LSU Museum of Natural Science

09/01/2026

More about Dr. Austin’s new New Guinea snake named after Slash from Guns N’ Roses

08/24/2026

Welcome back, Tigers! 💜💛

Wishing everyone an amazing start to the 2026–2027 academic year! Whether you're new to campus or returning for another semester, be sure to take a break from studying and explore one of LSU's hidden gems.

The LSU Museum of Natural Science is FREE and open Monday–Friday from 8AM to 4PM, offering fascinating exhibits featuring worldwide wildlife, biodiversity, and natural history.

Stop by, discover something new, and make the museum part of your LSU experience this year. We can't wait to welcome you!

📍 Free Admission
🕘 Open Monday–Friday, 8AM-4PM

LSU College of Science

08/21/2026

Some press on the new snake that Dr. Chris Austin helped describe and collected in Papua New Guinea (and named after Slash from Guns & Roses)

Read this Field Museum press release about Welcome to the jungle: newly-discovered snake named after Slash from Guns N’ Roses.

08/21/2026

🎉 The countdown is on! The LSU Museum of Natural Science Fall 2026 Seminar Series begins in just two weeks, and we can't wait to kick off another semester of exciting science and discovery! 📢

From biodiversity and evolution to ecology, conservation, and beyond, this semester's lineup features fascinating talks from researchers and experts across the field.

📅 Check out the full seminar schedule below or visit our website to start planning which talks you'll attend: https://www.lsu.edu/mns/education-and-programs/museum-seminar.php

🐯A special thank you to our PhD candidate Juliana Damasceno (Thom Lab) for organizing this outstanding lineup of speakers and making another great semester of seminars possible! 👏

See you in two weeks—we're looking forward to another great semester of learning together! 💜💛

08/20/2026

Some outreach pictures from yesterday’s College of Science Open House where the Museum had a table.

08/15/2026

Congrats to Herpetology Curator, Dr. Chris Austin on the description of a new snake species from New Guinea in Zootaxa

"A new species of Papuan groundsnake (Squamata: Colubridae: Lielaphis) from New Guinea"

Welcome to the world, Lielaphis slashi sp. nov. from the northeastern lowlands of mainland New Guinea!

The recently resurrected genus Lielaphis (Squamata: Colubridae) is comprised of 19 medium-sized, terrestrial snakes collectively regarded as groundsnakes. Although found primarily in New Guinea, a biologically megadiverse region with high conservation priorities, Lielaphis remain poorly studied due....

08/11/2026

Geaux Dr. Warny!

07/21/2026

LSU MNS Graduate student David Vander Pluym appeared on the 'Birds of a Feather Talk Together' Podcast. Check it out below.

This week on Birds of a Feather Talk Together, we're joined by orni...

06/30/2026

Excellent new paper from the lab of Emeritus Curator and former MNS Director, Fred Sheldon. With three MNS alumni - Haw Chuan Lim, Subir B. Shakya and Dency F. Gawin

"Contrasting Genomic Outcomes of Secondary Contact in Bornean Bird Lineages: Insights From Barrier Loci, Demographic History and Genomic Features"

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/mec.70444?fbclid=IwY2xjawSwpGpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETJKTHZvZkpYMElUaW1abkF5c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHsJ-0DN0TTZSF-epVt1ruj2GGlanH5nfNu3V3yf2d7owhfNDjsSGW5Gnc-Y-_aem_p_7rd2lzrRfpZnrdLS5mng

Secondary contact before the completion of reproductive isolation can alter speciation trajectories by impeding divergence through gene flow or accelerating it via reinforcement. Using genomic data, ...

06/01/2026

🌿🦜📬 The Spring 2026 LSU Museum of Natural Science Newsletter is here!

Dive into the latest 🔬 research discoveries, 🌎 field expeditions, 🎓 student and alumni achievements, 🏛️ museum updates, and more from the LSU MNS community.

📖 Read the newest issue and stay connected with all that's happening at LSU MNS!

🔗 https://www.lsu.edu/mns/news-and-publications/newsletter.php

🐅💜💛