News
Get breaking news from world-leading scientists.
Discover new species and explore pioneering research into life on Earth. Hear our experts' take on science news from around the world.
The headlines
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News
Fossil tooth could show the mysterious Denisovans made it to southeast Asia
The tooth of a young girl living hundreds of thousands of years ago may be from the Denisovans, an extinct hominid species of which very little is known.
18 May 2022 -
News
Protected areas could help world's biggest ray to bounce back
Crowdsourced photographs are helping to demonstrate the value of nature reserves to one of the world's largest fish.
17 May 2022 -
News
Plants grown in lunar soil for the first time
While the plants flowered, lunar soils negatively affected their growth, meaning there is still some way to go until farming on the Moon becomes a viable prospect.
12 May 2022 -
News
Trilobite fossil reveals how ancient arthropods mated
Male trilobites could have acted like modern horseshoe crabs, using claspers to grip females and increase their chance of fathering young.
11 May 2022
Research from our scientists
Behind the scenes, hundreds of Museum scientists study every aspect of life in our galaxy - from far-flung planets to the insects in our gardens. Explore their discoveries.
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Science news
Mauritius' pink pigeon faces extinction threat from inbreeding
Another bird from the island of the dodo is in danger of becoming extinct, scientists have warned.
13 May 2022 -
Science news
Whale faces reveal how the world's biggest animals evolved
We now know how whales evolved from furry, four-legged critters to giants of the ocean.
9 May 2022 -
Science news
Seabird declines threatening coastal nutrient supply
Over half of all seabirds have been lost in the past 50 years, seeing less of the nutrients vital to life moved from sea to land.
22 April 2022 -
Science news
Ancient fossil may be the first bryozoan with a hard skeleton
It beats the previous record holder by tens of millions of years.
20 April 2022 -
Science news
Six of the world's smallest frogs discovered in Mexico
Some of the species, described for the first time, are smaller than a 1p coin.
13 April 2022 -
Science news
Museum bats digitised to combat future pandemics
Understanding how bats, which are one of nature's largest disease reservoirs, have changed over time can help scientists to identify new disease hotspots.
7 April 2022
Environment news
Nature needs our help. Get updates on the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and more.
Global warming is causing UK plants to flower earlier
Plants in the UK now flower around a month earlier than they were hundreds of years ago.
2 February 2022
Bees, butterflies and moths 'confused' by air pollution
Air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides can cause as much as a 90% decline in pollinator visits to flowers.
24 January 2022
Dinosaur news
The Museum houses one of the world's most important dinosaur collections. Discover more about how it is supporting research into these prehistoric animals.
In our blog series, Dinosaur diaries, hear from the palaeontology team as they give their take on breaking dinosaur news from around the world.
New species
Thousands of new animals and plants are discovered every year. Hundreds of them are found by scientists at the Museum.
Human evolution news
New discoveries about how we became human are being made all the time. Innovative technologies are allowing us to understand the history of humanity in more detail than ever before.
Explore findings from the Museum's Centre for Human Evolution Research.
Space news
Our scientists are working at the forefront of space research, collaborating on missions to Mars and beyond.
Mars 2020: an essential guide to the mission
The Mars 2020 mission is NASA's first major return to the red planet since it sent the Curiosity rover in 2011, and the Museum is involved with this new mission in a number of ways.
24 July 2020
All news
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News
Fossil tooth could show the mysterious Denisovans made it to southeast Asia
The tooth of a young girl living hundreds of thousands of years ago may be from the Denisovans, an extinct hominid species of which very little is known.
18 May 2022 -
News
Protected areas could help world's biggest ray to bounce back
Crowdsourced photographs are helping to demonstrate the value of nature reserves to one of the world's largest fish.
17 May 2022 -
Science news
Mauritius' pink pigeon faces extinction threat from inbreeding
Another bird from the island of the dodo is in danger of becoming extinct, scientists have warned.
13 May 2022 -
News
Plants grown in lunar soil for the first time
While the plants flowered, lunar soils negatively affected their growth, meaning there is still some way to go until farming on the Moon becomes a viable prospect.
12 May 2022 -
News
Trilobite fossil reveals how ancient arthropods mated
Male trilobites could have acted like modern horseshoe crabs, using claspers to grip females and increase their chance of fathering young.
11 May 2022 -
News
Seasonal flu may have descended from deadly 1918 influenza pandemic
The 1918 influenza pandemic, also known as Spanish flu, can help scientists understand how modern viruses evolve as they spread across the world.
10 May 2022 -
Science news
Whale faces reveal how the world's biggest animals evolved
We now know how whales evolved from furry, four-legged critters to giants of the ocean.
9 May 2022 -
News
UK's flying insects have declined by 60% in 20 years
The UK's insect population has fallen sharply as the invertebrates are affected by rising temperatures and fragmented habitats.
6 May 2022 -
News
Moon dust could be used to make rocket fuel
Moon dust can be used to create the materials needed to explore space.
5 May 2022 -
News
Critically Endangered porpoise can bounce back from edge of extinction
There are fewer than 10 vaquita left in the world, but it's still possible to save the species.
5 May 2022 -
News
Giant ichthyosaur fossils reveal the last days of Triassic marine reptiles
Some of the largest animals that ever lived retained their size right up until they were wiped out 200 million years ago.
29 April 2022 -
News
Climate change could cause diseases to gain new hosts
Diseases which spread between animals and humans, such as Ebola virus, are likely to spread further than ever before.
28 April 2022 -
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More than a fifth of reptiles are threatened with extinction
Habitat loss and human persecution are the key drivers of their decline, with crocodiles and turtles most at risk.
27 April 2022 -
News
Meteorites could have brought DNA precursors to Earth
Analyses of three meteorites suggest that the raw material for the origin of life may have formed in space.
26 April 2022 -
News
UK set to miss pledge to protect 30% of territory by 2030
A new report from the British Ecological Society warns the UK needs to change how it looks after biodiverse areas of the country.
25 April 2022 -
Science news
Seabird declines threatening coastal nutrient supply
Over half of all seabirds have been lost in the past 50 years, seeing less of the nutrients vital to life moved from sea to land.
22 April 2022 -
News
New natural history GCSE to focus on saving the planet
A new natural history course for UK high school students will help pupils develop a deeper understanding of the natural world.
21 April 2022 -
Science news
Ancient fossil may be the first bryozoan with a hard skeleton
It beats the previous record holder by tens of millions of years.
20 April 2022 -
News
Pterosaurs may have had coloured feathers similar to birds
The world's first flying vertebrates may also have been some of the biggest show-offs.
20 April 2022 -
News
'Extinct' flower rediscovered in Ecuador after forest destruction
Though Gasteranthus extinctus may be Critically Endangered, there is hope it can be brought back from the brink.
15 April 2022 -
News
Koala biobank could help save Australian mammal from extinction
Freezing koala eggs and sperm may help to buy the species time while wider threats are tackled.
14 April 2022 -
Science news
Six of the world's smallest frogs discovered in Mexico
Some of the species, described for the first time, are smaller than a 1p coin.
13 April 2022 -
Science news
Museum bats digitised to combat future pandemics
Understanding how bats, which are one of nature's largest disease reservoirs, have changed over time can help scientists to identify new disease hotspots.
7 April 2022 -
News
Scientists find the most distant object ever seen from Earth
Dating back to over 13 billion years ago, HD1 could have formed shortly after the Big Bang, with properties unlike any modern galaxy.
7 April 2022 -
News
Fossilised leg buried by dinosaur-killing asteroid uncovered in North America
With the finding yet to be published in a scientific journal, debate continues over whether this could be the case.
7 April 2022 -
Science news
Climate change has caused Britain's butterflies to get bigger
In response to a warming world, many species are physically changing their body sizes.
5 April 2022 -
Science news
Birds are officially more colourful closer to the equator
The tropics have long been perceived as being a riot of colour.
4 April 2022 -
News
Avoiding the worst of climate change is possible if we act now
We have just three years to keep the dream of 1.5⁰C of global warming alive.
4 April 2022 -
News
Members of the public encouraged to take part in The Big Plastic Count
The Big Plastic Count will take place between 16 and 22 May
30 March 2022 -
News
Wildfires can damage the ozone layer
As climate change intensifies, a greater number of wildfires will increase the risk from ultraviolet radiation.
26 March 2022 -
News
Highest number of bitterns in the UK since the 1880s
The bittern, whose call is as loud as a jet taking off, is returning to areas of the country it hasn't been seen in for centuries.
25 March 2022 -
News
Mystery of how Boa constrictor breathes while crushing prey solved
The snakes can move their ribs independently to suck in air while others are constricting.
24 March 2022 -
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Spinosaurus and Baryonyx may have hunted fish underwater
Spinosaurs were some of the only dinosaurs that spent much of their lives in water.
23 March 2022 -
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Lead ammunition poisoning Europe's birds of prey
Populations of raptors are over 50,000 birds smaller than they would otherwise be.
18 March 2022 -
News
NASA rocket which will eventually take humans to the Moon unveiled
NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) is undergoing its last big test before its first flight.
18 March 2022 -
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Beavers reintroduced to London after 400 years
The reintroduction is another step forward for campaigns to return the aquatic rodent to the UK.
17 March 2022 -
News
Cities are influencing plant evolution globally
White clovers are adapting to face the dryness of cities globally by reducing production of anti-herbivore compounds.
17 March 2022 -
News
Stunning bright blue, red and pink minerals go on display at the Museum
The minerals, Tanzanite, Morganite and Rhodochrosite, are richly coloured, great in size and scientifically significant.
16 March 2022 -
Science news
New species is earliest armoured dinosaur described from Asia
It adds to the understanding of how these curious dinosaurs evolved and spread around the world.
15 March 2022 -
News
One of the earliest sabre-toothed mammals discovered in the USA
Living over 40 million years before the sabre-tooth tiger, Diegoaelurus vanvalkenburghae may have preyed on rhinos and primates in the forests of California.
15 March 2022 -
News
Potential new species of giant tortoise discovered in the Galápagos Islands
There is currently not enough evidence to prove they are a genuine new species, or just a distinct population of an existing one.
14 March 2022 -
News
Greenland asteroid struck world recovering from dinosaur extinction
While its impacts are uncertain, it could have caused the world to warm significantly.
11 March 2022 -
News
Museum nominates two projects for this year's Earthshot Prize
The Earthshot Prize is the most prestigious environmental prize in the world.
10 March 2022 -
News
Artificial whale poo could help restore ocean biodiversity
While it could provide a useful stopgap, there is no guarantee the technique, or whales, will ever fully restore what has been lost.
9 March 2022 -
News
Treaty to end plastic pollution moves a step closer
175 countries voted to start preparations for a new treaty aimed at regulating and controlling plastics last week.
8 March 2022 -
News
Octopus ancestor with 10 arms named after President Joe Biden
The fossil uncovered in Montana suggests the ancestor of all squid and octopus had 10 arms, with some of these then lost by its descendants.
8 March 2022 -
News
Megalodon sharks grew biggest in colder waters
The finding could offer insights into the impact of climate change on its modern relatives.
7 March 2022 -
Science news
New stegosaur dinosaur species could be the oldest ever discovered
Bashanosaurus primitivus adds to evidence the group of dinosaurs may have originated in Asia.
4 March 2022 -
Science news
Frog eyes shed light on their UV vision
Understanding how frog eyes evolved can help explain how the diverse group came into being.
1 March 2022 -
News
Controversial paper suggests there are three Tyrannosaurus species
Palaeontologists have reacted with scepticism over the claims.
1 March 2022 -
News
New climate change report shows that 'nature can be our saviour'
The second IPCC report is looking at the effects of climate change on extreme weather, floods and temperature rises.
28 February 2022 -
News
Stephen Fry explores how nature and myth shape our view of life on Earth
Over thousands of years people have dreamt up all manner of strange and fantastic beasts in folklore, myths and legends.
27 February 2022 -
Science news
Lizard lifestyle has no impact on their biting force
Even the most carnivorous lizard can bite no harder than herbivores of the same size, Museum researchers have found.
23 February 2022 -
News
Britain's rural hedgehogs see dramatic population decline
Up to three quarters of all of Britain's rural hedgehogs have been lost in the past 20 years.
22 February 2022 -
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Eagles in the USA poisoned by widespread lead pollution
Almost half of all American bald and golden eagles are being poisoned by lead.
18 February 2022 -
News
Reintroducing large mammals could restore the world's ecosystems
Just 20 large mammals, including beavers, bears and bison, could bring back communities across a quarter of the planet.
17 February 2022 -
Science news
New group of plants was one of the first to colonise the land
Ancient plants measuring just two centimetres long could show what the ancestor of vascular plants looked like.
16 February 2022 -
News
Fossils suggest dinosaurs could get ill from respiratory disease
The neck of a diplodocid shows evidence of a disease that still affects birds today.
10 February 2022 -
Science news
New species of ancient reptile would have been an apex predator of the Middle Triassic
A new species of crocodile-like animal has been described from fossils unearthed in Tanzania.
9 February 2022 -
Science news
Oldest evidence of modern humans in western Europe discovered
Modern humans arrived in western Europe about 10,000 years earlier than previously thought.
9 February 2022 -
Science news
Nanofoam discovered in pollen could power cars and save lives
Structures inspired by pollen could make electric car batteries cheaper and more efficient.
9 February 2022 -
News
Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2021 announces People's Choice winning image
A chilly scene of willow trees rising above a frozen lake in Italy.
9 February 2022 -
News
Fossil-eating sponges discovered in the Arctic
The unique ecosystem is one of the most diverse of the high Arctic.
8 February 2022 -
Science news
Two thirds of life in the seabed is unknown to science
The deep seafloor could be up to three times as diverse as the overlying waters, with much of this diversity yet to be discovered by science.
4 February 2022 -
News
Woolly mammoth and rhino among Ice Age animals discovered in Devon cave
The animals roamed Devon's vast grasslands thousands of years ago.
3 February 2022 -
News
Global warming is causing UK plants to flower earlier
Plants in the UK now flower around a month earlier than they were hundreds of years ago.
2 February 2022 -
Science news
Snails narrow down the impacts of the largest ever extinction
A group of fossilised snails and clams are challenging suggestions that ocean acidification contributed to the largest extinction in history.
31 January 2022 -
News
Sir Patrick Vallance to become Museum's next Chair of the Board of Trustees
Sir Patrick Vallance to become Museum's next Chairman of the Board of Trustees
31 January 2022 -
News
Crocodiles prefer aquatic meals after toxic toad invasion
Scientists believe that the behavioural change may help the reptiles wash away poison from the cane toad, an amphibian which has decimated Australian biodiversity.
26 January 2022 -
News
Human ancestor Homo erectus probably wasn't the carnivore we thought
Evidence of increasing carnivory in ancient humans may just be a quirk of sampling.
24 January 2022 -
News
Bees, butterflies and moths 'confused' by air pollution
Air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides can cause as much as a 90% decline in pollinator visits to flowers.
24 January 2022 -
News
The universe could contain 40 trillion black holes
Black holes could make up as much as 1% of all known matter, and may be the building blocks of the largest and most powerful objects in the entire universe.
20 January 2022