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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. 

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.