Natural History Museum

Walrus population-specific marine reservoir offsets (ΔR) for calibration of radiocarbon dates: Implications for Arctic chronologies and medieval trade

Walruses have long played a vital role in Arctic subsistence and commercial economies, yet accurate radiocarbon dating of walrus-derived archaeological materials is complicated by regional variation in marine reservoir effects. This study presents new ΔR values derived from 31 ne...

Towards a unified publicly accessible database of avian type specimens

Type specimens represent the crucial physical reference for any scientific bird name, but type material is scattered widely across the globe, and there is still no one comprehensive source documenting the presence, status and condition of all avian type specimens, as well as asso...

On Leonardo’ choice to depict a wingless blister beetle producing a sexual stimulant

A largely overlooked drawing of a blister beetle belonging to the genus Meloe made by Leonardo da Vinci is discussed. An array of hypotheses about the reasons for portraying such an insect are briefly put forward, including that of an interest for the beetle as an aphrodisiac.

Revisiting the productide (Productidina, Strophalosiidina) brachiopod fauna from upper Visean (Mississippian) reefs in Belgium and UK: systematics, palaeoecology and evolutionary implications

The Asbian (upper Visean, Mississippian) reefs of North Yorkshire, Derbyshire (UK) and Visé (Belgium) host rich brachiopod faunas studied since the 19th century. This paper revises the productide brachiopods, which dominate the benthic assemblages in both abundance and diversity....

Utilising virtual environments to assess the visibility of fallow deer to human hunters

Abstract Visual detection of prey is a critical element of human hunting behaviour. We examine how factors such as prey coat colouration, distance to the observer and orientation influence the ability of humans to visually locate fallow deer in simulated virtual environments. The...

Progressive Melt Fractionation as the Primary Control on the Formation of Rare-Metal Pegmatites: Evidence for Continuous Granite–Pegmatite Evolution in the Central Kalba Ore District, Eastern Kazakhstan

Rare-metal pegmatites of the Kalba–Narym belt (Eastern Kazakhstan) represent an important source of Li, Cs, Ta, Nb, Be, and associated critical metals. Despite extensive geological investigations, the relationships between granites, pegmatites, and late-stage alteration products...