Joyride into fossil universe

The skeleton of Hope, the blue whale at the main entrance of the Natural History Museum. Pic/Wikimedia Commons

If you're a fossil nut like Ross Geller who works at the natural history museum in the sitcom FRIENDS, there is a virtual tour that must make it to your weekend binge list. Having been to the magnificent Natural History Museum in London a decade ago, we still have fascinating recollections of being wowed by the giant-sized dinosaur fossils in particular since nothing really prepares you for the Jurassic grandeur, and then it's a no-brainer to believe why they once lorded over our planet.

So, on World Biodiversity Day, which was yesterday, we decided to revisit those memories and make some new ones. It's easy to get caught in the web of its multiple displays. Check out audio tours of the Hintze Hall's star exhibits by none other than Sir David Attenborough, including a look at Hope, the giant blue whale; we remember craning our neck to soak in the sheer size of this display that is suspended from the ceiling.

There are plenty of other attractions too like a 3D view of the skull of Dippy the Diplodocus, another big-ticket draw, or the fossil of Archie the giant squid (Architeuthis dux) who was caught at a depth of 220 metres under the sea. Don't miss the delightful collection of beetles in their entomology collection, as well as archival natural history art. Google Arts and Culture enables you to browse through 3,00,000 specimens within the museum apart from 14 digital exhibitions. Honestly, we suggest you check it out yourself because we wouldn't be doing full justice to this treasure trove.

Log on to https://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/virtual-museum.html

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