Is it true that the seahorse is a fish?! Yes, it is, but one of the most unusual looking fish out there. Instead of scales, they have rings of bony plates that form a semi-rigid skeleton. With a horse-like head and curved tail, it looks like the knight piece in a chess set. Did you… Continue reading
We have new toys in the bee yard! We recently installed broodminder scales under the GROW honeybee hives to help keep track of how they are doing without having to open the actual hives, which is especially challenging during winter. The scales take a lot of the guesswork out of beekeeping. Before, we could tell… Continue reading
This large lobster claw specimen still has the knuckle joint and shoulder section attached, although it is missing the lower portion of the claw. Lobsters use their claws to catch food and battle predators as well as other lobsters. This claw is the larger of the two front claws, called the crusher claw, and is… Continue reading
Over the summer, we had an optimistic “aha moment” after visiting the VAST Produce hydroponics operation. Our intern, Christopher, and educator Andy returned from their field trip reporting that the folks at VAST seemed to use simple and affordable peat pellets for growing media in their deep water culture bed. If peat pellets could work… Continue reading
Welcome to the final GROW blog post written by me, Christopher. It’s been an awesome summer being a Youth Exploring Science teen working with the GROW team, and I’ve learned so much throughout this whole experience. But before the final goodbye, there’s a lot to recap about what happened this summer with the greenhouse. It… Continue reading
When we think of animals and ecosystems, we often think of vast savannas, rushing rivers or lush jungles. For many people, the ecosystem is a giant place where multitudes of plants, animals and other organisms live. But sometimes, an ecosystem can be very small, with much of the action taking place on just a few… Continue reading
During our visit with the brothers at VAST Produce, our tour guide, John, told us something very interesting about how he saw hydroponics and aquaponics advancing in the future. He said it was a “chicken and the egg situation” because he believed that to find major technological breakthroughs that would open the industry to more… Continue reading
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
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
Due to the surge of COVID-19 within our community, the Saint Louis Science Center is temporarily closed. We are planning to reopen Thursday, February 3, 2022. We look forward to welcoming you back soon.
