00:00It's definitely a new species of plant. I don't think we've found this one before.
00:04Australia's lush rainforests vanished millions of years ago,
00:07but scientists recently found rare evidence of the continent's
00:11wetter past in thousands of exceptional fossils, including trapdoor
00:15spiders, giant cicadas, tiny fish, and a feather
00:19from an ancient bird. Mate, this is 10 kilos.
00:23Good work. I need both hands
00:28to hold it. Paleontologists discovered the fossil treasure trove
00:32in New South Wales, in a region so dry that more than 100
00:36years ago, British geologist John Walter Gregory called it
00:39the dead heart of Australia. The site's location on private land was
00:44kept secret to protect it from illegal fossil collectors. Meanwhile,
00:48scientists worked to excavate plants and soft-bodied animals
00:52that were estimated to be between 11 million and 16 million years old.
00:56What the researchers found was unique in the Australian fossil record
01:00for the Miocene epoch, because fossils of small and delicate creatures
01:04such as spiders and insects are exceedingly rare.
01:08By examining the well-preserved fossils with scanning electron microscopy,
01:12the study authors could image details as fine as fungal spores
01:16and grains of pollen. Some of the fossils included animals' last
01:20meals, like fish, larvae, and a partially digested dragonfly
01:25wing preserved inside fish's bellies. There was even a feather
01:28from a bird that was about the size of a modern sparrow.
01:32This is the missing part of the vertebra, and that is the missing part of the stone.
01:36This rich collection of fossils in one spot offers a unique snapshot
01:40of ancient Australian biodiversity, and work on the fossil site is just beginning.
01:53We'll see you in the next one.
01:59Let's see you next time.
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