Amber fossils are ancient organisms trapped in tree resin that has hardened through polymerization. Amber can preserve entire organisms and even DNA. It commonly contains microorganisms, insects, and small animals. Amber is biodegradable and decomposes when exposed to heat, UV light, and chemicals. Museums use amber fossils for study purposes to gain insight into the history of life on Earth.
Amber fossils are the remains of ancient organisms trapped in amber, tree resin that has hardened through a process called polymerization. If the tree’s resin hardens in the right environment, it can last for hundreds or thousands of years, creating a valuable record of organisms that lived in Earth’s past. Also known as fossil resin, amber has also been treasured for thousands of years as an ornamental gemstone, although it is not a mineral and therefore not technically a gemstone.
The formation of amber fossils begins with the secretion of resin. Trees and some plants secrete resin as protection against insects. While this sticky secretion is sometimes referred to as sap, it’s not actually sap, but rather an entirely different substance generated by the plant for protection. As the resin moves along the trunk of a tree, it can trap a wide variety of organisms that become trapped in the amber. When the resin hardens, it can preserve an entire organism, and sometimes even DNA is preserved.
Botanical material such as leaves, twigs and bark are commonly found in amber which is not very surprising considering where it comes from. Amber fossils typically also include large numbers of microorganisms, which are ubiquitous in the natural environment, along with insects. Apart from insects, amber is also known to contain frogs, lizards and other small animals that were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Amber is really not an ideal fossil preservative. Fossil amber is biodegradable and decomposes when exposed to heat, ultraviolet light and chemicals. This is one reason why people with amber jewelry need to take special care of it, to make sure the amber doesn’t get damaged. Once an amber fossil has been discovered and disturbed, steps must be taken to preserve it, or it will eventually disappear. Even with proper care, amber can eventually crack.
A number of natural history museums maintain libraries of amber fossils for study purposes. These fossils may provide insight into the history of life on Earth, with amber fossils forming one piece of a complex puzzle. These fossils are also useful for knowing where various organisms lived, and what they ate, since it is sometimes possible to recover material from the entrails of animals trapped in amber fossils. This material includes microorganisms present in the intestines.
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