March 26th, 2026

Scientists open a million-year-old time capsule beneath New Zealand

Fossils from 16 species discovered in a New Zealand cave are rewriting the country's prehistoric record, including a newly identified kākāpō ancestor that may have retained the ability to fly. The finds reveal an ecosystem repeatedly devastated by volcanic eruptions and climate swings long before human arrival. It is one of the clearest looks yet at a chapter of natural history that was previously almost entirely lost to science.