Behind the Science

Queensland Museum Geosciences staff and honoraries research Australia's long and unique past through the amazing treasure trove of fossils found in Queensland and other areas of Australia.

Climate Change
Understanding the effects of climate change on animals and plants is fundamental when determining conservation strategies into the future. QM palaeontologists look at the fossil record to understand how animals and plants in the past have reacted to global climate change, especially the most recent climate events of geological time.

Ancient Rainforests
QM palaeontologists are working on Australia's only Pleistocene rainforest fossil record. These studies are showing how climate change has affected how our most fragile environments came to be and why they are so diverse.

Dinosaurs
Queensland Museum palaeontologists explore, excavate and research the amazing world of Australian dinosaurs, including the largest dinosaurs to have ever been found in Australia.

Megafauna
Long after the extinction of dinosaurs, giant animals called megafauna roamed Australia. Giant flightless birds, hippo-sized diprotodonts and the world's largest ever land-dwelling lizards make up the megafauna, which went extinct around 30-50,000 years ago. QM palaeontologists are discovering new species of megafauna and documenting the reasons for their eventual extinction.