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

Tuesday, 29. September 2026 / 14:12
Ahead of the World Conference on Biodiversity: Research museums call for decisive action
In the run-up to the COP17 World Nature Conference in Armenia, biodiversity researchers are jointly appealing to policymakers.
Wednesday, 23. September 2026 / 08:29
Largest-ever study of bat genomes and fossils reveals that bats originated in Europe and rewrites the bat family tree
A landmark study, the largest combined bat genome and fossil study ever undertaken, finds that bats most likely originated in Europe around 65 million years ago, before spreading across the world.
Thursday, 10. September 2026 / 08:37
100 Years of the Society for Mammalogy: from field observation to genome analysis
Over the past 100 years, mammalogy has undergone a fundamental transformation: what was once a predominantly descriptive discipline has evolved into a state-of-the-art interdisciplinary field of research, the findings of which provide crucial impetus for nature conservation and species protection.
Thursday, 10. September 2026 / 07:52
Fossil Flowers of Ancient Lianas Preserved in Amber Reveal the Evolution of Tropical Rainforests
Amber-preserved flowers from Southeast China show that lianas were already an established component of tropical rainforests 15 million years ago, during the Miocene.
Friday, 04. September 2026 / 10:46
Berlin’s water future: dialogue begins with the 1st Water Forum
Whether it’s heatwaves or falling water levels: the effects of the climate crisis are already a reality for Berliners and will only become more severe. Members of the public, researchers and representatives from the worlds of politics and practice gathered at the museum for the first Berlin Water Forum to discuss how the capital region’s water supply can be secured in the long term.
Thursday, 20. August 2026 / 20:49
The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin publishes a guide on dealing with colonial natural history objects
This publication should be seen as a starting point and a living document – open to further development, adaptable to different contexts, and underpinned by the commitment to treat natural history collections not only with scientific excellence, but also with historical responsibility and cultural respect.
Thursday, 20. August 2026 / 20:27
New exhibition galleries for the Long Night of Museums at the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin
‘Mammal Skulls’ and ‘Deer and Horned Animals’ open to visitors for the first time
Tuesday, 18. August 2026 / 15:40
An African bat overlooked for two centuries is discovered in Europe
A study published in Global Ecology and Conservation reports the first solid evidence of the Egyptian slit-faced bat (Nycteris thebaica) in Europe, adding not only a new bat species but also the first representative of the family Nycteridae to the European fauna.
Friday, 07. August 2026 / 11:11
Hidden losses in Berlin’s municipal water supply
Dragonflies and amphibians are in dramatic decline in Berlin, as shown by a new study led by researchers from the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin.
Wednesday, 15. July 2026 / 10:20
Oldest fossil evidence of a cloaca in the mammalian lineage
A fossil discovery from the approximately 294-million-year-old Bromacker fossil locality in Thuringia fills a major gap in the fossil record. It provides new insights into the evolution of early terrestrial vertebrates.
Thursday, 02. July 2026 / 17:00
Spiders evolved the eyes they need: hunting behaviour drives the evolution of spider eye arrangements
Visually hunting spiders convergently evolved forward-facing eye arrangements, and their eye positions and orientations evolve as semi-independent modules.
Monday, 29. June 2026 / 11:16
Entangled Histories: Berlin museums join forces to research colonial collections from Togo and Ghana
In collaboration with partners in Togo and Ghana, a new joint project is investigating the colonial contexts in which these collections were acquired and opening up new perspectives on historical collections.
Tuesday, 16. June 2026 / 11:12
How to grow small? The perspective of the iconic predator Dimetrodon
Researchers from the BROMACKER project have shown that the smallest known Dimetrodon species from Germany and North America reached their small adult sizes in completely different ways.
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

You can find further press releases in our archive

Press photos

Two girls viewing the fossil of the early bird Archaeopteryx in the Museum für Naturkunde. — Urvogel Archaeopteryx lithographica
Photo: (c) Thomas Rosenthal

Visitors at a light table in front of the large biodiversity wall in the Museum für Naturkunde. — Biodiversitätswand
Photo: (c) Thomas Rosenthal

Illuminated main portal of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin in the evening; people at the entrance under a dark sky. — Hauptportal am Abend
Photo: (c) Carola Radke, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

Two girls viewing illuminated glass jars with wet specimens in the museum’s wet collection. — Nasssammlung
Photo: (c) Thomas Rosenthal

A family looking up in awe at the giant dinosaur skeleton in the museum’s dinosaur hall. — Sauriersaal
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.