Most of the found species are completely new to science. More than 700 new species of ancient insects have been discovered in 50-million-year-old amber produced by an ancient rainforest in India. This means that, despite millions of years in isolation in the ocean, the region was a lot more biologically diverse that previously believed.
The amber, dubbed Cambay amber, was found in lignite mines in the Cambay Shale of the Indian state of Gujarat. Jes Rust from the University of Bonn in Germany led an international team of researchers from India, Germany and the US.
According to a predominant theory of continents' formation, at first there were only two so-called supercontinents on Earth. The one in the north was called Laurasia and the other one, located more towards the south, Gondwana. When Gondwana split up into several smaller pieces in the mid-Jurassic, some 160 million years ago, most of its parts stayed in the southern hemisphere, but one started drifting towards the north. Having floated in the ocean for at least 100 million years at a remarkable rate of 15-25cm per year, it eventually collided with Asia and became what we know today as the Indian subcontinent. In the process, the Himalayas were formed.
Most of the recently discovered bugs also show links to modern insects as well as those that lived millions of years ago in different parts of the world, including Asia, Australia, and even South America. The lead author Dr Rust told BBC News that this could be explained by land-bridge connections - possibly small islands that formed before the collision with Asia, in the Eocene - between the Indian "ferry" and other landmasses.
"The Indian amber is from the Lower Eocene and was likely produced by flowering hardwood trees called Dipterocarpaceae, [trees] that predominate in the forests of Southeast Asia today," Paul Nascimbene of the American Museum of Natural History in New York said. To determine where the amber came from, the scientists chemically fingerprinted it. They also analyzed the wood anatomy of fossilised branches and trunks on the site.
"Fossil wood samples were also recovered in association with the amber, [and they] showed that these samples preserved details of the wood's microstructure, pointing to dipterocarps as the probable source," added Dr Nascimbene. The team also said that it was able to determine the age of the modern rainforest.
Up until now, many experts used to suggest that this type of tropical rainforest, found today all over the South-East Asia, first originated in the Miocene some 20 or 25 million years ago. But the recent discovery challenged that idea. David Grimaldi from the American Museum of Natural History and another co-author said that the rainforest is at least 60 million years old.
Amber looks like yellow-brownish rocks. Most of the fossil outcrops are in drier, very eroded areas of the northern hemisphere or southern parts of southern hemisphere, but not so much in the equatorial belt.
Besides the rainforest's age and India's biogeography, the most astonishing part of the discovery was the huge number of perfectly preserved specimens of insects, most of which have never been seen before.
Unlike other types of amber found in deposits in the north, the Indian amber is much softer. This unique property allowed the scientists to completely dissolve the amber using solvents - toluene and chloroform - and extract the ancient insects, plants and fungi.
"We have complete, three-dimensionally preserved specimens that are 52 million years old and you can handle them almost like living ones," said Dr Rust. "Of course they are very fragile, but it is still astonishing.
"We have several examples where it is possible to get a complete specimen out. And of course this opens a new dimension in investigations of this material. Many insects are related to modern and ancient species found in different parts of the world The researcher said that this amber deposit was the first important one found in India. "There are tonnes of amber [in this Indian deposit], and what is interesting about it is that it was produced in the tropics, the most highly diverse areas in respect to species diversity," said Dr Rust.
"And the fossil record of the terrestrial tropics is not so good, because usually all the organic material gets rotten very quickly."
With tonnes of amber at their disposal, the researcher said his team hoped to uncover many more secrets of the peculiar world that existed millions of years ago.
Can i chat with u?
ReplyDeleteThe post was informative
srvnguru186@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteHi Guru, I believe you will find more information on this topic on the BBC News website in the science and environment page.
ReplyDeletehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/help/3681938.stm
We are online on this site at 10:00Eastern Standard time in the comments of the top post.You are welcome.
So how are you PIC,if that is your name?What was your mother thinking when she named you PIC????
ReplyDeleteHi cutie just sent you an e-mail, read it now please.
ReplyDeleteHow was your day? Did you get lucky?? I just collected some songs for SH and I will definitely put SH on the public blog listings.
ReplyDeleteroger
ReplyDeleteMy mama was thinking about --poking in choochie...see haw many babies she had...[giggles]
ReplyDeleteYour parents were a sexy couple. They must have liked children.
ReplyDeleteMy day went very well.How was your day ???
ReplyDeletedad says he left you a note on SH's he wanted a post by himself so he could write a lot so Nan told him to go to SH's.
got your answer....I had to check something out I will e-mail you...ok
I don't know if they like children but they sure liked fucking...I am my parents child, I love fucking too...hahaha...boy I'm hot to night.
ReplyDeleteOK. I got dad's note. It was full of interesting news. The family meeting should be lots of fun for all of you.
ReplyDeleteDad is particularly enjoying this brangle Gil is having with the family.
ReplyDeleteI just sent you an e-mail ...it was what I forgot ...you don't have to answer it.
ReplyDeleteDad is really enjoying himself and said if he knew it was this much fun he would have retired long ago, the egg sucking bastards...
ReplyDeleteGil said he followed him all day at the office so he let him play with the intercom and people was running all over the place wondering who was singing and telling jokes.
It is so nice to know don't you think...we are really the stuff.
ReplyDeleteHA!...Dad is really enjoying his retirement.He doesn't have to keep up his godfather image any more. He can just have fun.
ReplyDeleteHi Jeannie or should I say Genie
ReplyDeleteYou and Nee's names is more grown up now.
I just got in going to take a shower and relax I had to tell you Jeannie that Gil has 4 kids and Nee and Big G. make 6 kids.
How is your family?
Nan
I think you are so right Nan. We're all okay.Hope you are same.Have a good night.
ReplyDeleteYes we had one Sunday and Monday night, but Money it was thundering and lighting and babies was everywhere...the boys was in the bed with Dad Gilly left them and dad says when he woke up Jonny was gone also
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting on our other site Nan.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard a word about a decision on the Alaska Loophole case. But these things take time I guess.
ReplyDeleteWell old musty butt is at home, they went to a movie tonight.
ReplyDeleteAnything in a court takes an eternity.
ReplyDeleteWhat movie did you go to Nan???
ReplyDeleteDad says he talked to a couple of people from Bossier and they say it may be in session for a while...I didn't know they have tried to close this loophole for somr time now...
ReplyDeleteIt will be a significant step forward for the environment and it's protection if we win that one.
ReplyDeleteI just called her and James says she in the shower and they went to dinner .NAN and Lois says they will leave a note each day, we got one from Lois about the hunky men.
ReplyDeleteDina Lohan is shopping around for a reality show to follow her daughter's rehab so she (Dina) can harvest a little more money off her daughter.
ReplyDeleteAre you going to post it ...
ReplyDeleteI hope they keep Lilo in jail and send her to rehab when she's released from jail, if not I'm afraid for that kid.
Why don't Dina go sell some pussy..I forgot that old thing is wore out.
Now Sis just called Dad on my cell, he has one I hope he remembers to bring it back.
I saw the note from Lois. it's really nice of them but I don't think it will help too much. We need a real WOW! factor on that blog to compete with all the other Hollywood beat blogs.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about it for a while. I'll have to look around for something. I know the music will help.Have you been keeping an eye on the stats on FTBB?
Maybe more pictures would help.
ReplyDeleteSweetie...tell me if you can. Would you want the world to know your kid was an druggie and you was the cause because you love money more than your child.
ReplyDeleteIf dina get a show it will be like the Jacksons run two weeks.
I agree the show would be a two week wonder.The Lohans like to make everything Lindsay does public. Eventually they will run out of things to publicize. They will be down to talking about her bowel movements soon.Anything to scrape up a buck.
ReplyDeleteDo a story on it if you can find a bit more info on it.
ReplyDeleteThere hasn't been much celeb gossip lately. No scandals.It's a lull. it might pick up a bit near Christmas when there is another rash of movies. And so new romances will spring up among cast members.
ReplyDeleteYes FTBB is really jumping and it makes me happy.
ReplyDeleteIt took FTBB a long time to catch on .
I guess I march by a different drummer... an in time Sh's will catch on as you say they like to see what we say and when we did alternate days on the blogs SH's was doing pretty good.
They may not comment any more on SH's I know Lois just seen your comment and called me to say she ?NAN was only trying to help.
If you want to alternate again, I think that would be just fine.
ReplyDeleteAnd lois, I thank you. You are a nice lady and any help is much appreciated. Why don't you join us sometime?
I told Lois not to tell NAN because we appreciate and help we can get, she sounded like she was about to cry and said she will talk to me later.
ReplyDeleteI think we need to be a bit more snarky on SH. After all it does say 'celebrity spanking'.
ReplyDeleteOh on to better things ...I have an post in drafts about astronomers believe they have found oldest galazy so far...will you edit and post it for me please.
ReplyDeleteWe will find our way soon. we're new at the gossip thing.
ReplyDeleteSure, I'll edit it and post it.
ReplyDeleteI'm find the way it is, you like this one better and I can go either way.
ReplyDeleteLois says she won't be back if thats the way we feel, she says we all ways talked about stats and they was trying to help.
I really don't know how to do these things on the blog and it's nice to know we have a following and the music made up jump when I was out of town, maybe if I had more time .
ReplyDeleteDo you remember what I told Heidi about the stats , I wanted somewhere so I could keep up with you, that was her whole concern stats, you can rush things they have to take their time.
ReplyDeleteNow I feel guilty about Lois, she tries so hard. Have any ideas what I can do about her?
You know what Sweetie, I'm getting just a little bit ticked off. We're all grownups here,aren't we?And we are all entitled to our opinions. It was an extremely nice gesture on both their parts.
ReplyDeleteOf couse we all should have our opinion and I suppose that's what Lois was telling me ...I'm the one that should not have said anything to you.
ReplyDeleteI guess I was wrong in telling you what she said...
I guess I will start thinking before I say anything.
Nee James said you called and wanted to know what movie we saw.
ReplyDeleteNo movie parked behind a circle -K and got me a little bit.
Jeannie that's telling old musty butt.
Nan
I would have loved to see your long legs up in the air, I hope you was in you truck[giggles]
ReplyDeleteYou are a very good friend of mine.I would trust you with anything and I care for you deeply.I enjoy both blogs and I enjoy working on them with you. If you ever need my help, I am there for you.
ReplyDeletePlease keep all this in mind as I say Goodnight and pleasant dreams
....Always your friend PIC
Jeannie
ReplyDeleteHave a nice night and I will talk to you soon.
Nan
PS: Well done Nan, much better than an old movie...NIght Sweetie.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the blogs with you also and I thought you knew me better than that...trust is a thing that works both ways...
ReplyDeleteGoodnight ....PIC
PS: Jeannie , I do care for you ...but I don't understand why you got so offended...you say things to me often .
ReplyDeleteJEAN`NE C.