science museum group

Spring has sprung, summer is heating up; insects and creepy crawlies are starting to buzz, wriggle, and flutter once again. Often these animals are treated as pests, yet bugs and insects play a very important role in our ecosystem. But more than that, many of these insects also have a long and important historical role in medical treatment and healthcare – a tradition that is continued in modern medicine. Here we explore some examples of these helpful bugs – all of which continue to be used by the NHS today!

This month a major Science Museum Group collection milestone has been reached: more than 150,000 objects now have an image attached in our online collection. Up from 5% in 2018, over a third of all objects in the collection are now visible online in a dramatic increase in accessibility. 

In 1977, the Science Museum Group acquired a large collection of decorative plastics from the London art dealer John Jesse. In this blog, Assistant Curator Laura Büllesbach explores the extraordinary story of his life and a colourful selection of objects ranging from lamps to ocean liner brooches.

For a second year, we are inviting poets to share work inspired by our collection for our Poetry Project.

Assistant Curator Katie McNab explores the many selfies in the Science Museum Group Collection which predate the very term ‘selfie’, and how the act of taking a ‘selfie’ is an important part of self-expression and is ultimately a social activity.

The potential impact – and acceptance – of replacing traditional farming with laboratory-grown meat is assessed by Science Director Roger Highfield.

As part of the Science Museum Group’s COVID-19 Collecting Project we have acquired a portrait by Roxana Halls of Katie Tomkins, Mortuary and Post-Mortem Services Manager at West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust, created as part of the Portraits for NHS Heroes project in response to the pandemic.

Assistant Curator Kerry Grist charts how it became possible to record sound, how we can listen to music performed a century ago and picks some of her favourite recordings that have been preserved in the Science Museum Group Collection.

In celebration of the 7th annual International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February, we look to some of our corporate supporters and STEM Circle members who are committed to making STEM education and careers for women and girls accessible, relatable and inspiring.

Although Omicron is milder than first feared, there is a failure of political imagination when it comes to the implications for pandemic preparedness. Roger Highfield, Science Director, looks beyond Omicron with the government’s influential life sciences advisor, Sir John Bell.

How should we prepare for the next pandemic? Our Science Director, Roger Highfield, talks about an extraordinary new proposal with Dr Richard Hatchett, Chief Executive Officer of CEPI, the world’s largest vaccine development initiative.

The pandemic has alerted the world to the threat of airborne disease. A new study has shown the value of clean air, and also how filtration can curb antibiotic resistance in hospitals. Our Science Director Roger Highfield talks to Cambridge based intensive care consultant, Vilas Navapurkar about its findings.