Scientists describe first Cretaceous African amber deposit
Monday, April 5, 2010 - 14:21
in Paleontology & Archaeology
A description of a 95-million-year-old amber deposit -the first major discovery of its kind from the African continent -is adding new fungus, insects, spiders, nematodes, and even bacteria to an ecosystem that had been shared by dinosaurs. In addition, the amber deposit may provide fresh insights into the rise and diversification of flowering plants during the Cretaceous. The new paper, published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reconstructs an ancient tropical forest uncovered in present-day Ethiopia and is the work of an international team of 20 scientists.