Museum news

Scientific discoveries, ground-breaking expeditions, jaw-dropping exhibitions and Australia's biggest museum collection.

Storyboat Installation from Unsettled exhibition

Unsettled: Uncovering our nation's hidden history

An exploration of one of the Australian Museum’s most significant shows in its almost 200-year history.

By Laura McBride and Dr Mariko Smith

Olm (Proteus anguinus) Specimen AMS R.187533.

The curious tale of the Australian Museum Olm

Just how did Europe’s only blind, cave-dwelling salamander turn up in Sydney?

28 May 2021

Professor Kristofer Helgen and Dr Stephen Jackson at the AM.

Two new species of the world’s largest flying squirrels discovered in the Himalayas by Australian scientists

Australian scientists lead an international team that has described and named two new species of gigantic woolly flying squirrels from the Himalayas.

31 May 2021

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Latest

Crustacean research: New fauna of commensal mysids discovered in New South Wales

In the new study exploring the Australian Museum Marine Invertebrate collections, a series of seven species of mysids associated with other marine invertebrates have been discovered in the coastal waters of NSW. Two species are new to science and are named after Stephen Keable and Anna Murray!

8 June 2021

AMplify: Australian innovations for tackling climate change

Listen to Kim McKay AO, AM Director & CEO in conversation with Professor Tim Flannery about the brightest inventions and approaches to reducing emissions and caring for our environment.

AMplify Podcast
2 June 2021

Listen now

This month in Archaeology: Stone hatchets as nut-cracking tools

Why are there pits on ground stone hatchets? These are wood working tools, but could they have been used for cracking seeds and nuts as well? How to find out? Do experiments! For this month in archaeology, we discuss the recent experimental archaeology paper, led by Dr Nina Kononenko.

1 June 2021

Unsettled: Uncovering our nation's hidden history

An exploration of one of the Australian Museum’s most significant shows in its almost 200-year history.

By Laura McBride and Dr Mariko Smith

Who is Country?

So often we are asked “what is Country?”, but for First Nations people the real question has always been “who is Country?”

By Sara Kianga Judge

My Museum – Laura McBride

'My Museum' is an ongoing column in Explore magazine that gives Australian Museum staff members the opportunity to introduce themselves, their work and their worlds. This edition gives the reins to Laura McBride, curator of Unsettled and newly appointed Director, First Nations

By Laura McBride

AMplify: Australian innovations for tackling climate change

Listen to Kim McKay AO, AM Director & CEO in conversation with Professor Tim Flannery about the brightest inventions and approaches to reducing emissions and caring for our environment.

AMplify Podcast
2 June 2021

Listen now

Red-crowned Toadlet (Pseudophryne australis).

Which frogs are best equipped to survive the human world?

We rank Australia’s frog species based on how likely they are to persist in human modified habitats – with some surprising results!

4 May 2021

In mid-February 2021, most of these corals are in various stages of bleaching.

News from LIRS: 2021 Coral bleaching at Lizard Island

Each month, a selected blog from Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation will be featured at the AM. For this inaugural month, we feature the 2021 Coral bleaching at Lizard Island blog, by Dr Anne Hoggett.

22 April 2021

Crustacean research: New fauna of commensal mysids discovered in New South Wales

8 June 2021

The curious tale of the Australian Museum Olm

Just how did Europe’s only blind, cave-dwelling salamander turn up in Sydney?

28 May 2021

Robin Torrence - Senior Principal Research Scientist, Geosciences and Archaeology

From field to museum – studies from Melanesia in Honour of Robin Torrence

Dr Robin Torrence, Senior Fellow in Archaeology and Geosciences at the Australian Museum, is a giant in her field. Over the last 35 years, Robin has impacted so many – including the 32 authors who have contributed to the recent special edition of the Technical Records of the AM!

12 May 2021