Naming nature, putting life in order

By Lisa Hendry

Do you like to group music into playlists, or arrange your books by author?

This urge to organise the world around us based on shared characteristics is at the heart of taxonomy, says curator Jon Ablett.

Learn more about this process of naming, describing and classifying the natural world. Discover how it is crucial to our understanding of how life has evolved as well as a wide range of applications, from conservation to disease prevention.

The giant sequoia, Sequoiadendron giganteum: the biggest tree in the world

Explore the stories of the giant redwoods and the extraordinary Cherokee man Sequoyah, who influenced their name.

Detective work to tackle debilitating disease in Zanzibar

Follow our researchers’ quest to identify the parasite-carrying culprit.

Pickle jars and precious specimens

Step behind the scenes of the Museum’s spirit collection with curators Oliver Crimmen and James Maclaine.

Biodiversity

Borneo biodiversity count

Join Museum scientists as they survey the incredible diversity of invertebrates living in the rainforests of Borneo.

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