News

One of the first known ichthyosaurs, Temnodontosaurus, was a covert ocean predator.

The impact of melting glaciers will be felt for centuries – even if global warming is reversed.

Fossil footprints could push back the origins of the amniotes by as much as 40 million years.

At more than half a billion years old, Mosura fentoni sheds new light on how arthropods evolved.

A fossil of an extinct reptile known as a silesaur suggests that the size of early dinosaurs might have been underestimated.

The Cambrian Explosion may have been less of a burst of evolution, and more of a final flourish.

Bone-eating worms have been cleaning up the ocean floor for over 100 million years.

Sphenodraco scandentis would have climbed among the trees of ancient Jurassic forests.

Antarctic meltwater ponds are helping scientists understand how early organisms survived a frozen Earth.

How echinoderms evolved such an unusual shape has long troubled biologists. 

A fossil of an extinct reptile known as a silesaur suggests that the size of early dinosaurs might have been underestimated.

Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae is going on display in our Earth Hall.

Scientists have tracked over 100 species of marine animals and found that plans to protect almost a third of our seas may be insufficient.

The impact of melting glaciers will be felt for centuries – even if global warming is reversed.

Scientists have taken a step forward in understanding how our species survived outside Africa.

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

One of the first known ichthyosaurs, Temnodontosaurus, was a covert ocean predator.

A fossil of an extinct reptile known as a silesaur suggests that the size of early dinosaurs might have been underestimated.

The Cambrian Explosion may have been less of a burst of evolution, and more of a final flourish.

Bone-eating worms have been cleaning up the ocean floor for over 100 million years.

Sphenodraco scandentis would have climbed among the trees of ancient Jurassic forests.

Antarctic meltwater ponds are helping scientists understand how early organisms survived a frozen Earth.

How echinoderms evolved such an unusual shape has long troubled biologists. 

Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae is going on display in our Earth Hall.

Garden snails and aphids are venomous animals.

Two new species of ancient fungi are shedding light on the origins of these deadly parasites.

Scientists have taken a step forward in understanding how our species survived outside Africa.

The early evolution of pterosaurs is a mystery – and the ancient climate might explain why.

Mineral with a chemical composition very similar to that of the fictional Kryptonite could help Europe transition to a greener future. 

Scientists have tracked over 100 species of marine animals and found that plans to protect almost a third of our seas may be insufficient.

Studying an ancient extinction could help at-risk mussels, scallops and clams today.

The impact of melting glaciers will be felt for centuries – even if global warming is reversed.

Fossil footprints could push back the origins of the amniotes by as much as 40 million years.

At more than half a billion years old, Mosura fentoni sheds new light on how arthropods evolved.

Koala numbers have fallen drastically over the last 100 years due to hunting and habitat loss.

The ‘king’ of the dinosaurs might not be the all-American predator it appears to be.

A new initiative aims to change the fate of seaweeds for the better.

A rare fossil has been identified as an ancient species of internal parasite.

The new species, named Pararhincodon torquis, is a distant relative of the collared carpet sharks.

The insect not only marks a major milestone, but also highlights the power of digitising our collection.

The documents will join other important archives such as the illuminated manuscripts of Charlemagne’s court.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

Finding out exactly when feathers evolved, and which animals had them, could offer important new insights into the distant past.

It’s believed that biofluorescence helps the birds to stand out or hide in their tropical forest habitats.

Just 47 unprovoked shark attacks were recorded in 2024.

Baminornis zhenghensis shows early birds already had some of their key characteristics by the Late Jurassic.

Vegavis iaai might offer new insights into the origins of modern birds.

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

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

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

The remains of the earliest dinosaurs could lie beneath the Amazon rainforest and the Sahara Desert.

Over 15,000 mounds are scattered across Mars’ lowlands – but until recently, no one knew how they got there.

Conch snails make death-defying leaps to evade deadly predators.

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

The UK’s biggest-ever site of dinosaur footprints has been discovered in Oxfordshire.

A previously unknown rock type at the new Mars rover landing site is revealing more about the red planet.

Our species mated with the Neanderthals much later than thought, tearing up the timeline of human evolution.

Spinosaurs, tyrannosaurs and relatives of Velociraptor once stalked England’s south coast.

Threordatoth chasmatos was one of the last survivors of a once-widespread group of lizard-like animals.

Researchers are probing what it means to be a separate species.

The whale-sized shastasaurids went extinct over 200 million years ago.

Buried alongside this individual were a range of symbolic objects.

The 350 elephants died because of a toxic algal bloom exacerbated by climate change.

The fossils show Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei lived alongside each other.

This year the People’s Choice category features a curious chimp, a dancing crab and a snuffling sengi.

Protecting a little bit more of the ocean could lead to big changes for whales.

New research has revealed how birds changed from rigid raptors to flexible fowl.

This is the first mainland European bird declared extinct in 500 years.

A breakthrough fossil discovery is changing what we know about some of the largest mammals to ever walk the Earth.

A remarkable fossil could transform our understanding of how the intelligence of modern birds evolved.

Rising temperatures are pushing many species to the brink, alongside disease, pollution and unsustainable fishing.