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The Natural History Museum
Free Seminars (8)
A Natural History of Domesticated Mammals From: Cambridge University Press and the Natural History Museum Animals have always played a part in human society. At various times and places in history, some wild mammals formed particularly close relationships with human populations resulting in a range of biological and behavioural changes due to the process known as domestication. This process has significantly altered the lifestyles of both the mammals that were domesticated, and the humans that domesticated them. In this seminar Juliet Clutton-Brock explores the progress that has been made in understanding the origins of domestication and its spread, both biologically and culturally, across the world. more...
Deep Ocean From: The Natural History Museum Earth is dominated by its oceans. They cover two-thirds of its surface, and may harbour more species than all the Earth's other environments put together. Yet, for most of us, the deep oceans and the strange animals that inhabit them are as alien and remote as the surface of the moon. more...
Jaws: The Natural History of Sharks From: The Natural History Museum Primitive fishes resembling sharks were swimming in the oceans over 450 million years ago. Their descendants survived successive mass extinctions, including the catastrophe at the end of the Permian period (245 million years ago) when 96 percent of all marine life was extinguished. They saw the dinosaurs come and go, and were still thriving when the mammals returned to the sea. Their long evolutionary history has refined sharks to the rank of near-perfect predators. more...
Life on the Reef: The Amazing World of Coral Fishes From: The Natural History Museum Coral reefs occupy less than one percent of the Earth's crust, but they are extremely important centres of biodiversity. In this seminar, Linda Pitkin--award-winning underwater photographer and entomologist at The Natural History Museum, London--explores some of the varied specializations that enable coral fishes to live in every part of the reef environment, the means by which they derive food and shelter from the reefs, and their interactions--often fiercely territorial--in a densely populated living space. Humans have also had a huge impact on coral reefs, often in a destructive form. In the final session of this seminar, Linda Pitkin explains how coral reefs and their inhabitants are vulnerable to marine pollution and to the effects of climate change. more...
The Search for Life: An Introduction to Astrobiology From: The Natural History Museum Aside from the myths and sensationalism, the study of astrobiology--the search for life elsewhere in the universe--has become widely accepted as a valid and important area of research. In this seminar, Monica Grady, head of petrology and meteoritics in the department of mineralogy at the Natural History Museum, presents a comprehensive introduction to astrobiology. The seminar starts at the very beginning with the Big Bang. Dr. Grady moves on to explore places in our solar system where life might be found, before heading out into space to examine the possibilities for life in our galaxy and beyond. more...
The Secret Life of Bats From: The Natural History Museum Of the world's 4,800 or so species of mammals, nearly 1,000--almost one in five--are bats. They vary in size from minuscule, almost butterfly-sized creatures, to huge animals with wingspans of nearly two metres. Although they are linked in many people's minds with scary films, the truth about these amazing creatures' lives is very different. In this seminar, Phil Richardson, chairman of the Bat Conservation Trust in the UK, goes behind the scenes and reveals that bats have a complex lifestyle, a rich social life and senses that are almost beyond our comprehension. more...
Trees: Magnificent Structures of the Natural World From: The Natural History Museum Trees are perhaps the most familiar of all organisms. They grow all around us, in towns as well as in the countryside, and most people can recognise a few species. Not only are trees the largest organisms that have ever lived--some giant redwoods are ten times heavier than a full-grown blue whale--but they have also dominated dry land for over 300 million years, far longer than the dinosaurs or mammals. more...
What's in a Name? The Past, Present and Future of Taxonomy From: The Natural History Museum Taxonomy is arguably the world's oldest profession, and naming and classifying what's around us is part of the human condition. Scientific naming began with the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in the eighteenth century. Scientists still use his system, but how much has the science changed from the days when Linnaeus, in a frock coat and with a powdered wig, classified the Earth's plants and animals? In this free seminar, Sandra Knapp, a botanist at The Natural History Museum, London, explores how taxonomy has changed while retaining its past, making it even more exciting and relevant now than ever before. more...