Massive Collection of 20-Million-Year-Old Amber Sheds Light on Ancient World

A massive collection of 20-million-year-old amber may have revealed a whole new world to scientists. Researchers have uncovered fresh insights into ancient tropical insects and the Earth that they inhabited.

The researchers are still examining the collection, which may take many years to fully curate. When it is fully examined, though, it will be the largest unbiased Dominican amber collection in the world.

So what have they found so far? The most striking discovery is that of a pygmy locust. This tiny grasshopper is the size of a rose thorn and lived 18 to 20 million years ago, feeding on moss, algae and fungi. It actually represents an intermediate stage of evolution in the life of its subfamily of locusts.

"Grasshoppers are very rare in amber and this specimen is extraordinarily well-preserved," said Sam Heads, a paleontologist involved in the research, in a news release.

The most ancient representatives of the subfamily of locusts, known as the Cladonotinae, had wings. Modern counterparts do not. Yet this latest specimen appears to have vestigial wings-remnant structures that have already lost their primary function.

The process of actually screening the amber is a slow one, since much of it is clouded with oxidation. In order to get a good look inside, the scientists carefully cut and polish the amber to create "windows." So far, the researchers have found mating flies, stingless bees, gall midges, Azteca ants, wasps, bark beetles, mites, spiders, plant parts and even a mammal hair.

"Fossil insects can provide lots of insight into the evolution of specific traits and behaviors, and they also tell us about the history of the time period," said Heads. "They're a tremendous resource for understanding the ancient world, ancient ecosystems and the ancient climate-better even, perhaps, than dinosaur bones."

The findings are published in the journal ZooKeys.