This intricately detailed elephant sculpture made of ivory features symbols significant in ancient Chinese culture. The crane is a symbol of noble character and represents longevity, long-lasting love and loyalty in marriage. The lotus flower on top symbolizes the heart and mind’s ultimate purity, and is used for religious purposes, in marriage symbolism and food… Continue reading
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, July 16, 2021. 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
One of the largest scorpions in the world, the Giant Emperor Scorpion is native to the rainforests and savannas of West Africa. Surprisingly, they have an almost harmless sting nonlethal to humans, and are known for their docile behavior. As a result, they have become a popular scorpion in the pet trade, which has led… Continue reading
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, July 9, 2021. 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
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
Three days before Apollo 11 launched into history, the Chicago Sunday Sun-Times released this special newspaper. With an illustration of astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the surface of the Moon, the story detailed parts of the mission. Unfortunately, the writer incorrectly stated that Armstrong would step foot on the Moon in the early… Continue reading
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, July 2, 2021. 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
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
Smithsonite is a mineral ore of zinc which typically forms as a globular mass instead of as crystals. This particular specimen has a bluish-green appearance due to copper impurities. The mineral smithsonite was named in honor of English chemist and mineralogist James Smithson, the founder of the Smithsonian Institution, who first identified the mineral in… Continue reading
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, June 25, 2021. 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
