From Earth’s first inhabitants to the development of humans, museums all over the world are documenting the evolution of our planet. Whether you’re interested in insects or prefer more furry friends, join us on a virtual tour of five natural history museums.
With over 80 million specimens, the Natural History Museum lets you encounter wonders of the natural world all in one place.
While you’re there, look up and you'll spot Hope, the 25.2-meter Blue Whale who lives in the main hall. Or if you want to dig deeper, explore the hidden world of the tank room.
At the National Museum of Nature and Science, each floor is organized around a different theme, informed by the museum's collection of original specimens.
Welcome to the Global Gallery, where the theme 'The History of Life on Earth' explores the evolution of living things on the planet. Click on the arrows to explore for yourself.
The Museum für Naturkunde is both a research center and a museum, covering zoology, palaeontology, geology, and mineralogy.
One of its impressive features is the biodiversity wall, hosting over 3,000 specimens...
...although this is only a tiny fraction of the 30 million specimens at the museum.
You might also come face to face with the Brachiosaurus, the tallest mounted dinosaur skeleton in the world. Although this Jurassic giant lived 150 million years ago, you can now experience it brought back to life with Virtual Reality.
The American Museum of Natural History is home to more than 33 million specimens and artifacts, including Lucy, the 3.2-million-year-old ape thought to be our oldest ancestor.
Do you recognize this T. rex from the Night at the Museum movies? It actually lives at the American Museum of Natural History! Check out the real exhibits behind the film.
Museu Nacional is the oldest scientific institution in Brazil and the biggest museum of natural history and anthropology in Latin America.
In 2018, a large part of the museum collection was destroyed in a fire. Although some artifacts were recovered, including the oldest skeleton found in the Americas, you can now virtually rediscover the collections lost in the fire.
Want more to explore? Check out more natural history or take a virtual tour around 7 science museums around the world.
Since the Renaissance, artists have enjoyed making optical illusions and putting minute, hidden details in their artwork. Sometimes these are easy to spot, other times, like in Hans Holbein the Younger's Two Ambassadors you need to look a little closer…
Looking at the painting, it's easy to be distracted by the rich objects and clothes on display, you might not have noticed this strange mark on floor between the ambassadors feet. But if you look at your screen from the top-right corner, you might be in for a fright!
The astronomical instruments are painted accurately, it's just a shame that many of them are incomplete. It's been suggested that this is because Holbein was using disassembled and partially broken ones from the workshop of Nicholas Kratzer as props.
There are many reasons for hiding details in artworks - flattering people, making jokes, or simply showing off your own skills as an artist. And if you were in any doubt that Rembrandt van Rijn painted The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp, then just take a closer look…
The writing's on the wall! At the top of the picture is a little signature that appears to have been written on the wall behind the class, reading Rembrandt, 1632.
… and if you tilt your head to the left, you'll see the navel of the corpse is painted as a capital R.
Joris Hoefnagel was an illustrator of manuscripts known for his almost-lifelike renderings of plants and animals. Here, he decorates the a page of Georg Bocskay's calligraphy manual Mira calligraphiae monumenta with a flower that seems to pierce the page.
Turning over the parchment, the lettering and illustration of the previous page are just about visible. To this, Hoefnagel has added another detail of the stem. Bocskay's calligraphy may be beautiful, but art will always be more entertaining!
Gerard Houckgeest adds wit and levity to this scene of a whitewashed church interior by including a painted curtain and rail.
At the time, paintings were often hung behind curtain rails for protection from damage by light and dust. This little addition shows how Houckgeest can master both the grand architecture of the nave, and the intimate space of the owner's home.
A pile of papers, pamphlets and musical scores litter Cornelis Norbertus Gijsbrechts' illusionistic painting of a letter rack. You can imagine doing a double take when you saw this hanging inside a private study.
Every single scrap of paper is incredibly detailed, covered with writing and miniature wax stamps that add to the realism of the painting. In fact, you might recognise that name on the etching…
… and in the top left corner behind a sheet of paper is a little comb - a small hint that you should go through this painting with a fine-toothed comb if you want to appreciate every detail!
Still in the mood for discovery? Here are 5 Things You Never Knew About the Mona Lisa