Fixing Our Broken Planet

5 items to look out for when you next visit Natural History Museum

This Marlin skeleton is ready to greet, and give side-eye to every visitor to the gallery. © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London

The Natural History Museum has opened its new and permanent Fixing Our Broken Planet gallery. Instead of selecting our highlights, we asked curator Lottie Dodwell-Williams to provide her top five specimens from the gallery and the stories behind them.

1. Black Marlin skeleton

This marlin is a mark of how much the oceans have changed. Since industrialised fishing began in the 1950s, large predators such as marlin, tuna and sharks have plummeted by 90%. But we’re now at a turning point. Natural History Museum scientists are surveying huge protected areas of the oceans to ensure fish like the marlin are around for years to come.

Below the paywall:

• A big bison and see what can be found in a blackbird’s nest

• How lichens are a sign of fresh air

• More to see in this fab new gallery