ocean, instead disgorging its waters in the Taklimakan Desert itself . About a century ago, the river reached as far as Lop Nor, now a dry lake and home to the Lop Nor salt works.

Given the remoteness of this area, Lop Nor also served as China’s nuclear weapons testing grounds. Our upcoming exhibit, Secrets of the Silk Road pre-dates the nuclear age by several millennia. In a next installment, we will tackle the topic of the Silk Road, starting with “what does Silk Road mean?”

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

This past Saturday, HMNS was taken over by 200+ developers, bloggers and assorted other geeks (so, you know – normal Saturday for Houston’s first WordCamp – a one-day conference for people who work with WordPress, a popular open source software for blogging and building web sites.

Even if you don’t think you are familiar with it, you probably are: according to WordPress, more than 260 million people worldwide visit one or more WordPress blogs every month – in fact, you’re reading one right now!

Kelsey Ruger (@themoleskin) preps for his packed panel, Rebirth of Slick, in Classroom 8 on the lower level of HMNS. Photo taken by BrettMorrison on Flickr and shared in the HMNS Flickr pool.

From a keynote by WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg to sessions on everything from “must have plugins” to inspiring case studies from Andrea White and a thought-provoking discussion of the differences between journalists and bloggers – it was a fascinating day. Check out the blog posts below for what attendees thought about the event!

Mike McGuff recaps his “Journalist v Blogger” panel with the Chronicle’s Dean Betz - a fascinating discussion of the new FTC Online Disclosure Law that ended up giving us all a glimpse into the future of the Houston Chronicle.

Shawn Quinn gives us an “its-like-you-were-there” recap of WordCamp 2010 - I found it personally fascinating since he attended many of the panels I didn’t make it to.  And, he came to the HMNS panel – thanks, Shawn!

Caitlyn Kaluza shared her takeaways from the day, including highlights from Kelsey Ruger’s presentation, The Rebirth of Slick, like: “Market research doesn’t tell you what you should be doing, it only gives you a picture of what has been done in the past.”

Kelsey Ruger himself tells us “Why Design is Cool,” and why he insists that “‘design’ has little or nothing to do with ‘art.’”

Many of the panels were standing room only, and Judy said “I was going to have to spend an hour on my feet, I would go see the Archaeopteryx fossil that was on exhibit.”

Messanonymous got into the sold-out conference by volunteering – and had a tech adventure.

Katie Laird brings us WordCamp cupcakes! And the assertion that “ it was AWESOME.” (Truth.)

Chris Olbekson posted the slides from his presentation “Optimizing WordPress for Performance.”

Not at all surprisingly, a conference about a blogging software generated quite a few posts (many more than what you see linked here, a not-so-random sample) as well as tweets about the event – so if you missed it, read on! We had a blast hosting – and attending – the event and are thrilled to see so many people had a great experience. Thanks to everyone who came out – hope to see you again at WordCamp 2011!

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

Our Archaeopteryx show has bedazzling fossils – the only Archaeopteryx skeleton in the New World, complete with clear impressions of feathers. Plus frog-mouthed pterodactyls, fast-swimming Sea Crocs, and slinky land lizards. Today we learn about the different types of Pterodactyls that have been found at Solnhofen.

The Jurassic Air Was Full of Wings!

The First ‘Dactyl Ever Discovered – 1784, Solnhofen
In that year, Cosimo Collini thoroughly scrutinized a perfect skeleton of a curious creature preserved in the Solnhofen lithographic stone.

Jaws: long, slender, with sharp teeth.
Arms: very long, with an extraordinary finger that could be stretched out and  folded up.
Tail: very short.
Inner construction: bones hollow, like a bird’s.

Verdict: Not a bird, not a bat, but a new life form, never seen before.

More studies produced the name: “Wing-Finger,” Pterodactylus.

Solnhofen gave science a dozen more ‘dactyl species, some as large as a big seagull. Other Jurassic salt-water deposits produced specimens in England and France. Solnhofen still gave the best preserved ‘dactys. Some had the clear impression of the wing skin, connected to the single long finger on each hand.

Science Marches….BACKWARDS!

William Buckland

Pterodactyl science has made a giant U-Turn in the last decades. Way back in the 1820’s, the best minds of paleontology were convinced that ‘dactyls walked and flew like bats. The Reverend William Buckland – “Mr. Jurassic” in England – drew up cartoons of Pterodactylus hanging onto cliffs like a bat, and fluttering over the Solnhofen lagoon with bat-style wings. His German colleagues agreed:  in design of wings and hind feet, ‘dactyls were definitely batty.

Then came the New Wave of ‘dactyl research in the 1970’s. Young Ivy League scholars went “tsk, tsk….that silly old Buckland. He was wrong.  Dactyls were really built like birds. All dactyls walked upright on their hind legs. They didn’t scuttle about in a bat manner.”

And so textbooks were revised. ‘Dactyls stood up and walked like Jurassic pigeons.

Footprints Back Buckland
But in 1980, a new set of evidence emerged – fossil tracks.  If the New Wave was right, then ‘dactyl tracks should look like bird tracks. The left and right hind feet should have swung back and forth close together, and the hands should have been kept off the ground.

Surprise! Fossil tracks made by small dactyls and by big ‘dactyls showed hind feet that were held out sideways. And the hands were flat on the ground! “Dactyls walked like………BATS!

The case is closed. Hundreds of trackways and bio-mechanical studies of shoulder and hips say the same thing. ‘Dactyls moved on all fours when on the ground, like bats.

Pterodactylus – Sand-Piper ‘Dactyl
The original ‘dactyl, the first species discovered..

Pterodactylus was the commonest ‘dactyl at Solnhofen. No bigger than a tiny sand-piper, Pterodactylus had extra long arms and neck and a compact body with almost no tail.

The thin jaws could be used to snatch small fish. Or the snout might have been used to probe the sand flats, like a shore bird, searching for hidden worms and baby clams.

The long neck, arms and short tail are proof that Pterodactylus was a Jurassic cousin of the enormous ‘dactyls of the Cretaceous, including the Texas Quetzalcoatlus.

Rhamphorhynchus – The Devil-Tailed ‘Dactyl
Rhamphorhynchus was a flying Fish-Trap. The jaws carried long, sharp teeth that slanted forward, and the tips of the snout and lower jaw were pointed too. This ‘dactyl  could dive down on the water and use its strong neck to throw the muzzle at fish and impale them.

The short arms made the wingstroke slower but more powerful than in Pterodactylus, so maximum speed was less but maneuverability was greater.

The long, bony tail was tipped with a vertical rudder of skin, reinforced by stiff fibers.

Mysterious Extinction
Long-tailed ‘dactyls went extinct in the Early Cretaceous and all the common ‘dactyl species of the Cretaceous were short-tailed relatives of Pterodactylus.  Why did the long-tails die out? What gave the short-tails their superiority?

The final extinction of all ‘dactyls struck when the last dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago, at the very end of the Cretaceous.

Anurognathus - Frog-Mouthed Mini-‘Dactyl
Jewel of the Solnhofen Exhibit.

Rarest of the rare, with only two specimens known, is the famous “Frog-Mouthed ‘Dactyl,” Anurognathus.

The Frog-Mouth breaks all the ‘dactyl rules. It’s super-tiny, half the size of Pterodactylus and about as bulky as the average little brown bat that hovers over Texas meadows today. And unlike nearly all other ‘dactyls, the Frog-Mouth doesn’t have a long snout. Instead the mouth is short and very wide.

The Frog-Mouth design is what we’d expect from an aerial insect-hunter, a ‘dactyl that hunted the dragon-flies and beetles of the tropical Jurassic sky. The short tail and abbreviated wrist bones would make quick turns easy. The wide mouth would work like a bug-trap.

Night Flier?
Anurognathus had the biggest eyes for it’s head size of any Solnhofen ‘dactyl. The acute visual system is a clue to unusual habits. Perhaps the Frog-Mouth was an insect-eater who flew in the darkness. More insects get airborne in the evening than during the daylight, so there would be more targets. And the eyes would have to be enlarged to detect  prey in low-light environments.

Don’t miss Archaeopteryx: Icon of Evolution, currently on display at HMNS. Want to learn more? Check out our previous blogs on Archaeopteryx.

So excited that we can finally post this – our time lapse video of Lois the corpse flower’s amazing growth. (Uber-THANK YOU to Allison, who pulled together over 3000 – !!! – photos to create it).

As you know, Lois took much longer to bloom that expected, so we actually cut many of the beginning images in order to get right to the good stuff. My favorite part about this particular time lapse – and what sets it apart from those done by @JulythePhotoGuy for the Houston Chronicle and David Phillips for the AP (which are also excellent) – is you guys! Our camera was at a very different angle than the others, so you can see the crowds lining up through the glass behind Lois, as well as tons of people getting up close to Lois and getting pictures with her. It really speaks to the community nature of the entire event, so once again, THANK YOU for sharing it with us.

And – if you see yourself, leave us a comment with the time stamp of where you show up

Can’t see the video? Click here.

Now, for the exciting upcoming Lois events!

Repotting Lois!
HMNS Greenhouses
Date/Time TBD (by Lois)

Lois is moving on! Through her life cycle, that is. On Aug. 2, 2010 we moved her from the Butterfly Center back to her home in the Greenhouses. Her tuber has continued to reabsorb material from her epic bloom in preparation to go dormant. Once the bloom completely falls off the plant, Lois will need to be repotted so that her tuber can continue to grow. All of this will be taking place in the HMNS Greenhouses, at a time and date yet to be determined (we have to wait until Lois is ready!)

We will be opening up 25 free tickets to attend this event, which will be given out via lottery. If your name is selected, you’ll be able to go behind the scenes in the HMNS Greenhouses (not normally open to the public) and get a first-hand view of the next stage in Lois lifecycle. Plus, our horticulturists will be on hand to answer questions.

Click here to register for the lottery - and keep in mind that this event will probably take place on a weekday – so please only register if you think you would likely be able to attend.

Lois Lecture with Horticulturists Zac Stayton (@hortzac) and Soni Holladay
Wednesday, Sept. 8 at 6:30 pm

Zac is going to give us the inside scoop on the entire Lois phenomena – from our discovery that she was blooming this year through her move back to the greenhouse. Both Zac and Soni will be available to answer all your corpse flower questions – and perhaps sign a few Lois t-shirts? Hope to see you there! (Tickets are limited, so get yours now!)

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

Throughout the years there have been many different versions of “smart” electronics. Movies are full of ‘evil’ and ‘good’ appliances, from Robbie the Robot to R2-D2. And even some that are just part of the background, like most of the robots in Star Wars and Wall-E. The energy industry has also started to toss around ‘smart’ terms. Not just things like Ohm’s law or Restricted-Universe Census, but smart meters and smart grids. So what are they? Are they the same or are they different? What does “smart” mean?

First of all, smart is not an indication of how well a meter or a grid does on an intelligence test, how many times they beat me at checkers, or how well they plot to overthrow humans and use us as batteries. It has to deal with how well they respond with real time stimuli. Can the system adjust in a real time fashion; can it be run correctly by automation?

A smart meter is like any other electrical meter. It reads how much electricity you use, in terms of Kilowatt hours. The information that the smart meter can give you is far more than a Thomas meter. A smart meter can tell you in real time how much electricity you are using at any given moment. It can also show you your electrical usage over time. You can see when you use the most electricity (probably right after you come home). Armed with that data you can make informed decisions, such as deciding if you want air-conditioning to come on when you get home at 5 p.m. or if you want to avoid peak hours and have the air-conditioning running from 4 – 5 p.m. But a smart grid is something completely different.

photo credit: Neuwieser

Even though the electrical grid has been growing for over 100 years , it has yet to become smart. The current grid is set for a “use it or loose it” grid. That means that the grid should always have enough electricity to power everything that is currently on it. This creates two types of electrical generation. One is base load and the other is peak load. Base load is what is always on the grid. This is mostly created using coal fired power plants. A Coal fired plant takes a lot of energy to start up, but once you get it going it is easy to keep it going. Because of that coal fired plants are always burning coal. So when you’re at work and the refrigerator is still on, it’s part of the base load. Most of the time the base load handles all our electricity needs. However if there is a large spike of electrical usage, such as the one around 5 p.m. when most people get off of work, the base load is not enough. This is when they can bring on fast startup plants, usually using natural gas as the fuel, and supply the electricity during peak times.

The current grid is rigged for redundancy. The current electrical grid has grown up to offer multiple paths for electricity. This means that if one area of the grid goes down, the electricity can be maneuvered around the broken part. What that means in practice is that just because an area near you looses power, your power may not be interrupted.

Why would a smart grid be better? For our current grid we use mostly large scale power generation plants, but the smart grid would easily incorporate lots of small residential power generators like small solar panels on roofs and small wind turbines. The small solar panel and wind turbines on the current grid are unable to provide all your electrical needs. Even though they take in electricity all day long, they only have available what they are taking in at the moment. If there were a way to store all the electricity that they take in during the day when you aren’t using electricity, then it would help with the electricity you need, especially during peak times. Also in a smart grid, if you had an excess of electricity you could sell it to a power company. You could even sell it directly to people who need the electricity. You would go from one who can only consume, to a producer, seller and consumer of electricity.

photo credit: Mike Weston

How can a smart grid help us save money on our electric bills? Currently most electrical companies charge a single rate for electricity. That means that you pay a constant price for a kilowatt hour. The real cost of electricity is always in flux. The price has to do with what time of day it is, what season, what it was priced at yesterday, which power plants are down for maintenance, which ones have been reopened, the weather and many other variables. A smart grid would allow us to purchase electricity in real time. What if power plant B is selling electricity cheaper than power plant B at 3 a.m.? What if power plant A sells cheaper electricity at 2 p.m. than it does at 5 p.m.? Which one would you like to buy electricity from? When would you buy your electricity if you could store it? It gets even more exciting by adding smart appliances. What if you could tell you dishwasher to only wash dishes during the night if the cost of a kilowatt hour fell to a certain price? What if your water heater could find you a better price for the electricity used to heat water for your morning shower?

So is it green? What do we mean by green, it looks like cooper to me. The real question is how can this help save the environment and money (or if you’re more cynical, money and the environment). A smart grid would have the ability to allow small scale renewables to have a larger effect. In a system where a lot of electrical production would be done on residential or small communal solar cells, wind farms, tidal farms, or back yard geothermal plants, the need for large scale power plants would diminish. Large scale power plants will never be done away with. Mother Nature is far too capricious for that.

photo credit: frankh

Why do we need to change the grid if it works? The electrical needs for the country are expected to grow 30 % over the next 25 years. That prediction is counting on nothing new happening. What happens if we all switch to the electric cars during that time? Gasoline prices would drop, but electrical prices would rise, because electricity would replace gasoline as the fuel of choice. Right now that would mean building more and more coal plants.

On a smart grid, with most households having some small renewable power generation, the rise in electrical need may not lead to the building of more coal fired power plants.

So how long will this take? So far it has taken over 100 years to get to where we are today. When electricity first started being used most power plants where small and only provided enough electricity for a few buildings. Over time it became cheaper and more reasonable to have power generation on a larger scale. While this would not require us to reinvent the electrical grid, it would mean upgrading all of it. And all that would take more then four years.

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

photo credit: judy_breck

As massive trees were unsustainably logged for the timber trade, the last stable Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) populations began declining during the 1930’s as their vital nest trees disappeared, as noted by Arthur Allen, James Tanner and George Kellogg, ‘Ivorybill’ scientists who actively studied the species beginning over 75 years ago. (You can listen to a recording of the bird taken in 1935 by Arthur Allen by clicking here.) With a couple of possible unconfirmed sightings in Cuba and the southeastern United States over the last couple of decades, there were many individuals who wanted desperately to believe this bird still existed.  Then a brief and controversial video clip was captured by David Luneau in 2004 in the Cache River Basin of Arkansas.  After a quiescent period of serious planning, the scientists, led by Cornell Lab of Ornithology Director John Fitzpatrick, announced in a press conference that the Ivory-billed Woodpecker has been rediscovered.  The events that followed that press conference are numerous and represent a fascinating ribbon weaving American history, culture, raging debate, and the true power of one word – hope.

Ghost Bird is a timely documentary that highlights the fascinating yet highly controversial issue revolving around the rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker.  Following an official selection of film festivals in Toronto, San Francisco, New York City, London and Rome, Ghost Bird has been honored with the 2009 Golden Eagle and the Southern Soul of Independent Film Award.  Clearly, this special film is revered by audiences with varying interests, not strictly birdwatchers and Ornithologists.

It is with much enthusiasm that I announce this movie playing here at HMNS on Thursday, August 19 — the only scheduled viewing in east Texas and surrounding areas.  For more information about the film you can watch the trailer below. To learn more about the showing at HMNS click here (if it is sold out, check back because we will try to offer additional show times). 

Can’t see the video? Click here.

Here is what the critics are saying about Ghost Bird:

“Comic, mesmerizing and deeply poignant… reminiscent of the work of Errol Morris.” 
- Brian Johnson, Senior Entertainment Writer, Maclean’s

“Excellent, informative and balanced, while also being very entertaining.” 
- Dr. James Rising, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology,
University of Toronto and American Ornithologist’s Union Fellow

“Beautifully crafted, heartbreaking, ironic and infuriating… It’s a stunner.”
- Michael Fox, NPR San Francisco
 
“It’s a fascinating story, with all sorts of twists and turns… the most compelling aspect of the film is the message it carries about bird conservation and our essential role in stewarding the birds and habitats that are in our control.”             
                – Graham Chisholm, Executive Director, California Audubon

“With the Pixies piped in to the background of the trailer, you know this is going to be one memorable documentary.”
 - Dr. Dan Brooks, Curator of Vertebrate Zoology, Houston Museum of Natural Science

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

This month the great planet race continues, as Venus, Mars and Saturn form a triangle in the west.  Watch the triangle change shape each night as Venus overtakes Saturn and then Mars!

Venus is by far the brightest of the three planets.  Face west at dusk and look for a point of light that outshines everything in the night sky.

Saturn and Mars are to the upper left of Venus as August opens.  Mars is below Saturn and a bit to its left.  Although these two planets of similar brightness are much dimmer than Venus, they outshine all the other stars near them.

Observe all three carefully throughout August and watch as their configuration changes.  Mars aligned with Saturn last Saturday (July 31) and now begins to move farther to Saturn’s left.  Venus, moving faster than the other two, continues to approach from the right; it will pass Saturn on August 8.  Venus then continues to gain on Mars as they both move away from Saturn.  Venus finally overtakes Mars on August 19-20.  On the night of August 31, Venus and Mars are to either side of the star Spica in Virgo.

Jupiter is now a late evening object, rising by 11 p.m now and by 8:45 p.m. at month’s end.  It outshines all stars in the sky, so it’s easy to find.  Face east in late evening or south southwest at dawn to see it.

The Big Dipper is in the northwest at dusk. You can extend the curve of its handle to ‘arc to Arcturus’ and then ‘speed on to Spica’.  These stars are in the west at dusk tonight.  Arcturus, by the way, is the fourth brightest star we ever see at night, but the brightest one Americans ever see on an August evening.  Spica is in Virgo, the constellation where this month’s ‘planet race’ occurs.

In the east, look for the enormous Summer Triangle, consisting of the stars Deneb, Vega, and Altair.   This triangle is up all night long from June to early August, hence its name.  Scorpius, the Scorpion, is in the south at dusk.  Sagittarius, the Archer, known for its ‘teapot’ asterism, is to its left.  Between these two star patterns is the center of our Milky Way—the brightest part of that band as wee see it.  On a cloudless night far from the big city, see if you notice the Milky Way glow near the ‘teapot’ of Sagittarius.  In late evening, look for the Great Square of Pegasus rising in the east.

Moon Phases in August 2010:

Last Quarter                        August 3, 12:00 a.m.

New Moon                              August 9, 10:08 p.m.

1st Quarter                           August 16, 1:14 p.m.

Full Moon                              August 24, 12:05 p.m.

photo credit: aresauburn™

On Friday morning, August 13, the Earth passes through a stream of debris left long ago by Comet Swift-Tuttle.  This produces the Perseid Meteor Shower, one of the best meteor showers each year.   The Perseids occur every year at about this time, producing on average about one meteor per minute.  Keep in mind that even a short period such as a minute can seem longer if you are waiting for something to happen.  Since Earth is running into the meteors, not the other way around, the leading edge of the Earth encounters the shower.  This is the side going from night into day.  Accordingly, we see more meteors as dawn approaches.  Big city lights or the Moon can limit the meteors you see by dimming out fainter ones.  This August, however, the New Moon is on the 10th, giving us a skinny crescent on the 12th which sets long before the shower really gets going.  The main challenge, then, is to avoid city lights.

If skies that night are clear, our George Observatory will open Thursday night, August 12 at 9pm and remain open until dawn for observing the shower.  If you come out to George or go elsewhere, you’ll want to lie on your back (to see as much of the sky as at once as possible) and orient yourself towards the constellation Perseus.  (The shower is called the ‘Perseids’ because they seem to radiate from that constellation.)  Perseus rises in the northeast at dusk and is high in the north at dawn.

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

Lois, our corpse flower, has provoked most questions than perhaps anything we have ever had on display. And while we have been answering them on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and during a live chat with Zac, one of our horticulturists, we wanted to place them in a central location to make sure everyone had access to the information.  Nancy and Zac have both worked on answering all your questions and have combined their answers into the blog below.

From Vanessa (submitted on Facebook)
Is the vase shape flower for these plants more common than the bell shape? Can the plant vary flower shape (one flowering vase shape, next flowering bell shape)? Can we get some information on your other corpse flower (does it have a name, how old it is, how the museum got it, where it is located, can it be seen by the public)?

Nancy: There seems to be a fair amount of variation in how much the spathe opens.  Some seem to open down lower (forming a bell shape) and some up higher (vase shape).  I would say that the bell shape is probably more common, and is certainly the “classic” form usually shown in illustrations.

We are not sure if the flower of an individual plant can vary in its shape.  I am going to hazard a guess that “maybe.”  This was Lois’ first bloom.  Often the first blooms are not as large or as smelly as subsequent blooms.  Also, they are often sterile (no pollen) – and this was the case with Lois.

Remember she is quite young and small – only 7 yrs old, a 30 pound tuber.  Bigger flowers like Perry (from Gustavus Alophus College, who bloomed at the same time as Lois) are typically from older plants with larger tubers.  Perry’s first bloom was in 2007 – and this year his tuber weighs 100 pounds – considerably larger than Lois.

Our second corpse flower does not yet have a name (it seems they are traditionally christened once they start to produce a bloom).  It is about 20 pounds now (the tuber).  We got it a few years ago from Stephen F. Austin State University (home of “Big Jack”).  It, like Lois, is normally kept up in our greenhouses where Soni (or greenhouse horticulturist) cares for them.  The greenhouses are not open to the public, sorry!

A closeup of Lois’ spathe from very early in her blooming process. See a full set of Lois photos on Flickr.

From Sandy (submitted during our Live Chat)
Are you doing a time release video so we can see Lois’ growth and blooming?

Eds.: We are working on a time lapse video; ours isn’t quite ready, but luckily there are several that have already been posted: the Houston Chronicle’s time lapse , produced by Julio Cortez (@JulyThePhotoGuy aka #redshirtguy) as well as this one from the Associated Press.

From Michelle (submitted during our Live Chat)
What is Lois’s life expectancy?

Nancy: According to the literature and other experts, the life expectancy of a titan arum is about 40 years.

From Sara (submitted during our Live Chat)
What is the longest recorded corpse flower bloom? Is Lois setting records?

Nancy: How long a corpse flower blooms depends on when you start measuring it, I’d guess.  I.e., we first noticed that Lois was going to produce an inflorescence rather than a leaf this year at around the end of June.  From July 3 until she bloomed on July 23 she grew very fast (from 31 to 69 inches tall, and from 14 to 39 inches around), and you could certainly see the spathe and spadix as they developed.  But the actual “bloom” – i.e., when the female flowers are receptive and the males are shedding their pollen – happens in only 24-48 hours.  So no, Lois was quite normal and did not set any records.

A closeup of Lois’ spathe a few days later. See a full set of Lois photos on Flickr.

From Marie (submitted during our Live Chat)
Would it be inappropriate to use the organic product “Hasta Gro” by Medina on Lois? I know it works well on the blooming plants I have used it on.

Zac: Hasta Gro would probably be a good fertilizer to use during the vegetative cycle. We have used Ocean’s Harvest organic fertilizer which is very similar. It is mostly fish emulsion and sea kelp.  We have recently heard from others who grow this species that fertlizer high in phosphates (eg., 15-30-15) is good to stimulate tuber growth.

From Carol (submitted during our Live Chat)
Where can I buy a corpse flower and how much would it cost me to put it in my greenhouse?

Nancy: You can buy corpse flower tubers from specialty nurseries (we got ours from a place called Plant Delights in NC) and probably also from private individuals who have collections.  Try searching for “Amorphophallus titanum tubers” online.  The cost depends somewhat, at least, on the size of the tuber.  Small tubers are cheaper than larger, older ones.  We paid $70 for ours six years ago, when it was walnut-sized. There are also several other Amorphophallus species available (e.g., A. konjac).

From Lisa (submitted during our Live Chat)
Do they ever have multiple flowers, or is it just one flower per plant?

Zac: A single tuber can only produce one single inflorescence, but the tubers can sometimes asexually propagate, and create multiple underground tubers, so if those tubers bloomed at the same time it could give the impression that one single plant was sending up multiple inflorescences

From Liz (submitted during our Live Chat)
How does the corpseflower get warm? What chemical reaction makes the heat and smell?

Nancy: Mitochondria-rich cells in the upper part of the spadix heat up to as much as 13 degrees celsius above ambient temperature.  This heating volatizes the pheromones produced by rows of sterile male flowers that are located inside the floral chamber immediately above the female flowers.  These pheromones apparently contain sulphur compounds.

See a full set of Lois photos on Flickr.

From Allison (submitted during our Live Chat)
When you don’t have a special plant, what does the life of an HMNS horticulturist consist of?

Zac: We have two horticulturists on staff, a greenhouse manager, and a conservatory horticulturist. The greenhouse manager takes care of propagation, fertilization and pest control of nectar plants for the butterflies, as well as some for our biannual plant sales. She also runs a butterfly rearing operation out of one of the greenhouses.  The conservatory horticulturist takes care of the plants in the butterfly center rainforest, which includes adding new plants, fertilizing, pest management and even hand-pollinating some tropical fruits.

From Michael (submitted during our Live Chat)
Why is it so rare?  Is the flower not very strong and resilient?

Zac: The plant is rare because of deforestation in its native habitat of western Sumatra. It also doesn’t help that the flower has to be cross pollinated by sweat bees and two flowers blooming at the same time may be many miles apart.

Getting closer! See a full set of Lois photos on Flickr.

From Carolyn (submitted during our Live Chat)
What will happen to the flower after the bloom?

Zac: After the inflorescence, or bloom, opens, it will stay open for a couple days, and then begin to wilt; during the wilting process the underground tuber will take back some of the nutrients and energy that it used to create the giant inflorescence, and store it back in the underground tuber. Once this is done the inflorescence will completely fall away, leaving nothing but a dormant underground tuber.

From Linda (submitted via the blog)
I saw one corpse flower online that was very close to the ground and it looked as if there were other blooms coming in the middle. It did not have a spathe in the middle like Lois. Can you tell me about that?

Rafflesia photo credit: Graham Racher

You probably saw a picture of a rafflesia. They are also referred to as corpse flowers, because they give off a very foul odor, and are also native to Sumatra. But they are not related and are in fact parasitic.

From Melissa (submitted via the blog)
Do they usually take about 10 years to bloom again?

Zac: The general rule of thumb is a Titan arum is capable of blooming for the first time after it reaches 7 years of age or 30 lbs. However, this does not mean it will bloom for certain. After the initial bloom they seem to take around 3 to 5 years to bloom again, but there is no concrete way of knowing.

From Justin (submitted via the blog)
I am curious about the decision to display Lois so soon and the ramifications that it may have had on her blooming. Do you think that by removing her from the greenhouse 2 weeks ago that it stunted her bloom and that the reason her bloom has the “wilt” characteristics is because the blooming process was impeded? If so, do you think that next time you will try housing her in a better environment before the actual blooming event? I think it is wonderful that Lois has been shared so much with the public, but there seems to be a lot of chatter online that the bloom has suffered because of the inadequate conditions of the viewing room. Is that true?

Nancy: Ideally, we would not have had to move the plant at all – but in order for people to be able to see her, we had to get her to a place more accessible than our rooftop greenhouses, which are not open to the public and where space is very cramped.  We wanted to move her before she got too far along/too tall.

What we are learning is that the first time a plant blooms, it is almost like a trial run for the plant.  Often the inflorescence is sterile (i.e., no pollen) – and this was the case with Lois.  Sometimes no odor is produced – and certainly Lois’ stench was much less pungent than I had expected.  I am guessing that maybe other things are also not fully developed – such as how much the spathe opens.  I am currently corresponding with other institutions that have had Titan arum blooms in order to see what their experience has been.  We are hoping for a much bigger show the next time Lois blooms (when she will be older and hopefully her tuber will be much larger).

Zac demonstrates how Lois’ spathe will open. See a full set of Lois photos on Flickr.

Sharon (submitted via the blog)
How is the staff going to do to protect themselves from the smell?

Nancy Lois’ odor was pretty wimpy this time – and this is apparently common in first-time blooms.  So this time, even at her stinkiest it was quite bearable to be in the same room with Lois.  We understand that these flowers can be quite pungent – in which case people use fans to disperse the scent, or don masks or air filters, etc.  If she was really potent we would certainly not go up to her and sniff deeply inside the spathe – as that apparently can be very unpleasant and even painful.  But this first time the odor was nothing to worry about.

From Ann (submitted via the blog)
Did you all think she would be this tall?

Nancy: We were very happy that Lois was this tall.  She is only 7 years old, and her tuber only weighs 30 pounds.  For her size, 69” tall was quite respectable.  Jack, who bloomed in Nacogdoches in 2004, was from a 26 pound tuber and was 64 inches tall.  Perry, who bloomed in Minnesota this year from a 100 pund tuber, was over 8 feet tall!  In a few years, when Lois’ tuber is larger, we will hope for a taller bloom.  The record bloom height in “captive” plants (i.e., not in nature) was nearly 10 feet, at a botanical garden in Germany.  Several others (Kew, Fairchild, etc.) have had 8 to 9 feet tall blooms.

Nancy (submitted via the blog)
I read on your information page about the plant that it is endangered in Sumatra. How many are held in botanical collections? Since it booms so rarely and unpredictably, wouldn’t it be good to pollinate it and see if you can increase the number of plants? I know it would close the flower, sad for us watching and visiting, but wouldn’t it be better for the plants?

Nancy: According to the records of publicized blooms of Titan arums, there are some 50 institutions world-wide (29 in the USA) that have had at least one plant of Amorphophallus titanum bloom since 1889 (since 1937 in the USA).  There are certainly many other unrecorded holdings, e.g., by private individuals.  Some of the botanical gardens actually have several individuals, so I would guess that the entire number around the world is several hundred plants.  Anyone with the money can acquire one of these plants as the tubers are available from individuals and specialty growers.

Regarding why we did not pollinate Lois – we were advised by the head of the botanical garden at Berkeley not to pollinate such a small, young plant.  Producing the flower, and then, if pollinated, the fruit, uses up a lot of the stored resources in the tuber.  He told us that sometimes small plants don’t recover and they die after fruiting.  We thus decided to enjoy Lois’ bloom without trying to pollinate her this time.  If and when she blooms again, hopefully when her tuber much larger, then we will attempt to pollinate her.  Interestingly, even if we had tried to pollinate her it might not have worked.  Her male flowers, at least, were sterile (no pollen was produced).

Rwl (submitted via the blog)
How do the plants propagate? If Lois were to be pollinated, would she produce seeds? What do they look like? How are they then distributed? Is there a corpse flower fruit (or fruiting body?)

Zac: The corpse flower can propagate asexually, from keiki developing off of the main tuber. Or if pollinated, the female flowers will develop into small red fruits about the size of cranberries, each containing 1-2 seeds. These fruits are then eaten by hornbills, and the seed redistributed across the rainforest.

Lois spathe begins to open. See a full set of Lois photos on Flickr.

Kara and Bella and Betsey (submitted via the blog)
Was it found as a seed or a plant, and how did it come to be in the museum?

Eddie Holik, head horticulturist here from 1994 to Jan 2010, bought the tuber from Plant Delights Nursery in North Carolina.  He had seen photos of this plant at Kew Gardens and elsewhere, and knew that when it bloomed it would be an amazing thing for people to see.  Of course, we did not know when, if ever, it would bloom – but sure enough she did!  And, as they say, the rest is history…

Carol (submitted via the blog)
Regarding the fourth paragraph in “What’s Up with Lois” – how can you pollinate the flower before it opens? I thought that was the whole point of flowering – pollination. Did you tell her you weren’t going to pollinate, so now in a snit, she is not opening? Or do the dung beetles in the wild burrow in BEFORE the plant opens and the stink results from successful pollination? Just curious. Also, since you were talking about gasses – does all the carbon dioxide being breathed out by the multitude of visitors have any effect on her, or are you pumping additional oxygen in during the day to offset?

Nancy: First, regarding the CO2 levels.  Plants like CO2!  They use it and water to photosynthesize.  It’s my understanding that sometimes people try to elevate CO2 levels to get plants to grow faster.  Plants do take in some oxygen, but more importantly, plant PRODUCE oxygen as a byproduct of the photosynthetic process:  6 CO2 + 6 H2O = C6H12O6 + 12 O2 (i.e., for every 6 molecules of CO2 and H2O, plants produce one molecule of sugar and 12 molecules of oxygen.  Without plants, there would be no oxygen in the atmosphere.  So extra CO2 would, if anything, be good for the plant and not detrimental.

Of course we did not “tell” Lois that we were not going to pollinate her, nor did she get in a “snit.”  It seems that giving Lois a name has caused everyone to anthropomorphize her.

This is how pollination works in the titan arum.  The female flowers are hidden and protected inside the floral chamber formed by the swollen, fleshy bottom part of the spathe.  When they become receptive, the spathe loosens around the spadix.  At the same time rows of sterile male flowers release a strong-smelling pheromone designed to attract carrion-feeding insects. This odor is dispersed by the hollow top part of the spadix, which contains special heat-producing cells that help volatize the scent.  The odor brings in insects such as sweat bees, flesh flies, and carrion beetles that think they are going to find a nice piece of rotting meat in which to lay their eggs.  They arrive at the flower and squeeze through small openings where the spathe has loosened around the spadix.  Once inside they are sadly disappointed as there is no rotting carcass after all.  They are trapped inside the floral chamber for several hours, until the male flowers that are positioned above the female flowers and sterile male flowers release their pollen (by this time the females are no longer receptive, to avoid cross-pollination within the same flower).  The insects are covered with pollen as they leave – and not being too smart/having short memories, they go on to the next stinky flower, inadvertently carrying pollen on their bodies.  This pollen rubs off on the female stigmas of the next flower.

So – the noxious odor and the appearance (the purplish, liver color of the spathe) are basically the plant’s trick to fool carrion-feeding insects into pollinating them.  The odor diminishes considerably once the female flowers are no longer receptive (in only 8-12 hours).  Unlike bee-pollinated flowers, which typically lure their pollinators with a reward of nectar, corpse flowers don’t give any reward to their pollinators – it’s just a hoax.

The inside of Lois’ spathe. See a full set of Lois photos on Flickr.

Keith (submitted via the blog)
When you opened the spathe to see the male and female flowers, like in this picture, what can you tell us about the development of those structures? I read that the female structures mature first, and then the male structures. Are either or both fully mature? Are they matured to the point where this flower should be opened already?

Yes, the female flowers mature first.  The rows of sterile male flowers (the corn-on-the-cob like blobs you see above the female flowers) produce the stench at the same time the female flowers are receptive.  The male flowers are higher up on the spathe and are very small.  They shed their pollen about 24 hours after the females first became receptive (and the females are no longer receptive when their “brothers” shed their pollen).  However, Lois did not produce pollen this time (apparently common in first-time bloomers).

As far as we know there is no harm in opening a window in the floral spathe to expose the flowers, even if they are not receptive yet.  That is the only way the plants can be pollinated by hand, and every institution that has attempted to pollinate these plants does it this way.  Check out the post about “Big Jack” in Nagocdoches.

JayBay (submitted via the blog)
How is the corpse flower cultivated outside its natural habitat? What potting medium is used, how often must the corm be repotted and when? Does one begin with a huge pot or gradually increase the size as the corm enlarges? I can’t imagine what a job repotting must be! Does it prefer crowded root conditions in the wild too? What are the fertilizer, water, humidity and light requirements for these plants when grown inside? Does the leaf require support at maturity, and when is it removed when it goes dormant? Will HMNS eventually sell any of Lois’ seeds or corms to the public in the future?

Nancy: Titan arums are a little tricky to grow.  The tuber can rot very easily if it is too wet, and is also attacked by nematodes, mealybugs, and other pests.  The trick is apparently to use a very well-draining soil – the recipe we have is 2 parts peat, 2 parts sand, one part pumice or perlite, and one part decomposed compost.  The tuber should be buried 6 or so inches below the surface.  We have repotted ours every year after the growing season has ended and Lois goes back to being just a tuber.  We started her in a one-gallon pot, but since the pot should have a diameter of at least twice that of the tuber, we have increased the pot size every year as her tuber size has increased.  I am not sure if it prefers crowded root conditions in the wild.  Most of the roots emerge from the top of the tuber and are called “contractile roots.”  They serve to anchor the plant in place when it is producing its huge above-ground structures (either leaf or inflorescence).  These plants like bright light but not necessarily full sun.  They like heat and lots of humidity (remember they are from lowland rainforests).  They like a lot of water but only during the growing season – otherwise we keep watering to a minimum or not at all.  We have not had to support the leaf or the inflorescence; they are self-supporting.  The leaf should not be removed when it starts to die because in growing the leaf the plant uses up most of the tuber.  As the leaf dies, the tuber reforms.  The ideal fertilizer is one with a high phosphate content, to stimulate tuber growth (e.g., 15-30-15).

If and when we are able to successfully pollinate one of our titan arums in the future, we will consider selling tubers to the public.  Huntington Gardens has done this in the past.  The seeds need to be planted very soon after the fruits ripen, so plants that have already grown enough to form a tuber are much more likely to survive.  However, we don’t recommend that anyone but a very serious gardener, with a large greenhouse (since the leaf can eventually reach up to 20 feet tall) attempt to grow these plants.  As mentioned, they are not easy to grow and they need a lot of space.  We would also certainly offer excess tubers to other botanical gardens, as such places would be more likely to have the know-how and space to grow these unusual plants.

If you are interested in Amorphophallus, there are many other species that are easier to obtain and easier to grow – Amorphophallus konjac, for example.  While not as spectacular as A. titanum, these are also impressive and unusual plants.

Full bloom! See a full set of Lois photos on Flickr.

Steph K (submitted via the blog)
How long has Lois been growing to get to where she is now (her first bloom)?

Zac: Lois is 7 years old. Six years ago we bought her as a one year old tuber that was about the size of a walnut.  This spring before she flowered, her tuber was about the size of a basketball and weighed 30 lbs.

Paige (submitted via the blog)
Does anyone know what the leaf feels like on the inside?

Zac: The inside of the spathe is very delicate and feels very smooth almost like velvet.

Cybil (submitted via the blog)
Where did you get Lois as a corm from? And where did the person you got Lois the corm from get it? It’s seems like Corpse Flower corms would be hard to come across.

Nancy: We got Lois as a tuber from Tony Avent at Plant Delight Nurseries in NC.  Tony was one of many people to get seeds from one Dr. Jim Symon, who collected titan arum seeds in Sumatra in the early 1990’s and distributed them to a number of botanical gardens and collectors.  It took Symon four expeditions before he found a plant that was in seed, so yes, it is not all that easy to collect seed from the wild.

Robin (submitted via the blog)
How much water does she get daily?

Zac: While she was still growing 4 inches per day, she was soaking up about 1 gallon of water per day.  But, as her growth slowed so did her water consumption and she ended up needing less than a half a gallon per day.

Tommie (submitted via the blog)
What happens to flower after she wilts, is there a way to preserve her in like a dry flower arrangement or in frame?

Zac: During the wilting process the underground tuber will take back some of the nutrients and energy that it used to create the giant inflorescence, and store it back in the underground tuber. Once this is done the inflorescence will completely fall away, leaving nothing but a dormant underground tuber.  Because the inflorescence is completely drained by the tuber, and the flower falls away in different stages, it would be very difficult and harmful for the plant to try to preserve the flower.

Full bloom! See a full set of Lois photos on Flickr.

@christiehale (from Twitter)
Why didn’t you choose to have Lois reproduce?

Nancy: This is Lois’s first time to bloom.  She is young and small (7 yrs old, 30 pound tuber).  Often the first blooms are not even fertile.  Flowering uses a lot of the tuber’s stored reserves, and fruiting uses even more.  We were advised by the head of the arboretum at Berkeley (they have several titan arums) not to pollinate her the first time around.  When she has a much larger tuber, perhaps next time she blooms, we may attempt to pollinate her (we will have to get pollen from another botanical garden – it can be frozen apparently.  Artificial insemination for plants!)

@LipServiceInk (from Twitter)
Did the #CorpseFlower plant inspires the movie ” Little Shop of Horrors ” ?

Zac: Although Lois and Audrey II are both large alien looking flowers, I do not believe the Amorphophallus titanum was the inspiration for “Little Shop of Horrors.”

@ouisie245 (from Twitter)
If you had planned to pollinate Lois would there be a specific time during blooming that it has to be done?

Nancy: Yes, if we had planned to pollinate Lois we would have had pollen shipped to us from one of the other botanical gardens that have collected pollen from their titan arum(s).  We would have used a small camel-hair brush to brush the pollen onto Lois’s stigmas, during the time they are receptive (i.e., during those 8-12 hours when the spathe first opens up and the plant is at its stinkiest).

@Ms_Latidah (from Twitter)
How long before Lois will bloom again?

Zac: The general rule of thumb is a Titan arum is capable of blooming for the first time after it reaches 7 years of age or 30 lbs. However, this does not mean it will bloom for certain. After the initial bloom they seem to take around 3 to 5 years to bloom again, but there is no concrete way of knowing.

Does it have any medicinal uses? Is it edible? Do insects like eating it?

Zac: I am not aware of any medicinal uses, but in talking with people from Indonesia, I have found that the tuber of Amorphophallus paenoniifolius (not A. titanum, because it’s endangered) is commonly eaten. It is starchy, and orange in color, and referred to as Elephant’s foot yam, or in India it is sold under the name Suran. In the wild the tuber is more commonly damaged by fungus than by insects.

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

Fittingly, it was Lois herself – or rather, her Twitter alter-ego @CorpzFlowrLois, that said it best: the most amazing part about Lois-mania was that she “connected a community of newfound botany enthusiasts.”

Along with all of the other staff from across the entire museum that came together to keep the place open 24 hours a day for almost 2 solid weeks – I was totally blown away by and extremely grateful for the outpouring of love from the Houston community for our not-so-little Lois. During the height of Lois’ bloom, more than 5000 people were watching her on our webcam (generously hosted through Rice University) and tweeting about her every move (or lack thereof). As of  Sunday, July 25, more than 68,000 people had come to the museum to visit Lois in person – and that number continues to grow, even as she returns to a dormant state.

Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm with us!

Amazingly, Lois spawned a few minor internet celebrities. There was Zac, dubbed our “hot-iculturist” by the Houston Chronicle, who joined twitter (@hortzac) by popular demand, and who now has a fan-generated Facebook page “Horticulturalist Zac Stayton Needs A Show on TV.” And, of course, there was #redshirtguy – Chronicle Reporter Julio Cortez – so dubbed because he wore a red shirt the first day that he blocked the view of Lois on the Museum’s webcam while setting up his own time-lapse camera – spawning outraged Twitter-shouting to get him to move as well as many calls to the Museum alerting us to this fact – and then a daily vote to determine what color shirt he would wear for each day’s visit. And of course, @CorpzFlowrLois, the brainchild of CultureMap assistant editor Steven Thompson, who garnered more than 2000 Twitter followers in just over a week. There’s even a fan-generated group on Facebook for those suffering from Lois withdrawal now that she has finished blooming.

She inspired two songs (“Hey Lois” by Danny Osterwisch and “Ode to Lois” by HMNS Moran Ecoteen Kelsey Williams), a twitter-generated, crowd-sourced Lois playlist organized by @jvconcep, 50+ corpse flower haiku, as well as some incredibly creative costumes. She even almost crashed a wedding.

This is all just *so* beyond the realm of what we science geeks are used to, that we’re still walking around feeling giddily lucky that Lois decided to bloom this summer, and also rather dazed by it all.

And the blog posts! It was fascinating to read about what Lois meant to the people who came to see her – everyone seemed to walk away with a different interpretation. These are just a few of our favorites:

For Karen (@chookooloonks) – an incredibly talented photographer who features flowers on her blog quite frequently – “Take a photograph of an Amorphophallus titanum in full bloom” was on of her life list – and she followed Lois’ entire blooming process closely, culminating in her post “photograph a corpse flower in bloom? CHECK.” Perhaps most moving, though, was her “Love Thursday” post, in which she ruminated on the corpse flower community – and why it’s sudden appearance is one of the things that makes Houston such a special place to live. (WARNING: if you follow the Love Thursday link, you *will* see a giant picture of my face. I’m not gonna lie – I quite like it and was honored that Karen included me in her 1000 Faces project (Zac, too!) – but I”m pointing you there solely for the wonderful writing and the sentiment expressed.)

Ed (@etee) wondered whether all the mania surrounding Lois was worth it; check out his conclusion in the post and leave a comment to share your thoughts!

I also love Ed’s final comment on the post, that “Lois was responsible for the ‘creation’ of 3 new local celebrities: @HortZac, #RedShirtGuy, and @CorpzFlowrLois. Three celebrities, not because they can play a sport, or make a film, or due to being part of a human train wreck, but because of a flower. And, because they were good at what they did. A horticulturalist, a photojournalist, and an online media editor. What role models for our kids to follow!” [Emphasis mine]

@divamover was “Obsessed with @CorpzFlowrLois” and I loved her description of the allure: “What is so interesting about a big, stinky plant?  Lois is captivating.  Disturbing.  Every “Attack of the Pod People” and “Aliens” fantasy or joke you can think of, all rolled into one. “

@saroy told us why she loves science – and it’s not just about Lois!

@adriannerussell shared her Lois obsession in the post “Funky Love” on her blog, Cabinet of Curiosities (love that title – and the current post, “nonprofit nerd reads“)

In “Lois and Me,” @pjholliday shares how through Lois, she “finally found a use for that silly new craze of sharing with the world your every move and thought,” on Twitter. It’s a beautiful post that culminates with the fact that she was “awe-struck by the beauty and unpredictable nature of Mother Earth, and re-awakened to the necessity of protecting our precious, finite resources.” Seconded!

In “Life After Lois,” @megsalice – who saw Lois 5 times in 2 weeks – pointed out one of the unexpected benefits of keeping the Butterfly Center open around the clock – the opportunity to wander the rain forest at night! Check out this post for some lovely night shots of the butterfly center.

In several posts for @planeteye, @snowcones covered Lois entire life cycle and coined perhaps the most-descriptive (and also my personal favorite) hashtag: #FUNKWATCH.

There were many, many more people who posted about Lois – if you were one of them, please share a link with us in the comments!

Totally blown away by the crowds that showed up to meet @hortzac and @corpzflowrlois – at midnight! More tweetup photos from etee

In the end, the most amazing thing about Lois wasn’t the rarity of her bloom, the extended waiting game, or even the smell – though these were all amazing – it was all of you: the people who blogged, tweeted, facebooked and just generally shouted and shared your excitement, questions and knowledge with us, who came here in person to experience this time of “silly joy” (to borrow a phrase from the ever-fabulous Karen of Chookooloonks) and support science education in your community. I feel honored and humbled to have been a part of this incredible experience and I hope you’ll continue sharing your love of science and the community with us as we wait for Lois to bloom again.

Though generally exhausted, I know we are all absolutely thrilled to see such an outpouring of enthusiasm for something so solidly science-based and continue to hope that many of the very enthusiastic kids who came to see Lois will have a spark of scientific inquiry ignited in their minds. Thank you to everyone who supported the museum in any capacity: following along online, spreading the word, coming here, seeing Lois, becoming members, geeking out with us, buying buttons and wearing t-shirts – it would have been extremely heartening in any time.  But please know that because this crazy-wonderful thing happened now – a very tough time for the museum industry as a whole – you’ve done immense good both in helping us to continue our efforts for science education in the Houston community and also in simply inspiring us all to keep moving.

To everyone who followed along with Lois and helped generate a level of enthusiasm that made all this possible:

THANK YOU.

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

Our Archaeopteryx show has bedazzling fossils – the only Archaeopteryx skeleton in the New World, complete with clear impressions of feathers. Plus frog-mouthed pterodactyls, fast-swimming Sea Crocs, and slinky land lizards. Today we learn about the Louis Agassiz and his theories.

Louis Agassiz (1807-1873)

Paris and the Lure of Fish, 1836
Agassiz grew up in Switzerland where he excelled as a student in  chemistry and natural history. He went to Paris to study fish fossils under the Father of Paleontology, Baron Georges Cuvier. The geological history of fish seemed muddled at the time. Agassiz brought order to the fins and scales.

“There’s order in the way fish changed through the ages…” Agassiz concluded. He was the first to map out the long history of fish armor, fish jaws and fish tails.

1) The earliest time periods, the Paleozoic Era, most bony fish carried heavy armor in the form of thick scales covered with dense, shiny bone.

2) In the middle Periods, the Mesozoic, the armored fish became rarer and were replaced by fish with thin, flexible scales.

3) In the later Periods, the Cenozoic, thin-scaled fish took over in nearly all habitats.

4) Today, the old-fashioned thick scales persist only in a few fresh-water fish like the gar.

5) Tails changed too. The oldest bony fish had shark-like tails, with the vertebral column bending upwards to support the top of the fin. Later fish had more complicated tail bones, braced by special flanges, and the base of the tail was more symmetrical.

6) Jaws in the earliest bony fish were stiff, like the jaws of crocodiles. Later fish developed jaw bones that could swing outwards and forwards.

Discovery of the Ice Age
As he traveled across Europe, Agassiz saw evidence of giant ice sheets that had covered the mountains and plains. According to Agassiz’s theory, New England too had been invaded by mile-high ice layers. Giant hairy elephants – woolly mammoths – had frolicked in the frigid habitats. At first,  scholars harrumphed at Agassiz’s idea of a Glacial Period.  But by the mid 1840’s the theory was proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

Boston 1846: Toast of the Town & the New Museum
Fish and glaciers made Agassiz the most famous scientist of his time. When he came to Boston in the 1846, his lectures were so successful that the New England intellectuals wouldn’t let him leave. Poets and politicians, rich merchants and artists all helped raise funds to get Agassiz a professorship at Harvard. He repaid the support by working tirelessly to build a grand laboratory of science and education at Harvard – the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Opened in the 1859,  the MCZ has been a leader in fossil studies ever since.

Design in Nature
Agassiz’s interests spread beyond fish and glaciers. He sought the Plan of Creation, the key to understanding all of Nature. Was it  Evolution? No. Agassiz rejected any notion that natural processes somehow had transformed one species into another. He was a fierce exponent of the theory of Serial Creation: every species of fossil creature was created to fill its ecological role in its special geological time zone.

Darwin and Agassiz
Though he fought Darwin’s theories for his whole life, Agassiz’s work in fact provided support for the new views of evolution. The long trends in fish fins and scales were best explained by Natural Selection. Agassiz’s best students at Harvard went on to become strong supporters of Darwinism.  Endowed faculty positions were established in Agassiz’s name.  Agassiz Professorships were given to Alfred Sherwood Romer, the greatest Darwinian  paleontologist of the 20 century, and to Stephen Jay Gould, the most eloquent defender of Darwin in the last thirty years.

Don’t miss Archaeopteryx: Icon of Evolution, currently on display at HMNS. To read more about Agassiz and Darwin, check out my earlier blog.

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

Ed. Note:  Photos and links for the post were contributed by Zac Stayton

The amount of interest generated by the recent opening of Lois the corpse flower, aka Titan arum or Amorphophallus titanum, was phenomenal.  Some of Lois’s fans and followers have expressed concern that she may not have opened fully and that this meant something was “wrong” with her.  We have looked at lots of photos of other corpse flowers and we have to disagree.  Flowers, like people or any other living organism, have natural variation.  Some people are tall and skinny, some short and wide, some have dark skin, others white.  The same goes for dogs, elephants, sunflowers, and corpse flowers.  Diversity is the spice of life, and the foundation for the evolutionary process!

More photos available in our Flickr set

Here are links to photographs of other Titan arums.  You will note that some look very much like Lois, with a tall, narrow spathe that does not open out very wide, resembling an elegant vase.  Others have shorter, wider spathes and look more like upside-down bells – Perry, who recently bloomed in Minnesota, was this type.  Still others are more funnel-shaped, with the spathe not folding outwards much at all, such as this specimen that recently opened at Huntington Gardens. 

The spathe can open from either the right or left hand side, depending on how it is wrapped around the spadix.  Color, too, can vary, ranging from a deep, midnight purple that in some lights looks black, to burgundy or maroon.  The spadix can vary in height, thickness, and color as well (Perry’s spadix looked as if the top had been punched in).  Whatever their appearance, all corpse flowers are amazing and in their own strange way, beautiful! 

The most popular images on Google are of the bell shape, and this is the form often used in illustrations of the plant. All of us expected Lois to be the classic shape and color especially since she had never bloomed before. However, in nature the pollinating insects don’t care – they are homing in on the pungent odor.  Rotting carcasses vary in size and appearance too – but they all stink!

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

Today’s guest blogger is Mike Marvins, a fourth generation portrait photographer. His photographs, featuring the wilderness of Big Bend National Park in Texas, are currently on display on the mezzanine of HMNS. In this post, Mike discusses his experiences at Big Bend National Park.
 
Texas’ Big Bend region has been a part of my life for over 40 years. As a new Scoutmaster, just off a four year stint as an officer in the Army, I was determined that my troop in Houston get a taste of high adventure backpacking. That first trip was a real learning experience for the boys and me. With July temperatures at over one hundred degrees on the Rio Grande we began the week with a downpour the first night. A real desert storm – and we had no tents. Even with all the hardships we were all entranced with the vastness and grandeur of Big Bend. That was the first of many, many trips – both with the Scouts and then with camping buddies and family.

Being a fourth generation portrait photographer,  the two months leading up to Christmas were filled with eighteen hour workdays. Then on December 26 each year, I would go off to Big Bend for some mind-clearing solitude. That’s the one thing most people have told me they treasure most about the area. 

My photography in Big Bend started with snapshots of the people who were sharing the experience with us. Then, came many years of pictures of things that just caught my attention. These were just personal mementos, tucked away in albums. They were not made with any publication, articles or exhibits in mind. That let me be creative and make pictures that truly came from the heart. They reflect both the incredible natural history of Big Bend and its human history as well.

Several years ago, friends and clients urged me to share my pictures with “the world.” That resulted in the book “Texas’ Big Bend; A Photographic Adventure From the Pecos To The Rio Grande,” published by Bright Sky Press in 2009. It’s the first book that encompasses the (850,000 acre) Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park, historic towns and ranches.  The exhibit, now on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science,  is based on photographs from the book and prints that have been acquired by major art museums.

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

Lois mania will soon die down, but we hope her bloom has inspired kids like Elora (who made this amazing hat with her mom!) to stay excited about science. Check out the rest of our Lois photos on Flickr.

NOTE: The last ticket time available to see Lois tonight will be 11 pm. The Museum returns to normal operating hours tomorrow, Monday, July 26. Lois will remain on display throughout this week, and the Lois webcam will remain live, while she works on returning to a dormant state.

Lois is nearing the end.  What a show it has been! This is what has happened over the past couple of days.

Friday, the female flowers inside Lois’s chamber (the swollen portion at the bottom of the spathe) became receptive.  When this happens, the big spadix starts to heat up to volatize the stinky pheromone (scent) and send it far and wide.  In nature, insects attracted to rotting, stinky stuff such as decaying bodies would come flocking, thinking they would find something good to eat or especially a place to lay their eggs.  Of course this is nothing but a trick.  The insects crawl down into the corpse flower’s chamber through small openings around the spadix where the spathe is constricted.  Hopefully these insects had already been fooled by another corpse flower, and so came bearing pollen (completely inadvertent on their part).  Once inside they would roam around,  scrambling over the flowers inside, looking for the rotting meat.  Alas, it is just a hoax, and they are trapped inside the chamber for 24 hours or so.  Meanwhile, the male flowers open to shed their pollen.  Only then are the insects able to crawl back out – and fly on to the next corpse flower, perhaps many miles away.

So – in Lois’s case, Friday her female flowers were receptive – so the stink was strongest to draw in pollinations.  Saturday, there were only faint remnants of her scent. The female flowers are no longer receptive; now it’s the males’ turn. We plan to collect some pollen to freeze (the best way to preserve its viability) so we can send it on to any other botanical garden that might want to fertilize their corpse flower when it blooms.

In Lois’s case, she is too young and too small to be pollinated.  It is very costly [Ed. note: hard on the plant] to produce that huge inflorescence (bloom) and to spend another year ripening the fruits might do her in.  Instead Lois is starting to wilt and her spadix will collapse soon.  We are not sure how fast this will happen, but the entire flowering structure will eventually crumble or rot and fall away, leaving only the tuber – which will have lost up to 25% of its weight.

At that point we will unearth Lois and examine her tuber to make sure she’s okay.  We will weigh her and dust her with powdered sulfur to prevent fungal and insect damage.  After the tuber dries out for a few days we will repot her in fresh soil, but will keep it quite dry until next spring, when we hope she will produce a leaf again.  It may be several more years before Lois has recuperated enough mass to bloom again.  We hope that next time her tuber will be much bigger and at that point, she might be able to survive the ordeal of producing fruit.