Why Dippy the dinosaur remains beloved, 120 years after arriving at the Natural History Museum

Dippy has been seen up close by more people around the world than any other dinosaur.

Michael J. Benton, Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology, University of Bristol • conversation
June 5, 2025 • ~7 min

From Zoo Quest to Ocean: The evolution of David Attenborough’s voice for the planet

Attenborough’s filmography has shaped how we perceive the natural world.

Sam Illingworth, Professor of Creative Pedagogies, Edinburgh Napier University • conversation
May 12, 2025 • ~9 min

Here’s how to create a more nature-literate society

Nature literacy has inspired creativity and innovation for thousands of years.

Seirian Sumner, Professor of Behavioural Ecology, UCL • conversation
April 4, 2025 • ~8 min

Ferns and flowers bribe helpful ant defenders with nectar, but ferns developed this ability much later – our study shows why

Ferns have evolved a mutually beneficial relationship with ants, but this happened late in their evolution. A recent study shows that old dogs can learn new tricks.

Jacob S. Suissa, Assistant Professor of Plant Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee • conversation
June 20, 2024 • ~6 min

Returning a 170-year-old preserved lizard to Jamaica is a step toward redressing colonial harms

Not all reparations involve money. Returning unique scientific resources is also a way of showing respect and righting past harms.

Thera Edwards, Lecturer in Geography and Map Curator, The University of the West Indies • conversation
June 3, 2024 • ~11 min

RSPB at 120: the forgotten South American pioneer who helped change Victorian attitudes to birds

A group of determined women founded the RSPB, but they had great support behind the scenes by a little-known Argentinean naturalist.

S. James Reynolds, Assistant Professor in Ornithology and Animal Conservation, University of Birmingham • conversation
Feb. 27, 2024 • ~7 min

Why dozens of North American bird species are getting new names: Every name tells a story

What’s in a name? A lot, if you’re an Audubon’s Oriole or a Townsend’s Solitaire.

Jared Del Rosso, Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminology, University of Denver • conversation
Dec. 7, 2023 • ~9 min

How colonial violence in Tasmania helped build scientists' reputations and prestigious museum collections

New research shows the uncomfortable and shocking truth behind a revered scientist’s reputation.

Jack Ashby, Assistant Director of the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge, University of Cambridge • conversation
Nov. 29, 2023 • ~6 min

By fact-checking Thoreau's observations at Walden Pond, we showed how old diaries and specimens can inform modern research

Journals, museum collections and other historical sources can provide valuable data for modern ecological studies. But just because a source is old doesn’t make it useful.

Richard B. Primack, Professor of Biology, Boston University • conversation
Oct. 26, 2022 • ~10 min

How a new GCSE in natural history can help us towards a greener future

Children often aren’t aware of how much has been lost in recent generations.

Jo Anna Reed Johnson, Lecturer in Science Education, University of Reading • conversation
April 21, 2022 • ~6 min

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