Palaeontology is the study of fossils - evidence of past life on Earth.
The Museum's palaeontologists study the diversity of animal and plant life during the Earth's 3500 million year history and reconstruct the environments in which these ancient organisms lived. In addition, Museum palaeontologists strive to relate life's history on Earth to its future.
The Department of Palaeontology houses a collection of over nine million specimens and has extensive laboratory and library facilities. Over 50 palaeontologists work in the Department, making it the largest centre for this science in the western world.
Ancient nucleic acids from amber-preserved insects
Mass extinctions at the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary
Miocene vertebrate fossils of Arabia
Origin and early evolution of Tetrapods
Palaeontology enquiries
Human origins
