Ancient fossils inspire new orchestral work

South Australian fossils dating back more than 500 million years and representing the story of the dawn of animal life on Earth have inspired a new work by composer Cathy Milliken set to premiere in an Adelaide Symphony Orchestra concert.

Conservation heavyweights lock in protection for SA fossil site

A $1 billion nature fund has been used to buy a vast tract of outback South Australia containing the oldest animal fossils on Earth.

Marcoo was a 1.4 kilotonne ground-level nuclear test carried out at Maralinga in 1956. The contaminated debris was buried at this site in the 1967 clean-up known as Operation Brumby. Author provided

Trace fossils: the ancient history of SA’s outback

The entire state of South Australia is effectively the “trace fossil” of an earlier continent, or even an earlier planet, writes archaeologist Alice Gorman.

Unlocking fossil records in the Antarctic

It’s a white Christmas with a difference for an international gang of scientists heading from McMurdo Base to the Transantarctic Mountains in a gruelling hunt for fossils older than dinosaurs.