Saturday 2 February 2013


Extinction: Not the End of the World?
Specimen sparks hope of echidna survival
Nature Live from Popocatepetl, Mexico
Wallace100
Curious Collectors
Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Gift of the month
Our friends at the Serpentine Gallery

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Extinction: Not the End of the World?
While 99 per cent of the species that ever lived on Earth have met their demise, a vast diversity of life has sprung up to take their place. This new exhibition combines astonishing images, real specimens and interactive installations to bring to life species that disappeared long ago.
Opens 8 February
Book tickets to Extinction: Not the End of the World?...
Specimen sparks hope of echidna survival
© Tim Laman
© Tim Laman 
The western long-beaked echidna, Zaglossus bruijnii, is one of only five species of egg-laying mammals and is found only in New Guinea. It was thought to have gone extinct everywhere else as the only records of the animal in Australia were from ancient Aboriginal rock art and fossils dating back more than 10,000 years.
Now a previously overlooked specimen at the Museum has sparked hope that there may be survivors elsewhere.
Read more about this new research...
Nature Live from Popocatepetl, Mexico
This month, we're following Museum scientists as they perform field work on Popocatepetl, the most active volcano in Mexico. Climbing up to 5,000 metres, the team will collect and study rocks with the aim of discovering the history of the volcano.
Join in the adventure at one of our free Nature Live talks with live links to Mexico on 5 and 6 February at 14.30 and on 9 and 21 February at 12.30 and 14.30.
Find out more about Popocatepetl on our NaturePlus blog...
Wallace100
This year marks the one hundredth anniversary of the death of one of the world’s greatest naturalists, Alfred Russel Wallace. The Museum will be celebrating Wallace's life and work through a programme of events and activities.
Join us for the first of these events: Wallace and the Joy of Sects: Rewriting the Bible as a Scientific Text, a lecture presented by Professor Steve Jones, world-renowned geneticist from University College London.

7 February, 17.00–18.00
Free, book advance tickets
Read more about Wallace100... 
Curious Collectors
This half term, come and collect the sights, sounds and secrets of the Museum in a fun interactive event for the whole family. Inspired by the research trips of Museum scientists, take part in Curious Collectors by creating drawings, photos and audio recordings to add to a unique art installation that will capture the essence of what makes the Museum a special place.

Drop in 18–22 February, 11.00–17.00 
Read more about art and play at the Museum...
Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Fluff-up© John E Marriott/ Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2012.
Fluff-up© John E Marriott/ Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2012.
Featuring the work of talented young photographers alongside leading lights of the profession, the images in this exhibition celebrate the beauty and magnificence of the world in which we live, while providing a stark reminder of the fragility of nature.
Until 3 March
Book tickets to Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year...
Gift of the month
Bring a touch of the macabre to meal times with this human skull crockery set.

The skull dinner plate, egg cup and mug are made from fine bone china and have been silk screen-printed with sixteenth-century human skull illustrations from the Museum's own collection of natural history art. 
Buy the human skull crockery set here... 
Our friends at the Serpentine Gallery
Rosemarie Trockel, Prime-Age 2012 © Rosemarie Trockel, DACS 2013, courtesy Sprüth Magers Berlin London.
Rosemarie Trockel, Prime-Age 2012 © Rosemarie Trockel, DACS 2013, courtesy Sprüth Magers Berlin London.
Rosemarie Trockel: A Cosmos

The Serpentine Gallery presents a new exhibition by leading artist Rosemarie Trockel (born in 1952 in Schwerte, Germany) who is renowned for her cross-disciplinary research and highly influential practice.

A Cosmos opens a door onto Trockel’s personal universe of affinities and interests through art works and artefacts selected in dialogue with curator Lynne Cooke.

13 February to 7 April 
Find out more about Rosemarie Trockel: A Cosmos...