Salmon, eels and sturgeon heading towards extinction as migratory fish populations collapse | Natural History Museum The epic migrations made by many fishes are at risk of dying out.

In terms of more recent extinctions, a new report on freshwater fish migrations doesn't make for light reading - find out more here 👇
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

What is an ichthyosaur? The real sea dragons that once swam beneath the waves | Natural History Museum Find out what fossils have revealed about ichthyosaurs, which included the biggest marine reptile that ever lived.

Where has March gone? It's been a busy one behind the scenes, but here are a couple of pieces from me that have come out recently.

First up, I completed my marine reptile explainers by taking a deep dive into the ichthyosaurs: www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/wha...

New species of “living fossil” had jaws unlike anything seen before | Natural History Museum Tanyka amnicola was a relic of an earlier and more experimental time in the evolution of life on Earth.

There's a new species out in the world - and Tanyka amnicola was a pretty remarkable creature!
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

New sabre-crested Spinosaurus species named from desert dinosaur fossils | Natural History Museum ‘Astonishing’ fossils from Niger have been named as Spinosaurus mirabilis.

And last but not least, a new dinosaur! www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Tropical forests make rain worth billions of pounds | Natural History Museum Rain generated by the Amazon rainforest could be worth up to £15 billion every year.

Next up - Valuing the rainfall generated by tropical forests could help to discourage deforestation!
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

What is a plesiosaur? The prehistoric sea creatures that inspired the Loch Ness Monster | Natural History Museum Find out what plesiosaur fossils have revealed about these animals, and how big they could grow.

What have I been up to this week? Quite a bit, but here are the articles that have come out!

First up, (hopefully) everything you wanted to know about plesiosaurs:
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/wha...

Ice Age fossils reveal how modern wolves are adapting to climate change | Natural History Museum Ancient wolf bones are revealing how today’s wolves might survive in a warmer world.

Last but not least, how are wolves adapting to climate change? Their Ice Age relatives could reveal the answer!
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

100 beavers set to be reintroduced to the UK this year, with more to come | Natural History Museum Centuries after they were wiped out, the reintroduction of beavers to the UK is gathering pace.

In better news, beavers have recently been introduced in the wild in England - and there are likely to be a lot more on the way!
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Nature is under threat from rapidly rising pesticide use | Natural History Museum An international target to slash pesticide use by 2030 is unlikely to be met.

Lots of things going on, but here are my articles that have come out in the past week!

We'll start with the bad news - pesticide use is on the up, and so a global pledge to cut its impacts is unlikely to be hit: www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

What is a mosasaur? Facts about Mosasaurus and its relatives | Natural History Museum What is Mosasaurus? Is a mosasaur a dinosaur? Find out all about these ancient ocean predators.

And last but not least, an explainer on some very enigmatic marine reptiles - the mosasaurs!
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/wha...

Fossil mammals behind the scenes at the Natural History Museum | Natural History Museum In the first of a new series, curator Dr Neil Adams shares the stories and science of the fossil mammal collection.

What's happening in the Fossil Mammal Collection at the NHM? I found out!
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/beh...

Contents of jars collected by Charles Darwin revealed in new scans | Natural History Museum Almost two centuries after Charles Darwin’s pioneering voyage, his specimens are still inspiring groundbreaking new science.

Got a bit of a backlog of articles again, but here's what I've been working on recently!

First up, why open a jar when you can find out what's inside using lasers?
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

If you’ve ever wondered what curators get up to, wonder no more! I was joined by @jamesashway.bsky.social who found out about the latest behind-the-scenes goings-on in the NHM fossil mammal collection!

Ancient humans made elephant bone tools in Europe half a million years ago | Natural History Museum A prehistoric tool is reshaping our understanding of Europe’s early inhabitants.

The ancient sharpening tool offers an insight into the lives of our ancient relatives

www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

We’ve finally discovered when sponges appeared on Earth | Natural History Museum New research has revealed the hidden early history of the sponges.

Sponges are over 600 million years old - and could help reveal more about the first ever animals!
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Nine new butterfly species discovered by scientists tackling taxonomic tangle | Natural History Museum Five former Thereus butterflies from South America have been revealed as 16 different species.

And last but not least, some new butterflies have been found!
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Climate change will affect diseases in widespread and varied ways | Natural History Museum The impact of climate change on diseases spreading between animals is not well understood.

We don't know as much as we'd like about diseases jumping between animals in a hotter future...
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

The changing story of the Beachy Head Woman | Natural History Museum The identity of a mysterious Roman-era skeleton found in southern England may have finally been resolved.

New research on a Roman-era skeleton is in:
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

A 400-million-year-old fossil is revealing how plants grew into giants | Natural History Museum Horneophyton lignieri is changing what we know about plant evolution.

How did the Sequoia get so big? One fossil plant may have the answer...
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Europe’s missing ceratopsian dinosaurs have finally been found | Natural History Museum A dinosaur named Ajkaceratops has revealed that relatives of Triceratops lived in Europe after all.

A bumper catch up thread of articles from the past month or so! First up, exciting dinosaur news: www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Sabre-toothed tiger’s sense of smell reconstructed using skull scans | Natural History Museum We now know how good the sense of smell was in giant sloths, sabre-toothed tigers and other long-lost species.

This was a cool one to find out about - who knew we could reconstruct the sense of smell in extinct animals? And, surprisingly, Smilodon and a mouse were probably on a par when it came to smell!
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Vital seaweed habitats aren’t being protected by ocean reserves | Natural History Museum Some of the ocean’s most important habitats aren’t included in protected areas.

One of my articles from last week - we need to do more to look after seaweeds!
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Lifestyle of Australian dingo transformed after arrival of Europeans | Natural History Museum The lifestyle of the dingo was dramatically altered after European colonists reached Australia in 1788.

One I forgot to post from last week - new research has revealed what happened to Australia's apex predator after 1788
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Early hominin Australopithecus afarensis may not be our human ancestor after all | Natural History Museum New Australopithecus fossils found in Ethiopia are changing the human family tree.

The species of the famed skeleton Lucy might not be the ancestor of every hominin that followed, new fossils have suggested
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

What is a type specimen? | Natural History Museum Find out how scientists come up with a species name and what a type specimen is used for.

I scratched a taxonomic itch by trying to explain as many of the different type specimens as possible in this article!
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/wha...

Fossils of ancient marine predators have been discovered on an Arctic mountain | Natural History Museum Life may have bounced back more quickly than expected after the worst mass extinction in history.

It's estimated over 95% of life in the ocean went extinct during the end-Permian mass extinction - but it might have roared back again surprisingly quickly!
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Ancient fossil reveals how plants and fungi first developed on land | Natural History Museum A new fossil fungus discovered in Scotland shows evidence of plants and fungi sharing nutrients to survive on land.

Deep inside a 400-million-year-old fossil plant was an even smaller fossil - the remains of a tiny fungus that was sharing nutrients with it!

www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

“Weird” new species of ancient fossil snake discovered in southern England | Natural History Museum An extinct snake named Paradoxophidion richardoweni has slithered its way out of obscurity.

New species alert! 🚨

Paradoxophidion richardoweni is a 37-million-year-old snake found near Christchurch - and it might reveal more about how the majority of living snakes evolved.

Discover what it reveals 👇
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

British fish records: How the UK’s biggest fishes are found | Natural History Museum Our scientists verify record-breaking catches of everything from titanic tuna to colossal cod.

And I spoke to one of the fish curators about the plus-sized plaice and record-breaking rays that he helps to certify:
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/bri...

Hamza Yassin discusses filming wildlife and inspiring the next generation | Natural History Museum The wildlife cameraman and presenter discusses how understanding nature is crucial to his work.

Various articles on the go at the moment, but here's a couple that have come out recently!

First up, it was a pleasure to sit down with Hamza Yassin for a chat ahead of his recent TV series:
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/ham...