Science and nature facts, news and stories

Explore the biggest challenges facing our planet and the nature-based solutions that can help us to create a more sustainable world.

Discover the extraordinary world of these winged reptiles – from mysterious origins to breathtaking diversity. 

Manatees return to Florida’s Crystal River as locals restore seagrass lost to pollution. 

Some whales don’t have teeth – so how do they catch their dinner?

Marmoretta oxoniensis was a climber, not a swimmer.

Butchered remains of great bustards have been found in the graves of people buried 15,000 years ago. 

The fossil expands the Denisovan's known range by thousands of kilometres and provides new insights into how this species looked.

The first samples returned from the far side of the Moon suggest it's 10-100 times drier than the side nearer Earth.

The discoveries that changed our understanding of dinosaurs over the past two centuries.

Millions of years before modern birds evolved, their dinosaur ancestors were soaring through the air.

By the end of the Jurassic Period, dinosaurs ruled our planet. But how they became such a diverse group remains a mystery.

The earliest ancestors of birds looked noticeably different from the creatures familiar to us today, reflecting their dinosaur origins.

The surface of the ocean is warming four times faster than it was 40 years ago.

The passenger pigeon was once the most numerous bird in the world, but in just half a century, it had gone extinct.

New research reveals that damage to these environments is pushing freshwater animals to the edge of extinction.

In 1982, the company managing the Santo Niño copper mine packed up and left. The local community is dealing with its toxic legacy.

Keep an eye out in spring and you may spot the delicate pink and white blooms of a cherry tree.

Spring is a great time to hop over to a local pond or stream to witness the wonderful life cycle of frogs.

They look like bees and pollinate flowers, but these fluffy flies have a gruesome teenage stage that makes them one of the most fascinating species in your local park or garden.

Spring is an important time of year for birds to get cracking laying eggs and raising chicks. But first they need to build their nests.

Explore impressive adaptations animals have evolved for coping with sub-zero temperatures.

The woolly mammoth is an ice age icon. But it was only the very last chapter in a six-million-year-long story. 

Get the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about these fascinating, slithering reptiles.

With wingspans that stretched a whopping 71 centimetres, these epic insects would have blocked out the Sun as they flew past.  

Samples from the asteroid Bennu contain some of the ingredients needed for life to develop.

Discover what causes the colourful lights of the aurora borealis.

Millions of pieces of human-caused debris are orbiting Earth. But are they an issue, and what can we do about them?

Anyone can capture the majesty of the galaxy with a simple camera. All you need is a dark, clear night and the willingness to have a go.

The ancient human species Homo luzonensis is one of the most recent branches to be added to the human evolutionary tree.

Find out how Homo sapiens left Africa and migrated to other regions of the world, including Europe, Asia and America.

Learn about the longest-surviving human species, which was also the first known to leave Africa.

What features make us human? And where, when and why did they evolve?

Worms and snails are living in cavities under the bottom of the sea.

Discover the fascinating, gelatinous world of jellyfish, from painful stings to brilliant bioluminescence. 

Trilobites survived for more than 250 million years. But what made them some of the most successful early animals?

Sea urchins can be found in every ocean on Earth. They’ve been around for 450 million years - but are they now at risk?

It's very difficult to know what the Antarctic was like before humans arrived – but whale bones could hold the answer.

Our butterfly expert talks about her life, passions and the power of perspectives.

A mystery beginning in the South Atlantic, and ending in South Kensington, has finally been solved.

Our latest attraction stands tall over the new gardens.

Manatees return to Florida’s Crystal River as locals restore seagrass lost to pollution. 

Photographer Jaime Rojo brings to life the perilous journey of these iconic butterflies and the efforts to save them.

Ian Wood’s photo No Access fought off competition from 24 other images to emerge victorious.

Delve in to the wonderful world of birds and discover their incredible behaviour through photos from our Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition. 

Get the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about these fascinating, slithering reptiles.

What are those milky white splatters – are they pee or poo?

Take a virtual tour of the Natural History Museum and explore the astonishing diversity of the natural world.

If you know what you’re looking at, little bits of bone can add up to something big. 

Not all sharks look like great whites.

Marmoretta oxoniensis was a climber, not a swimmer.

Butchered remains of great bustards have been found in the graves of people buried 15,000 years ago. 

The fossil expands the Denisovan's known range by thousands of kilometres and provides new insights into how this species looked.

The first samples returned from the far side of the Moon suggest it's 10-100 times drier than the side nearer Earth.

New research is shedding light on the lives ancient humans who lived in a lush and green Sahara Desert.

In order to better target interventions we need to know which causes have the biggest impacts.

Hundreds of species of fungi have now been added to the latest conservation Red List.

Explore the biggest challenges facing our planet and the nature-based solutions that can help us to create a more sustainable world.

New observations have revealed early signs of UV light illuminating the cosmos more than 13 billion years ago.

The impact it has had on the life living down there has been more mixed. 

Manatees return to Florida’s Crystal River as locals restore seagrass lost to pollution. 

Some whales don’t have teeth – so how do they catch their dinner?

Rare evidence about the lives of an ancient group of arthropods has been uncovered in the USA.

The earliest example of an important and widespread group of dinosaurs has been found in North Africa.

Find out what taxonomy means and why it’s important to classify life on Earth.

Dark brown was in fashion for mammals and their relatives over 150 million years ago.

Looking fit is no guarantee of health for one of the world’s most plastic polluted birds.

The ancient human species Homo luzonensis is one of the most recent branches to be added to the human evolutionary tree.

A voyage to the Pacific has been investigating previously unexplored regions of the deep sea.

Understanding one of the largest groups of plants in the world could help tackle world hunger.

A rather uninspiring specimen in the Natural History Museum’s collection has an extraordinary tale to tell.

The UK could have lower bills, cleaner air and better energy security in a net zero future.

Our species has been living in tropical forests for at least 150,000 years.