DOWN-UNDER ORIGIN FOR ALL MODERN MAMMALS

In new Australian research that challenges hundreds of years of scientific dogma, mammal evolution began in the Southern, not Northern, Hemisphere.

- KAREN MCGHEE

IT’S A DISCOVERY that will rewrite textbooks. A staggering international breakthrough has led to the remarkable new understanding that all modern mammals had their earliest beginnings in the Southern Hemisphere.

Why does it matter where mammals began their evolutionary journey? Because it’s ultimately the story of where it all began for us humans. And it now turns out that some important early developments in that tale not only occurred in the Southern Hemisphere, but in the part of the world that would eventually become Australia.

The major force behind this astounding development is renowned Aussie scientist Professor Tim Flannery, an honorary associate at the Australian Museum in Sydney.

Tim spent the early years of his career in remote corners of the planet, discovering and naming scores of new species. More recently, he’s been instrumental in bringing the world’s attention to the perils of climate change. He acknowledges the significance of the breakthrough and the milestone that it represents in his career. “I think it’s the most important piece of science, from a global perspective, that I’ve been involved with in my lifetime,” he says simply.

Tim is supported by a group of scientific luminaries, including Professor Kris Helgen, the Australian Museum’s chief scientist; Dr Tom Rich, senior curator of vertebrate palaeontology with Museums Victoria; Dr Patricia VickersRich, a professor of palaeontology at Monash University; and Dr Grace Veatch from the Smithsonian, in the USA.