Paintings are not always what they seem to be on the surface. Technical investigation, particularly of pigments, has revealed not only surprising differences between the present and the original appearance of works – a violet colour transformed to pale orange, for example - but also the use of...

Few people would fail to recognise the bittersweet and musty smell of a historic library, yet not many would know that this bouquet also tells us what heritage objects are made of. To the heritage scientist, it is intensity of smells that often reveals how quickly objects decay, and the...

Launched in October 2007, the British Museum provides virtual access to objects and collections via an online database, and by the end of 2009 nearly 2 million records had been made available. However, why would anyone want to view a collection online rather than in person, and what would they...