Research & Collections | Natural History Museum

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Research and Collections

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Our Collections

NHM has, wait for it, 35 million real objects and artifacts. Explore them online!

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Our Research

There are dozens of scientists and historians on staff, protecting our records of the planet, and making new discoveries all the time.

What our experts are up to

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Our Staff

Meet scientists and historians

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Our Departments

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Opportunities

Recent highlights

Research and Collections

Research and Collections

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Year of the Tiger

Celebrate the 2022 Lunar New Year with highlights from the collection

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Fragmentary Fossils Help Tell the Whole Evolutionary Story

Paleontological “twigs” from our fossil past can help us reconstruct branches on the tree of life

Sauropod Head

Tooth Fast, Tooth Curious?

A new study uncovers a novel approach to a plant-based diet, unique to long-necked dinosaurs

three-dimensional scan of the pathological pelvis and femur

These Hips Don’t Lie: 3D Imaging of a Pelvis Suggests Social Care for Saber Tooths

A new study reveals saber-toothed cats suffered from hip dysplasia, an affliction common in pet cats and dogs, and points to supportive social structures for Smilodon.

Leslie Harris Specimen Image

Preserving L.A.'s Urban Ocean History: Oil Spills and NHM Collections

Reflections on the recent disaster at Huntington Beach

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Toothy Grins from the Past

The first 3D reconstructions of extinct Cretaceous birds reveal a reptilian tooth replacement pattern

Our positions, policies, and processes

Our collections operations are governed by our institutional collections policies.

To request a loan or plan a visit to the collections, please contact the department that holds the materials you’re interested in using.

Statement on Evolution
Statement on Climate Change

Our Research Departments

Our Research Departments

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