The hydroponic and aquaponic systems we have at the Science Center are great demonstrations, but in terms of size and complexity, they’re actually pretty small compared to what you’ll find with industry professionals. Luckily for us, we recently had the amazing opportunity to tour a larger-scale hydroponic setup. Over the next few blog posts, we’ll… Continue reading
While we patiently wait for the pests to make their next move, it’s important to talk about what exactly is in our greenhouse and how that environment affects how and what we grow. It’s time to explore the unique and wonderful world of aquaponic farming. When visitors come to the greenhouse, we like to ask… Continue reading
The scientific name “megalodon” means “big tooth,” which perfectly describes this extinct species of shark. Not only was megalodon the biggest shark in the world, but it was one of the largest fish to ever exist! Its massive teeth are almost three times larger than the teeth of a modern great white shark. Megalodons swam… Continue reading
Shortly after writing the last blog post, we replanted in our deep-water culture with seedlings we started in soil. With the newly introduced seedlings, we’re diligently watching for any signs of new infestations. We laid out new sticky traps to keep an eye on the insect populations but haven’t seen any major changes from last… Continue reading
It’s been two weeks since we started our pest-control adventure in the greenhouse, and since then we’ve made a lot of fascinating discoveries. We laid out sticky traps to survey the different kinds of insects living in the greenhouse, and now we’ve been taking the traps back to our exhibit microscope to take a closer… Continue reading
Today we meet the aphids! Aphids are tiny (and I mean really tiny, sometimes only a little larger than a grain of sand) insects that feed on the sap of plants. Despite the fact that they are problematic to farmers everywhere, aphids are very unique insects. There are more than 5,000 species in the aphidoidea… Continue reading
You might remember from our last GROW blog post that the GROW team is hosting a teen from the Youth Exploring Science (YES) program over the summer. That would be me! My name is Christopher, and I’m going to be helping around the GROW gallery (mostly at the greenhouse) as well as writing blog posts… Continue reading
Have you ever visited the GROW gallery and wondered, “When will the aquaponics greenhouse ever be open?!” Well, you’re in luck! Thanks to safety improvements made by our exhibits department, the greenhouse is now open for self-guided exploration during the Science Center’s normal operating hours. We were able to creatively reuse material from the recently… Continue reading
During the American Civil War, surgeons became all too familiar with using this particular set of tools. Of the wounds recorded during the war, more than 70% were to the extremities, with amputation the most common operation of the Civil War surgeon. This surgical set contains most of the instruments needed for battlefield surgery: long,… Continue reading
Fall is a nerve-wracking time for honeybee keepers, who often fret about whether their bees have enough honey reserves to survive the winter or whether mites have decimated their bee populations. Bees will typically only leave their hive when the weather is pleasant (at least in the 50Fs and sunny), so it’s hard to walk… Continue reading
