Biology

After $100 Million, Exxon Backs Off Algae as Fuel

Once upon a time -- way back in 2009 -- Exxon Mobil announced they were putting a whole bunch of money into algae. Yep, they were going to turn the goopy seaweed-type stuff you find in the ocean and washed up on the shore into a biofuel that would replace fossil fuels. And it still might happen, bu ... More >>

Sunrise & Ammunition

Science Cafe — Science and Religion: Angels and Demons?

HISD Deals With The STAAR Results

If there's anything that can fix public education, it's yet another standardized test with a bizarre acronym. Forget TAAS and TAKS -- get used to hearing about STAAR. (The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, of course.) The Houston school district says STAAR is "much more rigorous" t ... More >>

“Dinosaurs! at the Houston Zoo presented by Orkin”

Reality Bites: MonsterQuest

There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We're going to watch them all, one at a time. Admittedly, the concept of MonsterQuest initially struck me as woefully similar to that of...certain other reality shows, in that I was sure we'd be following around a bunch of yahoos using dubi ... More >>

Galveston's Red Tide Appears to Have Dissipated, Oysters Recovering

Photo by mintprofusionOysters affected by red tide are toxic to humans.​On January 27, two small portions of Texas Gulf waters were conditionally opened to shellfish harvesting after a red tide epidemic forced the indefinite closure of oyster season in October. San Antonio and Espiritu Santo ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Natural Wine in Texas

As we noted in last week's post on a new era of Nastiness and a call for civility in the Natural wine debate, it's not easy to define exactly what Natural wine is. As Eric Asimov wrote in his weekly New York Times column, there is no official definition or doctrine for Natural wine or Natural winem ... More >>

Rocks Off Wishes Wyoming A Happy Birthday

​If you're anything like Rocks Off, you've been marking off the days on your calendar until you could let loose and celebrate Wyoming Statehood Day this coming Sunday. OK, so that's a lie, but here at Rocks Off we do enjoy the lesser known-holidays and putting together playlists to honor them ... More >>

Top 5: Foods Best Eaten Alive

Photo by GroovehouseOysters on the half shell at Gilhooley's.​While I'm not a full-on advocate of the raw food or paleo eating movements, I have to admit that both have their strong points. Many foods are, in fact, better left uncooked. And some are flat-out best eaten at their most uncooked: ... More >>

Intelligent Design Tries Again In Texas, Group Says

Evolution in the cross-hairs​Texas might be getting ready to fill its science textbooks with anti-evolution material, critics are warning. The State Board of Education may soon take another step in its effort to adopt material that pushes Intelligent Design, they say. "Two years ago State Bo ... More >>

Marfa Lights Solved!! It's A Giant Bird!!

Headin' for Marfa, no doubt​You may have thought that the mystery of the Marfa Lights had been pretty much settled with scientific research showing that the eerie illuminations are just far-off car headlights bouncing off thermal layers. WRONG. Now comes a creationist scientist who has a new ... More >>

Richard Leakey: Why Our Origins Matter

The Littlest People

There are maybe 200 primordial dwarfs in the world, and Houstonian Sienna Bernal is one of them. She's also trying to be a regular 11-year-old girl.

"DINOSAURS! At the Houston Zoo"

Take a walk on the wild side

"Archaeopteryx: Icon of Evolution"

Look, it's a bird, it's a fossil, it's Super Lizard

Cosmic Celluloid: 2001: A Space Odyssey

One small step for computer-kind, one hell of a mess for man

Aurora Picture Show Video Salon

Teenage filmmaker Emily Hagins shares her zombie-movie experience

What If Swine Flu Got Turned Into a "Song"?

librarystorytime.wordpress.comSo it turns out the best way to prevent swine flu is to wash your damn hands, and to make sure you do a nice thorough job. A former member of the Texas Medical Associaton's Committee on Infectious Diseases suggests you sing or hum songs you probably learned in kindergar ... More >>

Scientists Love The Muck Outside Houston

Photo by JublinSomewhere, a little outside Houston, recently existed a massive colony of creatures that astounded scientists with their sheer size and intrigued them with their behavior. The creatures even engaged freely in "suicidal altruism," in which some would sacrifice themselves for the ... More >>

Children’s Classes at the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center

Web exclusive!

Oyster Lovers Unite

This Valentine's weekend may be your best chance to eat oysters for years to come

Local Scientists Say The Superbugs Are Coming To Get Us

Listen up people - we have run out of options. At least when we come to superbugs, if University of Texas Medical School researchers Dr. Barbara E. Murray and Dr. Cesar Ariasare to be believed. The two study infectious diseases for a living, so they should know. Their article in a recent New England ... More >>

Marine Biologist/Zoologist for a Day

Web exclusive!

An Algae Farm Near The Ship Channel? Why The Hell Not?

You know what the Ship Channel area needs?Besides a whole lot less pollution, we mean.It needs a good farm. An algae farm, in fact. That's the thinking of a Nevada company, which has announced plans to build a 20-acre algae farm near the Channel if it can get some financing from the federal governem ... More >>

Werner Herzog Treks to Antarctica in Encounters at the End of the World

Gleaning lessons from the darkness.

“GENOME: The Secret of How Life Works”

What do you get when you cross a human, a fly and a banana? Matching genes

The Future of Food

If you are what you eat, then you might be a genetic freak

What a Dromaeosaur

Westward Whoa!

Stem cell restrictions could send Texas Medical Center researchers fleeing to California

Make Mine a Guinness

The author discovers his genetic Irishness

Who's Your Daddy?

Track your true identity along a DNA trail left behind by your ancestors

The Pig's Nose Knows

It's time to try a tiny bit of truffle

The Ridley Riddle

Why are sea turtles coming to Galveston's shores?

Buyers' Remorse

The Cohns say their builder ripped them off with a poorly built home that became infested with mold. They've joined other Texas homeowners who want a lemon law passed just for houses.

Winging It

For business or pleasure, here comes the Great Butterfly Chase

Your Friend, the Germ

Microbes are the stars of this exhibit

Letters

Designer Labels, Screwed for Life, Heavy on the Crab

In God's Country

William Dembski thought Baylor University would be the perfect place to investigate a scientific alternative to Darwinism. Little did he realize he would be crucified for his cause.

Clone Wars

In the rousing 6th Day, Arnold Schwarzenegger is not the only one who has been copied

It's Alive!

Frankenfoods may be genetically altered, but are they really dangerous?

The ABCs of DNA

Robert Del Grande

T-Rex in Mouse Ears

The Mesozoic Era undergoes the Disney treatment in Dinosaur

Sick and Fired

Former curator Karl Peterson has been shut out of the zoo, and he wants to know why

The Dinosaur Hunters

The Angelides Affair

A dispute over research fraud has split the faculty at Baylor College of Medicine, and could jeopardize the way universities police scientific misconduct

Naturalist Born Thrillers

Butterflies are nature's floorshow and the Natural Science Museum's cash cow. John Watts' job is to keep the performers alive and flitting.

Press Picks

The Case for Gulf War Gate

Why Die?

At 80, Miller Quarles figures he should have 100 good years left. And Houston's apostle of life extension is determined to find them.