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.
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.
Amber-preserved flowers from Southeast China show that lianas were already an established component of tropical rainforests 15 million years ago, during the Miocene.
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.
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.
‘Mammal Skulls’ and ‘Deer and Horned Animals’ open to visitors for the first time
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.
Dragonflies and amphibians are in dramatic decline in Berlin, as shown by a new study led by researchers from the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin.
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.
Visually hunting spiders convergently evolved forward-facing eye arrangements, and their eye positions and orientations evolve as semi-independent modules.
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.
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.
Core samples reveal the development of the Tambach Basin
The City Nature Challenge is once again providing valuable data on biodiversity in Berlin
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.
The Museum für Naturkunde congratulates Italian ecologist Prof. Danilo Russo on being awarded the prestigious Humboldt Research Award.
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.
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
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.
You can find further press releases in our archive
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.
Issue 12: Evolution Update
2025
Issue 11: Bromacker
Issue 10: The Ribbeck Meteorite
Issue 9: Wild City
Issue 8: Everything is new!
Issue 7: Time for discoveries!
2023–2024
2022
2021
2023/24
2021/22
