Oxford’s Wytham Woods has a long history as a venue for ecology research and are, despite their timeless appearance, a place of constant change. Learn more about what researchers are uncovering ⬇️ https://bit.ly/4rGXwI3

The National Archives publishes ‘A Year in Archives’ each year to celebrate the work of archives across the UK. Our newly acquired Buckland Archive and related Breaking Ground exhibition (on now!) were chosen as a Highlight this year. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sec...

You’re 18 years old, an orphan, and your uncle and guardian has just been thrown in debtor’s prison. You have no other family around you. What do you do? Well, if you’re John Phillips (1800–1874), you attempt to run a lithographic printing business out of your uncle’s house.

The Museum of Natural History is seeking contemporary art work for our upcoming exhibition, with a total budget of £7000. Please note that that this must include all costs including artist time, shipping, fees, production, and travel (if necessary).

We are currently hiring for a Digital Assets Management System (DAMS) Manager. They will be responsible for ensuring that the museum’s digital assets are managed and used effectively for collections management, research, teaching, and public engagement. Apply now! oumnh.web.ox.ac.uk/dams-manager

Spent a lovely couple of hours sketching dinosaur skellingtons at @morethanadodo.bsky.social today. My sketching style is ever so slightly looser than my insect drawing style. A bit.

We asked @dremmanicholls.bsky.social what exactly needs to happen for dinosaur footprints to be preserved like those found in Oxfordshire. The answer is such a specific set of circumstances you'll be amazed that any have been found at all...

Need to grab some goodies for the holidays? Look no further than our shop! This is the first holiday season you will also be able to shop online with us! shop.oumnh.ox.ac.uk

The annual VertZoo trip to @morethanadodo.bsky.social for a comparative anatomy study practical is always fun, but this year @sotonbiosciences.bsky.social is joined by @unisouthampton_wsa! The museum refurb looks amazing, modern but completely in keeping @unisouthampton.bsky.social #ArtAndScience

Teaching today in the @morethanadodo.bsky.social seminar room, what better place to teach about natural history & natural history collecting to history undergrads for my first ever class for @ox.ac.uk history faculty! Huge thanks as always to @andy4040.bsky.social for the extra specimen loans!

A huge Japanese Spider Crab from 100 yeas ago. @morethanadodo.bsky.social Magnificient specimen in the Museum of Natural History Oxford.

In Summer 2024, a team of palaeontologists and geologists undertook an expedition to the Little Dal Group in the Mackenzie Mountains, Northwest Territories, Canada. Their purpose was to uncover some of the oldest fossil ecosystems that record complex life.

If you follow the geologists around while they’re moving specimens, you can ask ‘what’s that?’ about 100 times and find cool rocks like this septarian nodule

is back at one of my favourite places in the whole world, The Oxford University Museum of Natural History @morethanadodo.bsky.social

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