Morning mail: discovery rewrites human history Thursday: an archaeological find in Kakadu proves Indigenous people came to Australia much earlier than previously thought; plus conservation groups may take fresh legal action against Adani Lead researcher Prof Chris Clarkson, second from left, standing in front of the 2015 excavation area with local Djurrubu Aboriginal Rangers Vernon Hardy, left, Mitchum Nango, centre, Jacob Baird, second from right, and Claude Hardy, right, at Madjedbebe, a rock shelter in Kakadu that was inhabited 65,000 years ago. Photograph: Dominic O'Brien/AFP/Getty Images Eleanor Ainge Roy @EleanorAingeRoy Good morning, this is Eleanor Ainge Roy, bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Thursday 20 July. Top stories An archaeological discovery in Kakadu national park has extended the known length of time Aboriginal people have inhabited Australia to at least 65,000 years. The findings on about 11,000 artefacts, published on Thursday in the Nature journal, prove Indigenous people have been on the continent for far longer than the much-contested estimates of between 47,000 and 60,000 years, the researchers said. Some of the artefacts were potentially as old as 80,000 years. The new research upends decades-old estimates about the human colonisation of the continent, their interaction with megafauna and the dispersal of modern humans from Africa and across south Asia. "People got here much earlier than we thought, which means of course they must also have left Africa much earlier to have travelled on their long journey through Asia and south-east Asia to Australia," said the lead author, Associate Prof Chris Clarkson, from the University of Queensland. Conservation groups have asked the environment minister to overturn Adani's Carmichael coalmine approval on the grounds that it works against the national recovery plan for the endangered black-throated finch. The Australian Conservation Foundation and Environment Defenders Office have not ruled out taking the case to court if Josh Frydenberg doesn't revoke the approval and ask the mining giant to submit a new offset plan. Adani's Carmichael mine would destroy some of the most important remaining habitat for the endangered black-throated finch. As a result, Adani has been required to create "offsets", which are supposed to provide alternative habitats for the birds. The plans for "offsets" rely on new habitat being created for the birds, despite experts saying such a feat has never been achieved. An ACF spokeswoman, Basha Stasak, said: "What's being revealed here is the offset plan being put by Adani – according to the experts – is completely inadequate and we have serious concerns about that." The Greens will have to wait until federal parliament resumes on 8 August to start the formal legal process to replace Scott Ludlam and Larissa Waters, a procedural hurdle that will delay a resolution of the party's problems for several weeks. As well as managing the fallout from the resignations, the Greens national council will meet again this weekend to consider the bitter public stoush that has erupted in recent weeks between the national leadership and the New South Wales senator Lee Rhiannon. Minneapolis police officer Matthew Harrity has told investigators he heard a loud sound before his partner, Mohamed Noor, shot Australian woman Justine Damond dead. The attorney for Harrity said it was reasonable the officers might have believed they might be targets of an ambush. According to the Minnesota bureau of criminal apprehension (BCA), Harrity told investigators he and Noor were in a squad car on Saturday when the sound startled Harrity. Damond appeared at the driver's side door and Noor allegedly shot her from the passenger seat. Noor continues to refuse to be interviewed regarding the incident and authorities cannot compel him. German authorities are urgently investigating whether a suspected Isis fighter siezed in Mosul may be missing German schoolgirl Linda Wenzel . The 16-year-old disappeared from her parents' home in Saxony a year ago after apparently being groomed by jihadist groups online. Video footage that appeared over the weekend seems to match images of Linda. Pictures show an exhausted, dust-covered girl who was arrested by Iraqi forces as part of a group of 20 female Isis supporters who had barricaded themselves with guns and explosives in a tunnel underneath the ruins of Mosul's Old City. Sport Ireland's Daniel Martin climbs Galibier pass during the seventeenth stage of the Tour de France. Photograph: Christophe Ena/AP As the Tour de France hits the alpine stage of the race, the Galibier climb, Slovenian time triallist Primoz Roglic was a worthy winner at the expense of Alberto Contador. With its bleak screes and vermicelli hairpins, the Galibier is perhaps the most daunting Alpine climb tackled regularly by the Tour, lacking only a few sun-bleached bones to make it the perfect picture of desolation. Three matches at Wimbledon have sparked concern of potential match-fixing, with one match at the French Open also causing an alert to be issued. The Tennis Integrity Unit said the matches would be assessed and reviewed. Thinking time People stop to look at a floral tribute to the author Jane Austen, who died 200 years ago. Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images The opening lines of a novel can make or break your interest, compel you to keep reading or – fatally – bore or annoy you. As a reader and writer Catherine Lacey is finely attuned to the struggle, whittling the opening passage of her second novel down from 12 pages to a single paragraph over the course of many years. Here, she shares her top 10 favourite opening scenes of all time. Brigid Delaney tells how detox bit back. On her way to visit a rehab clinic in Byron Bay, she stopped off at a healthy hipsters cafe. "I was feeling so virtuous (12,000 steps and two swims before breakfast) that I stopped at a wellness cafe and ordered the healthiest thing on the menu – a vile looking green juice." Within minutes she was violently ill. "Feeling close to collapsing, I couldn't even pack my bag for rehab. I had to lie down for a bit. I rang the rehab place. 'I'll be late. I'm feeling very sick and feeble.'" Don't panic about your mortgage, writes Greg Jericho, even if the Reserve Bank does aim to make a new "neutral" rate of 3.5% it's goal – 2% above the current rate. "The RBA might wish to get the cash rate to 3.5% but the economy would have to perform a lot better than it is, and for a long time, for that to occur." What's he done now? "Repealing", "Failing" and now "Dying" – Donald Trump has tweeted his latest prediction for Obama's Affordable Care Act overnight – and it's dramatic. "The Republicans never discuss how good their healthcare bill is, & it will get even better at lunchtime," he tweeted. "The Dems scream death as OCare dies!" Trump has invited 52 Republican senators to the White House for lunch today to discuss the the dismantling of Obamacare. "I will be having lunch at the White House today with Republican Senators concerning healthcare. They MUST keep their promise to America!" Media roundup The Sydney Morning Herald has splashed with a story that Australia's foreign spy agencies could gather intelligence on whole "classes" of Australians involved with terrorist organisations to help stop lone wolf attacks or help the military target terrorists. The West Australian reveals the best value red wine for $13 as well as other bargain booze buys and the the Adelaide Advertiser has a story about a man battling serious brain haemorrhages and unable to speak who proposed to his girlfriend from his hospital bed using just a smile. The ABC reports that a koala habitat in northern New South Wales that spanned 23,000 hectares has been destroyed by logging, in a region where koala populations have declined dramatically in the last 20 years. Coming up The Victorian state coroner Sara Hinchey will open an inquest into the deaths of six people killed in the Bourke Street tragedy earlier this year. The Art Gallery of New South Wales will announce the Archibald prize finalists and packing room prize winner at 11am. Australia meet India this evening in the second semi-final of the Women's Cricket World Cup. Join the Guardian sport team from 7pm on the liveblog to follow every over at the County Ground in Derby. Support the Guardian It might take a minute to catch up on the news, but good journalism takes time and money. If you already support Guardian Australia, your generosity is invaluable. If not, and you value what we do, please become a Supporter today. Thanks.  Guardian News & Media Limited - a member of Guardian Media Group PLC. Registered Office: Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU. Registered in England No. 908396