An ever-growing range of extraordinary fossils is shedding new light on the history of life: colour patterns in dinosaur feathers and insect wings; DNA from an ecosystem two million years old; the love song of a Jurassic cricket, to name but a few. Medical imaging techniques and particle accelerators make it possible to see inside the rock surrounding rare and fragile fossils. Peter’s talk will include some remarkable, and often surprising, finds from many parts of the world.