Scientific research

Scientific explorations

Thanks to our scientific explorations, we study and constantly reassess the world's natural and cultural heritage. The Museum has always been committed to this, but this quest is now urgent in view of the threat of extinction of a large part of diversity. Travel with us to the four corners of the world...

Scientific explorations have largely shaped the Museum. After all most of our collections come from expeditions of long ago and far away? In this same vein, our teams are still very active in observing and describing the planet through a wide variety of projects. Some are led by one or a few researchers, others involve several teams to establish the most exhaustive inventories possible of the flora and fauna.

Have you heard of Our Planet Reviewed (La Planète Revisitée) or Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos? These certified exploration programmes are unique in the world and contribute to the reputation of our institution. But above all, they respond to a need at a time when many species are in decline: it is urgent to gain an understanding of the diversity of life in order to raise awareness of its fragility and to protect it.

Come with us to Corsica to study algae and invertebrates, then head for Martinique for the seabed or Terre Adélie for the curiosities of the Arctic... Our teams also set out to discover cultural diversity. Here again, much diversity is threatened by globalisation and the homogenisation of practices and customs. Like chroniclers of our times, our scientists scour the planet in search of discoveries!

    To date, naturalists have described 2.1 million species. There are probably 8 to 30 million more to be deciphered! Add...

    We find that the biological wealth of tropical forests is fascinating. Do you agree? Thanks to the CAFOTROP programme...

    The Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos project has carried out over 5,000 operations at sea since 1999 off major tropical islands...

    Despite their problematic accessibility, the polar regions have always attracted explorers who opened the way to these...

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