A 385-million-year-old resin discovery rewrites the history of plant life
In short: Scientists in China have identified the world's oldest chemically verified amber. This fossilized resin dates back to the Middle Devonian period, predating the dinosaurs by 140 million years. Its existence forces us to rethink how ancient plants evolved defenses against a hostile, prehistoric environment.
The discovery was made by Cihang Luo and a team from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology. While searching for bulk coal samples to study fossilized plants, the team noticed parts of the coal fluorescing brilliant blue under ultraviolet light. This led to the extraction of 241 tiny fragments—most measuring less than half a millimeter—from approximately 10 kilograms of coal in China's Hujiersite Formation.
The age of the amber is determined by the geological context of the cutinitic coal seam, which has been dated to roughly 385 million years ago. This significantly surpasses the previous record holder from the Late Carboniferous period, which was dated to about 320 million years ago. While the researchers could not identify the specific ancient plant group that produced the resin, chemical analysis suggests it shares hallmarks with modern conifer-type resins.
The presence of this resin so early in the fossil record provides a new window into plant evolution. Researchers believe resin originally evolved as a survival mechanism to seal wounds and protect against infection. During the Devonian period, while evidence of arthropods feeding on vascular plants was limited, plants faced significant threats from parasitic fungi and wildfires. This discovery confirms that complex chemical defenses were already in place hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously confirmed.
The study, published in Science Advances, highlights the importance of accidental discoveries in paleontology. By using infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, the team was able to verify the chemical makeup of the fragments, ensuring that the Hujiersite amber represents the earliest confirmed record of its kind.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Oldest Amber Ever Found Rewrites What We Know About Plant Evolution
- Also: A new record holder for the world's oldest amber discovered in China
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