{
  "id": 3835447,
  "title": "Discovery of 30-million-year-old fossilised fruit changes evolutionary story",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/discovery-of-30-million-year-old-fossilised-fruit-changes",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-27T22:31:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-28/fossil-fruits-capella-changes-plant-evolutionary-history/107084710"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Scientists have discovered fossilized remains of a 30-million-year-old plant in central Queensland, Australia, which has rewritten the evolutionary story of the Melastomataceae plant family. The find, published in the International Journal of Plant Sciences, challenges the previous belief that the family migrated from South-East Asia to Australia. The fossils, identified by Queensland Museum's principal geoscience scientist Andrew Rozefelds, belong to a new genus and species, Capella raulingsii. The plants were already thriving in Australia 30 million years ago, suggesting they were part of eastern Gondwana's ancient rainforests. These findings indicate that the Melastomataceae family evolved in Australia before the continent's separation from South-East Asia approximately 180 million years ago. The fossils were discovered in silcretes, a hard rock, near Capella on brigalow, farming land. Using synchrotron imaging, researchers were able to see inside the fruits without destroying the specimens. This exceptional find, described as being internationally significant due to the region's volcanic past, could lead to further studies in the area.",
  "summary": "The fruit has challenged what scientists previously believed about how and when Melastomataceae plants arrived in Australia.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}