Museum für Naturkunde Berlin: Press

Information for members of the press

Dr Gesine Steiner,
Press Officer
Email: gesine.steiner@mfn.berlin
Telephone: 030 889140-8917

Marc Jerusel
Manager of Strategic Digital Communications
Email: marc.jerusel@mfn.berlin
Telephone: 030 889140-8738

Stefanie Krzyzniewski
Head of Public Relations
Email: stefanie.krzyzniewski@mfn.berlin
Telephone: 030 889140-8918

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is an outstanding, integrated research museum within the Leibniz Association, with an international reputation and a globally networked research infrastructure. As an innovative communication hub, it aims to help shape the scientific and societal dialogue on the future of our planet and to foster the development of a democratic knowledge society.
Teams from various disciplines are researching the more than 30 million objects in the collection to understand the development of the Earth and life. The topics range from the development of the solar system and the mechanisms of evolution to the diversity of life on Earth. In addition, the scientific, historical, cultural and artistic significance of the objects is being explored.
With the support of the German Bundestag and the Berlin House of Representatives, the Future Plan – serving as a blueprint for the Museum’s Evolution over the coming years – offers, for the first time, the opportunity to renovate all parts of the museum building in a manner that respects its heritage, is sustainable and energy-efficient – thereby creating optimal conditions for the collections, research and the transfer of knowledge. The ambition is clearly stated: the Museum für Naturkunde aims to become a model for the natural history museum of the 21st century and to contribute to the preservation of nature and, thereby, to the future of humanity.
As part of day-to-day editorial reporting, photography and filming without a tripod are generally permitted in the outdoor and public exhibition areas. A press pass grants you free entry to the museum. Photography or filming without a press pass, or requiring additional equipment and set-ups (tripods, lighting, sound, etc.), always requires prior authorisation. Similarly, filming and photography in non-public areas or outside opening hours may only be authorised and carried out if logistically feasible, in consultation with all relevant departments and the press office, and subject to the conclusion of a usage agreement.

Press releases

Wednesday, 20. May 2026 / 13:38
Wild mountain rivers and dry streams
Core samples reveal the development of the Tambach Basin
Wednesday, 20. May 2026 / 13:37
Working together for urban nature
The City Nature Challenge is once again providing valuable data on biodiversity in Berlin
Monday, 11. May 2026 / 13:23
MuseumsMeileMitte
Futurium, Hamburger Bahnhof, Museum of the History of Medicine and the Museum für Naturkunde are launching a joint initiative for Berlin’s Mitte district in collaboration with partners. Admission is free to the first neighbourhood festival on Saturday, 13 June 2026.
Thursday, 23. April 2026 / 14:42
Humboldt Research Award for Prof. Danilo Russo
The Museum für Naturkunde congratulates Italian ecologist Prof. Danilo Russo on being awarded the prestigious Humboldt Research Award.
Thursday, 23. April 2026 / 11:50
Girls’ Day
An insight into science, technology and career prospects: Around 60 girls and young women had the opportunity to explore a wide range of career fields and training pathways at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin during this year’s Girls’ Day.
Monday, 20. April 2026 / 09:35
Large mammal declines reshape nutrient flows in African savannas
A new study led by researchers from the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin reveals how the loss of large mammals can affecting amphibian larvae living in temporary ponds
Friday, 17. April 2026 / 08:49
An exciting archaeological discovery from prehistoric times – the world’s oldest cannabis plant from Saxony-Anhalt?
Researchers at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin came across a spectacular plant fossil whilst cataloguing the collection. Further investigations are now underway to determine whether this is indeed by far the oldest known specimen of the Cannabis genus.
Wednesday, 08. April 2026 / 17:00
The remarkable resilience of a tropical rainforest
Findings by an international research team, including the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, which have now been published in Nature publication, provide a surprisingly positive answer: rainforests possess an enormous capacity for self-regeneration.
Friday, 27. March 2026 / 17:25
A surprise in amber: exotic harvestmen once lived in Europe
An international research team has discovered a previously unknown species of harvestman in amber dating back some 35 million years from Ukraine and the Baltic region, held in the collection of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin.
Monday, 23. March 2026 / 17:29
Male bats sing in the rotor area of wind turbines
A research team led by the Museum of Natural History has demonstrated for the first time that various bat species produce courtship calls within the immediate vicinity of wind turbine rotors, whilst flying around the nacelle.
Wednesday, 11. March 2026 / 17:43
Unravelling the history of the rocks: the Bromacker is 4 million years older than previously thought
As part of the BROMACKER project, a team of scientists has discovered that the famous fossil site between Tambach-Dietharz and Georgenthal in the Thuringian Forest is older than previously thought.
Wednesday, 04. March 2026 / 17:51
A prehistoric herbivore with a twisted jaw and sideways-facing teeth
An international team of palaeontologists, including researchers from the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, has discovered a new species of early terrestrial vertebrate from Brazil: Tanyka amnicola.
Friday, 27. February 2026 / 18:19
Shift change in the cold: female Daubenton's bats share scarce feeding grounds at the edge of their range
A research team from the University of Naples Federico II, the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and several international partner institutions tracked female Daubenton’s bats (Myotis daubentonii) using radio telemetry in newly colonised mountainous regions of the Italian Apennines.
Wednesday, 11. February 2026 / 18:22
Oldest reptile skin impressions discovered in the Thuringian Forest
An international research team led by Dr Lorenzo Marchetti of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin has described the oldest known reptile skin impressions to date, discovered in the Thuringian Forest.
Thursday, 05. February 2026 / 08:11
Artificial intelligence is speeding up the cataloguing of insect collections
Researchers at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin have teamed up with data scientists to develop a new method for extracting label information from digitised insect specimens in a largely automated process.
Tuesday, 03. February 2026 / 08:13
Brecht Days 2026 at the Natural History Museum
The 2026 Brecht Days, running from 6 to 13 February, will focus in particular on the industrialisation of agriculture and, by extension, the relationship between technology and nature.
Friday, 30. January 2026 / 08:16
Regurgitated bones tell the story of hunting 290 million years ago
A unique fossil discovery in Thuringia provides the first direct insights into the feeding habits of early land predators.
Monday, 19. January 2026 / 08:18
Visitors and podcasts – over a million for nature
In 2025, the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin welcomed 737,918 visitors to its premises and recorded more than 550,000 streams of its two successful podcasts, ‘Beats & Bones’ and ‘Süßes oder Saurier’.
Thursday, 15. January 2026 / 08:27
The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin promotes free knowledge to mark Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary
To mark Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary, the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin is taking part in a joint initiative involving more than 30 cultural, educational and memory institutions from Germany and Austria.
Thursday, 15. January 2026 / 08:24
The Future of Water in Berlin and Brandenburg: New project encourages dialogue between the public and politicians
Dry soil, heavy rainfall or a ‘sponge city’: changes in water management affect the entire capital region. This new project aims to gather local community knowledge on water and feed it directly into the political debate.
Wednesday, 07. January 2026 / 08:29
Quarrels and flirting in the church roof: Big-eared mice have a varied repertoire of sounds
Male greater mouse-eared bats (Myotis myotis) have a lot to say – and every call sounds different. A new study shows that these animals not only possess a wide repertoire of vocalisations, but that these also carry individual characteristics.
Tuesday, 06. January 2026 / 08:33
The Museum für Naturkunde is offering free admission to Berliners affected by the power cut
The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin is offering free admission to all visitors affected by the current power cut in Berlin.

Press photos

Urvogel Archaeopteryx lithographica
Photo: (c) Thomas Rosenthal

Biodiversitätswand
Photo: (c) Thomas Rosenthal

Hauptportal am Abend
Photo: (c) Carola Radke, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

Nasssammlung
Photo: (c) Thomas Rosenthal

Current documents

Here you will find the latest editions of the Annual Report, the Science Report and the Journal of Nature. Previous editions and other documents can be found on the Publications and Downloads page.