Natural History Museum Live

In this talk Alastair Hendry and curator of Mollusca Jon Ablett explore the weird and wonderful world of squid, octopus and cuttlefish.

In this talk we hear from some of the museum's conservators how they repair and maintain the millions of specimens in the collections. Camilla Tham and Alison Shean were joined by conservators Arianna Bernucci and Cheryl Lynn to talk about mummified cats, Archaeopteryx, 1.3 kg of dust from a single specimen and some of the major specimens that will feature in the upcoming 'Whales: Beneath the Surface' exhibition.

In this talk, Gavin Broad, Curator of Hymenoptera, talks to Alison Shean about the huge variety of wasps in nature and why they are so undeserving of their bad reputation. Learn about wasps that build nests, make honey and even practise mind control.

David Urry speaks to Natasha Almeida from the Museum’s Meteorites Group about the multitude of rocks from space that we have in the collections.

Many of the dinosaurs that people know from popular culture are of the fossils that have been found in North America. However, they have been found on every continent and in this talk dinosaur expert Paul Barrett talks to Alastair Hendry about the many discoveries from around the world. Mantellisaurus, Megalosaurus, Giraffatitan and Stegosaurus and are just some of the major species to feature in the show.

Is it really an insult to be called a Neanderthal? Human origins expert, Prof Chris Stringer talked to Alison Shean about Homo neanderthalensis and their relationship with modern humans while answering questions from the live audience during the show. How did they live? What did they eat? To what extent did they interact with Homo sapiens?

Out in the Museum's leafy grounds, Steph West of the Museum's Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity talked to host David Urry about the wildlife in gardens, from millipedes to stag beetles, and pond life to log life.

Fly expert Duncan Sivell and forensic entomologist Martin Hall were with host Camilla Tham discussing the many ways in which flies (and their maggots) are important. From helping the police to identify time of death at a crime scene to pollinating many key crops – and even producing a Sardinian cheese – we’re more dependent on flies than you might imagine.

In July 2017 the Museum unveiled Hope the blue whale, a spectacular 25-metre-long specimen suspended from the ceiling of the Museum’s central space, Hintze Hall. The Museum's Principal Curator of Mammals Richard Sabin and Head of Conservation Lorraine Cornish joined host David Urry for a talk about the history, conservation and story behind Hope the blue whale.

Jan Beccaloni, Curator of Arachnida, was with host David Urry to show you some spidery specimens. From their ‘scary movement’ and the impacts of climate change on the species being found in Britain through to the dancing of the peacock spiders.

Emma Bernard, Curator of Fossil Fish, was with host Alistair Hendry to show off some of the Museum's shark specimens, and to answer the questions the live audience had about the sharks of the past and present. Bernard shows hoow huge a Megalodon tooth is, and some incredible fossil specimens where cartilaginous soft tissue has been preserved.

Do you know your mastodons from your mammoths? Alastair Hendry speaks to Pip Brewer, Curator of Fossil Mammals, to find out more about the giant creatures that used to walk the earth. Pip talks through some of the fossil mammal specimens in the Museum’s collections whilst answering questions about the largest land animals since the dinosaurs, including the American Mastodon, Mylodon and more.

Alison Shean talks to Jeff Streicher, Curator of Amphibians and Reptiles, who showed off some of the Museum's serpent specimens and shared fascinating facts including what it is - exactly - that makes a snake a snake.