A recent discovery in Queensland, Australia, has captivated the internet, showcasing one of the most stunning examples of natural artistry: a piece of petrified wood hiding rare turquoise opal ...

Rain in the outback South Australian town of Andamooka usually comes with the promise of rare opals washing up — prompting locals to walk the streets with buckets, in search of newly unveiled ...

The two men are standing in the middle of the sun-bleached South Australian outback, hunting for opals, the rare gemstones that can sparkle with a rainbow of different colours. They sift through ...

All opal fossils are rare - monotreme ones even more so - but these specimens are "a revelation", says Ms Smith. They take the total number of monotreme species known to have once lived at ...