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  • Article

Hunting lost plants in botanical collections

A bark specimen at Kew recalls the story of a South American man who harvested the most potent source of the only effective malaria treatment available in the late 1800s. Killed for his work and forgotten by history, Manuel Mamani was a victim of the colonial juggernaut.

  • Article

Fantastic beasts and unnatural history

Find out how a 17th-century compendium of the natural world came to present fantastical beasts –like dragons – as real, living creatures.

  • Article

Unravelling genetic origins from the potato to cinchona

Starting with the humble potato, Nataly Allasi Canales reveals how researchers unearth the genetic origins of modern plant varieties, and explains why their work is so important for biodiversity.

  • Article

Would you like to buy a dinosaur?

Two remarkable letters and a drawing of a plesiosaur by Mary Anning offer a tantalising portal into the exciting world of fossil hunting and discovery of the 1800s.

All stories (20)

Images

  • Egyptology, Specimen of mummy cloth.
  • Specimen of curare from pot.
  • Specimen historiae plantarum. Plantae typis aeneis expressae / [Paul de Reneaulme].
  • Specimen historiae plantarum. Plantae typis aeneis expressae / [Paul de Reneaulme].
  • Specimen historiae plantarum. Plantae typis aeneis expressae / [Paul de Reneaulme].
  • Specimen historiae plantarum. Plantae typis aeneis expressae / [Paul de Reneaulme].
  • Specimen historiae plantarum. Plantae typis aeneis expressae / [Paul de Reneaulme].
  • Specimen historiae plantarum. Plantae typis aeneis expressae / [Paul de Reneaulme].
  • No specimen record
  • No specimen record
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Insect Taxidermy

The Studio
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