The Permian is the last geological period of the Paleozoic era, following the Carboniferous and ending about 252 million years ago with the largest extinction in Earth's history. It was a time when many amphibians lived, whose body shape would more closely resemble reptiles such as lizards or crocodiles than most amphibians today.

Even though myths are full of gods, fantastic creatures and completely improbable events, they can also contain information that allows us to learn about the daily lives of the Ancients. You just have to know what to look for.

The Australian walking stick (Extatosoma tiaratum) is an endemic species of insect from the rainforests of northeastern Australia. Adults are covered in spiny projections, and their long, rounded bodies grow to 20 cm in length. Females are often described as massive, brachypterous (having shortened wings), and have numerous spines on their legs. The shortened wing surfaces of female phasmids prevent them from flying. Males, on the other hand, have long wings and are good fliers.

Oreodonts (Merycoidodontoidea) are an extinct group of mammals. They are classified as artiodactyls, like modern pigs, cows, camels, and hippopotamuses (and even whales!). They are known only from North America, where they lived for about 35 million years, from the Eocene to the Miocene. They are among the most widely represented mammals in the fossil record of North America, and perhaps in the world.

Summer is behind us, the time of picking forest fruits. Autumn is just beginning, the time of ripening apples, plums, pears. The mushroom season is also starting. As every year, the media is flooded with warnings about the hydatid disease. What is the hydatid disease and is it really that dangerous?