News archive 2011
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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.
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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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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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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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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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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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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.
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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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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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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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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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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.
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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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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.