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...

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

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

This was fun to find out about - stinkbugs stop wasps getting to their eggs by carrying fungus around! www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Bit of a worrying topic to write about this week - but there are at least some signs of hope: www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Have gotten a bit behind on posting my articles, but here's what I've been working on recently! First up, Mesozoic South American insects stuck in amber have been found for the first time ever! www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Forgot to post about this last week, but an amazing new pachycephalosaur has been found! www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

They're everywhere when you go to the beach, but there's a lot we don't know about seaweeds! A new review suggests that their structure, which results in their sometimes colourful patterns, could be useful for all kinds of things: www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Its name may be a bit of a mouthful, but this new species is a landmark in our understanding of how lizards, snakes and rhyncocephalians evolved! www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Prochlorococcus is a fundamental part of life in the ocean - but it's not as heat-resistant as first thought... www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Thumbnails might seem common to us, but they're not that common in mammals as a whole! New research delved into what rodents are using theirs for 👇 www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Last but not least from the NHM field trip to Morocco - we visited a lake which had dried up after its water dwindled away. It's a sight that could become more common around the world as a result of climate change, but there are ways to turn things around 👇 www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/mor...

Is the commercial fossil trade a help or hindrance for palaeontologists? It's a tricky issue, and every scientist has a different answer. I spoke to some of them about their views, which you can delve into here 👇 www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/din...

Want to find out how everyone's new favourite dinosaur #Spicomellus went from fossil to famous? My new article focuses on how @tweetisaurus.bsky.social tracked its bones down from a fossil dealer in Cambridge to Morocco's Middle Atlas mountains... 🧵(1/4)

Not quite as cheery as yesterday's fossil news, but a good story for anyone fond of an ancient mystery: www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

It's finally here! Meet Spicomellus - one of the world's strangest dinosaurs! After being named in 2021, many questions remained about what this ankylosaur looked like. So, in 2023, I was part of an NHM content contingent who followed @tweetisaurus.bsky.social up into the Atlas Mountains...

What's inside Bennu? Not exactly what we expected! www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

New dinosaur day! Everyone welcome Istiorachis macarthurae! www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

It turns out samples from Apollo are still being opened - and they're changing what we know about the Moon! www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Is the lynx due a comeback in the UK? I took a deep dive into the possibility of a reintroduction www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/lyn...

Historic journeys, cutting-edge science and fish-kissing ceremonies - my latest article has it all! www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

There's a glimmer of hope for these threatened starfish www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

If you're looking for a new fossil favourite, Mirasaura is a strong contender! www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Preserved sign of the brain inside a 500-million-year-old fossil could be signs of the oldest known arachnid www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

One from last week - the dawn of a solar system captured for the first time www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

The structure of these enormous animals' flippers was similar to an owl's wing, helping ichthyosaurs to soar silently beneath the waves www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Early dinosaurs might actually have shrunk as they evolved, rather than getting bigger www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

This was really cool to write about - by studying tracks, we can work out a lot about how animals behaved and what they look like even if their bodies don't survive! www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

What did bone worms eat before whales? Marine reptiles! www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Signal boosting the auction for a print of Alister Pearson's artwork that he kindly agreed to be on the back of the last CT - all proceeds going to a good cause! www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15714495...

What happens when you split a fossil apart for almost a century? Eventually, you get a new species! www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Here's @jamesashway.bsky.social's story on the specimen. It's beautifully mounted. Come see it if you are in London. www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

We’re delighted to announce that CT 553 is now available for download free of charge. Please visit www.dwasonline.co.uk/latest_issue We’ll be taking orders for the printed version from Wednesday onwards. CT is edited by James Ashway.

50 years ago today, Jaws was first unleashed on cinemas! But while it's a great piece of film, it perpetuated a variety of myths and misconceptions about sharks. With the help of one of our shark experts, I took a deep dive into the film 👇 www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/wha...

It's been a busy month - and there's lots of exciting stuff on the way! However, I'm slowly getting back into the regular news groove - and here are a couple which are out today. Firstly - how did our species adapt before spreading around the world? www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

A few pieces from me in the past week - firstly, meet Mothra's 500-million-year-old cousin! www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Join Emma and me for a first look at our new exhibition!

#ICYMI - some dino news from me from last week: www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Been busy with holidaying and a few other bits and pieces recently - but here's what I've been writing recently. First up - DNA in the Sahara is shedding light on a lost ecosystem: www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Busy week, but still found the time to get a couple of articles done! First up - an ancient galaxy is doing something surprising over 13 billion years ago: www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

A pair of fossil stories from me this week - first up, the oldest known relative of Iguanodon, Pachycephalosaurus and Triceratops has been described: www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

My next explainer tackling some of the biggest questions in biology is out now! www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/wha...

An exciting new study for #fossilfriday! Fur colour of not one but six Mesozoic mammals revealed for the first time!🐀 All of them seem uniformly dark—all the better to blend into the night and avoid becoming a dino snack!🦖 My take with words by @jamesashway.bsky.social www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Once again, we really need to do something about plastics www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...