2014

From research into rivers of rubbish and 800,000-year-old human footprints to the arrival of unprecedented new specimens, catch up on the most popular stories from 2014.

Deep-sea sediments are accumulating tiny fragments of plastic in surprisingly high concentrations, scientists have discovered.

Early-stage breast cancer could soon be caught using a blood test. The simple test could replace invasive biopsies as the first port of call for diagnosing the disease.

Museum researchers are part of an international team that has won a prestigious engineering award for a new laser-based prospecting method.

Our newest dinosaur goes on permanent display in the Museum’s Earth Hall today, greeting visitors through the Exhibition Road entrance.

An autopsy of the best-preserved mammoth ever found has yielded flesh and blood, possibly paving the way for mammoth cloning.

Hyperspectral imaging allows us to read for the first time one of Alfred Russel Wallace's notebooks that was ruined in a shipwreck.

The world’s most complete Stegosaurus skeleton will go on display on 4 December.

Insects evolved at the same time as the earliest land plants around 480 million years ago and shaped Earth's early ecosystems.

Roman-era skulls show far less gum disease than modern Brits, due to the invention of smoking and the rise in diabetes.

The world's oldest vertebrate sex organs, found in 385-million-year-old fish, prove sex is a lot older than we thought.

The lifestyles of extinct marine crocs mirror those of today's living groups.

A new technique for producing cells from butterflies and beetles could pave the way for paint colours that never fade.

The only beetles collected by Dr David Livingstone have been discovered at the Museum 150 years after he brought them back from the Zambezi River expedition in Africa.

The details of Richard III’s bloody battlefield death have been revealed for the first time through CT scanning of his suspected skeleton.

Take a journey through life on Earth in a new book that explores our most iconic fossils.

The first complete Greenland shark specimen has been preserved for research at the Museum after washing up on a Northumberland beach last autumn.

Scientists studying the venom of bloodworms for the first time have discovered why it can cause severe allergic reactions similar to that of a bee sting.

Hippos once roamed freely across ancient Britain, and now they’ve returned to London after 125,000 years as a giant hippo sculpture is erected on the Thames.

Accurate dating of 40 sites across Europe shows that Neanderthals and humans overlapped by as much as 5,400 years.

Microscopic particles brought back to Earth by the Stardust mission are likely the first examples of interstellar dust.

Lunar meteorites reveal the diverse composition of the Moon's crust, contrary to a theory based on Apollo samples.

New evidence from primitive plants and beetles shows how the evolution of flowering plants caused a boom in land-based life.

One of the earliest examples of dinosaurs living in herds has been found in a remote region of Venezuela.

Contrary to previous suggestions, most dinosaurs were likely not declining before the impact wiped them out.

Warm humid weather means clouds of flying ants, probably several times this summer.

Royal visit to the butterfly house provides perfect backdrop for official pictures.

In a rare case of internal differences between the sexes, the males of one fish genus have a swimbladder up to 98 times the volume of the females'.

Spectacular fossil brain discovery leads to rethink of the evolution of arthropods

Research using the Museum's Lepidoptera collection has revealed how butterfly species continually evolve to avoid predation.

DNA analysis of 30 hairs attributed to yetis and other 'anomalous primates' reveals no unknown species.

Join us this weekend for events and activities celebrating the secret lives of bats.

A new fish species measuring up to 15.4mm has been discovered in the Rio Negro in Brazil.

Deep-diving birds emerge from water nearly dry using a trick that could be copied in new fabrics.

Women scientists, including the Museum's Mars expert Natasha Stephen, will discuss their work on South Bank this Saturday 29 June 2014.

A week of events celebrating insects begins in the Wildlife Garden.

A treasure trove of important human fossils missing for decades has been identified among the Museum’s collections.

New research confirms the theory that modern humans and Neanderthals had a common ancestor about 500,000 years ago.

Dr Michael Dixon, Director of the Natural History Museum, has been conferred the honour of Knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List announced today.

Scientists ask the public to look out for a new alien pest after the first sightings in Britain.

Come and discuss cutting edge science with students from universities around the UK.

The Museum and the Catlin Group Limited have announced a new exhibition to explore life beneath the waves, opening next spring.

A microscopic marine animal thought to have died out four million years ago has been found living in seas around New Zealand.

A tiny rust fungus could save the UK millions by halting the spread of the Himalayan balsam.

Tooth of ferocious marine reptile is largest of its kind found in the UK.

NASA's chief scientist tells the European Lunar Symposium that people on the surface of the red planet is the Agency's 'primary mission'.

Debut of baby mammoth specimen proves well worth the wait.

Created by Museum botanists, Leafsnap UK helps users match leaves to their trees.

Vespa velutina is travelling through France, but has not yet been seen in the UK.

Museum's main hall to be renamed Hintze Hall after an unprecedented £5m donation.

The jury of the Museum grounds redesign competition has today announced the winning team of architects.

Museum scientists identify the 200th caecilian, a weird and wonderful group of little-known amphibians.

UK debut for Lyuba the 42,000-year-old infant mammoth in the Mammoths: Ice Age Giants exhibition.

New research into lion genes could help scientists boost numbers.

Exceptional preservation reveals a 520-million-year-old cardiovascular system.

Former Minister of State for Trade and Investment joins the Museum's Board of Trustees for a four year appointment.

At 20.30 this Saturday 29 March, the Museum will go dark in support of a worldwide environmental campaign.

Document found in Museum's archive suggests the river blenny was wiped out on Cyprus.

A line up of specimens of the world's most dangerous creatures is waiting to greet you.

Join the conversation between curators, scientists, staff and visitors during the inaugural #MuseumWeek 24-30 March.

Scientists discover that a reportedly lungless amphibian that overturned an evolutionary theory actually has a lung and working nostrils.

Harpsichord composition and evidence in Japan perpetuate the great myth of the dodo.

Focusing on projects at the Museum run by women, and announcing our Women Artists exhibition.

Natural History Museum moves up from fourth to third place in table of visitors to free UK attractions.

Evolution in action as small fish in a big pond lose out.

New ancient animal species uncovered in Canadian Rockies.

Museum scans of 3.9-billion-year-old Apollo Moon rock could expose new insights into the Moon's geological history.

CBBC presenters discuss barnacle penises and Darwin's pet tortoise in the tank room.

Breeding with Neanderthals allowed our ancestors to better cope with European winters, but also passed on diseases we suffer today.

Wolfson Foundation funding will allow the Museum to create a permanent display in the Rothschild Room.

As the new Volcanoes and Earthquakes gallery prepares to blast open, Museum volcanologist talks about predicting disasters and exploring off limits on the slopes of volcanoes.

Mystery beaver spotted in Devon could be the first wild case recorded in England since they were hunted to extinction.

Dr Mark Spencer gives evidence to Parliamentary committee on environmental impact of invasive non-native species.

Search for Earth's building blocks heats up as Rosetta nears its target.

Forensic testing reveals more about remains discovered 30 years ago.

Survey suggests few of us recognise the sounds of garden birds.

Lobster discovered in South African waters named after the country's remarkable leader.

A successful weekend event at the Museum highlights the ongoing problem of plastic pollution.

Research suggests tooth decay was prevalent in earlier human societies.

Unseen toxic stream of plastic flows below Thames surface.