History
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There’s more than one way to grow a beak
Madagascar fossil adds new twist to bird evolution.
A new fossil discovered on the ever-surprising island of Madagascar suggests ancient Mesozoic bird beaks and faces we...
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People chose the coast during the big chill
Evidence found of persistent occupation in South Africa.
Excavations on South Africa’s southeast coast have uncovered evidence of persistent human occupations from the end of...
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Conversation
NZ fossils reveal a new southern seal
And that’s changed thinking about a rare marine mammal.
By James Patrick Rule and Justin Adams, Monash University, Erich Fitzgerald, Museums Victoria, and Felix Georg Marx, ...
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Were there rainforests in Australia’s deserts?
Prehistoric fossil evidence suggests the answer is ‘yes’.
Australia’s dry, red centre used to be green, according to fossil evidence of plants that thrive in rainforests. An i...
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Conversation
Earliest example of a rapid-fire tongue
This tiny amphibian had an incredible weapon.
By Joseph Bevitt, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation The Yaksha perettii specimen is preserved...
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Men hunt and women gather. But not always
Female hunters likely common in early Americas.
Scientists may have to rethink the prevailing view that prehistoric hunting was exclusively the domain of men. The...
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Neanderthal milk teeth reveal their secrets
Study offers new evidence on weaning and growth.
Neanderthal children grew and were weaned in much the same way as Homo sapiens, new research suggests. Virtual ren...
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These early mammals were social creatures
Palaeontologists make an important find at Egg Mountain.
Mammals appear to have been social creatures much earlier than previously thought, according to US palaeontologists. ...
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Study puts Denisovans on roof of the world
Findings expand understanding of humans in eastern Asia.
DNA evidence has confirmed that a cave on the Tibetan Plateau was once home to Denisovans, an ancient species of huma...
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Egyptians wanted their words to stick
Study finds technical link to the Renaissance painters.
In 15th century Europe, artists began adding lead to their paints to help them dry. Now scientists have discovered th...
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Have wings will glide – at best
Two small dinosaurs struggled in the air, analysis suggests.
Just having wings doesn’t mean you can fly. Yi qi and Ambopteryx longibrachium, it seems, were barely able to glide. ...
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Plague spread quickly in Medieval Europe
Documents reveal an increasing transmission rate.
The speed of plague transmission in London increased four-fold between the Black Death of 1348 and the Great Plague o...