![]() For a long time it was thought that the plague bug became its current self much more recently. What came next was the shocker, the discovery of what appeared to be the deadly plague germ in the creature’s body. ![]() ![]() Numerous insects have already been found encased in these ambers so it was not too much of a surprise to find a flea in amber. It is mostly found in shades of yellow, although reds and even blues are often mined in this area. Most Dominican amber preserves remains of neotropical forests that existed in the region between 25 and 20 million years ago. Dominican amber is one of the most important kinds of amber there is, often being nearly transparent and coming from the resin of the extinct tree Hymenaea protera. and colleagues from the Oregon State University described a suspicious-looking flea from Dominican amber that was about 20 million years old. One of the world’s foremost amber researchers, Dr. Yet the origins of the plague bacterium date back to before humankind even evolved. We often remember the plague bacterium as the killer that wiped out much of Europe during the Middle Ages. We at Earth Archives are bringing you our top 10 most incredible amber fossils. There are so many amazing discoveries to choose from, with fossils ranging from more than 230 to 20 million years old. Nevertheless we have changed our views of the evolution of many smaller beasts thanks to amber’s remarkable ability to preserve. So unfortunately, a Jurassic Park-like scenario will be impossible to create. One thing amber does not preserve however, is DNA. Even the reproductive organs of plants cannot escape the sticky clutches of fresh resin. Skin, scales, fur and feathers are just some of the incredibly detailed features found in amber. Collectors and scientists have found not just bugs entombed in tree resin, but even animals as large as lizards, frogs and salamanders can be preserved in impressive detail. Sometimes more surprising things have gotten caught in amber. ![]() Once a viscous liquid, it becomes solid upon fossilization, often trapping whatever creatures or other small organisms that originally get stuck in the substance. We use it mostly for jewelry but amber also became important to paleontologists in understanding the ancient world. Amber is mostly orange, reddish or gold in color while sometimes there might even be red or the rare green and blue amber. We have had a long relationship with amber, the beautiful petrified tree resin. ![]()
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