Science news
A rare Martian meteorite that could help unravel the mysteries of Mars has arrived at the Natural History Museum in London today, obtained with the support of a donor.
The latest news about research, events and the collections from the Museum's science departments.
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World's smallest mini mammoth is identified - 09/05/2012
Museum scientists identify a dwarf mammoth in the Mediterranean. Watch the video.
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How the pufferfish got its beak - 07/05/2012
The origin of the unusual beak of pufferfishes has been discovered by Museum scientists.
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How to ID a modern human - 02/05/2012
One human skull may look a lot like another. Chris Stringer highlights the features that ID Homo sapiens.
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Mission to map 10 million species in 50 years - 19/04/2012
Scientists have produced a plan to make mapping all the species on the planet achievable.
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Could giant feathered dinosaur hint at feathers for T.rex? - 11/04/2012
Other large dinosaurs may have had feathers. Dinosaur expert Paul Barrett gives his view.
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Did taking refuge from climate change spur human evolution? - 16/03/2012
Models on ice-age plant and animal movements reveal clues to human evolution.
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Underwater tropical twilight zone explored with Museum's ROV - 08/03/2012
Follow scientists' research with a remotely-operated vehicle as they send back daily blog posts and videos.
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Scientists dig up new branch of amphibian family tree - 02/03/2012
Caecilians are the least well-known of the amphibians, but scientists have identified a new family.
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Noble false widow spider marches north in the UK - 22/02/2012
Museum enquiries show that the noble false widow spider is moving north.
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Mighty Martian meteorite lands at Natural History Museum - 08/02/2012
A rare Martian meteorite could help unravel the mysteries of Mars and has arrived at the Museum.
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A few great plant hunters find most species - 03/02/2012
Just 2% of plant collectors find the majority of new species, new research shows.
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Horseshoe crabs are one of nature’s great survivors - 23/01/2012
They may look like something out of a science fiction movie, but the living horseshoe crab has survived major extinctions.
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Naming new plant species moves online - 31/01/2012
A landmark change has been made in the process of naming new plant species.
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Scott's South Pole expedition science legacy - 17/01/2012
The remarkable scientific achievements of Scott’s Terra Nova expedition are explored in our new exhibition.
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Could 2012 be the year we find extraterrestrial life? - 18/01/2012
Does the discovery of an Earth-like planet, Kepler-22b, and other planets bring the search for alien life closer?
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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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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.
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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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Recording an invasion of Chinese mitten crabs - 25/09/2011
Museum scientists and other organisations are running a project to record Mitten Crab numbers in the UK. Find out more about what you can do to help.
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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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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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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.
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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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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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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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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.
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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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Science news blog
Read more news and updates from the Museum's science departments our science news blog.