Science news
Museum researchers publish and contribute to hundreds of scientific papers every year. Discover more about their findings.
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Science news
Largest ever millipede’s head revealed by 300-million-year-old fossils
Arthropleura's head reveals that millipedes and centipedes are closely related.
9 October 2024 -
Science news
Bird extinctions have a greater impact than we think
Every species extinction is bad, but the impacts are worse when we consider the ecosystem functions that are also lost.
3 October 2024 -
Science news
New species of tropical moth from Guyana discovered in Port Talbot living room
A new species of moth has been discovered 7,000 kilometres from home.
2 October 2024 -
Science news
Penguins and albatrosses have a ‘touch sensor’ in their beak
Some seabirds might have a ‘sixth sense’ at the end of their beak, new research reveals.
18 September 2024 -
Science news
Scientists propose changing bird’s problematic name
Researchers have proposed changing the common name of the flesh-footed shearwater.
5 September 2024 -
Science news
Pollution revealed as the greatest threat to healthy soils
Food security and biodiversity are threatened by the chemicals contaminating our soils.
3 September 2024 -
Science news
Plant-eating dinosaurs evolved backup teeth to eat tough food
Some of Earth’s most successful herbivores may have had hundreds of thousands of teeth in their lifetime.
27 August 2024 -
Science news
Tropical beetles unknown to science at higher risk of extinction
Humans are having a devastating effect on biodiversity, but the impacts might be worse than we thought.
20 August 2024 -
Science news
Dodos were fast, active birds that roamed their forested island home
Despite their fame, astonishingly little is known about these large, flightless birds.
16 August 2024 -
Science news
Things just got weird: skinks provide a window onto how evolution works
The social skinks are helping scientists answer fundamental questions about evolution.
12 August 2024 -
Science news
Early mammals lived for longer than their modern relatives
Tiny teeth are revealing the roots of the modern mammal lifestyle.
7 August 2024 -
Science news
Fossil hunter discovers new species of 210-million-year-old lungfish
Ferganoceratodus edwardsi suggests that many ancient lungfish are more closely related than first thought.
6 August 2024 -
Science news
Scientists genetically remove prickles from flowering plants
Genetically removing the prickles from crops could have huge benefits for agriculture.
2 August 2024 -
Science news
New technology protects crops by testing the air for the DNA of plant diseases
Plant infections can now be detected in our crops before they’re even visible.
2 August 2024 -
Science news
Conservationists need to pay more attention to ‘degraded’ tropical forests
We’ve been underestimating the importance of partially logged forests.
1 August 2024 -
Science news
Rare 520-million-year-old larva could reveal more about early animal evolution
A three-dimensional preserved fossil larva has been found to contain traces of internal organs.
31 July 2024 -
Science news
North Sea oil rig pollution linked to seafloor biodiversity decline
The North Sea’s oil and gas rigs impact more than the atmosphere.
29 July 2024 -
Science news
Rare tooth from 55-million-year-old predator uncovered by seven-year-old boy
A molar found in sand from south London could shed light on the last days of an ancient mammal.
25 July 2024 -
Science news
Microbial structures in Antarctic lake could reveal more about how life evolved
Scientists are studying microbial structures in extreme environments to learn more about early life.
16 July 2024 -
Science news
The most complete UK dinosaur in a century found on the Isle of Wight
Comptonatus chasei is the newest member of the Iguanodon family.
10 July 2024 -
Science news
Trilobite ‘Pompeii’ reveals 500-million-year-old animals preserved in exquisite detail
Some of the best three-dimensionally preserved fossil trilobites have been revealed from Morocco.
28 June 2024 -
Science news
Ammonite extinction at the end of the dinosaur era was not inevitable
The iconic marine molluscs might be alive today had Earth not been struck by a meteorite.
27 June 2024 -
Science news
World’s smallest living elephants listed as Endangered on Red List
Only 1,000 Bornean elephants are thought to be left in the wild.
27 June 2024 -
Science news
Dinosaurs were thriving in the Western USA before end Jurassic extinction
Scientists are trying to unravel the mysteries of an extinction event that occured in North America at the end of the Jurassic.
13 June 2024 -
Science news
New species of vegetarian piranha named after Lord of the Rings villain Sauron
The newly described Myloplus sauron highlights how little we know about South America’s biodiversity.
11 June 2024 -
Science news
UK’s hidden biodiversity could be revealed by technology that samples the air for DNA
By sequencing airborne eDNA, a new project hopes to find out more about the UK’s wildlife.
10 June 2024 -
Science news
Largest cyclone to hit Australia killed off 90 percent of Bedout Island’s masked boobies
A vast colony of breeding seabirds experienced “unprecedented” mortality.
6 June 2024 -
Science news
New species of sauropodomorph dinosaur from Zimbabwe reveals Africa’s hidden heritage
Musankwa sanyatiensis is just the fourth dinosaur species ever found from Zimbabwe.
30 May 2024 -
Science news
A handful of big flower groups represent a quarter of all species
Dandelions, buttercups and brambles might help to answer some of the biggest questions in botany.
29 May 2024 -
Science news
Most comprehensive seal family tree reveals the hidden history of walruses
Seal diversity is just a snapshot of the species that used to exist.
24 May 2024 -
Science news
New species of ‘Dune-like’ carnivorous worm described from UK fossils
An ancient worm may have dragged itself along the sea floor, consuming whatever prey it could find.
23 May 2024 -
Science news
Earliest animal ecosystems may have played a role in the evolution of complex life
The first animal communities could have impacted on how complex life evolved over 550 million years ago.
17 May 2024 -
Science news
Organic compost and diverse gardens are best for the UK’s earthworms
Making our gardens earthworm friendly could help urban spaces become more resilient.
30 April 2024 -
Science news
Laser technology could help curb the illegal trade in ivory
Every year thousands of elephants are still killed for their ivory.
24 April 2024 -
Science news
Rising water levels threaten the survival of the lesser flamingo
The lesser flamingo is in danger of losing its feeding and breeding grounds.
12 April 2024 -
Science news
Australia remains bird flu free as outbreak continues elsewhere
Since 2020, millions of birds have been struck down by avian influenza, but Oceania remains virus free.
4 April 2024 -
Science news
Most detailed bird evolutionary tree reveals new and surprising relationships
It proposes an entirely new group of birds that connects the smallest flying birds to the largest.
2 April 2024 -
Science news
Expedition to the Pacific deep sea reveals extraordinary creatures never seen before
An international team of scientists have spent the last few weeks finding out what is living 4,000 metres beneath the surface.
25 March 2024 -
Science news
Rediscovering the world’s largest cormorant
The spectacled cormorant went extinct almost 200 years ago – but almost nothing is known about its life.
19 March 2024 -
Science news
Giant fishes in the Mekong River at risk of extinction
Some of the world’s largest and most unusual fishes could be wiped out.
8 March 2024 -
Science news
Lack of renewable energy metals could hold up net zero goals
Giving communities a greater say over mining could help to speed up the transition to net zero.
22 February 2024 -
Science news
Snakes’ rapid evolution might be the secret of their success
They might not have legs, but snakes are outpacing their relatives in the race to evolve.
22 February 2024 -
Science news
New species of pirate spiders discovered on South Atlantic island
Named in honour of two dedicated conservationists, the discovery of the spiders could help to protect at-risk forests on St Helena.
15 February 2024 -
Science news
New technique detects distinct fish populations in a single lake through their environmental DNA
A new study has allowed scientists to see how populations of fish differ through their DNA.
7 February 2024 -
Science news
New pterosaur from Skye reveals the hidden diversity of the Middle Jurassic
Discovered in Scotland, Ceoptera evansae has been named as a new species of pterosaur.
6 February 2024 -
Science news
Scientists plan ‘seaweed breakthrough’ to restore threatened species
Seaweeds play a vital role in the modern world, but their existence is under threat.
2 February 2024 -
Science news
Natural History Museum scientists described a record 815 new species in 2023
This year scientists at the Natural History Museum have been busy.
28 December 2023 -
Science news
Early giant whale from Australia changes our understanding of whale evolution
A jawbone fragment overlooked for more than 100 years was once part of a nine-metre-long ancient whale.
20 December 2023 -
Science news
Jawbones reveal how evolution has shaped the face of whales
It’s said that you are what you eat – and that’s certainly true of toothed whales.
19 December 2023 -
Science news
Machine learning could help scientists understand why birds are eating plastic
Seabirds in the Pacific Ocean are eating plastic and feeding it to their chicks.
18 December 2023 -
Science news
Better fossil dating could help to clear up human evolution
Going back to basics could help to unlock the mysteries of our origins.
18 December 2023 -
Science news
Potential signs of life on Mars might be easier to find than first thought
A school science experiment is answering questions that are out of this world.
12 December 2023 -
Science news
Fungus named after Beatrix Potter is one of the earliest plant pests
The oldest disease-causing fungus on record has been found in the Natural History Museum’s collection.
5 December 2023 -
Science news
‘It’s almost like a dream’: Sample of asteroid Bennu arrives at the Natural History Museum
Welcome to the next era of natural history collections.
28 November 2023 -
Science news
Toxic chemicals in UK whales and dolphins are exceeding safe limits
Almost half of marine mammals around the UK are being poisoned by banned chemicals.
28 November 2023 -
Science news
Moth found in West London is a new species from Australia
Specimens of the hitchhiking insect have been sitting undescribed in the Museum’s collections since 1886.
23 November 2023 -
Science news
Skull shape can predict how extinct vultures fed on carrion
Variations in the skull shape of vultures have been found to coincide with the preferred method each species uses to feed on a carcass.
21 November 2023 -
Science news
Unravelling the surprisingly complex history of crocodiles
Crocodiles have a deep and varied evolutionary past.
17 November 2023 -
Science news
Insect trapped in amber reveals the evolutionary battles of ancient Europe
Katydids have been using ultrasounds for millions of years to try and avoid predators hearing them.
13 November 2023 -
Science news
New toad from Kenyan volcano reveals hidden evolution of African amphibians
The species has only been found once on the side of the inactive volcano.
9 November 2023 -
Science news
One fifth of all species in Europe threatened with extinction
The dramatic decline in biodiversity is the result of agricultural change, pollution and habitat loss.
9 November 2023 -
Science news
400-million-year-old fish fossil reveals how we got our arms
A question that has puzzled scientists for over 150 years may finally have been answered.
1 November 2023 -
Science news
Most Martian meteorites are curiously young in age
Putting Martian meteorites in a nuclear reactor has confirmed their curiously young age.
27 October 2023 -
Science news
Bird beaks reveal the changeable nature of evolution
The Natural History Museum’s collections are helping scientists to get a handle on how evolution works.
25 October 2023 -
Science news
There is a sex bias in amphibian and reptile natural history collections
More surprising is that the vast majority of herpetology records are unsexed.
20 October 2023 -
Science news
Dog volunteers needed to understand canine motion and domestication
Your dog could have its day as part of a new scientific study.
20 October 2023 -
Science news
UK seaweeds face an uncertain future in a warming ocean
Seaweeds are vital for the health of our planet, but we are unaware of just how threatened they might be.
13 October 2023 -
Science news
Loss of tropical pollinators puts chocolate and coffee production at risk
The tropical crops may face an uncertain future amid rising temperatures and habitat loss.
12 October 2023 -
Science news
Digitising UK museum collections could help to boost the global economy
Investing in natural history collections could offer new scientific and economic opportunities.
5 October 2023 -
Science news
Climate change threatens thousands of amphibians with extinction
Amphibians are the most threatened group of vertebrates in the world.
4 October 2023 -
Science news
Oldest evidence of human cannibalism as a funerary practice
Human bones with cutmarks, breaks and human chewing marks are found across northern Europe.
4 October 2023 -
Science news
Discovery of Moroccan fossil footprints points to unknown dinosaur diversity
Researchers are hot on the trail of Morocco’s missing dinosaurs.
27 September 2023 -
Science news
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission returns to Earth with pristine asteroid samples
OSIRIS-REx returned to Earth with a record-breaking amount of material from an asteroid dating back to the birth of our solar system.
24 September 2023 -
Science news
Identity of Jurassic plesiosaur fossils from Dorset could finally be revealed
Though the Portland plesiosaur made headlines in the 1960s, it has never been formally described.
21 September 2023 -
Science news
Ancient fish reveals how vertebrates put their heads together
New research on the 450-million-year-old Eriptychius suggests it could be a ‘missing link’ in the evolution of the vertebrate skull.
20 September 2023 -
Science news
Ancient bacteria species among the first of its kind to colonise land
A species of bacteria that lived 407 million years ago would have flourished among early land plants.
8 September 2023 -
Science news
Horns in the Natural History Museum's collection confirmed to be from extinct bluebuck antelope
Only four confirmed specimens are known to science.
4 September 2023 -
Science news
Three-eyed ‘fossil monster’ could help explain how insects evolved
A marine predator living over 500 million years ago might bridge the gap between insects and their ancient relatives.
1 September 2023 -
Science news
Most complete frog family tree shows they evolved later than previously thought
The group may have evolved tens of millions of years later than originally thought.
31 August 2023 -
Science news
Our appetite for shellfish risks pushing mussels and scallops into extinction
Bivalves have been touted as a food of the future – but wild populations might not last that long.
15 August 2023 -
Science news
How deep-sea drilling is helping to unravel elephant evolution
Elephants and their relatives evolved in a previously unappreciated way.
14 August 2023 -
Science news
Ancient ice age could have caused the first Europeans to go extinct
Melting polar ice caps may have pushed some of the first ancient humans out of Europe.
10 August 2023 -
Science news
Pacific wasp named as a new species over a century after first being spotted
The discovery of a new parasitoid wasp could help to save an Endangered Pacific butterfly.
7 August 2023 -
Science news
Organic molecules in Martian crater help to reconstruct planet’s history
NASA’s Perseverance rover may have discovered organic molecules on the surface of Mars.
4 August 2023 -
Science news
Winchcombe meteorite is helping us to understand more about asteroids
One of the UK’s most famous meteorites is helping scientists learn more about asteroids millions of kilometres away.
3 August 2023 -
Science news
‘Dividing line’ for undersea wildlife discovered in the deep Pacific Ocean
The pattern of diversity in the deep sea is more complex than first thought.
24 July 2023 -
Science news
Cambrian apex predator probably preferred soft-bodied prey
A 500-million-year-old murder mystery has been solved.
5 July 2023 -
Science news
New species of dinosaur named after Museum scientist Paul Barrett
The remains of the armoured dinosaur were discovered on the Isle of Wight.
16 June 2023 -
Science news
X-rays identify a 240-million-year-old mystery fossil
An ichthyosaur fossil found in Svalbard is finally revealing its secrets 15 years after it was discovered.
9 June 2023 -
Science news
Bivalves were slow starters during the Cambrian explosion
The bivalves appear to have been left behind in history’s biggest ever burst of evolution.
31 May 2023 -
Science news
Around 90% of species in prospective deep-sea mining zone are unnamed
Many regions of the deep sea are currently being explored for the potential to mine them.
25 May 2023 -
Science news
Marsupials might be the more evolved mammals
Mammal evolution has been flipped on its head, according to new research that suggests marsupials are the more evolved mammals.
19 May 2023 -
Science news
Noisy neighbours: Listening in to nature in cities and towns
Urban soundtracks allow us to listen in to wildlife, from calling birds and shouting foxes to chirping insects and quiet worms.
12 May 2023 -
Science news
Scientists weed out harmful genes to breed better potatoes
An unprecedented look at potato genetics could help to tackle world hunger.
11 May 2023 -
Science news
Rare fossils fill a gap in the evolution of major animal groups
Exceptionally well-preserved fossils from the Cambrian period have helped fill a gap in our understanding of the origin and evolution of major animal groups alive today.
11 May 2023 -
Science news
New group of butterflies named after Lord of the Rings villain Sauron
While there are currently only two members of the genus Saurona, many more as-yet-undescribed species are thought to exist.
7 May 2023 -
Science news
Monitoring changes in Wikipedia pageviews could help save wildlife
Scientists have developed an ambitious new tool which monitors the monthly changes in Wikipedia pageviews for thousands of species.
4 May 2023 -
Science news
Ancient human DNA found in 20,000-year-old bone jewellery
A new technique allows researchers to extract the DNA of people who have handled bone artefacts, giving clues about prehistoric cultures.
3 May 2023 -
Science news
Crushed Scottish fossils reconstructed to reveal ancient predator's skull
Digital reconstructions of broken fossils have revealed more about the life of an ancient crocodile-like predator.
2 May 2023 -
Science news
Sea ice algae on which Arctic animals rely under threat from climate change
Traces of ice algae have been found in many animal groups revealing the critical importance of algae and the sea ice on which it grows to the fragile Arctic ecosystem.
19 April 2023 -
Science news
Earliest ichthyosaur fossil discovered on remote Arctic Island
New research suggests that ichthyosaurs may have pre-dated the age of the dinosaurs after surviving Earth's largest mass extinction event.
18 April 2023 -
Science news
Hanuman plover makes a comeback as a species after 86 years
Named after a Hindu god, it is hoped that resurrecting the species will focus conservation attention on at-risk habitats.
17 April 2023 -
Science news
First British fossils of therizinosaur and troodontid dinosaurs are world's oldest
The isolated teeth were identified using machine learning models, and could represent some of the earliest relatives of birds ever discovered.
14 April 2023 -
Science news
Fossils of whale ancestors reveal the path to becoming Earth's largest mammals
Whales started becoming big early in their evolution – and kept going for millions of years.
30 March 2023 -
Science news
Fossils reveal how giant amphibians swam on shores of ancient sea
Amphibians the size of crocodiles once lurked along the shores of ancient South Africa.
29 March 2023 -
Science news
Plastic diet could be causing seabird chicks to shrink
The body mass of young shearwaters has deteriorated in just over a decade, with plastic consumption believed to be the most likely cause.
24 March 2023 -
Science news
Natural history museums around the globe contain over 1.1 billion objects
The specimens and objects held in museums around the world represent an astonishing resource.
23 March 2023 -
Science news
Extinctions on the island of the dodo are pushing plants towards extinction
Almost a third of Mauritius' native fruits are no longer being dispersed as no animals are big enough to swallow their seeds.
16 March 2023 -
Science news
Longest ever necked dinosaur discovered in China
The discovery was made three decades after the species was first uncovered as scientists try to understand more about how sauropods evolved in what is now eastern Asia.
15 March 2023 -
Science news
'Plasticosis': a new disease caused by plastic that is affecting seabirds
A new disease has been described in seabirds, but it might just be the tip of the iceberg.
3 March 2023 -
Science news
European woodcocks have the brightest feathers known to exist
The underside of their tails have feathers that are whiter than any others ever measured.
1 March 2023 -
Science news
How one of nature's fastest cells can vanish in the blink of an eye
Able to contract faster than a racing car, Spirostomum's abilities could one day be copied to develop faster machines.
22 February 2023 -
Science news
A new species of croakless frog described from the mountain forests of Tanzania
The race is on to learn more about these fragile forests as human impacts threaten their survival.
15 February 2023 -
Science news
Boring bivalves are much more diverse than non-boring molluscs
A new study reveals that there are many ways these animals bore through solid rock, but a lack of habitat may lock them into an evolutionary dead end.
8 February 2023 -
Science news
Creatures from the deep: exploring the seas around remote South Atlantic islands
Museum scientists joined a six-week voyage to understand more about the fragile environments surrounding South Atlantic islands.
3 February 2023 -
Science news
Unique trilobite trident could be the oldest evidence of male sexual combat
Fighting for mates may be a behaviour that dates back over 400 million years.
16 January 2023 -
Science news
Earliest insect ears reveal the soundscape of the dinosaur age
Katydids are the earliest known animals to evolve complex communication using sound.
13 January 2023 -
Science news
New species of large tortoise discovered after a century of mistaken identity
Though it may have gone extinct over 600 years ago, understanding more about Astrochelys rogerbouri could help to save its living relatives.
11 January 2023 -
Science news
Early dinosaur skulls show how meat-eaters became vegetarian
The skulls of early herbivores are helping scientists to understand how a diverse group of dinosaurs evolved different ways of eating plants.
4 January 2023 -
Science news
Museum scientists described 351 new species in 2022
It has never been more important to describe as much of the natural world as possible.
30 December 2022 -
Science news
Fossils give clues as to how turtles might respond to a warming planet
Current turtle habitats are likely to become unsuitable, but new areas could become available.
21 December 2022 -
Science news
Stromboli's 'rejuvenation' heralds era of more variable volcanic eruptions
An unexpected series of eruptions at Stromboli may be due to changes in the volcano's internal 'plumbing'.
16 December 2022 -
Science news
Underground wildlife is slow to recover from soil damage
Intensively used land isn't just harmful to biodiversity we can see – it's also harming the wildlife living under the ground.
13 December 2022 -
Science news
Gloucestershire fossil suggests modern lizards could have Triassic origins
A new species of extinct lizard has been described from the Museum's collections.
2 December 2022 -
Science news
South African fossils reveal the lost world of ancient invertebrates
Leeches, mites and plants found at the site are revealing the ecosystems ancient animals walked over 260 million years ago.
30 November 2022 -
Science news
Understanding the geology of Mars in the hunt for life
Data being collected from the surface of Mars are already providing a glut of information about Jezero crater.
25 November 2022 -
Science news
Ancient Martian rivers discovered at planned ExoMars rover landing site
The next rover to land on Mars could discover signs of a once mighty river ecosystem.
22 November 2022 -
Science news
Winchcombe meteorite delivers extraterrestrial water to Earth
The origins of a meteorite which lit up skies above the UK last year have been revealed.
16 November 2022 -
Science news
Tadpoles have an eye on the future as their vision develops
Frog lenses develop differently depending on what environment they will live in as adults.
16 November 2022 -
Science news
Earliest human fossils in the UK reveal how ancient Europeans were connected
Fossils discovered in Sussex were compared to human remains found in Spain from a similar time period to see if the populations are linked.
14 November 2022 -
Science news
The oldest evidence of life on Earth could help us discover ancient life on Mars
Minute structures found in 3.48-billion-year-old Australian rocks are the oldest evidence of life on Earth.
11 November 2022 -
Science news
Destruction of forests and grasslands is biggest cause of biodiversity loss
A new study has looked at what is driving the biodiversity crisis.
9 November 2022 -
Science news
Neanderthal extinction may have been caused by sex, not fighting
The question of how the Neanderthals died out remains one of the biggest mysteries in human evolution.
31 October 2022 -
Science news
More sociable mammals evolve quicker than solitary ones
The study could help in predicting how species will respond to the rapidly changing environment.
27 October 2022 -
Science news
Aye-aye recorded picking nose and eating snot for the first time
The aye-aye is one of 12 primates that pick their nose - but we have no good reason why the behaviour evolved.
27 October 2022 -
Science news
Exceptional Jurassic fossil lizard sheds light on early lizard evolution
The most complete Jurassic fossil lizard ever found has been discovered in Scotland.
26 October 2022 -
Science news
The oldest human DNA in the UK reveals two distinct populations in late Ice Age Britain
The sequencing of the oldest human DNA in the UK so far.
24 October 2022 -
Science news
Sinuses offer new way of studying the evolution of ancient humans
While their function remains uncertain, the sinuses provide an insight into how ancient human skulls changed over time.
21 October 2022 -
Science news
Outer solar system near Neptune and Uranus was source of rare asteroids
A large part of the asteroid belt may have been formed out on the fringes of the Solar System.
20 October 2022 -
Science news
New way of understanding Earth's ecosystems could help to restore them
The new Global Typology of Ecosystems provides an important step towards characterising the true diversity of life on Earth at its largest scale.
12 October 2022 -
Science news
Scottish fossil reveals clues about the earliest pterosaurs
Living over 200 million years ago, Scleromochlus helps to show how ancient reptiles took their first steps towards flight.
5 October 2022 -
Science news
An ancient hairy, armoured worm lived in the oceans over 500 million years ago
A fossil from China has filled in a major gap in the evolutionary tree for life on Earth.
29 September 2022 -
Science news
How scientists are saving Ukraine's cultural heritage during the Russian invasion
In the midst of war, scientists have been working to protect historic artworks.
28 September 2022 -
Science news
Ryugu asteroid samples offer insight into early years of the solar system
Researchers have caught a glimpse of the cosmos just two million years after the formation of the solar system.
22 September 2022 -
Science news
Climate change will increase termite activity, releasing more carbon dioxide
Termites could reduce the amount of carbon stored in wood as the world gets hotter and drier.
22 September 2022 -
Science news
Early English Anglo-Saxons descended from mass European migration
The people after which England is named made up more than three quarters of the nation's genetic ancestry during the early Middle Ages.
21 September 2022 -
Science news
Ancient crater lakes on Mars could have hosted life
Investigating Mars' dry lakes could help scientists to discover how life began on Earth.
16 September 2022 -
Science news
The oldest known animal with mammalian-like teeth unearthed in Brazil
The dental record of a small animal has pushed back the origin of mammals by 20 million years.
16 September 2022 -
Science news
Small fossil reptile could help to explain large evolutionary mystery
The description of an extinct lizard-like animal may help reveal why its kind were rapidly pushed to the edge of extinction.
15 September 2022 -
Science news
Size, not sex, is key to the development of wildebeest horns
Female wildebeest are engaged in an evolutionary arms race - but scientists aren't sure why.
14 September 2022 -
Science news
Ancient DNA from medieval Norwich skeletons shed light on Jewish history
The twelfth century skeletons have provided an unprecedented look at the genetic history of Ashkenazi Jews.
30 August 2022 -
Science news
'Bird-hipped' Jurassic dinosaur was one of the first to live in herds
As the world recovered from a volcanic extinction event, Lesothosaurus may have banded together to help ward off predators.
25 August 2022 -
Science news
Detailed record of ancient British birds reveal potential rewilding candidates
For the first time the records of ancient British birds have been formally incorporated into the British List.
24 August 2022 -
Science news
Climate stress is changing the physical shape of UK bumblebees
Bumblebees are getting more stressed as the climate warms.
18 August 2022 -
Science news
Recreating the song of a 150-year-old insect could help rediscover its species
An insect last seen in 1869 has sung again, which could help give researchers clues about where the insect might still be living.
10 August 2022 -
Science news
Pandemic face masks could harm wildlife for years to come
The protective equipment that kept us safe during from COVID-19 could pose a lethal threat to nature.
4 August 2022 -
Science news
Whales have altered their development to be able to echolocate
The ability of dolphins and toothed whales to echolocate is shaped before they're even born.
3 August 2022 -
Science news
Pacific expedition may have discovered over 30 new deep sea species
Over 30 potential new species, from starfish to sea cucumbers, have been discovered living at the bottom of the sea.
27 July 2022 -
Science news
The biodiversity crisis is making birds more similar
The days of the most distinctive bird species could be numbered as the most unusual forms bear the brunt of global extinctions.
21 July 2022 -
Science news
Rare moth collected by Museum founder Sir Richard Owen rediscovered
Digitising Museum collection leads to rediscovering a moth collected by Richard Owen
20 July 2022 -
Science news
Mammal ancestors became warm-blooded in burst of Late Triassic evolution
As mammaliamorphs switched from being cold to warm blooded, new behaviours, habitats and ways of living became available to them.
20 July 2022 -
Science news
The solutions to climate change and plastic pollution are linked
Despite vast investment in climate change, much less attention is being paid to plastic pollution - and we need to fight both together.
5 July 2022 -
Science news
Invasive mice are pushing the Tristan albatross to the brink of extinction
A Critically Endangered species of albatross may be in more danger than previously thought.
21 June 2022 -
Science news
Prickly leaf beetle is found in the UK for the first time
The beetle usually lives on the warm Mediterranean coast.
17 June 2022 -
Science news
Asteroid sample is ancestral material from the start of the solar system
Ryugu sample is one of the most pristine material from the solar system.
10 June 2022 -
Science news
Largest carnivorous dinosaur in Europe unearthed on the Isle of Wight
The largest meat-eating dinosaur ever found in Europe.
9 June 2022 -
Science news
'Ghost' fossils reveal how oceans could be affected by climate change
Plankton which help feed the ocean, lock away carbon dioxide and even influence the weather may not be as vulnerable to climate change as feared.
19 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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
Science news
New armless abelisaur dinosaur species discovered in Argentina
Scientists believe there could be many as yet unknown fossils to be uncovered in the region.
15 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 -
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
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 -
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 -
Science news
Museum digitises five millionth specimen to unlock secrets of collection
The digitisation of these collections could be worth two billion pounds to the global economy.
18 January 2022 -
Science news
Volcano 'recharging' can give clues about its next eruption
The way a volcano is filled with boiling hot magma can help improve forecasts of how it will next erupt.
7 January 2022 -
Science news
Dinosaurs and meteorites: Museum scientists described 552 new species in 2021
Museum scientists have described 552 new species.
30 December 2021 -
Science news
Dinosaur tracks on Welsh beach are evidence of sauropod gathering
A series of tracks on a public beach point to the presence of large, long-necked dinosaurs in Wales over 200 million years ago.
29 December 2021 -
Science news
Ancient Britons adapted to drink milk a millennium earlier than Europeans
The genetic landscape of England and Wales was shaken up thousands of years ago as new arrivals redefined its people.
22 December 2021 -
Science news
Colombia's twice-forgotten yellow butterfly offers hope for tropical wildlife
Elusive yellow butterfly from isolated Colombian mountain rediscovered twice.
15 December 2021 -
Science news
New species of chunky sauropod with a large 'funny bone' described from China
The dinosaur was much chunkier than any other sauropod.
14 December 2021 -
Science news
The earliest snakes didn't have tunnel vision
The ancestor of modern snakes was not the extreme burrower some thought it to be, adding to the controversial debate about the origin of snakes.
10 December 2021 -
Science news
New soft tissue analyses show how ammonites lived in Jurassic oceans
New 3D scans of soft tissue show how ammonites functioned.
7 December 2021 -
Science news
The world's smallest elephants led unusually long lives
Ancient elephants that would have been born the size of a puppy lived for decades more than previously thought.
29 November 2021 -
Science news
Neanderthals grew up faster than humans to power brain growth
Neanderthals lived fast and died young, developing their teeth earlier than humans to power their rapid growth.
24 November 2021 -
Science news
New dinosaur species related to Iguanodon found on the Isle of Wight
A new species of dinosaur has been discovered from the Isle of Wight after a case of mistaken identity.
11 November 2021 -
Science news
Ancient bryozoan fossil solves one of early life's greatest mysteries
A conundrum that has foxed scientists for decades has been solved, revealing the origins of an ancient group of animals.
8 March 2023 -
Science news
Digitising the entire Museum collection could contribute over £2 billion to the global economy
The economic benefit of digitising an entire museum collection has been quantified for the first time.
26 October 2021 -
Science news
Rocks in ancient Martian lake could hold remains of life
Rocks with the potential to hold fossils of Martian life have been identified by NASA's Perseverance rover.
7 October 2021 -
Science news
New species is oldest meat-eating dinosaur found in UK
The oldest-known meat-eating dinosaur discovered in the UK has been named in honour of trailblazing Museum scientist Angela Milner, who passed away in August 2021.
6 October 2021 -
Science news
Documenting one of the most abundant vertebrates in the world before it's too late
Lanternfish are one of the most abundant vertebrates on Earth. Yet despite their huge numbers, almost nothing is known about them.
1 October 2021 -
Science news
Moth predicted to exist by Darwin and Wallace becomes a new species
The moth is famous for its enormous tongue - the longest of any insect.
30 September 2021 -
Science news
Two new species of spinosaur dinosaurs discovered from Isle of Wight
Two new species of carnivorous dinosaurs have been discovered from the Isle of Wight.
29 September 2021 -
Science news
New species of dinosaur had armour unlike anything seen before
Spicomellus afer is the oldest ankylosaur ever discovered.
23 September 2021 -
Science news
Oldest evidence of hominins in Arabia give clues to how humans left Africa
A series of ancient lake beds discovered in Saudi Arabia is showing how the now arid deserts were once green wetlands.
1 September 2021 -
Science news
How to collect rocks on Mars
NASA's rover is attempting to collect first rock samples for Mars 2020 mission.
13 August 2021 -
Science news
310-million-year-old fossil shows how little horseshoe crab brains have changed
A new beautifully preserved fossil of a horseshoe crab has revealed that their brains have hardly changed since at least the Carboniferous Period.
5 August 2021 -
Science news
The rise and fall of elephant ancestors
Elephant ancestors diversified widely thanks to climate change and new habitats.
28 July 2021 -
Science news
Reviving the cold case of the Carolina parakeet extinction
Uncovering details about how the Carolina parakeet became extinct.
27 July 2021 -
Science news
Huge Jurassic seabed uncovered in Cotswolds quarry
Palaeontologists have uncovered thousands of perfectly preserved Jurassic fossils in a sleepy area of the Cotswolds.
21 July 2021 -
Science news
Offensive and inaccurate bird names should be changed, study says
In recent years there has a growing shift to change the common English names of birds that are offensive or inaccurate.
19 July 2021 -
Science news
Australian rodent thought to be extinct is found alive on desert island
Gould's field mouse, a small rodent native to Australia, is not extinct as previously thought. It is alive and well living under a different name.
28 June 2021 -
Science news
Ancient skull from China could be new human species, Dragon Man
A huge skull found in China represents a new sister lineage for Homo sapiens.
25 June 2021 -
Science news
Colombia has the most butterflies in the world, for now
In a titanic effort spanning many years, a team of butterfly experts have listed the butterflies found in Colombia to date.
24 June 2021 -
Science news
First ever DNA recovered from extinct miniature elephants of Sicily
Over the past few hundreds of thousands of years Sicily was home to two different miniature elephants.
18 June 2021 -
Science news
Giant egg of extinct miniature emu discovered in Australia
It is the only known King Island emu egg in the world.
1 June 2021 -
Science news
Extinction of frog is a huge blow to the diversity of life
A species of frog not seen for over 60 years is likely to be extinct.
14 May 2021 -
Science news
New species of snake described with the help of a 185-year-old painting
The new species is now known as Joseph's racer, was first collected in the mid-nineteenth century.
13 May 2021 -
Science news
Seals have evolved two different ways to swim
Seals either swim with their tails or with their flippers.
7 May 2021 -
Science news
Not feeding as a tadpole speeds up frog evolution
Frog skulls have revealed that a frog's environment is the main driver of its skull shape, but that tadpole feeding behaviour influences how fast frogs evolve.
4 May 2021 -
Science news
Evolving a bigger brain isn't always about intelligence
It's more common for mammals to have evolved smaller body sizes which makes it look like the brain is getting bigger.
28 April 2021 -
Science news
Prolonged suckling has vastly limited marsupial evolution
Marsupials have missed out on their evolutionary potential because of how they reproduce.
28 April 2021 -
Science news
Historic specimens highlight the key role viruses play in Arctic ecosystems
The algae could also be of interest in developing new drugs.
21 April 2021 -
Science news
Over four billion plastic particles found in beach sand of remote paradise island
Billions of plastic particles accumulate on remote islands mostly via sea.
16 April 2021 -
Science news
The hearing of the Ganges river dolphin is unlike any other cetacean
Their hearing may have been why these dolphins survived when all other relatives died out.
31 March 2021 -
Science news
Fossil evidence of mysterious 'southern Denisovans' yet to be found
When modern humans arrived in the islands of southeast Asia, they may have encountered a range of ancient human species.
22 March 2021 -
Science news
Hundreds of thousands of pieces of plastic are brought back onto land by seabirds
They bring on average 688,000 pieces of plastic back onto land every single year.
10 March 2021 -
Science news
Some trilobites crushed their prey to death with their legs
By studying modern horseshoe crabs, researchers have been able to build up a picture of how some extinct arthropods such as trilobites may have fed on hard-shelled prey.
5 March 2021 -
News
Mars 2020: Perseverance rover has landed
The Mars 2020 rover landed near the Jezero Crater on 18 February 2021.
18 February 2021 -
Science news
Oldest-ever DNA extracted from a million-year-old mammoth tooth
It is shedding light on how the Columbian mammoth came to be.
7 December 2022 -
Science news
Most southerly evidence of Neanderthals revealed in cave in Palestine
The fossilised tooth of a nine-year-old child found in Shuqba Cave is the most southerly evidence of Neanderthals ever discovered.
15 February 2021 -
Science news
Plastic microfibres found in the stomach of deep-sea fish
Tiny plastic fibres have been found in the stomachs of deep-sea fish living in a remote part of the South Atlantic Ocean.
12 February 2021 -
Science news
Ancient burials near Stonehenge reveal how cultures merged in the Bronze Age
Rather than a violent turnover of populations, there was a merging of communities.
11 February 2021 -
Science news
We need to act now to save nature
It will cost us double to preserve nature unless we act now, Museum scientists have found.
11 February 2021 -
Science news
Modern human origins cannot be traced back to a single point in time
Genetic and fossil records do not reveal a single point where modern humans originated, researchers have found.
10 February 2021 -
Science news
Centipedes have borrowed proteins in their venom from bacteria and fungi
Toxic proteins from bacteria have helped centipedes with their own arsenel.
5 February 2021 -
Science news
Dinosaur frills were likely the result of sexual selection
It is notoriously difficult to sex a dinosaur.
3 February 2021 -
Science news
Human teeth found in Jersey hint at Neanderthal and Homo sapiens interbreeding
Ancient teeth could be evidence of a hybrid population of Neanderthals and modern humans.
1 February 2021 -
Science news
Lithium carbonate has been produced from UK rocks for the first time
A breakthrough in domestic production could bring down the carbon footprint of lithium-ion batteries.
19 January 2021 -
Science news
Ancient dire wolf DNA analysed for the first time – with surprising results
Extinct dire wolves, made famous in the TV show Game of Thrones, are only distant cousins of modern grey wolves.
14 January 2021 -
Science news
Armoured 'slug' among 503 new species described by Museum scientists in 2020
30 December 2020 -
Science news
Two new species of worm salamanders described from the Andes
One species is known only from a single specimen in the Museum's collection.
18 December 2020 -
Science news
Some of the earliest organic materials ever found have been uncovered in meteorites
A meteorite from the birth of the solar system could tell us more about how life flourished on Earth.
11 December 2020 -
Science news
Beautiful new emerald-green mineral described from Cornwall
New minerals from the UK are very rare.
11 December 2020 -
Science news
Fossils of sea monster eyes shed light on animal evolution
Radiodont eye fossils inform scientists of the role of vision in evolution.
2 December 2020 -
Science news
New insights will help the world protect future wheat supplies
The world needs wheat crops that are bountiful, disease resistant and able to thrive in soil without fertilisers.
25 November 2020 -
Science news
Dinosaurs were not in decline before the asteroid wiped them out
Many groups of dinosaurs were doing rather well right up until the end.
18 November 2020 -
Science news
Fishermen are cutting off the beaks of endangered albatrosses
Fishermen in the southwest Atlantic are mutilating endangered seabirds.
17 November 2020 -
Science news
New species of monkey is already critically endangered
The Popa langur lives on an extinct volcano in Myanmar.
11 November 2020 -
Science news
Earth's bacteria are 44% more diverse than previously thought
Researchers created a database of 52,515 microbial draft genomes of samples from all over the world.
9 November 2020 -
Science news
Giant dormice the size of cats used to live on Sicily
Why did they get so big?
4 November 2020 -
Science news
How invasive species are threatening precious island birds and plants
The decline in native birds is threatening the existence of island biodiversity.
2 November 2020 -
Science news
Tiny sea angels survived Earth's last period of climate change
Researchers hope they will also be resilient in the face of man-made climate change and the threats it will bring.
30 October 2020 -
Science news
Dragon snakeheads form a new underground fish family
The fish may be a relic population that has existed for over a hundred million years.
30 October 2020 -
Science news
More ambitious targets needed to prevent the destruction of nature
A series of 'safety nets' are needed to prevent the next set of goals from failing.
22 October 2020 -
Science news
How rodents the size of bears arrived in the Caribbean
Rodents of unusual size once lived across the Caribbean.
12 October 2020 -
Science news
Whale poo is powering the world's rainforests
The world's biggest animals are nature's engineers.
1 October 2020 -
Science news
40% of plants are threatened with extinction
The extinction risk to plants could be worse than previously thought, according to a landmark report.
30 September 2020 -
Science news
UK has 'led the world' in destroying the natural environment
Centuries of farming, building and industry have made the UK one of the most nature-depleted countries in Europe.
26 September 2020 -
Science news
Frogs have some of the biggest eyes of all vertebrates
This is the first time the relative eye size of frogs has been compared across all vertebrates.
23 September 2020 -
Science news
Nature 'unravels' as animal populations plummet
Animal populations have declined by 68% since 1970.
10 September 2020 -
Science news
Some Bronze Age Britons turned the bones of dead relatives into musical instruments
Bronze Age people were keeping human body parts and preserving them.
1 September 2020 -
Science news
The earliest art in Britain was created in the Ice Age
Prehistoric societies in the Britain were creating artistic designs on rock as long ago as the late Ice Age.
19 August 2020 -
Science news
Bird evolution slowed down after the dinosaurs died
The skull shape of birds is just a tiny fraction of the diversity that would have been seen in their dinosaur ancestors.
18 August 2020 -
Science news
New Guinea is home to more plant species than any other island
The first taxonomically verified checklist of the plants of New Guinea is complete.
5 August 2020 -
Space
Mars 2020: an essential guide to the mission
Where will the rover land, and will it find life on Mars?
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Science news
Echolocation gives whales lopsided heads
Whales are some of the only animals with wonky heads.
10 July 2020 -
Science news
Human ancestor Homo erectus had the stocky chest of a Neanderthal
New research on Turkana Boy is changing our understanding of the species Homo erectus.
6 July 2020 -
Science news
Only known drawing of extinct giant sloth lemur found in cave
The painting dates to at least 1,000 years ago.
28 June 2020 -
Science news
Giant relatives of wombats discovered in Australian desert
A new family of ancient marsupials has been discovered, relatives of modern-day wombats and koalas.
25 June 2020 -
Dinosaurs
A shepherd stumbles across sleeping giants in a dinosaur graveyard
This is thought to be one of the most significant dinosaur sites ever found in South Africa.
23 June 2020 -
Science news
Metamorphosis is helping to explain salamander skull diversity
Why do the majority of animals undergo metamorphosis?
22 June 2020 -
Science news
Bullets, bombs, cans and plastic litter the bottom of the Pacific Ocean
Human waste was found 2,000 metres below the ocean surface.
8 June 2020 -
Science news
Turtles have lived for 230 million years - but will they survive climate change?
Tracking the diversity of turtles could also give us clues as to how they might respond to increasing pressures in the future.
22 May 2020 -
Science news
Ancient river systems on Mars seen in unparalleled detail
A satellite has revealed ancient Martian rivers in more detail than ever before.
5 May 2020 -
Science news
Ocean ecosystems are more sensitive to climate change
Climate change is having a bigger impact on animals and plants in the ocean than those on land.
4 May 2020 -
Science news
Museum collections show how pangolin populations have shrunk
Discover how we're helping some of the most threatened animals on Earth.
30 April 2020 -
Science news
Why you should care about scientists sequencing the wheat genome
Sequencing the wheat genome could help to protect food supplies in the future.
22 April 2020 -
Science news
New species from the abyssal ocean hint at incredible deep sea diversity
New species of the deep ocean floor are helping change how we think.
21 April 2020 -
Science news
The most detailed look inside the world's oldest dinosaur eggs
New scans reveal how dinosaur teeth developed.
9 April 2020 -
Science news
We finally know what millipedes looked like when they lived underwater
A new fossil has revealed what they looked like.
7 April 2020 -
Science news
Dating the Broken Hill skull: Homo heidelbergensis was younger than we thought
Africa and Eurasia were inhabited by a whole range of hominin species just a few hundred thousand years ago.
1 April 2020 -
Science news
Australopithecus afarensis: Human ancestors had slow-growing brains just like us
Ancient fossils are revealing even more about this species' evolution.
1 April 2020 -
Science news
The first dinosaurs probably didn't have feathers
This may alter the recreation of some non-avian dinosaurs.
26 March 2020 -
Science news
New fossils reveal the earliest evidence of an animal losing its legs
An ancient invertebrate lost its legs to live in tubes.
27 February 2020 -
Science news
Weird skulls of straight-tusked elephants reveal just how many species there were
Straight-tusked elephants were among the largest land mammals ever to have existed.
18 February 2020 -
Science news
Grey seals filmed clapping underwater for the first time
No other marine mammal has displayed this behaviour.
4 February 2020 -
Science news
How 150-year-old samples are teaching us about climate change
Samples collected on the HMS Challenger are teaching us about climate change.
31 January 2020 -
Science news
First fossils of crocodile-like phytosaurs from southern Africa
The Triassic reptiles were found in Zimbabwe.
23 January 2020 -
Science news
Almost half of butterfly species in Singapore have disappeared
Singapore is losing its butterflies as forests decline and building programmes boom.
22 January 2020 -
Science news
Museum scientists described 412 new species this year
You can't protect what you don't know.
30 December 2019 -
Science news
Getting a good look at deep-sea snails
These snails are losing their eyes. CT scanning is uncovering why.
18 December 2019 -
Science news
Saving the lives of preterm babies with rapid genome sequencing
Real-time genetic sequencing could help save lives.
16 December 2019 -
Science news
Humans are causing life on Earth to vanish
We are gambling with the only world we have, say researchers.
12 December 2019 -
Science news
Fossils found in Yorkshire are the oldest amphibian footprints from the UK
The footprints were made when an ancient amphibian walked across a river delta.
12 December 2019 -
Science news
The way dinosaurs evolved mirrors life on Earth today
Herbivorous dinosaurs kept evolving the same traits.
6 December 2019 -
Science news
Over 600,000 hermit crabs die in plastic bottles on two remote islands
As the crabs die, they release a signal attracting other crabs causing a gruesome chain reaction.
5 December 2019 -
Science news
Fossil ice found in meteorite is the first direct evidence of ice in asteroids
The meteorite formed as our solar system was being born.
21 November 2019 -
Science news
Dragon-like reptiles with huge heads and ‘steak knife’ teeth lived before the dinosaurs
The carnivores walked on four legs and looked like modern-day Komodo dragons.
20 November 2019 -
Science news
New species named after climate activist Greta Thunberg
You are never too small to make a difference.
25 October 2019 -
Science news
There are more male than female specimens in natural history collections
Female specimens are under represented in collections.
23 October 2019 -
Science news
Eight new species of jewel beetle have been uncovered
The beetles were collected more than 150 years ago.
27 September 2019 -
Science news
Centipedes evolved complex venom five times
Analysis of centipede venom reveals a huge difference between the groups.
23 September 2019 -
Science news
Unusual fossil worms surprise scientists
A species of wormlike marine invertebrate has been uncovered.
19 September 2019 -
Science news
Mystery surrounding two Victorian frogs is solved
The frogs have been in the Museum collection since 1852.
13 September 2019 -
Science news
Dugongs could be more endangered than we thought
Dugongs help fight climate change by protecting seagrass meadows.
11 September 2019 -
Science news
The oldest stegosaur ever has been discovered in Morocco
A new species of stegosaurian dinosaur, Adratiklit boulahfa, has been described.
20 August 2019 -
Science news
An array of new snakes from India have been described
The new species highlight how much more there still is to learn about India's herpetofauna.
16 August 2019 -
Science news
Understanding the origins of European domestic pigs
Wherever humans have gone, pigs have followed.
13 August 2019 -
Science news
New species of early dinosaur described from South Africa
It is thought to have lived 200 million years ago.
5 August 2019 -
Science news
How did potatoes adapt to Europe?
How did potatoes come to Europe and how did they adapt to a new environment?
2 August 2019 -
Science news
Ocean plastic is changing the blood chemistry of seabirds
What this means for their future is still not known.
29 July 2019 -
Science news
The quest for one of the world's oldest bumblebees
Genes of an elusive Tibetan bumblebee can finally be sequenced.
26 July 2019 -
Science news
Australian flies found in London
Scale parasite flies, of a new fly family for Britain, have been found in the Museum's Wildlife Garden.
24 July 2019 -
Science news
A new look at the Gibraltar Neanderthals
Discover more about some iconic Neanderthal skulls.
15 July 2019 -
Science news
Modern humans may have been in Europe 150,000 years earlier than thought
New dating suggests they were in southern Greece 210,000 years ago.
10 July 2019 -
Science news
This is how the ancestor of modern snakes could have looked
What can we learn from scanning snakes?
3 July 2019 -
Science news
Climate catastrophe has happened before - and it's teaching us about the future
Past global warming events took place 183 million years ago.
10 June 2019 -
Science news
We need more scarce metals and elements to reach the UK's greenhouse gas goals
To meet UK electric car targets for 2050, we would need just under twice the current annual world cobalt production.
6 June 2019 -
Science news
Sponges are the ocean's natural DNA collectors
Both penguin and seal DNA could be identified from within sponges.
3 June 2019 -
Science news
New species of ancient shark discovered from the coast of Madagascar
The ancient shark was found in an unusual fossil ecosystem.
20 May 2019 -
Science news
Early Neanderthal teeth shed light on the identity of our own ancient ancestors
We've been looking at the wrong species.
15 May 2019 -
Science news
Birds on an island in the Indian Ocean evolved flightlessness twice
This is fastest recorded timeline of a bird losing its ability to fly.
10 May 2019 -
Science news
New species of subterranean fish named after Lord of the Rings character
It has been named after Gollum due to its underground lifestyle.
9 May 2019 -
Science news
Neolithic Britain: where did the first farmers come from?
The introduction of farming across the world changed the course of human history.
15 April 2019 -
Science news
An expedition to the uninhabited island harbouring 38 million pieces of plastic
It has the highest density of plastic in the world.
19 August 2020 -
Science news
Historic whale and dolphin stranding data made public for the first time
It's one of the oldest datasets of its kind.
28 March 2019 -
Science news
Museum palaeontologists to join new Jurassic dino dig in Wyoming
The team will help uncover dinosaur fossils and footprints in Wyoming.
25 March 2019 -
Science news
New species of extinct pig-footed bandicoot described from Australia
Driven to extinction in the 1950s, very little is know about this species.
13 March 2019 -
Science news
Seabirds on remote islands are contaminated with lead and selenium
Despite breeding on remote islands, petrels are being poisoned by lead.
6 March 2019 -
Science news
If you're a bird, you aren't what you eat
A new paper is shedding light on the relationship between a bird's diet and how it looks.
20 February 2019 -
Science news
The Cambrian explosion was far shorter than thought
The Cambrian explosion is one of the most important intervals in the history of life.
19 February 2019 -
Collections
Mylodon darwinii: Darwin's ground sloth
The first specimen of Mylodon darwinii, a ground sloth found by Charles Darwin in 1832, is now available online.
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Science news
A tiny fossil amoeba is helping us to understand how plants first bloomed
The new amoeba species is the earliest of its kind ever discovered.
24 January 2019 -
Science news
Velvet spider named after Lou Reed found in Europe for the first time
This velvet spider group was thought to live only in Africa and the Middle East.
18 January 2019 -
Science news
Termites help protect rainforests from climate change
The small but mighty insects buffer the forests against drought.
11 January 2019 -
Science news
The rise and fall of the Inca Empire is recorded in llama poo
The number of microorganisms linked with llama droppings gives clues about the Inca.
9 January 2019 -
Science news
Over 270 new species discovered in 2018
They include new dinosaurs, an ancient wombat and a giant shark.
27 December 2018 -
Anthropocene
Towns and cities benefit the same animals and plants everywhere
Rats and pigeons are thriving, but unique species are disappearing.
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Science news
The Siberian unicorn lived at the same time as modern humans
It likely went extinct at around the same time as Neanderthals.
26 November 2018 -
Science news
Four new species of frog from one of the wettest regions on Earth
These horned frogs are named for their pointy eyebrows.
20 November 2018 -
Science news
Ancient DNA reveals the origins of the bizarre Jamaican monkey
Small primates were sailing the high seas long before humans existed.
13 November 2018 -
Anthropocene
Whale earwax reveals just how much human activity can stress out marine mammals
Whales had more cortisol in their bodies while the global whaling industry was at its peak.
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Science news
Beautiful new species of swallowtail butterfly discovered on Fiji
Scientists are still unsure where the species came from.
2 November 2018 -
Anthropocene
The tiny sponge that could help preserve our deep oceans
It could help us to monitor mining impacts in the ocean.
31 October 2018 -
Anthropocene
Seabirds in the Pacific are using plastic to build nests
The birds' nesting behaviour reflects the health of our oceans.
26 October 2018 -
Science news
Gangs of mice are eating seabird chicks alive on a remote Atlantic island
The RSPB are planning a mouse eradication programme starting next year.
22 October 2018 -
Anthropocene
More than a quarter of fish in the Thames Estuary are eating plastic
Microplastics are having an enormous impact.
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Science news
What birds can teach us about evolution
A new study is helping to explain how evolution works.
8 October 2018 -
Science news
New species of blind eel that burrows through the soil discovered
The fish burrows underground and breaths through the lining of its mouth.
17 September 2018 -
Science news
Biggest river delta ever discovered on Mars hints at an ancient ocean
Researchers have found evidence that suggests Mars once had an ancient ocean and a water cycle similar to Earth's.
10 September 2018 -
News
Fossils of extinct dwarf emu destroyed by golf course
Dwarf emus were driven to extinction by humans. Now their remains are at risk too.
7 September 2018 -
Science news
Tracing the evolution of the aubergine
Researchers are delving into the origin of the aubergine by sequencing its DNA.
30 August 2018 -
Science news
New species of fossil wombat unearthed in the Australian outback
The fossils will help us understand how these creatures evolved over the past 40 million years.
22 August 2018 -
Science news
Two new species of Indian lizard described by Museum scientist
The discovery is expected to be followed up by more new species.
1 August 2018 -
Science news
Ancient human teeth suggest new links between prehistoric African populations
The teeth are helping us to understand how ancient human populations interacted.
1 August 2018 -
Science news
Liquid water found beneath the surface of Mars
The presence of a subglacial lake could provide an environment for life
26 July 2018 -
Science news
Herd of sauropod dinosaurs become the oldest diplodocoids ever discovered
The discovery is changing how scientists think these dinosaurs evolved.
24 July 2018 -
Anthropocene
New deep-sea species discovered in Pacific conservation zones
Researchers have discovered several new animal species living on the Pacific seafloor.
17 July 2018 -
The way we have been thinking about the first modern humans in Africa could be wrong
A new paper challenges the traditional idea that our species evolved from a single population in one region of Africa.
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Anthropocene
Searching for plastic in the belly of a seal
Scientists have been investigating the last meals of a seal in search of plastic.
6 July 2018 -
Science news
The lost dogs of America
There are about 90 million dogs living in North America, but where did they all come from?
5 July 2018 -
Science news
New evidence of ancient child sacrifice found in Turkey
Remains of young people who were ritually sacrificed have been found from Bronze Age Mesopotamia.
28 June 2018 -
What on Earth?
How slug slime could help heal a broken heart
Scientists have developed new adhesives inspired by some very sticky slugs.
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Anthropocene
Why are some seabirds better at avoiding eating plastic?
Some shearwaters in Australia appear to be better than others at avoiding feeding plastic to their chicks.
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Science news
Measuring the teeth of an ancient reptile
Scientists have peered inside the tooth of the extinct reptile Eilenodon.
13 June 2018 -
Collections
Helping scientists study the biggest animals on Earth
The Museum is scanning its collection of whale specimens so that the data is easier to handle and accessible to researchers around the world.
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Science news
The brain worm that turns ants into zombies
For the first time, scientists have an image of what happens inside an ant's brain when it is infected with a parasitic worm.
5 June 2018 -
Science news
Ancient meteorite gives a glimpse into the crust of Mars
A meteorite sample from the Museum collection is revealing more about how and when the crust of the Red Planet formed.
24 May 2018 -
Collections
Animal DNA to be frozen in huge national bank
The DNA of thousands of animals, including endangered species, is being collected in a national network of freezers.
23 May 2018 -
News
New beetle is named after London Pride beer
A Brazilian beetle in the genus Metallactus has been named after an ale.
17 May 2018 -
Anthropocene
The origins of a deadly disease that's killing amphibians
A deadly fungus has been devastating populations of amphibians all over the world - but no one knew where it began until now.
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Science news
Studying tiny, tropical and ancient marine invertebrates
Museum palaeontologist Emanuela Di Martino has been studying ancient bryozoans to understand ocean diversity.
25 April 2018 -
News
New Centre for Human Evolution Research announced
The new centre will allow scientists to collaborate more closely and share pioneering research.
25 April 2018 -
Anthropocene
Just one spore could kill Europe's last ash trees
Scientists believe that the arrival of just one more ash dieback spore could kill off Europe's remaining ash trees.
23 April 2018 -
Collections
The giant fossil mammals that inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution
In the 1830s, Darwin made a series of discoveries in South America: the mysterious remains of extinct mammals.
9 April 2018 -
Anthropocene
Blue-green algae from legendary Captain Scott expedition help study of climate change
This discovery will allow scientists to look at the effects of climate change on blue-green algae and their toxins in Antarctica.
5 April 2018 -
Anthropocene
Island species threatened by extinction due to climate change
Studying an Indian Ocean paradise is helping to reveal which animals living on low-lying islands are at risk from rising temperatures.
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Science news
245-million-year-old reptile finally gets a name
Scientists have formally given an ancient reptile a name, over 80 years since its fossils were found in Tanzania.
29 March 2018 -
Science news
Meteorite reveals the oldest magnets in the solar system
Researchers have been studying the magnetic fields of 4.6-billion-year-old meteorites.
29 March 2018 -
News
Why the Coral Triangle is the most important part of the ocean
It's the most diverse part of the ocean, but plenty of people have never heard of it.
28 March 2018 -
Science news
Scientist turns detective to identify mysterious moth
The arrival of a tiny moth in the Wildlife Garden sparked a scientific search of London.
26 March 2018 -
Science news
Ancient human DNA recovered from the oldest cemetery in Africa
Museum archaeologists have helped to uncover clues to the people who lived in North Africa 15,000 years ago.
16 March 2018 -
Science news
Plant life on Earth is much older than we thought
Plants appeared on Earth 100 million years earlier than scientists previously thought.
26 February 2018 -
Science news
The Beaker people: a new population for ancient Britain
Ancient DNA reveals that the British population was all but wiped out and replaced roughly 4,400 years ago.
22 February 2018 -
News
From the Museum to Mars: a meteorite returns home
A piece of Martian meteorite is being returned to the red planet by NASA.
30 June 2020 -
Science news
Digitising the louse collection: we’ve been itching to tell you more
The Museum has digitised its collection of more than 70,000 parasitic lice.
7 February 2018 -
Science news
The stag beetles with bolt-cutter jaws
A fourth mandible variation has been identified in some species of Odontolabis stag beetles and it's been named 'Boltcutter'.
1 February 2018 -
News
A mission to map the hidden ocean floor
A Museum scientist will be one of the first to examine a newly exposed part of the Antarctic sea floor.
25 January 2018 -
News
New life found at the bottom of Antarctic seas
A massive survey of life in the freezing seas around Antarctica has shown that they harbour many more animals than previously thought.
25 January 2018 -
Science news
Humans left Africa 40,000 years earlier than we thought
A newly-discovered fossil jawbone has revealed that Homo sapiens had already left Africa 180,000 years ago.
25 January 2018 -
News
Documentary to reveal surprising face of Britain’s oldest complete human
A television documentary will follow Museum scientists as they help deduce the astonishing facial appearance of Britain's oldest complete skeleton, Cheddar Man.
24 January 2018 -
News
New bee species in London garden generates buzz
A new British bee has turned out to be an overlooked, long-time resident.
9 January 2018 -
News
New piece of the Moon arrives at the Museum
A new lunar meteorite has joined the Museum's collection. The sample, weighing 147 grammes, will help researchers' studies into the origin and early evolution of the Moon.
21 December 2017 -
Science news
Unravelling the DNA of British wildlife
British species of shark, scallop and bee will have their genome sequenced for the first time, thanks to the efforts of Museum scientists.
11 December 2017 -
News
Cabbage versus clam: you pick the winner
The public have the chance to vote in a major genetics project helping scientists to understand more about important British species.
15 November 2017 -
News
Rescuing a 199-million-year-old ammonite graveyard
Scientists saved scientifically important slabs from an ammonite fossil bed after they were damaged by storms.
3 November 2017 -
Collections
Thousands of Indian plants to be digitised for the first time
More than 20,000 plant specimens held at the Museum will be digitally copied.
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News
Tracing the extraordinary story of the milu deer
Skins dating back 150 years are revealing the story behind the near extinction of a Chinese deer species.
26 October 2017 -
News
How did the largest volcanoes in the solar system grow on Mars?
Martian volcanoes are the largest in the solar system, but how fast they grow has long stumped planetary geologists.
25 October 2017 -
News
Coral-like colonies cause orange growths in historic harbour
A new species of bryozoan – large, orange and coral-like – has appeared in the historic Eastern harbour of Alexandria, Egypt.
5 September 2017 -
News
Infested fossil worms show ancient example of symbiosis
One of the earliest examples of a symbiotic relationship between invertebrates has been found in 520-million-year-old fossils from China.
28 August 2017 -
News
Fossil teeth suggest earlier entry of modern humans into SE Asia
New dating of teeth from a cave in western Sumatra, Indonesia, suggests that modern humans were present in tropical southeast Asia earlier than previously thought.
10 August 2017 -
Collections
Carved bone reveals rituals of prehistoric cannibals
A patterned prehistoric human bone from an archaeological site in Somerset has revealed that the practices of ancient cannibals were ritualistic, and not simply about survival.
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News
Fearsome Jurassic crocodile named after Motörhead's Lemmy
Scientists have named a fearsome prehistoric crocodile after Motörhead frontman Lemmy.
8 August 2017 -
News
East African biodiversity study reveals gaps in protected areas
Some of the highest areas of wildlife diversity in east African forest regions are not within protected areas, a study suggests.
4 August 2017 -
News
Deadly disease hotspots identified by four-year study
A study of aquatic snails that carry the parasitic disease schistosomiasis has identified infection hotspots around part of Africa's Lake Victoria that could be targeted to reduce infection.
18 July 2017 -
News
Whiskers on Tanzanian crystals proclaimed Mineral of the Year
Tiny metallic 'whiskers', first spotted by a 14-year-old girl and her father, have been named Mineral of the Year for 2016. They were determined to be an undiscovered mineral species by an international team of scientists.
3 July 2017 -
News
Captain Scott's legacy supports Antarctic biodiversity research
Bacterial samples collected by Captain Scott's Discovery Expedition more than 100 years ago have been used to assess the current state of Antarctic biodiversity.
21 June 2017 -
News
Two million years of competition prove that bigger is better
A study of millions years of competition between a group of marine organisms shows that the bigger species regularly outcompete their smaller rivals for living space.
16 June 2017 -
News
Sharks got smaller after mass extinction event
Fossil teeth show that sharks shrank in size and changed their diet after a major extinction event 66 million years ago.
8 June 2017 -
News
Oldest known Homo sapiens fossils discovered in Morocco
Prof Chris Stringer comments on new research that has identified the earliest known fossils of our species, Homo sapiens.
7 June 2017 -
News
Fly scans help crime-scene science sleuths
A new approach to estimating the developmental stage of maggots turning into flies promises to help forensic entomologists with their criminal investigations.
1 June 2017 -
News
Pufferfish beak originates from stem cell tweak
The unusual beak of the pufferfish is produced by small tweaks to the normal programme of tooth development, research reveals this week.
16 May 2017 -
News
Snail genome provides clues to controlling devastating disease
Museum scientists have helped decode the genome for a snail that transmits the world's second-most deadly parasitic disease. The information could inspire new methods of disease control.
16 May 2017 -
News
Early human Homo naledi lived surprisingly recently
Museum human origins expert Chris Stringer comments on the implications for palaeoanthropology of new research suggesting Homo naledi lived relatively recently.
9 May 2017 -
News
Help scientists learn secrets of ancient seas
A new Museum crowdsourcing project is asking the public to help digitise scientific data about some of the world's smallest fossils, which hold clues to how ocean conditions have changed over millions of years.
28 April 2017 -
News
Broken bones may rewrite history of humans in America
Museum human origins expert Chris Stringer comments on research that suggest humans arrived in the Americas much earlier than previously thought.
27 April 2017 -
News
Large egg collection donated to Museum
An extensive, well-documented historical collection of over 22,000 birds' eggs has been donated to the Museum.
16 April 2017 -
News
Early reptile fossil discovery gives clues to dinosaur evolution
Scientists have identified a new species of ancient reptile that fills a critical gap in the fossil record of dinosaur relatives.
12 April 2017 -
News
Search for valuable metals gains £3 million boost
A Museum-led consortium is helping to predict where to find valuable metal ore deposits.
10 April 2017 -
News
Why some toads don't have tadpoles
African toads that give birth to live young evolved the strategy to cope with mountainous regions lacking suitable areas of water for tadpoles to develop in.
31 March 2017 -
News
Dinosaur family tree radically rearranged
Scientists have proposed a significant reorganisation of the dinosaur family tree, with major implications for our understanding of dinosaur origins and evolution.
22 March 2017 -
News
Video reveals rapid changes in fly metamorphosis
An X-ray film of a fly pupa undergoing metamorphosis has, for the first time, captured minute-by-minute details of the most dramatic part of the reorganisation process.
25 January 2017 -
News
Conservation benefits of museum-led citizen science demonstrated
A study reveals citizen science programmes support conservation in multiple ways.
20 January 2017 -
News
Skulls show lone wolf is more of a jackal
Convergent evolution and a broad carnivorous diet are what led the warrah, or Falkland Islands wolf (Dusicyon australis), to resemble a jackal, Museum scientists have found.
12 January 2017 -
News
First dive to hydrothermal vent uncovers new deep-sea creatures
Researchers have found seven new animal species living along the Southwest Indian Ridge, 3,000 metres beneath the surface of the ocean, in an area targeted for deep-sea mining.
22 December 2016 -
News
Vast biodiversity database now available to all
Scientists have a new 'big data' tool to study how human activity affects the planet's biodiversity, with the publication of a gigantic database that compiles studies from across the globe.
21 December 2016 -
News
Museum's oldest natural history book now accessible online
The Museum's Library and Archives has digitised its oldest book, Historia Naturalis, to mark the tenth anniversary of the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
20 December 2016 -
News
'Monstrous' wasps could reveal their species' secrets
Scientists have identified three new species of parasitoid wasp - including two that previously lay undescribed in the Museum's collections.
9 December 2016 -
News
Butterflies emerging earlier due to rising temperatures
More than 90% of British butterflies emerge earlier in years with a warm spring or summer - potentially too early for the plants they eat.
8 December 2016 -
News
Balloon powered by sunshine could help track biodiversity
Museum scientists are investigating the possibility of using a heat-powered balloon to sample London's air.
24 November 2016 -
News
Fossil shells reveal how ancient animals survived global warming
Ancient marine fossils are providing new insights into Earth's biggest mass extinction.
11 November 2016 -
News
Prehistoric teeth unlock clues to mammoth diets
Museum scientists have reconstructed the diets of extinct mammals in Britain, thanks to a new way of analysing fossilised teeth.
31 October 2016 -
News
New bee species breeding in Britain
A bee species more commonly found in continental Europe has been spotted in Britain for the first time.
17 October 2016 -
News
Volcano study shows timeline of magma behaviour before eruption
A new approach for analysing minerals in volcanic rocks is helping scientists work out what happens inside a volcano before it erupts.
12 October 2016 -
News
Arthropod ancestor had the mouth of a penis worm
New research reveals a 515-million-year-old mouth with rings of sharp teeth belonged to an ancient arthropod, giving clues to the ancestral origins of this feature.
30 September 2016 -
News
Atlantic Ocean study reveals reduction in leaded petrol emissions
A study of lead content in the Atlantic Ocean suggests efforts to phase out leaded petrol use have been successful.
29 September 2016 -
News
Turtles can tolerate warmer temperatures, given time
Turtles can tolerate warmer conditions - but their ability to cope with climate change depends on how quickly temperatures rise.
23 September 2016 -
News
Caribbean bones reveal the origin of the 'island murderer'
From skeletal remains found among centuries-old owl pellets, Museum scientists have recovered the first DNA sample of the extinct Caribbean mammal genus Nesophontes.
16 September 2016 -
News
Study sheds light on snake vision
The first major study into the genes that control vision in snakes has found that the reptiles match their vision to their lifestyles.
15 September 2016 -
News
Toad's last supper helps solve Victorian mystery
A toad's final meal has helped Museum scientists demonstrate the origins of the species Bufo intermedius, solving a taxonomic mystery dating back over 150 years.
5 September 2016 -
News
Museum scans reveal new clues to life and death in Roman London
An innovative method of scanning bones is improving our understanding of child mortality in Roman Britain.
4 September 2016 -
News
Piltdown Man hoax findings: Charles Dawson the likely fraudster
New forensic methods have brought researchers a step closer to confirming the man behind an infamous scientific hoax.
10 August 2016 -
News
World's protected areas helping thousands of species
A huge range of animals and plants benefit from living in protected areas across the globe, a study has revealed for the first time.
28 July 2016 -
News
Biodiversity loss breaching safe limits worldwide
The loss of species diversity has reached unsafe levels across 58% of the world's land.
14 July 2016 -
News
Why sea snails are pretty in pink
Museum-led research uncovers the pigments that give the sea snails Clanculus pharaonius and C. margaritarius their striking pink and yellow-brown shells.
13 July 2016 -
News
Oldest insect camouflage behaviour revealed by fossils
Rare insect fossils preserved in amber have revealed the camouflaging technique of carrying debris dates back more than 100 million years.
28 June 2016 -
News
First evidence that asteroids delivered water to the Moon
Water on the surface of the Moon was supplied by asteroids, a study has shown.
31 May 2016 -
News
Crayfish and flatworms coevolved, but now face coextinction
DNA sequencing by Museum scientists has revealed how endangered Australian crayfish and their symbiotic flatworms evolved together - and may soon become extinct together too.
25 May 2016 -
News
Dinosaur eating habit insights from Stegosaurus stenops
New tests carried out on the Museum's Stegosaurus skull provide ground-breaking insights into the lifestyles of herbivorous dinosaurs
20 May 2016 -
News
Europe parasite outbreak source traced using Museum specimens
Genetic analysis involving Museum scientists reveals that an outbreak of the neglected tropical disease schistosomiasis in Corsica was caused by parasites introduced from West Africa.
16 May 2016 -
News
Water voles colonised Britain in two waves
Did English and Scottish water voles arrive in Britain at the same time, or did later English colonisers displace the earlier arrivals? New research unpicks data spanning 28,000 years.
28 April 2016 -
News
World's most important coral species in major decline
Coral reefs could become a victim of their own success, according to Museum researcher Dr Ken Johnson.
22 April 2016 -
News
First bone-eating worm found in warm waters
Museum scientists have found that Osedax worms, which feed on the bones of whale carcasses, can live in shallow Mediterranean waters.
13 April 2016 -
News
World's most complete dodo skeleton revealed with 3D technology
The first virtual models of the world's most complete dodo skeletons will allow scientists to investigate this extinct bird in new ways.
12 April 2016 -
News
New citizen science project targets earthworms
A citizen science survey launched today asks the British public to gather data on the humble earthworm, an 'ecosystem engineer' vital to the health of our soils.
5 April 2016 -
News
Snake from Ethiopia identified as new viper species
A team of scientists led by Museum researchers have identified and named a new species of viper, Bitis harenna, that lives in Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains National Park.
21 March 2016 -
News
Tropical biodiversity developed more than 35 million years ago
The tendency for species diversity to be greatest near the Equator developed 34 to 48 million years ago during the Eocene Epoch, Museum scientists have found.
18 March 2016 -
News
Macabre burial practices of Iron Age Britons revealed
An analysis of 2,000-year-old bones suggests pre-Roman Britons frequently interacted with their dead, often by digging up corpses or retrieving decomposing body parts from pits.
4 March 2016 -
News
Researchers develop new method for finding copper
Scientists at the Museum and the University of Exeter have discovered a chemical signature that could help miners home-in on copper deposits.
29 February 2016 -
News
Miniature brain scans hold key to understanding bee behaviour
Scientists have imaged the brains of bumblebees in unprecedented detail, revealing the regions linked to learning and memory.
24 February 2016 -
News
Fossils provide new evidence of oldest animal life
A genetic analysis of ancient sea sponges has provided the oldest evidence of animal life.
23 February 2016 -
News
Slave trade brought deadly parasite to the Caribbean
Schistosoma mansoni, a water-borne parasite that affects millions of people worldwide, was carried to the Americas by the slave trade, researchers have found.
18 February 2016 -
News
Earliest evidence of modern humans breeding with Neanderthals
New DNA evidence of interbreeding between modern humans and Neanderthals raises surprising questions about our species' history. Human origins expert Prof Chris Stringer explains why.
17 February 2016 -
News
Shark genes could reveal how to grow new human teeth
An investigation into how sharks repeatedly regenerate their teeth has found the crucial network of genes, potentially paving the way for medical breakthroughs in the future.
17 February 2016 -
News
New love bug found with heart-shaped leg
A new group of beetles with a heart-shaped leg joint has been discovered in the Belize rainforest by Museum scientist Max Barclay.
15 February 2016 -
News
Museum and Gates Foundation to fight neglected tropical diseases
The Museum and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have launched a $27 million (£19 million) partnership to demonstrate the feasibility of eliminating intestinal worms, which infect more than 1.45 billion people.
25 January 2016 -
News
Welsh 'dragon thief' is oldest known Jurassic dinosaur
An unusual fossil find in south Wales has led to the discovery of a new dinosaur species.
25 January 2016 -
News
Capturing Our Coast: New project launched to map UK marine life
People from across the UK are being invited to take part in Capturing Our Coast, a £1.7-million Heritage-Lottery-funded initiative led by Newcastle University.
13 January 2016 -
News
Mysterious missing xenon gas traced to Earth's interior
Vast quantities of 'missing' xenon may be trapped kilometres below Earth's surface.
10 December 2015 -
News
Neanderthals' distinctive face shape explained
Research on a Museum fossil helps explain why Neanderthal faces looked different to our own.
7 December 2015 -
Science news
New butterfly species named after Sir David Attenborough
A new species of tropical butterfly found in a remote region of South America has been named Euptychia attenboroughi, after naturalist Sir David Attenborough.
4 December 2015 -
News
Scandinavian ice sheet cracks ancient climate change puzzle
A Museum researcher's 'midge thermometer' innovation has helped explain why the Earth was plunged into a mini ice age almost 13,000 years ago.
23 November 2015 -
News
Brain fossils break new ground in palaeontology
Museum scientists use cutting-edge imaging techniques to unravel the secrets of 517-million-year-old animals, uncovering new evidence for brain fossilisation.
16 November 2015 -
News
Life thrives in ice-covered Antarctic lake
Braving ice-cold water pays off for research team who discover diverse microbial life flourishing at the bottom of an Antarctic lake.
14 November 2015 -
News
North American mammoth origins rewritten
Mammoth teeth study led by Museum palaeontologist Prof Adrian Lister reveals the origins of the Columbian mammoth and interbreeding with woolly mammoths.
12 November 2015 -
News
Ancient amphibian fossils unearthed in Brazil
Museum scientist Dr Martha Richter helps discover two new species of extinct amphibians and the oldest reptile fossil skeleton ever found in South America.
5 November 2015 -
News
Tumours consisting of tapeworm cancer cells found in human
Researchers reveal a link between tapeworm parasites and cancer-like infections in people with compromised immune systems.
4 November 2015 -
News
New bat species found in Museum collection
A bat preserved in alcohol for 30 years in the Museum's collection has been recognised as a new species of horseshoe bat.
31 October 2015 -
News
Modern humans reached Asia far earlier than previously thought
Modern human teeth that are at least 80,000 years old have been found in China. Museum human origins expert Professor Chris Stringer says the discovery is a 'game-changer'.
15 October 2015 -
News
Stunning images reveal blue skies and water ice on Pluto
Museum scientist Professor Sara Russell says the discovery could mean that organic material, including water, is widespread in the outer reaches of our solar system.
12 October 2015 -
News
Ancient sawfish fossil sheds light on tooth evolution
Detailed 3D X-ray images of the saw-like nose of Schizorhiza stromeri challenge the classical theory that vertebrate teeth evolved from external scales.
6 October 2015 -
News
Salty water streams give further hint at life on Mars
Museum researcher Dr Joe Michalski says NASA discovery points to Martian environments that could be habitable by certain kinds of bacteria.
29 September 2015 -
News
Research into species traits could help save Europe's dying bees
Scientists found that smaller bee species with shorter flight seasons are especially at risk in human-dominated areas.
23 September 2015 -
News
Meet Homo naledi - your newly discovered ancient human relative
Researchers announce a new species of ancient human discovered deep in a cave in South Africa. Fossil casts will be unveiled to the public at the Museum later this month.
10 September 2015 -
News
New highly venomous snake species discovered in Australia
A team led by a Museum scientist has discovered a new species of Australian death adder in the Kimberley region of the country.
28 August 2015 -
News
Opals on Mars could hold a record of ancient life
A special kind of opal that can trap microbes on Earth has been found in a Martian meteorite, suggesting a new target in the search for signs of life on Mars.
10 July 2015 -
News
Shining seaweeds reveal the secret to their iridescence
The common British seaweed Irish moss displays a blue shine using unique structures that bend light, according to a new study.
3 July 2015 -
News
Long-distance spiders can sail across the high seas
Spiders strike elaborate poses to catch the breeze and sail across salty and turbulent waters, reaching new lands quickly.
3 July 2015 -
News
Cave centipede from hell is the deepest-dwelling ever discovered
Found up to 1,100 metres below the surface, the record-breaking centipede has been given the name Geophilus hadesi, after Hades, the Greek god of the underworld.
1 July 2015 -
News
Abominable snowmen of the sea make their way to the Museum
The Museum’s first yeti crabs – so-called for their white bodies and hairy limbs – will soon be entered into the collection.
26 June 2015 -
News
Were feathered dinosaurs the norm?
Paul Barret comments on controversy over whether all dinosaurs were feathered or not.
3 June 2015 -
News
Two fishes named after Museum scientists
Fish experts Oliver Crimmen and Ralf Britz have had species named for them to honour their work and dedication.
18 May 2015 -
News
Weird Chilean dinosaur is plant-eating theropod
Museum dinosaur expert Paul Barrett comments on a new species of dinosaur that has unusual mix of meat-eating and plant-eating features.
1 May 2015 -
News
Spot UK orchids and help research climate change impact
Look out for orchids and help scientists see how climate change is affecting flowering times.
23 April 2015 -