World's Oldest Fossil Impression Of Flying Insect Found In Suburban Strip Mall

Science Daily ^ | Oct. 15, 2008

[Soliton]

paleontologists may scour remote, exotic places in search of prehistoric specimens, Tufts researchers have found what they believe to be the world's oldest whole-body fossil impression of a flying insect in a wooded field behind a strip mall in North Attleboro, Mass.

During a recent exploration as part of his senior project, Richard J. Knecht, a Tufts geology major, and Jake Benner, a paleontologist and senior lecturer in the Geology Department, set out to hunt for fossils at a location they learned of while reading a master's thesis that had been written in 1929. With chisels and hammers, the team reached the shale and sandstone outcropping described in the paper. There they delicately picked away pieces of rock before reaching a section that yielded fossils. Just below the surface, they uncovered a fossilized impression of a flying insect.

Not just any fossil

It was not just any fossil. Knecht says it is the world's oldest known full-body impression of a primitive flying insect, a 300 million-year-old specimen from the Carboniferous Period.

[Soliton]

Cool!

[autumnraine]

My husband swears we have lost tons of history underneath pavement.

[Lazamataz]

Yesterday, I found the world’s oldest fossil impression of a Blackberry Curve.

[DCBurgess58]

OK, where’s the Helen Thomas picture?

[Soliton]

My husband swears we have lost tons of history underneath pavement.

That's one way of looking at it. The other way is to see the pavement as preserving discoveries for future scientists.

[Soliton]

OK, where’s the Helen Thomas picture?

You have spoken Its name. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

[PeterPrinciple]

My husband swears we have lost tons of history underneath pavement.

---

Another way of looking at it is that it is preserved........

[martin_fierro]

[fso301]

Wouldn’t you just love to be the mall developer and receive that news mid-project.

[SatinDoll]

You took the exact word right out of my mouth!!

It is WAY cool!

[SunkenCiv]

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[eleni121]

Well he could sign up this business (owned by friend) on the spot...literally:

http://www.maxillaandmandible.com/

[null and void]

[Hegemony Cricket]

Here is Robin Williams doing an impression of a flying insect: