The Natural History Museum repository

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The Natural History Museum is an international leader in the study of the natural world. Our science describes the diversity of nature, promotes an understanding of its past, and supports the anticipation and management of the impact of human activity on the environment.

The Museum's repository provides free access to publications produced by more than 300 scientists working here. Researchers at the Museum study a diverse range of issues, including threats to Earth's biodiversity, the maintenance of delicate ecosystems, environmental pollution and disease. The accessible repository showcases this broad research output.

The repository was launched in 2016 with an initially modest number of journal publications in its database. It now includes book chapters and blogs from Museum scientists.

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Science

Recent Submissions

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The Archaeology of Cannibalism: a Review of the Taphonomic Traits Associated with Survival and Ritualistic Cannibalism
(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2024-12-10) Bello, Silvia M
Abstract: Taphonomic studies of osteoarchaeological human assemblages have mainly focused on establishing recognisable markers that allow us to discriminate between humanly induced modifications from natural causes, or how to differentiate cannibalism from secondary burial. Less attention has been dedicated to recognise specific taphonomic patterns associated with the different motivations for cannibalism. In this paper, I present a review of archaeological human assemblages whose induced modifications have been interpreted either as survival or ritualistic cannibalism, based on their association with historic and ethnographic evidence. The broad range of different butchery and modification patterns observed for these assemblages suggests that the osteological evidence and the frequency of taphonomic traits alone cannot be used to unequivocally identify different forms of cannibalism. However, the environmental, historical and archaeological contexts can offer indications on the type of cannibalism practiced. In particular, the strongest arguments for cannibalism as a survival event are found within the environmental context and the opportunistic behaviour associated with the cannibalistic act. On the other hand, evidence for ritualistic cannibalism comes from its recurrent appearance within a historical context, as a widespread activity over time and as an established customary behaviour for the group involved.
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Climate Change Challenges Grey Wolf Resilience: Insights From Dental Microwear
(Wiley, 2026-01-28) Burtt, Amanda A; Adams, Neil; Nowak, Sabina; Mysłajek, Robert W; Figura, Michal; Purnell, Mark A; Lamb, Angela L; Schreve, Danielle C
ABSTRACT The grey wolf exemplifies ecological resilience, having survived major climatic fluctuations since the Middle Pleistocene. Once the world's most widely distributed mammal, its range has been drastically reduced by human‐driven habitat loss, persecution and competition for resources. Although listed as of Least Concern globally by the IUCN, the omission of climate change as a threat raises critical questions about its future persistence. This study examines dietary flexibility in European grey wolves (Canis lupus) using dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA). We compare British Pleistocene wolves from the Last Interglacial (MIS 5e) and the penultimate interglacial (MIS 7a–c) and contemporary wolves from Poland. Results suggest that during periods of elevated global temperatures, wolves exhibit evidence of increased durophagy. These data demonstrate deep‐time dietary plasticity and recurrent behavioural shifts, indicating that while the grey wolf is resilient, future warming winters may significantly reshape wolf diets in the mid‐latitude ecosystems.
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Taphonomic Approach to the Interpretation of Isolated Human Skulls: Distinguishing Natural from Intentional Deposition
(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2024-11-20) Bello, Silvia M; Crété, Lucile
Abstract The human cranium is probably the most common single anatomical element manipulated after the death of the individual. However, it is not uncommon to find isolated crania for which it is difficult to unequivocally determine the nature of the deposition, either intentional or natural. In order to establish whether naturally deposited and intentionally deposited skulls are characterised by different taphonomic patterns, we evaluated the state of preservation of 75 isolated crania (68 naturally deposited and 7 intentionally deposited) from sites in Africa, Europe, Near East and Asia, from approximately 2 million to 20,000 years BP. As a comparative reference, we evaluated the preservation pattern of further 101 skulls from individuals buried in primary deposition at two cemeteries. Finally, to determine whether the breakage pattern of skull-cups (skulls intentionally modified and manufactured into bowls) mimics a natural skull breakage, we analysed the preservation pattern of 19 skull-cups from archaeological and ethnographic contexts. Preservation and breakage patterns were evaluated using the Zonation method and the Landmark method. Results suggest that the intentionally deposited skulls have a pattern of preservation similar to the skulls found in cemeteries, and for both these categories, skulls were generally better preserved than naturally deposited skulls. The natural breakage pattern of isolated skulls also significantly differs from the breakage pattern of skulls modified into skull-cups, suggesting that it is unlikely that skull-cups were fashioned in a manner that imitates natural breakage patterns.
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Elemental analysis by neutron activation analysis and synchrotron x-ray fluorescence microscopy of ocean plastics ingested by pelagic seabirds
(Elsevier BV, 2025-05-08) Lavers, Jennifer; Howell, Nicholas R; Bond, Alexander; Howard, Daryl L; de Jonge, Martin D; Puskar, Ljiljana; Banati, Richard B
We report the combined use of Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) for bulk measurement of marine plastics ingested by wildlife, with a more detailed analysis of individual plastics at different stages of degradation using synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microscopy (S-XFM). On average, Sable Shearwaters (n = 9) ingested 4.16 ± 4.62 g of plastics (50 ± 35 items), most of which were high-density polyethylene (47.4 %) and polypropylene (42.6 %) as determined by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Using NAA, the most abundant elements (Ti, Zn, Cd, Cu, Cr, Sr) were those commonly associated with plastic additives that confer UVC resistance, mechanical properties, or colouration. S-XFM revealed that visually and structurally near identical plastics may not only contain different chemical elements, but that the internal spatial distribution of these elements can vary substantially. S-XFM also detected the presence of lead (Pb) which may indicate prior recycling history of the plastic feed stock. A consistent finding was the accumulation of iron (Fe) and bromine (Br) at the surface of the degrading plastics, attributable to biofilm formation. Our observations highlight that bird populations ingesting marine plastics are exposed to an unpredictable profile of chemical elements, the degradation-dependent release rate of which is unknown in the acidic and enzymatically-active stomach environment. Based on the variability of their elemental content, we propose to regard marine plastics as 'mixed waste'. We speculate that plastics more generally could be doped with complex elemental 'fingerprints' for the purpose of traceability and establishment of an unbroken chain of custody.
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Low and steady: Minimal change in plastic exposure in Kermadec Petrels in the remote South Pacific
(Elsevier BV, 2026-03-07) Lavers, Jennifer L; Christian, Jacqui; Bond, Alexander
Plastic pollution is increasing in our oceans, and while exposure is also increasing in many wild species, there are exceptions. Understanding which species are at risk is therefore important to identifying conservation priorities and responding to the pollution crisis. Here, we document ingested plastics in Kermadec Petrels (Pterodroma neglecta) on uninhabited Henderson Island and Oeno Atoll in the remote South Pacific and compare our results with historical data. While sample sizes are limited, the data suggests plastic ingestion has remained consistent over >30 years, with 23.1% of fledglings (n = 13) sampled in 2025 containing small quantities of plastics (mean ± SD: 0.0113 ± 0.0061 g, median pieces 2.0). These data contrast with plastic ingestion records for other closely related species in the region, suggesting Kermadec Petrels can selectively avoid consuming plastic, or forage in locations with lower plastic densities, and are therefore at less risk of exposure.