|
. | . |
|
by Brooks Hays Los Angeles (UPI) Apr 14, 2013
Scientists in California recently used CT scanning technology to capture remarkably detailed photos of an Ice Age bee, preserved in a nest of ancient leaves. The Megiachile gentiles specimen -- a species of bee that's still alive today -- was first excavated from Los Angeles' La Brea tar pits in the 1970s, but the fossil was too delicate to be investigated by hand. So it was set aside. Now, with new infrared technologies, scientists have been able to analyze fossils with great precision. And for the first time since the bee nest was dug up, paleontologists have been able to peer inside to witness a the tiny pupae, or baby bee. The intricate little insect is somewhere between 23,000 and 40,000 years old. Researchers at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County detailed their findings in the online journal PLOS One. The scientists say the bee's modern successor is one of the few species to benefit from global warming -- its range having continued to spread as the planet heats up. The La Brea tar pits -- which are buried underneath large portions of modern day Los Angeles -- were formed as petroleum from now-dry oil fields slowly oozed to the surface, creating massive bogs that trapped and preserved animal remains. L.A. construction is constantly bumping up against portions of the tar pits, turning up materials dating between 100,000 to 330,000 years old. Occasionally, much older fossils are found. Such was the case earlier this year, when excavators unearthed a sea lion jaw, estimated to be two million years old. [PLOS One] [Smithsonian Magazine]
Related Links Beyond the Ice Age
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service. |