When a UK palaeontologist examined rocks collected from rural west England in the 1990s, he found something unexpected: a tiny fossil with a perfectly preserved penis.
NZ's smallest bird may be a 'missing link' in the evolution of birdsong
Scientists used to think birds were split into two groups: those that learn or imitate sounds, and those that can't. But a tiny wren from Aotearoa New Zealand bridges the two.
'There's compassion': Neanderthals may have cared for a six-year-old with Down syndrome
A new study suggests ancient humans provided altruistic care for community members, after finding evidence of Down syndrome in a Neanderthal child.
Photo shows A woman with a large brow and nose looking off into the distanceThink you know your diprotodon from your procoptodon? Take our mega megafauna quiz to find out
Towering birds, terrifying lizards and massive marsupials once roamed Australia. How much do you know about our mega-sized past?
Photo shows A baby diprotodon at the water's edge.Giant kangaroos once roamed Australia. New fossils suggest they moved more like T. rex than Skippy
Scientists are piecing together a picture of how Australia's extinct giant kangaroos moved.
Photo shows A giant, stubby-faced kangaroo'This was like a bonanza': What Tim Flannery's discovery in a museum drawer could tell us about Australia's monotremes
The "echidnapus" is one of the newly described ancient monotremes from a fossil hotspot in NSW that could give us more clues about an era when egg-laying mammals diversified.
Photo shows A painting of six prehistoric mammal like creatures that look like strange furry platypus of different sizesArchaeologists reveal reconstructed face of 75,000yo Neanderthal woman
The Neanderthal woman's skull was discovered in 2018 in a cave in the Zagros Mountains of northern Iraq.
Photo shows A skull sits next to a sculpture made out of clay.Think snakes are scary? These lizards have evolved to make snakes the snack
Snakes and lizards in the Australian outback are locked in a battle of survival. Which is predator and which is prey comes down to strategies they've evolved to resist deadly venom, a study suggests.
Photo shows A yellow spotted goanna eating a black whip snake.Gigantic marine reptile identified from fossil found by 11-year-old girl and father
A fossil jawbone found by a young girl and her father on a beach in England belongs to a gigantic marine reptile dating back to 202 million years ago that appears to have been among the largest animals ever on Earth.
Photo shows An artists impression of an ichthyosaur washed up on the beach.'A very big question in human evolution': Where did our ancestors go after leaving Africa?
Our ancestors left Africa some 70,000 years ago, but it took them thousands of years to expand across all of Europe or Asia. A DNA study may shed light on where they ended up during this 'long pause'.
Photo shows Green wavy hills with mountains and sky in the backgroundMeet Kermitops, the newly discovered prehistoric creature named after Kermit the Frog
There were definitely no muppets 270 million years ago, but there was a Kermit — or at least an ancestor of modern amphibians, according to scientists who uncovered its fossilised skull.
Which animal is the ultimate minimalist? These creatures truly embrace the 'less is more' life
Natural selection is very good at shedding superfluous traits, but in an evolutionary decluttering that would make Marie Kondo proud, some species have taken it to the extreme.
Photo shows A brown wingless fly on a cream-coloured wallResearchers discover Earth's earliest fossilised forest in UK
Scientists discover the oldest fossilised forest known on Earth, dating back 390 million years, according to a new study.
Photo shows A man stands next to a rock with marks in it.Before you get your wisdom teeth removed, read this
Wisdom teeth are our most meddlesome molars; evolutionary relics that can be more trouble than they're worth. But experts say any benefits associated with their removal must be weighed against the risks.
Photo shows Young man holding jaw in painThe story of 'Giganto', the world's largest ape, and why it disappeared forever
For two million years, Gigantopithecus blacki roamed the forests of what is now southern China. A new study claims to discover when — and why — it went extinct.
From Kangaroo to K'gari, find out how eight amazing Australian islands were born
Australia is surrounded by stunning islands — you may even spend time on one this summer. Join us on a whistle-stop tour to explore how some of our most iconic isles rose from the sea.
Photo shows A flat coral atoll at Cocos Keeling IslandsFeeling the heat? Here's how some of Australia's most iconic animals keep cool
Snot bubbles, tree-hugging and flyby belly dipping are just some of the ingenious ways Australian animals keep cool during a heatwave.
For the first time, scientists have found evidence of menopause in wild chimpanzees
Urine samples collected from wild chimpanzees in Uganda over decades have revealed older female chimps undergo hormonal changes much like those in menopausal humans.
Photo shows A chimpanzee, sitting among greenery, looking up with her bottom lip slightly openThere are no emus on Kangaroo Island, so why is there an Emu Bay?
Kangaroo Island, off mainland South Australia, has an Emu Bay but no emus after they died out — twice.
Photo shows An emu stares into the lens of a cameraEight-million-year-old outback predator named in honour of its hunting prowess
Researchers say a newly named species of prehistoric crocodile that once roamed central Australia "would've eaten whatever it wanted".
In ancient Pangaea, the forests were quiet. Then, somehow, animals found their voices
Wind back the clock a few hundred million years, and landscapes were completely silent of any truly meaningful communication through sound. So when did animals first find their voice, so to speak, and why?
Photo shows A bulldog against a blue background. There are three red lines emanating from the dog's open mouth to show its barking