The “Outgroup”: London’s Natural History Museum

London’s Natural History Museum is the sole non-U.S. museum featured in this book. This museum is related historically to its parent entity, the British Museum, which is the focus of the chapter’s first Side Trip; a second Side Trip at the end of the chapter explores the Science Museum adjacent to the Natural History Museum. A crucial difference from the U.S. context is the geographic proximity of fossil hominin sites predating anatomically modern humans. The local tie to Neanderthals and their close relatives is particularly strong, with several original fossils on display. Furthermore, the “temporary” human evolution gallery derives substantially from a prior exhibit on Britain, accentuating the geographic connection between the museum and the artifacts and fossils on public view. The impact on visitors of life-sized 3D artistic reconstructions by the Kennis Brothers demonstrates the critical importance of art for engagement. The Darwin Centre, a twenty-first-century addition, foregrounds conservation, the practice of science, evolutionary principles, and the practical utility of museum collections and research.