Latest news
Latest news from The Finnish museum of natural history
Online service for the threat assessment of Finnish species now open
8.3.2019
The threat assessment of Finnish species has been carried out for the fifth time. The Red List for Finnish species includes an assessment of the status of nearly 22,500 species.
Spring migration is now earlier in European and North American birds
25.2.2019
According to a new study, migratory birds in Europe and Canada have substantially advanced the timing of their spring migration due to climate change.
Europe’s oldest Golden Eagle is Finnish
22.2.2019
The 34-year-old female Golden Eagle spotted in Finland in late January is likely the oldest of the species in Europe. Annually, approximately 100 young golden eagles are ringed in Finland.
Mountain birds declining in Europe
13.12.2018
Population data for European mountain birds have been for the first time combined in a recent study, with worrying results: the abundances of mountain-specialist birds has declined by as much as 10% in the 2000s.
Cuckoo wasps are becoming endangered faster than their host species
13.12.2018
A recent doctoral dissertation indicates that populations of cuckoo wasps have markedly declined in Finland since the 1960s. A species previously unknown to science, named Chrysis borealis, was also discovered in the study.
Responses of waterbirds to climate change is linked to their preferred wintering habitats in Europe
19.11.2018
A new scientific article shows that 25 European waterbird species can change their wintering areas depending on winter weather. Warm winters allow them to shift their wintering areas northeastwards, whereas cold spells push birds southwestwards.
Fiercest solar storm in history dated through trees growing in Lapland
10.9.2018
Should a storm of similar magnitude occur now, it would have dramatic consequences, including damage to modern navigation and communication satellites and fatalities among the astronauts in space.
How Eggplants became Asian – genomes and elephants tell the story
29.8.2018
The evolutionary context of the eggplant was until recently very poorly known. Historical documents and genetic data have shown that the eggplant was first domesticated in Asia, but most of its wild relatives are from Africa.
Javan tiger number 89
24.8.2018
This rare skeleton has been a part of the collections of the Finnish Museum of Natural History Luomus since 1857. However, it took a donation to make its true value apparent.
Finnish forest management guidelines fail to protect the flying squirrel
25.6.2018
A new study determined the habitat requirements for flying squirrels and compared them to those included in the recently amended Forest Act. The main finding was that the Finnish Nature Conservation Act does not adequately protect the old growth forests where flying squirrels live.