The astounding story of the fake butterfly specimen Papilio ecclipsis – would you be fooled?
For April Fool’s Day, our Senior Collections Manager Darren Mann recounts the story of an elegantly fake butterfly – Papilio ecclipsis – asking whether it was a piece of scientific fraudulence or practical joke that went awry.… Continue reading →
Railway Geology part 2: Read all about it
The expansion of the railways in the 19th century offered more than just faster travel times. It introduced the wonders of geology, scenery and history to the travelling public at large.… Continue reading →
Railway Geology Part 1: The flying steed
The introduction and growth of the railway network in the first half of the 19th century not only revolutionised travel and transport of goods for many, but it also had a profound effect on the science of geology.… Continue reading →
Drawn to Nature
By Chris Jarvis, Education Officer With lockdown and the long winter nights shuffling the nation’s emotions like a ham-fisted magician with a damp deck of cards, we have no doubt all suffered from a case of the winter blues at some point recently. While the Museum and its inspiring specimens have been closed to visitors… Continue reading →
Darwin’s dockdown reading list
When Charles Darwin set sail on the HMS Beagle in 1831, he had access to a library of over 400 books on the ship. For Darwin Day, 12th February, we explored some of what Darwin read to help him pass the time…… Continue reading →
Rare Jurassic mammal fossil from Scotland is new species
By Elsa Panciroli, Research Fellow This week my colleagues and I announced the discovery of a new species of mammal from the time of dinosaurs. It is one of two rare skeletons we’re studying from the Isle of Skye in Scotland. These mouse-like animals lived in the Middle Jurassic (166 million years ago), and tell… Continue reading →
Why future homes could be made of living fungus
This article is taken from European research magazine Horizon as part of our partnership to share natural environment science stories with readers of More than a Dodo. In the summer of 2014 a strange building began to take shape just outside MoMA PS1, a contemporary art centre in New York City. It looked like someone had started building an… Continue reading →
Celebrate science in a cemetery
By Nina Morgan, Gravestone Geology Cemeteries not only provide a peaceful place to commemorate the dead, and observe and enjoy nature; they are also wonderful repositories for the study of local history and art. But that’s not all. Cemeteries also offer an easy introduction to science that anyone can enjoy. A visit to a cemetery presents a… Continue reading →
Crunchy on the outside
By Susie Glover, HOPE Learning Officer We have an ambitious project underway at the Museum, to preserve a unique and scientifically important collection of over one million British insects. It’s called HOPE for the Future, after the Hope Entomological Collections, and we are keen to shout about how these specimens can help us understand biodiversity,… Continue reading →
Of parasites, dinosaurs, and other model animals
Elaine Charwat has been on a journey into the attic storerooms behind the scenes of the Museum to discover 19th-century wax models of parasites. A strange occupation you might think, but it’s all part of her doctoral research programme with the Arts and Humanities Research Council to learn about the use of models and replicas… Continue reading →
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