Bushfires have reshaped life on Earth before
The catastrophic bushfires raging across much of Australia have not only taken a huge human and economic toll, but also delivered heavy blows to biodiversity and […]
Fossils shed light on snake bite and legs
New fossils of an ancient legged snake, called Najash, shed light on the origin of the slithering reptiles. The fossil discoveries, revealed in Science Advances , […]
Tropical snake uses its head to ‘breathe’
Humans use a snorkel and fish have gills. Now researchers have found a sea snake which uses a complex system of blood vessels in its head […]
New twist in the ‘Big Bang’ theory
Animal life’s evolutionary ‘Big Bang’ ended much sooner than previously thought, a new study has found. An international team of scientists led by Professor John Paterson […]
Baby snake in amber a golden find
Newly discovered prehistoric fossils are painting a colourful picture of the biodiversity of the former supercontinent called Gondwana. Among these discoveries are a range of invertebrates, […]
When is a croc not a croc? When it’s a thoracosaur
The fearsome Thoracosaurus, a dinosaur-era reptile from North America with jaws like giant pincers, bears an uncanny resemblance to a modern fish-eating croc called a gharial. […]
Burrowing into the inner world of snake evolution
Looking inside the head of a snake is so much easier when the snake is a fossil. Flinders University and South Australian Museum postdoctoral researcher Alessandro […]
Dinosaurs wander into the city
Life-size dinosaurs at the SA Museum will be both an education and fun for children and the public until 6 May 2018. The latest touring exhibition […]
Flightless fowls of a far-flung nature
Not all fowl are chickens and ducks. Australia’s giant mihirungs (Dromornithidae) were flightless fowl that included some of the most massive birds in the world, such […]