Posted on 08/28/2012 2:45:47 PM PDT by DogByte6RER
These 230-million-year-old bugs preserved in amber are the oldest yet
An international team of scientists working in Italy have found the oldest samples of arthropods preserved in amber — a finding that is 100 million years older than previous fossilized samples. The insects, a fly and two mites, are the first ever to be discovered from the Triassic era. The group's findings will help biologists gain a better evolutionary understanding of these organisms and the time periods within which they developed. Amber droplets can be a goldmine for paleontologists. Even a millimeter sized droplet can contain extremely well preserved specimens of organisms that lived eons ago — specimens that can be observed with microscopic fidelity. Globules of fossilized resin can range in age from the Carboniferous era (about 340 million years ago) to about 40,000 years ago, and were produced by plants like tree ferns, flowering trees, and conifers.
The amber droplets, which are only 2-6 millimeters long, were discovered buried in the Dolomite Alps of northeastern Italy. Paleontologists working there were able to uncover about 70,000 droplets — all of which were screened for signs of preserved life.
Paleontologists suspect that arthropods, a class of organism that includes insects, arachnids, and crustaceans, have been around for at least 400 million years.
Two of the arthropods are a new species of mites — members of an extremely specialized group that fed on plants and sometimes formed an abnormal growth called "galls." Paleontologists were surprised to see how similar these mites were to ones still alive today. It's thought that the mites fed on the leaves of coniferous trees that eventually preserved them. What this indicates to the scientists is that mites are a highly adaptable species, able to shift their feeding habits; today, only 3% of mites feed on conifers — yet they've remained largely unchanged over the course of 230 million years.
The fly could not be identified, outside of its antennae, on account of poor preservation in the amber. But what's clear is that flies existed at the time of the Triassic — offering paleontologists hope that they'll eventually be able to find a better preserved specimen.
You can read the entire study in PNAS.
Images: University of Göttingen/A. Schmidt.
Hmmmmmm ... this rare bugs in amber discovery sounds vaguely familiar. I wonder where it will lead?
For reference ...
Arthropods in amber from the Triassic Period
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/08/21/1208464109.abstract
“Life finds a way.”
“Yeah, let’s bring back dinosaurs, what could possibly go wrong?”
I remember when I saw it in the theater, everybody cheered when the lawyer was eaten while sitting on the toilet.
the lawyer gets it
yup (#7)
Rex said he tasted like $hit.
I’m not saying there isn’t evidence of 100+ million yr old earth, I’m just not buying this is fact, because well, it’s not.
A Fly and Two Mites? I saw them in concert a long time ago, but I’m not that old.
When we find “life” on Mars this kind of thing is what it will be.
Only no amber, just fossils in rocks.
This Amber has been checked and she is free of flies and mites.
That vid about sums up Spielbergs entire film career: “patronize patronize patronize”. Wow Steve, thank you for putting people in that movie that not only constantly scream, but scream completely over the top, otherwise I would have never guessed that dinosaurs could be scary and dangerous.
Eggs-act-leeee...
I’m a lawyer and even I cheered that one. hehehehe
Oh CRAP
For all we know Adam and Eve resided as spiritual beings in the Garden for billions of years. Once cast out, their days were numbered and they died at an age from the day they were cast out, not from the day they were created.
The bible says nothing about how old the Earth is. General Relativity posits that time slows down to zero as a body approaches the speed of light. One day to God can for all we know be a trillion years.
If God is as big as the entire universe, how long does it take God to cross the universe? Answer: Zero time.
Reminds me of God’s concept of size and time.
“God, how much is a million dollars to you?
GOD: It is but a penny.
“God, how long is a million years to you?”
GOD: It is but a second.
“God, could you please give me a penny?”
GOD: Sure, just a second.
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