2016

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.

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.

The Museum's Library and Archives has digitised its oldest book, Historia Naturalis, to mark the tenth anniversary of the Biodiversity Heritage Library.

Scientists have identified three new species of parasitoid wasp - including two that previously lay undescribed in the Museum's collections.

More than 90% of British butterflies emerge earlier in years with a warm spring or summer - potentially too early for the plants they eat.

Museum scientists are investigating the possibility of using a heat-powered balloon to sample London's air.

HRH The Duchess of Cambridge attended a children's tea party at the Museum to wish Dippy the dinosaur good luck on his travels around the UK.

Eight venues will host the Museum's Diplodocus skeleton on its tour of the country, including a cathedral, parliament building and community centre.

Ancient marine fossils are providing new insights into Earth's biggest mass extinction.

The biggest earthworm ever recorded in the UK has been found in a vegetable plot in Cheshire, report Museum scientists.

Scientists have identified a distinctive new species of ringlet butterfly and named it Magneuptychia pax in recognition of the peace process in Colombia, where the butterfly lives.

Museum scientists have reconstructed the diets of extinct mammals in Britain, thanks to a new way of analysing fossilised teeth.

A bee species more commonly found in continental Europe has been spotted in Britain for the first time.

A new approach for analysing minerals in volcanic rocks is helping scientists work out what happens inside a volcano before it erupts.

Archaeologists working on Crossrail have donated to the Museum a piece of 55-million-year-old amber and a woolly mammoth jawbone fragment unearthed in London.

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.

A study of lead content in the Atlantic Ocean suggests efforts to phase out leaded petrol use have been successful. 

A flawless blue topaz gemstone - the largest of its kind - will be displayed in the Museum's Minerals gallery from 19 October.

Turtles can tolerate warmer conditions - but their ability to cope with climate change depends on how quickly temperatures rise.

The first complete blue marlin specimen to wash up on UK shores and be recovered in full has a new home at the Museum.

From skeletal remains found among centuries-old owl pellets, Museum scientists have recovered the first DNA sample of the extinct Caribbean mammal genus Nesophontes.

The conservators preparing the Museum's blue whale skeleton for its move into Hintze Hall have received a prize for their contribution to the public's understanding of conservation.

The first major study into the genes that control vision in snakes has found that the reptiles match their vision to their lifestyles. 

Immersive online experiences are allowing Museum collections to be explored from anywhere in the world.

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.

An innovative method of scanning bones is improving our understanding of child mortality in Roman Britain.

New forensic methods have brought researchers a step closer to confirming the man behind an infamous scientific hoax.

A huge range of animals and plants benefit from living in protected areas across the globe, a study has revealed for the first time. 

The loss of species diversity has reached unsafe levels across 58% of the world's land.

Museum-led research uncovers the pigments that give the sea snails Clanculus pharaonius and C. margaritarius their striking pink and yellow-brown shells.

Rare insect fossils preserved in amber have revealed the camouflaging technique of carrying debris dates back more than 100 million years.

Beachgoers are being asked to become scientists to help gather important data about British seaweeds.

The Museum is forming an ambitious five-year partnership with Atlantic Productions to create bespoke virtual reality experiences.

The Museum's collections have delighted visitors for hundreds of years, and inspired thousands of scientists. Now some of its extraordinary treasures will tour the world.

Water on the surface of the Moon was supplied by asteroids, a study has shown.

DNA sequencing by Museum scientists has revealed how endangered Australian crayfish and their symbiotic flatworms evolved together - and may soon become extinct together too.

The Museum has applied for planning permission to continue with an ambitious transformation of its outdoor spaces.

New tests carried out on the Museum's Stegosaurus skull provide ground-breaking insights into the lifestyles of herbivorous dinosaurs

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.

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.

Coral reefs could become a victim of their own success, according to Museum researcher Dr Ken Johnson.

Museum scientists have found that Osedax worms, which feed on the bones of whale carcasses, can live in shallow Mediterranean waters.

The first virtual models of the world's most complete dodo skeletons will allow scientists to investigate this extinct bird in new ways.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Scientists at the Museum and the University of Exeter have discovered a chemical signature that could help miners home-in on copper deposits.

Scientists have imaged the brains of bumblebees in unprecedented detail, revealing the regions linked to learning and memory.

A genetic analysis of ancient sea sponges has provided the oldest evidence of animal life.

Schistosoma mansoni, a water-borne parasite that affects millions of people worldwide, was carried to the Americas by the slave trade, researchers have found.

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.

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.

A new group of beetles with a heart-shaped leg joint has been discovered in the Belize rainforest by Museum scientist Max Barclay.

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.

An unusual fossil find in south Wales has led to the discovery of a new dinosaur species.

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.

A new colour image of Pluto will make its debut at the Museum's exhibition Otherworlds, opening Friday 22 January 2016.