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Science news
Armoured 'slug' among 503 new species described by Museum scientists in 2020
30 December 2020 -
News
Museum to star in new Channel 5 series
The Museum is set to star in a new four-part primetime Channel 5 series.
22 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 -
News
Hayabusa2 returns precious asteroid samples to Earth after six-year mission
The spacecraft Hayabusa2 is arriving back to Earth after six years' travel through the solar system.
5 December 2020 -
News
Museum to go carbon neutral by 2035
The Museum has announced a plan to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2035.
4 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 -
News
Curator Miranda Lowe conquers BBC's Woman's Hour Power List 2020
Miranda Lowe makes it onto BBC's Woman's Hour Power List 2020.
19 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 -
News
One of the world's biggest sanctuaries for wildlife has just been created
The most remote inhabited island in the world has become one of the biggest wildlife sanctuaries on the planet.
13 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 -
News
Urban Nature Project receives planning permission to transform Museum gardens
Museum gets the go-ahead to transform its five-acre gardens.
28 October 2020 -
News
Endangered water voles to be reintroduced to London
One of Britain's most threatened mammals is being given a boost.
26 October 2020 -
News
What 5,000-year-old penguin poo can teach us about climate change
Looking at the record of bird poo preserved for thousands of years could give us clue as to what might happen as climate change gathers pace.
23 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 -
News
NASA's OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft to make history in asteroid Bennu touch down
The spacecraft completed Touch-And-Go (TAG) sample collection.
21 October 2020 -
News
Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020 winning images
An image of a Siberian tiger scent marking won this year's grand title.
13 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 -
News
The Earthshot Prize: Prince William launches strategy to repair our planet
His Royal Highness Prince William has created The Earthshot Prize to generate a global movement to repair our planet.
8 October 2020 -
Science news
Whale poo is powering the world's rainforests
The world's biggest animals are nature's engineers.
1 October 2020 -
News
Winners of Nature in lockdown photo competition announced
See the winning images in our photo competition, Nature in lockdown: a breath of fresh air.
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 -
News
Beekeeping in cities is harming other wildlife, study finds
Enthusiasm for beekeeping in the UK's major cities is threatening other local wildlife, according to a new 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 -
News
Dinosaur diaries: were ankylosaurs socially distancing?
Were dinosaurs adhering to social distancing rules, or were they living in tight-knit herds?
22 September 2020 -
News
Possible signs of life found on Venus
A gas has been found in the clouds of Venus that could have been created by microbes.
14 September 2020 -
Science news
Nature 'unravels' as animal populations plummet
Animal populations have declined by 68% since 1970.
10 September 2020 -
News
Dinosaur diaries: the first ever 3D fossil of titanosaur embryo
This is the first 3D preserved embryo of a sauropod.
8 September 2020 -
News
Bird bath sales soar as the UK stops to notice nature
Will 2020 become the year we stop taking nature for granted?
2 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 -
News
First Look: Wildlife Photographer of the Year 56
Explore a selection of the latest Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition images.
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 -
News
Dinosaur diaries: human cancer found in dinosaur bone
For the first time ever, evidence of cancer has been found in the bones of a dinosaur.
17 August 2020 -
News
Hedgehogs and water voles face extinction in new Red List for British mammals
The first official red list for British mammals has been produced.
7 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 -
News
A proud win for curator Alex Bond for his work championing LGBTQ+ people in science
The Royal Society Athena Prize is awarded to senior bird curator Alex Bond.
4 August 2020 -
News
Dinosaur diaries: new 'Captain Hook' dinosaur with clawed hands discovered
A new cat-sized dinosaur with hooks for hands has been described.
3 August 2020 -
News
Will coronavirus cripple the fight against plastic pollution?
Single-use plastics have seen a resurgence in 2020.
30 July 2020 -
News
Dinosaur diaries: this is what dinosaurs evolved from
The origin of dinosaurs, their demise and what Dilophosaurus really looked like.
17 July 2020 -
News
Putting nature first will create millions of new jobs, says World Economic Forum
A new report found that 395 million new jobs could be created by 2030 if world leaders focus on protecting nature.
16 July 2020 -
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 -
News
Dinosaur diaries: The first dinosaur eggs were soft
A new study has found that the eggs of the earliest dinosaurs had soft shells.
3 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 -
News
Museum molecular biologists volunteer in the fight against COVID-19
Scientists have relocated to a testing centre in Milton Keynes, where they are helping to analyse coronavirus tests.
26 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 -
Science news
Metamorphosis is helping to explain salamander skull diversity
Why do the majority of animals undergo metamorphosis?
22 June 2020 -
News
Dinosaur diaries: Fossilised stomach contents reveal a dinosaur's last meal
A 110-million-year-old dinosaur's fossil stomach has been studied by scientists.
19 June 2020 -
News
Doug Gurr appointed new Director
The Trustees of the Museum have announced the appointment of Dr Douglas Gurr as the new Director.
18 June 2020 -
News
Britain goes two months without burning coal amid lockdown
It's the longest period since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution.
15 June 2020 -
News
China removes pangolin scale from list of official medicines
Pangolin scales are no longer approved for use in traditional Chinese medicine.
11 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 -
News
Dinosaur diaries: Oldest evidence of cannibal dinosaurs uncovered
Explore the latest findings from across the world of palaeontology.
5 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 -
News
Dinosaur diaries: Arctic duck-billed dinosaurs, dental work and dimorphism
A new discovery reveals this hadrosaur had one of the largest geographical ranges of any dinosaur.
22 May 2020 -
News
Dinosaur diaries: Spinosaurus, sauropod necks and a new 'starry lizard'
Dinosaur experts share some of the latest science news and views from across the world of palaeontology.
8 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 -
News
Scientists say we will face worse pandemics than COVID-19 unless we protect nature
Humans are the only species responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, according to leading scientists.
29 April 2020 -
News
Terra Nova notebooks describing penguin sexual behaviours acquired by the Museum
Extraordinary notebooks from the Terra Nova Antarctic expedition are available for study for the first time.
25 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 -
News
Sparrow killed in a cricket match makes a flying visit
The Lord's Sparrow received conservation care at the Museum.
20 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 -
News
British dinosaurs to feature on UK money for the first time
Three new coins have been designed.
13 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 -
News
We are declaring a planetary emergency
Earth's natural systems are struggling to support us.
20 January 2020 -
News
New exhibition Fantastic Beasts™: The Wonder of Nature to open this winter
The Museum has partnered with Warner Bros. and BBC Studios Natural History Unit.
18 November 2020