Episodes

  • Let's call this a kind of...Mummification "Orientation"

    Let's call this a kind of...Mummification "Orientation"
    Jul 1 2025
    Kat Havens joins the podcast in our beautiful Hall of Ancient Egypt to discuss the, well, gutwrenching process of mummification!

    Website: https://www.hmns.org/

    eMail: Podcasts@HMNS.org

    The smell of a mummy: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mummies-from-ancient-egypt-smell-surprisingly-nice-scientists-say/
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    1 hr and 19 mins
  • Fennec Foxes & How We Care for Our Animals

    Fennec Foxes & How We Care for Our Animals
    Jun 2 2025
    (00:00:00) Fennec Foxes & How We Care for Our Animals
    (00:22:08) In with the Foxes

    Our new exhibit "Extreme Animals Alive" showcases the superhero-like adaptations of some awesome animals. In this episode, we talk about Fennec Foxes specifically, and the blood, sweat, tears, and dedication that goes into caring for the animals in our museum.

    Website: https://www.hmns.org/

    Email: Podcasts@hmns.org

    YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/Blm8WukRZHI

    0:00 Outside Exhibit
    22:10 Inside with the Foxes
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    59 mins
  • Two Big, Two Fail: The Life and Demise of Ice Age Giants, Ground Sloths & Armadillos

    Two Big, Two Fail: The Life and Demise of Ice Age Giants, Ground Sloths & Armadillos
    May 1 2025
    Giant Ground Sloths and Giant Armadillos (Eremotherium and Glyptodon) were seemingly too big to fail...yet time comes for us all. So, how did these Ice Age (Pleistocene) get SO big, and why did they go extinct?

    Previous episode mentioned:

    Fossil Preperation
    https://open.spotify.com/episode/5762aSEEWuQeUVqJGIo6NK?si=2f6420a3c6ab4d19

    Email: Podcasts@HMNS.org
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    46 mins
  • Quantum Computing: A Qubit Crash Course

    Quantum Computing: A Qubit Crash Course
    Apr 2 2025
    While Ai is the current hype, even thinking about Quantum Computing can seem daunting, if not ominous...honestly. So here is a crash course in qubits to hopefully help ease us into an initial pursuit of understanding.

    Deeper dive into Quantum Computers: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/quantum-computing

    Email us! Podcasts@HMNS.org

    Ai Episode: https://youtu.be/uWWFlbDl6BE?si=mfnSB580vY7HzDZu
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    13 mins
  • Dinosaur Conspiracies & Misconceptions with James Washington

    Dinosaur Conspiracies & Misconceptions with James Washington
    Mar 1 2025
    Who is allowed to dig for fossils? What do you do with fossils that are found? Why don't I find fossils in my yard? Are fossils a hoax? Are fossils radioactive?

    James Washington and "Mental Curator" Johnny Hemberger discuss some interesting dinosaur conspiracies and clear up some common misconceptions about fossils, dinosaurs, and more in this latest episode of the "HMNS Beyond Bones Podcast."

    Podcasts@Hmns.org
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    34 mins
  • Killer Asteroids & Planetary Ponderings

    Killer Asteroids & Planetary Ponderings
    Feb 28 2025
    HMNS Curator of Astronomy, Dr. Carolyn Sumners joins "Mental Curator" Johnny Hemberger to discuss the likelihood of asteroid 2024 YR4 impacting Earth in 2032, the upcoming lunar eclipse, the "planetary parade", our MA2 Mercury Capsule, and much more!

    Show Notes:

    1) Brumation definition: "a state or condition of sluggishness, inactivity, or torpor exhibited by reptiles (such as snakes or lizards) during winter or extended periods of low temperature."

    2) India has a population over 1.4 billion.

    3) M87 Video https://youtu.be/8Iw4iYR28Mg?si=cNawxEn4H0GXwkeo

    Timestamps:

    0:00 Intro
    2:11 Asteroid 2024 YR4, Comets, Extinction, Etc.
    12:43 Planetary Alignment ("Parade")
    13:34 Lunar Eclipse, Astrophotography, Etc.
    19:55 MA2 Mercury Capsule, Planetarium, Solar System Formation, Etc.
    28:18 Black Holes, Light Pollution, Etc.

    Email: Podcasts@HMNS.org
    #science #astronomy #physics
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    34 mins
  • Rhodochrosite and the "Alma Queen", The "best mineral specimen in the world"

    Rhodochrosite and the "Alma Queen", The "best mineral specimen in the world"
    Feb 1 2025
    Rhodochrosite is one of the most breathtaking minerals on Earth, and among connoisseurs, the "Alma Queen" is the most heart-stopping example of ANY mineral specimen yet known to human kind. Let's learn more about rhodochrosite, and the history of the "Alma Queen" proudly displayed in our collection at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

    Video Version: https://youtu.be/ATo93ojm-zY

    Email: Podcasts@hmns.org
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    7 mins
  • Fossil Preparation, "From the Grave to the Cradle"

    Fossil Preparation, "From the Grave to the Cradle"
    Jan 1 2025
    In this episode of the HMNS Beyond Bones Podcast, we discuss and show you how a fossil comes out of the actual dirt to be prepared and displayed in such a breathtaking manor.

    Video version
    https://youtu.be/hm8wk950Exs

    0:00 Intro
    0:32 Fossil Gar Prep
    7:12 Skin & Feathers, Frigate Bird
    14:10 Fossil prep in the field
    19:28 Race against time
    25:36 Fossilization is rare
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    32 mins