Composite: Guardian Design/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreen Composite: Guardian Design/Getty ImagesFossilsOne of UK’s best fossil collections sold overseas in ‘loss to the nation’Exclusive: Lack of funds left British museums unable pay eight-figure sum for collection, which went to Abu Dhabi institutionNicola Davis Science correspondentSat 8 Aug 2026 18.00 CESTLast modified on Sat 8 Aug 2026 18.02 CESTShare@font-face{font-family:Guardian Headline Full;src:url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/noalts-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Light.woff2) format("woff2"),url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/noalts-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Light.woff) format("woff"),url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/noalts-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Light.ttf) format("truetype");font-weight:300;font-style:normal}@font-face{font-family:Guardian Headline 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