Ancient fossil DNA dating back to the last ice age has been found in the Naracoorte Caves in South Australia's southeast.
Fossils of fantail and bronzewing pigeons, thought to be up to 18,000 years old, have been uncovered and Environment Minister Ian Hunter says scientists are hopeful of finding even older material.
Researchers from Curtin University used new DNA sequencing techniques and a new method of extracting DNA from small, broken and unidentifiable fossil bones in the caves to retrieve highly degraded DNA for the first time.
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