Pair of Mayan Censers, Classic Period, ca. 500 AD. These two vessels are likely incense burners, used in ancient Mayan rituals as offerings and a means of communicating with ancestors and deities. The molded spikes on the exterior of each bowl resemble those found on the Ceiba tree, the world tree of the Maya representing… Continue reading
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, September 30, 2022. Information updated weekly or as needed. Times given as local St. Louis time which is Central Daylight Time (CDT). For definitions of terminology used in the night sky update, click the highlighted text. If relying on times… Continue reading
Virginia Opossum – Native to the US and parts of Canada. Did you know the opossum has a superpower that makes it immune to venom? That’s right, a neutralizing factor in its blood provides immunity against the effects of venom and toxins. Honeybees, scorpions, and rattlesnakes don’t scare the only marsupial in North America, and… Continue reading
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, September 23, 2022. Information updated weekly or as needed. Times given as local St. Louis time which is Central Daylight Time (CDT). For definitions of terminology used in the night sky update, click the highlighted text. If relying on times… Continue reading
Fountain of Youth, ca. 1930s-1950s Have we discovered the road to freedom from disease?! That is what the makers of this “medical” elixir would have had you believe. With claims that regular treatment would “build blood fast” and that it was “good enough for a king,” the Fountain of Youth was 16 fluid ounces of… Continue reading
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, September 16, 2022. Information updated weekly or as needed. Times given as local St. Louis time which is Central Daylight Time (CDT). For definitions of terminology used in the night sky update, click the highlighted text. If relying on times… Continue reading
Poison Ivy Barbie, ca. 2004 Not all girls want to be the heroine! When Mattel launched its first series of DC Comics Barbie dolls in 2003 with Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Batgirl, they quickly followed with a set of DC super villainesses in 2004. Barbie donned the catsuit, the harlequin outfit, and the shiny green… Continue reading
Texas-horned Lizard, Native to south-central US and northern Mexico. Although also known as the Horny Toad because of its wide, flattened body, the Texas horned lizard is not an amphibian, but a reptile with scales and claws. It has some amazing defenses besides two prominent horns on its skull. Its coloring helps it blend in… Continue reading
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, September 2, 2022. Information updated weekly or as needed. Times given as local St. Louis time which is Central Daylight Time (CDT). For definitions of terminology used in the night sky update, click the highlighted text. If relying on times… Continue reading
