Australia, home to the most unusual animal species on the planet, can now lay claim to being the wellspring of modern mammal evolution.

For over two decades paleontologist Kevin Padian has been frequently asked one question by undergraduates that stuck with him.

There are five significant mass extinctions, known as the "big five," where at least three-quarters of all species died.

This species lived in Africa during the Middle Pleistocene, around half a million years ago, and was the direct ancestor of modern humans.

Sixty-three percent. That’s the proportion of mammal species that vanished from Africa and the Arabian Peninsula around 30 million years ago

The study provides strong evidence for the manufacture of clothing as far back as 120,000 years ago.

A giant fossilized penguin discovered by New Zealand school children has been revealed as a new species in a peer-reviewed journal.

Titanokorys was a giant compared to most animals that lived in the seas at that time, most of which barely reached the size of a finger.