Archived news articles
2011
December
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Top 10 events at the Museum news from 2011 - 30/12/2011
A new Museum director, the first book for ipad, and the theft of replica rhino horns are some of the most popular stories.
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Top 10 science and nature 2011 news stories - 27/12/2011
A rare dual-sex butterfly, a new addition to the human family tree, a striking blue lobster and more.
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Hunt for holly and plot your sightings on our map - 22/12/2011
It's an easy plant to spot, especially in the Christmas season, so go on a Great holly hunt.
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Whale, dolphin and porpoise strandings fall in the UK - 16/12/2011
Strandings of whales, dolphins and porpoises around the UK have fallen, a 6-year report says.
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Did a good sense of smell give us an evolutionary advantage? - 13/12/2011
Sense of smell may have been as important as language in giving modern humans an evolutionary advantage over other human relatives.
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Oldest predator Anomalocaris had super sight - 08/12/2011
Scientists at the Museum find first direct evidence that Anomalocaris had compound eyes with 16,000 lenses.
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New horned dinosaur hidden for 90 years in Museum - 06/12/2011
Museum dinosaur expert Paul Barrett comments on the new Spinops dinosaur research.
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The search for best wildlife photos 2012 begins - 05/12/2011
The call for best photos for the Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year begins.
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Museum celebrates 10 years of free entry - 01/12/2011
The Museum has welcomed more than 35 million visitors in the last 10 years.
November
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The Origin of Our Species is this year's Annual Science Lecture - 28/11/2011
Britain’s leading expert on human origins Professor Chris Stringer presents the Museum's 2011 lecture.
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Museum returns 19 ancestral remains to Torres Strait Islands - 23/11/2011
Watch a video about the return of ancestral remains to the Torres Strait Island community.
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Museum's Crime Scene Live wins Gold and Silver awards - 21/11/2011
Crime Scene Live is the Best Event in a Public Space.
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Fossil of oldest bird to go on show in new Museum gallery - 20/11/2011
The Museum's fossil Archaeopteryx is to be displayed in new Treasures gallery in 2012.
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First UK display of human-like A. sediba cast - 16/11/2011
Exact fossil replicas of the Australopithecus sediba skeletons are donated to the Museum.
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Electric-blue lobster found in Billingsgate fish market - 09/11/2011
A striking electric-blue lobster is brought to the Museum.
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National nature project, OPAL, gets Lottery runner-up award - 07/11/2011
Open Air Laboratories is one of the UK's best environmental projects.
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Ice Rink opens at London's Natural History Museum - 04/11/2011
The ice rink is in the magical setting on the Museum east lawn.
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Devon jawbone reveals earliest NW European - 02/11/2011
A jawbone from Kent's Cavern is dated to between 41,000-44,000 years old.
October
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Bone-eating zombie worms can no longer hide - 31/10/2011
Three-million-year-old fossil reveals traces of bone-eating zombie worms.
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Dinosaur teeth show Camarasaurus had seasonal migration - 26/10/2011
Museum dinosaur expert Paul Barrett comments on this sauropod research.
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Winning wildlife photos 2011 announced - 19/10/2011
See winning photos from the Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
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Lost photos of Captain Scott revealed in new book - 06/10/2011
Scott's unseen photos revealed in David M Wilson's book.
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Museum's Archaeopteryx is the specimen to refer to - 03/10/2011
After 5 years of discussion, the Museum's Archaeopteryx is official type specimen.
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Best highly commended wildlife photos 2011 revealed - 01/10/2011
Preview photos from the Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
September
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Natural History Museum's new Bugs Count app launched - 28/09/2011
The Museum launches its new OPAL Bugs Count app for mobile devices.
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Help scientists record invasion of Chinese mitten crabs - 25/09/2011
Scientists from the Museum and other organisations want people to take part in the Mitten Crab Recording Project.
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Name a worm at Museum's Science Uncovered event - 23/09/2011
What would you call a deep-sea worm that lives off the rotting carcass of a whale? Help name 5 worms.
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Museum scientists come out of the lab for Science Uncovered - 20/09/2011
A team of 'scientists' have been roaming the streets of London promoting the Museum's biggest ever late night event this Friday.
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Museum's first book for iPad, Birds of America, is launched - 18/09/2011
The 1-metre-tall 19th-century book by Audubon is Museum's first book for iPad.
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Mystery of a West African skull from 13,000 years ago - 16/09/2011
Humans with primitive skull features were still living in West Africa 13,000 years ago.
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Archaeopteryx and the dinosaur-bird family tree - 14/09/2011
How does Archaeopteryx fit in with bird origins? Museum's Paul Barrett and Angela Milner give their views.
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Sediba human ancestor could shift our origins to South Africa - 08/09/2011
At almost 2 million years old, a human-like species from caves at Malapa in South Africa may be the ancestor to the first humans.
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Museum species added to new look Encyclopedia of Life - 05/09/2011
Species fact files written by Museum scientists have been added to the new version of EOL website.
August
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Theft of replica rhino horns at Natural History Museum, Tring - 30/08/2011
Two replica rhino horns were stolen from the Museum at Tring last weekend.
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Museum welcomes Indigenous insight through fellowships - 25/08/2011
The Museum welcomes representatives from the Torres Strait Islands and Aboriginal Australia this autumn.
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Ancient harvestmen in 3D reveals early evolution - 23/08/2011
VIrtual models of two 300-million-year-old fossil harvestmen reveal they evolved modern bodies early on.
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Best wildlife photos 2011 sneak preview - 17/08/2011
Preview the best photos from the Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
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Missing Wallace-Darwin letters search is on - 10/08/2011
A project is on the look out for some of the most important letters in the history of biology.
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World's first ichthyosaur goes home after 200 years - 04/08/2011
A 2-metre-long skull makes its way to the Lyme Regis Museum.
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Second dual-sex butterfly hatches and has rare female form - 02/08/2011
An even rarer dual-sex butterfly is found at Sensational Butterflies.
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Museum bird skin theft man ordered to pay money - 01/08/2011
Edwin Rist has been ordered to pay £125,150.
July
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Who knows the origin of our species? - 25/07/2011
If anyone knows, it's likely to be the Museum's Chris Stringer, author of the new book The Origin of Our Species.
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World’s heaviest spider title challenged at Museum - 15/07/2011
The contenders are the Hercules baboon spider and the Goliath bird-eating spider. Watch the video.
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Dual-sex butterfly hatches at Natural History Museum - 12/07/2011
A rare butterfly has been found in the Sensational Butterflies butterfly house.
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Indian Ocean Tsunami Memorial opens at Museum - 06/07/2011
A memorial to the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami opens at the Museum today.
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Museum Paraguay field work postponed - 05/07/2011
Funding for a Museum scientific trip to Paraguay has been reallocated.
June
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Exclusive fashion collection inspired by the Museum at Tring - 24/06/2011
The Natural History Museum at Tring hosted an exclusive fashion shoot and its iconic specimens feature in the fashion designs.
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Sexual Nature visitors share ideas on love and sex - 20/06/2011
Visitors to the Sexual Nature exhibition have been voting on 3 big questions. Find out the result so far.
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First Australian spinosaur dinosaur had global distribution - 15/06/2011
The first spinosaur dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Australia is uncovered by Museum scientists.
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Museum appoints new Director of Science - 09/06/2011
The Museum is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Ian Owens as Director of Science.
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Look out for 6 minibeasts in the OPAL Bugs Count - 08/06/2011
Look out for a devil’s coach horse, a leopard slug and more in the Bugs Count.
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Rare Scott artefacts reunited after 100 years - 06/06/2011
Artefacts from Scott's last expedition to Antarctica are reunited on Scott's birthday.
May
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OPAL for Best Environment Project National Lottery Award - 31/05/2011
Vote for the Open Air Laboratories network, which has reached the National Lottery Awards semi-finals.
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Unusual fly found in Museum garden nature bioblitz - 26/05/2011
The Museum's Big Nature Day last weekend finds an unusual fly, watch the video.
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How to identify a cockchafer May bug - 18/05/2011
It has a hairy body, orange fan-like antennae and eats roots, watch the video.
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Happy birthday Dippy, Museum's Diplodocus is 106 today - 12/05/2011
The Museum's iconic dinosaur Dippy was unveiled 106 years ago today.
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Torres Strait Island community ancestral remains return begins - 06/05/2011
The Museum begins the return of ancestral remains to the Torres Strait Island community. Watch a video.
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Swarm-like behaviour of red mason solitary bees - 04/05/2011
Seen what looks like a bee swarm in your garden? It could be the harmless red mason bees.
April
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Marine Parade Fossil Festival May Day weekend 2011 - 28/04/2011
This weekend, families and Museum scientists head to the Jurassic Coast for the Fossil Festival.
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Bee mimic flies in to a garden near you - 25/04/2011
It’s hairy like a bee, hovers and hums, and has a scary looking spike at one end! Look out for bee-flies.
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Age of the Dinosaur exhibition opens Friday 22 April - 21/04/2011
Bill Bailey gets a fright at the Age of the Dinosaur exhibition preview.
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New zebra-like ringlet butterfly found in Museum collection - 12/04/2011
A new tropical butterfly has been uncovered in the collections at the Museum.
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What's your cherry, a morello, Fuji, Japanese or wild? - 11/04/2011
Help scientists at the Museum and record cherry trees in your area.
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Man sentenced for rare bird theft from Museum at Tring - 08/04/2011
Edwin Rist pleading guilty to burglary and money laundering of 299 rare bird skins from the Museum. Watch a video.
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Sensational butterflies arrive for Museum summer exhibition - 07/04/2011
Live butterflies arrive for the Sensational Butterflies exhibition opening on 12 April.
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Lice thrived before dinosaur extinction - 06/04/2011
The ancestors of today’s lice, and their bird and mammal hosts, were diversifying before dinosaurs went extinct.
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Look out for the first bluebells - 01/04/2011
Have you seen any bluebells yet? Help record the first bluebell sightings.
March
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Natural History Museum's interactive film wins award - 29/03/2011
Who do you think you really are? wins the Learning on Screen Premier Award (multimedia).
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Is there hope for elms? Help find out - 25/03/2011
Millions of mature elms have died in the UK from Dutch elm disease. Help find out how many are left.
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Take your best photo shot for Climate Week - 25/03/2011
Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) is calling on budding photographers to send in their UK weather snaps.
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Modern humans came from southern Africa, study suggests - 22/03/2011
A genetic study of African hunter-gatherers suggests modern humans evolved in southern Africa rather than in the east.
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Age of the Dinosaur exhibition animatronics arrive - 21/03/2011
After a 6-week journey across the sea from Japan, 3 animatronic dinosaurs arrive.
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Museum returns remains to Torres Strait Islands - 10/03/2011
This is the largest single return to Australia and is a landmark decision, bringing a new approach to repatriation.
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Meteorite with abundant nitrogen for life on Earth? - 04/03/2011
A chemical essential for building the first life forms on Earth has been found in abundance in an Antarctic meteorite.
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Watch the weather and help survey the climate - 03/03/2011
Don't just talk about the weather, take part in the OPAL Climate Survey, launched today.
February
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3D Neanderthal comes to a screen near you - 28/02/2011
A new 3D Neanderthal for the Museum's website uses augmented reality (AR).
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World’s largest yellow pear-shape diamond dazzles in Museum - 24/02/2011
Watch the video as Jerry Hall unveils the 110-carat Cora Sun-Drop diamond on display in the Museum.
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Earliest human skull-cups made in the UK - 16/02/2011
Watch the video and find out about the earliest known examples of human skulls made into cups, revealed today by Museum scientists.
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Sexual Nature exhibition has celebrity attraction - 09/02/2011
Celebrities, including Gavin and Stacey’s Mathew Horne, attend the preview event of Sexual Nature.
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Is a super snowdrop display on the way? - 08/02/2011
The recent cold winter may have caused chaos for commuters but it could mean we are due for a mass flowering of snowdrops.
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You say potato, I say Solanum tuberosum? - 04/02/2011
What do you call a potato? There are more than 600 names for just 4 cultivated species.
January
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Thames whale is on display at the Museum at Tring - 22/01/2011
The northern bottlenose whale that died in the River Thames in 2006 goes on display at the Museum at Tring.
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New Images of Nature gallery opens at Museum - 21/01/2011
Explore how artists and scientists see the natural world in the Museum's new gallery.
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More Museum collections on show for 2011 - 19/01/2011
Guy the gorilla and a 17th-century dodo painting, just some of the Museum's behind-the-scenes collections coming to the public galleries.
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World’s best wildlife photos 2011, the search begins - 14/01/2011
The Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition begins today.
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Ancient Denisovans and the human family tree - 12/01/2011
A new group of ancient humans interbred with our species and left behind a genetic trace. Chris Stringer talks about the research.
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Top 10 Museum event news stories from 2010 - 07/01/2011
The arrival of a rare angle shark and bringing extinct creatures back to life. Here are the top 10 favourite news stories about events at the Museum in 2010.
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Top 10 science and nature stories from 2010 - 04/01/2011
An unusual lobster, dinosaur colour research, and a right whale in the Thames. More top 2010 news stories from the Museum.
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