Museum news

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

Today, and every day, we celebrate women in science

This International Women’s Day, we reflect on some of the most recent Eureka Prizes recipients, who include trailblazing researchers, an interdisciplinary team and a young filmmaker.

8 March 2023

Sharks exhibition Whale Shark creative, 2022

Why sharks? Why now?

By learning a little about sharks, we’re better equipped to take care of Earth’s biodiversity.

30 January 2023

Professor Kris Helgen and Professor Tim Flannery studying various mammal specimens.

An Australian origin story? Turning mammalian theory on its head

It has long been asserted that ancestors of the placental and marsupial mammals originated in the northern hemisphere – but a new study by Prof Tim Flannery and Prof Kris Helgen at the Australian Museum has rewritten the origin story of modern mammals.

16 December 2022

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FrogID Week 2022 – over 32,000 frog records gathered for research and conservation

FrogID Week has once again rapidly gathered data for frog conservation, receiving more than 3 frog records per minute and gathering more than 32,000 frog records from over 4,600 concerned citizen scientists. We are also excited to announce our Top Frogger of 2022!

23 February 2023

Progress Shark

Our giant shark has been transformed as part of Sydney WorldPride’s Rainbow City.

9 February 2023

Our time at sea: Discovering the biodiversity of the Indian Ocean Territories

A team of scientists from the Australian Museum, CSIRO, Museums Victoria Research Institute and Western Australian Museum have recently completed their voyage on CSIRO’s research vessel (RV) Investigator. Find out how this expedition helped uncover secrets of the deep seamounts of the IOT.

30 January 2023

The forgotten people behind Australia’s famous birdman John Gould The Sydney Morning Herald
20 Mar 2023
Authorities investigate death of rare leatherback turtle found north of Sydney ABC News
6 Mar 2023
Sydney’s ‘absurd and wonderful’ Progress Shark becomes WorldPride icon The Guardian
17 Feb 2023
These Wiradyuri Elders are celebrating the return of artefacts taken from Country over a century ago SBS NITV
27 Jan 2023
‘Remarkable Australian story’: Tiny Jurassic teeth rewrite history of mammals The Sydney Morning Herald
16 Dec 2022

Australian Museum Research Institute

Before and after cleaning of a Rainforest Burrowing Cricket (<i>Cephalogryllus tau</i>) specimen.

Tiny specimens: Restoring the Museum's smallest specimens

In the lab at the Australian Museum, conservator Clare Kim brings her steady hand and laser sharp concentration to minute insect specimens under a microscope.

20 February 2023

The many marine invertebrates found on the RV Investigator

Catching prawns in the abyss

The deep sea is the most common habitat on our planet – but we know more about the moon than our own ocean. Dr Penny Berents, Senior Fellow at the Australian Museum, who was recently onboard the CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator, delves into the complexities of sampling in the deep sea.

20 January 2023

News from LIRS: Big coral spawning event in 2022

Each month, a selected blog from the Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation (LIRRF) is featured at the Australian Museum. LIRRF supports scientific research and education at the AM’s Lizard Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef. This month, we feature: Big coral spawning event in 2022.

15 December 2022

New acquisition: Papa He’e Nalu Hawaiian surfboards

The Australian Museums new acquisition of Papa He’e Nalu Hawaiian surfboards provides the opportunity to create a dialogue and enhance interest around surfing, and a unique way to contextualise Australian surfing culture and history.

24 January 2023

Wap-hill in front of Indigenous Artworks in Windsor 2022

Papua New Guinea Independence Day: An Interview with Wap-hill Imbun

As an acknowledgement of Papua New Guinea's 47th year of Independence, we had the honour of interviewing Wap-hill Imbun, a Papua New Guinean- Australian.

21 September 2022

A First Nations lens on glass in Australia

As a Waanyi descendant, I am proud to be a part of the longest living cultures in Australia and have had the opportunity to highlight a small part of First Nations knowledges and their place in National Science Week 2022.

By Jesse King

Reflections on Global Conferences: COP15 & COP27

At the Australian Museum’s Climate Solutions Centre we are delighted by the historic outcome of the global summit for nature, Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) , just concluded in Montreal.

21 December 2022