A new DNA laboratory in Copenhagen will allow researchers at Natural History Museum Denmark (Statens Naturhistoriske Museum) to study genetic material preserved in historic collections of animals, plants and fungi.
The Villum Foundation (Villum Fonden) has awarded DKK 6.8 million (about €910,000) to establish what it describes as Denmark’s first laboratory dedicated to museomics, the analysis of DNA from museum specimens. According to the foundation’s announcement on 22 October, the facility is expected to be ready before the end of 2026.
The museum holds more than 14 million objects collected over roughly four centuries. Its holdings range from animals and plants to fossils and minerals, but the new facility will focus on historical biological specimens that can yield genetic information.
What DNA from museum collections can reveal
Museomics allows researchers to compare genetic material preserved in specimens from different periods. This can help them trace how species and ecosystems have changed, rather than relying only on observations made in recent years.
Natasha de Vere, professor, botany curator and project leader of the Danish Facility for Museomics, described the value of these collections in the foundation’s statement:
“With museomics, we can begin to use DNA to investigate that history and gain a long-term perspective on how nature has changed.”
One proposed project will study Arctic plants and their pollinators over the past 200 years. By analysing historical plant and insect specimens, de Vere hopes to understand how climate change has affected their relationships and what those shifts might mean for Arctic ecosystems.
Other researchers could use DNA from preserved fish and marine mammals to examine changes in marine biodiversity and inform conservation strategies.
A new facility for Danish and European research
The museum has already shown the usefulness of historical DNA research. In a study announced in August 2026, an international team used DNA from older museum specimens alongside other evidence to distinguish seven previously undescribed frog species in Madagascar. The new Copenhagen laboratory is intended to expand the museum’s ability to pursue similar research.
The Villum Foundation says the Danish Facility for Museomics could also attract researchers from elsewhere in Europe and strengthen work on biodiversity and environmental change.
The laboratory will be housed in the museum’s new Copenhagen complex. Its planned completion before the end of 2026 is separate from the public opening of the new natural history museum on 6 March 2027.
