Natural diversity is the main theme for all research at the Natural History Museum. This encompasses biological and geological research describing the diversity and variation in nature, and aims to explaining the processes creating this diversity. The scientific collections are the main basis for the research conducted at the museum. They comprise 6.2 million specimens, representing 65% of the nation's total number of natural history objects, and have been collected over the last 200 years.
Explore our collections
Our scientific collections comprise over 6.2 million objects, making them the largest within natural history in Norway. Learn more about their importance for research and reference.
Research groups
- Sex and Evolution Research Group (SERG)
- Evolution, eDNA, Genomics, and Ethnobotany (EDGE)
- Integrative Systematics of Plants and Fungi (ISOP)
- Frontiers in Evolutionary Zoology (FEZ)
- Entomology Research Group (ENTO)
- Geo-Ecology Research Group (GEco)
- Norwegian Center for Mineralogy (NORMIN)
- Norwegian Center for Paleontology (NORPAL)
Affiliated group
Research resources
Labs, digital collections databases and a DNA bank are available at the museum.
Publications
The museum research staff publishes 120+ scientific articles annually, along with reports, books and and a wide range of outreach activities. The museum also hosts one journal in botany and edit its own report series.