AMISTAD, a new collections-based research project led by London’s Natural History Museum, is working on untangling the identities of a group of blue butterflies from South America.

Hopefully, it’s a problem that butterfly researchers won’t have to face for too much longer. A new museum research project, known as AMISTAD, is combining ancient DNA, modern computing technology and ...

The presence of pyrite was an unmistakable sign. Striking flint against pyrite nodules creates sparks, and which can be used to start fire. This pushes back the earliest known controlled use of fire ...

Sites in Africa suggest humans used natural fire over a million years ago, but the discovery at the Palaeolithic site in Barnham evidences the creation and control of fire, which carries huge ...

Meteorites are like a time machine and spacecraft all in one. Discover how our scientists use rare specimens in the meteorite ...

But even when taking these natural changes into account, the results of the mining tests were clear. The number of species in ...

We now know how good the sense of smell was in giant sloths, sabre-toothed tigers and other long-lost species.

Find answers to your big nature questions. Delve into stories about our research, scientists and the collections we care for. Uncover the history of life on Earth, from the smallest insects to the ...

Discover how we are using our broad knowledge and cutting-edge techniques to benefit both people and the planet. Find out how you can access our world-renowned collections as well as our data, library ...

Stegosaurus, Allosaurus and Diplodocus are among the Jurassic Period’s most famous faces. But how dinosaurs went from a small and unimportant group of reptiles to ruling our planet for millions of ...

We offer courses for different abilities, so if you are a postgraduate student looking for further study opportunities, a professional looking to upskill or someone who wants to learn more about our ...