Imagine a drop of ancient resin. Inside is an insect, trapped for 53 million years, so well preserved it looks like it might twitch back into life. These amber fossils offer us a breath-taking glimpse into long vanished ecosystems. But there’s a catch

Exit, pursued by a bear

Ever fancied walking around the Museum at night? We’ll be open late for the @pittriversmuseum.bsky.social Late Night this Friday. Book your free tickets now www.prm.ox.ac.uk/event/museum...

#IronworkThursday @morethanadodo.bsky.social

Thanks to @hedgehoghugh.bsky.social for these photos of @elliewilsonuk.bsky.social's Moth x Human. Feedback link: bit.ly/4q8l3Re Co-promoted by OCM, IF Oxford & @morethanadodo.bsky.social. @ukceh.bsky.social @artscouncilengland.bsky.social @prsfoundation.bsky.social @ppluk.bsky.social

Museum researcher Frankie Dunn has a funded research placement opportunity with @charnwoodforest.bsky.social ! Applications are now open! The project is part time (14 hours per week) over 12 weeks and the researcher will be receive a stipend of £1,300 www.charnwoodforest.org/collaborator...

We returned to the Quarry this summer with @unibirmingham.bsky.social and uncovered some more amazing dinosaur trackways! www.bbc.co.uk/news/resourc...

George Morrow, Punch, 1921, Volume 160, p140 @morethanadodo.bsky.social

N is for... Nantan meteorite! This meteorite is approximately 4.5 billion years old! It is also one of our touchable specimens here at the Museum. It is thought to have fallen to Earth from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter in 1516, but this fragment was not found until 1958.

M is for... Museum of Natural History! We were the first purpose-built natural history museums, having opened our doors to our iconic building in 1860. We are now home to over 7 million specimens.

L is for... Lithograph! A lithograph is a stone with an image drawn out in a greasy material, and the surrounding stone is etched out to create a water-receptive surface. The ink will only adhere to the drawing, allowing for printing of an image, as shown here in Breaking Ground.

K is for... Koala! One major threat to koalas is actually chlamydia infections, with some populations having up to a 70% infection rate. Luckily a new vaccine has just been approved to prevent further infections. Chlamydia has been responsible for nearly 50% of koala deaths in recent years.

Our Winter Lecture series is back for 2025/26! Our first talk is Monday 13th October, 7pm at Oxford's Natural History Museum. Dr Kat Almeida-Warren is going to be talking about chimpanzee cultures, archaeology, and conservation. It's going to be fascinating, hope to see you all there!

J is for… Jade! Oftentimes rocks and minerals used for decorative purposes have a different classification in geology. Jade refers to two different minerals, nephrite, and the more valuable jadeite.

I is for... Ichthyosaur! This extinct marine reptile lived during the Jurassic, and this specimen measures nearly 6 meters long! It was found in Lyme Regis, Dorset and within it's fossilized skeleton you can see ammonite shells.

H is for... Hodgkin! Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin is still the only British woman scientist to have been awarded a Nobel Prize. She won the Nobel in chemistry in 1964 for mapping the structure of vitamin B12. She also mapped the structure of Penicillin and Insulin through X-ray crystallography.

Today is National Poetry Day and we thought it was a lovely day to acknowledge the poem written by Simon Armitage which was commissioned by the Museum to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the discovery of the naming of the first dinosaur, Megalosaurus.

G is for... Giant ground sloth! This extinct mammal lived during the Pleistocene in South America. It could weight up to 4,000 kilograms and reach 6 meters in length.

F is for... Flying fish! The flying fish can swim up to 70km per hour and launch itself into the air and glide above the water for more than 350 meters.

E is for... Elephant bird egg! This is the largest bird egg known to have existed. It is so large that it could hold the contents of up to 7 ostrich eggs. The elephant bird went extinct about 1,000 years ago not long after humans arrived on the island of Madagascar.

D is for... Dodo! We hold the only known soft tissue remains of a dodo in our collections, but don't you know? We're much more than a dodo!

C is for... Crocodile! The Nile crocodile has the strongest bite force of any living animal, up to 5000 pounds per square inch!

B is for... Blue morpho butterfly! These butterflies live in the rainforests of South America and can have a wingspan of up to 20cm. If you look closely you can see the outline of the eye spots that are on the other side of their wings.

Our next Autism-Friendly opening will take place from 9-10am on Saturday 18 October, offering the opportunity for families with members on the Autism spectrum to explore Pitt Rivers & @morethanadodo.bsky.social in a quiet environment. Booking is essential. More info at bit.ly/4pJlscQ.

A is for... Archaeopteryx! While this was not the first feathered dinosaur, it was probably one of the earliest to use its feathers for flight. The fossils of this creature were first found in Germany in 1861.

Calling all chimp enthusiasts! Oxon Mammal Group winter seminar season kicks off with a talk by @pintsizedprimate.bsky.social from @oxford-anthro.bsky.social on chimpanzee cultures, archaeology and conservation. 13 Oct, 7pm, at @morethanadodo.bsky.social. Free for members, 3GBP for non-members. 🧪🐵

Our talk by Prof Emily Rayfield, Digital Fossils, is now online! She discusses how far palaeontologists can make statements about the behaviour of extinct animals, drawing together evidence from fossils, living animals & using X-rays & methods co-opted from engineers. youtu.be/aumv_UamW5E

We're so grateful to be among some really wonderful exhibitions for the Exhibiting Excellence Prize! Breaking Ground has been a very exciting exhibition for us all around, as it showcases a recent acquisition to our archive that was years in the making, as well as the first described dinosaur fossil

Thirty relatively intact iguanodon skeletons were found in a coal mine in Belgium in the late 1800s. Louis Dollo, who supervised the first assembly of these fossils, believed it was a biped, as it is shown here. We now know that this was a quadruped, meaning it walked on four legs instead of two.

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) was a scientific illustrator most famous for her 'Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium'. In this book filled with beautifully illustrated plates she explored the then poorly understood concept of insect metamorphosis.

It was long thought that all coelacanths went extinct millions of years ago until one appeared in a fishing net in the Indian Ocean in 1938. The fish was identified by Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer who was a keen naturalist born in South Africa.

Did you know that instead of blood, insects have a fluid called hemolymph. Instead of carrying oxygen through the body of the insect, hemolymph carries nutrients to tissues.

Unearth the real behaviours of prehistoric animals as we join acclaimed palaeontologist, author, and TV presenter Dr Dean Lomax on a remarkable journey through the grand cycle of life in deep time. The talk will be followed by a Q&A and a book signing 10 Oct at 7PM oumnh.ox.ac.uk/event/the-se...

Do you love interesting things in jars? Do we have the opportunity for you! We are hiring a Spirit Store Project Assistant to help us prepare the fluid preserved collections held at the Museum for transport to the collections storage facility. oumnh.web.ox.ac.uk/spirit-store-project-assistant

⭐HIRING⭐ We are seeking a dynamic, creative, business-minded Events Manager with a passion for culture and heritage to run its busy events department, including managing and growing the thriving venue hire business. Closes 15 September https://oumnh.web.ox.ac.uk/events-manager-0

The Secretary Bird is the tallest raptor in the world, though unlike many other raptors, they do all of their hunting on the ground. They will use their long, strong legs to stamp on and kick prey like small mammals and even snakes, while hunting.

The introduction of the British railway network in the first half of the 19th century revealed rock outcrops – and, in turn, unveiled palaeontological discoveries. Over 200 years later, ongoing expansion of the rail network continues to produce geological exposures and palaeontological finds.

It’s nearly your last chance to stop by the Museum and see this giant willow woven Ebola virus! The Deadly Six leaves next week.

All of the UK's top 5 hottest summers have occurred since the year 2000. This year was England's warmest June on record, and the hot, dry summer has meant a lot of stress for plants. What have you noticed around you this summer?

New publication from Museum Honorary Associate, Chris Stimpson, details the recovery of a 12,000 year old skeleton from a cave in Vietnam. Evidence shows the person whose remains were found was killed by a neck injury inflected by a quartz-tipped projectile.

One of our summer placement students created a beautiful webcomic honouring one of the most popular of our touchable specimens in the Museum. Art by Olli Ellis

@elliewilsonuk.bsky.social will perform Moth x Human at IF Oxford, at OUMNH @morethanadodo.bsky.social. Plus expert panel and insect exhibit. Fri 17 Oct. Book: ocmevents.org/whats-on/mot... @artscouncilengland.bsky.social @prsfoundation.bsky.social @ppluk.bsky.social @ukceh.bsky.social

Corsi’s collection, with its 1,000 samples of ancient and modern polished stones, is a remarkable resource for modern researchers. Corsi gave particular emphasis to recording quarry locations, and was one of the first to organise a decorative stone collection according to geological principles.

Each year the Museum runs a club for key stage 4 students. Investigators interested in the natural world have an opportunity to meet in the Museum and pursue an extended project of their choice. Investigators meet on Saturdays from 10:30 to 12:30 for 10 weeks, and work on their personal projects.

Did you know that the Oxford University Museum of Natural History @morethanadodo.bsky.social has Mary Anning's ichthyosaur on display?! Chapter book: Asha and Baz Meet Mary Anning releases in September wherever you buy books. Written by @parentclub.bsky.social oumnh.ox.ac.uk/learn-mary-a...

Only a few weeks left to view the art installation Deadly Six by A. Palmer. These hand woven viruses/parasite have been hanging in our court for the last year, and will continue to be on display through 8 September. So, now is your last chance to view them in person!

Introducing the next evolution in cabaret… Journey with us to the tropical jungles of Isla Oxford, where science and drag have combined to bring the age of dinosaurs roaring back to life. TICKETS ON SALE NOW oumnh.web.ox.ac.uk/event/life-f...

Today is World Elephant Day. There are three species of elephant: the African savanna, African forest, and Asian elephant. You can see fully articulated skeletons of the savanna and Asian elephant on display in our skeleton parade.

When you're coming in and out of the RSL do keep an eye out for our neighbours the swifts, you may see new fledglings. @morethanadodo.bsky.social have a wonderful swift diary to help you keep up to date! oumnh.ox.ac.uk/learn-swifts... Let us know if you spot any!