Natural Sciences Collections Association

I’m not quite sure how I’ve managed it, but this is my 200th mystery object. 100 objects ago I said that I was running out of ideas for new objects and time for writing answers, but clearly that problem hasn’t stopped … Continue reading →

On Friday I gave you this rather beautiful object to identify,which came to light during our mollusc Bioblitz last week: It turns out that it didn’t prove much of a challenge and was identified to species level in no time. So … Continue reading →

Recently I wrote about the Aquatic Ape Hypotheses, inspired by a conference being held on the subject. Unsurprisingly, other people have also been busy discussing the topic and there has been a fun pseudoscientific parody called the “Space Ape Theory” which took … Continue reading →

This Friday I have a bit of a change from the usual vertebrate specimen for you to identify. Any idea what this might be? As usual you can put your suggestions in the comments section below and I’ll do my … Continue reading →

On Friday I gave you these two objects (with a third photo to show the end) to identify. The specimens had me a bit stumped. They are keratinous (keratin is the protein that makes up fingernail, hair and horn amongst … Continue reading →

Recently there has been a storm of speculation about the identity of ‘humanoid’ remains found in the Chilean Atacama desert in 2003. The specimen was acquired by the Disclosure Project and has been under investigation by researchers at Stanford University in an … Continue reading →

I’ve been running this blog for over four years now and it’s been some time since I really engaged with it beyond posting my mystery object on Friday and the answer on Monday. I finally forced myself out of bed … Continue reading →

This week I have a two objects (with a photo from the end of one of them) that I’ve not been able to get an identification for: Any thoughts on what this pair of objects might be? You can put … Continue reading →

On Friday I gave you this skull to identify: As I suspected, it wasn’t too much of a challenge. Jake got in quick with the suggestion of a Sri Lankan Python, with Gina Allnatt, Kevin and Rhina Duque-Thues all agreeing with a … Continue reading →

You may have noticed some coverage in the press recently about the Aquatic Ape Hypothesis (AAH), sparked by a conference on the topic due to be held in May. If you’re not familiar with the AAH it basically suggests that … Continue reading →

This week I have a skull for you to identify – to make a change from the more tricky specimens I’ve had recently. Any idea what this belonged to? As usual you can leave your comments, questions and suggestions below … Continue reading →

On Friday I asked you to help me identify this mystery object: Many thanks to everyone who made suggestions about what this sacrum and caudal vertebrae (the bones that make up the tail) could be from. There were some useful … Continue reading →

This week I have a tricky object for you to have a go at identifying: I’ve not managed to work out what it comes from myself as yet so I’d appreciate you thoughts. Enjoy!   Tagged: Animal, bones, Friday mystery … Continue reading →

On Friday I gave you this mystery object from the collections at the Horniman Museum to identify: The bone is interesting because it was badly broken when the animal was alive. As Jake pointed out, the bone has healed without the attentions … Continue reading →

Today I have a real challenge for you. This bone has a pathology that has significantly changed its appearance and it had no information associated when I found it. So far the best identification I have is very tenuous, so … Continue reading →

On Friday I gave you this rather unusual looking skull to identify: In fact, it’s so unusual that it doesn’t even look entirely like a skull, so it’s not surprising that the specimen proved a bit of a challenge. Some … Continue reading →

This week I have a specimen that’s on display at the Horniman Museum for you to try your hand at identifying: As usual you can leave your suggestions, observations and suggestions in the comments section below. Enjoy the challenge! Tagged: Animal, bone, Friday mystery object, Horniman Museum and Gardens, identification, museums, mystery object, Natural history, [...]

On Friday I gave you this specimen to identify: Unsurprisingly you all recognised it as a tortoise carapace. The species was a bit more difficult though as tortoises can display quite a lot of variation in their colour and shell structure within a species. There were various good suggestions, but in the comments only Barbara [...]

This week I’ve decided to give you an object to identify that came up in our collections review recently with the splendid Colin McCarthy. We have a lot of these in our collection, most of which were unidentified. Any idea which species this is from? You can leave your suggestions below and I’ll respond during [...]

On Friday I gave you this unidentified specimen from the Horniman’s collections to take a look at. I had already had a go at working out what it is, but it never hurts to get a second opinion. It’s actually a bit of a generic looking overall shape, perhaps reminiscent of a owl or a maybe a [...]